Get Productive: How to Schedule Tweets Using Buffer

Did you know that, as of July 2015, Twitter has over 316 million monthly active users? That means there’s a lot of noise coming between you and your potential followers. How do you get your message across when there are so many tweets like your own?

Make more noise. We mean it. Having a constant flow of content published in a smart way will improve your social visibility.

So let’s say you have amazing content, but you don’t have the time to post on Twitter every ten minutes. What do you do then?

Let us introduce to you a great little app called Buffer.

The Basics of Buffer

Buffer is an adept Twitter scheduler made for large marketing firms, budding authors, non-profit publishers—anyone who wants to promote content in an easy-to-use format. Buffer allows you to directly plug a link into a tweet, tweet an embedded picture, and other super helpful tools that might very well improve the way you market to your audience.

Using Buffer to Schedule a Tweet

Like other Twitter productivity apps, Buffer gives you a queue where you can add tweets (up to 10 at a time for the free Individual Plan, though this is a lot for the average Twitterer!) Under the Content tab, you simply write up your tweet, include your links and pictures, and publish. After that, the app takes care of the rest.

A Buffer user's options under the Contents tab. Source: Buffer

A Buffer user’s options under the Contents tab. Source: Buffer

How do you actually schedule a tweet with Buffer? This is pretty simple, too. Instead of establishing separate times when individual tweets push out to your followers, the app allows you to create a broad schedule that will automatically regulate when your tweets publish. All you have to do is go to the Scheduling tab, and set the dates and times when you want your tweets to regularly send out.

A Buffer user's options under the Scheduling tab. Source: Buffer

A Buffer user’s options under the Scheduling tab. Source: Buffer

In the example above, the app will push out tweets at 9:49AM and 10:05AM from Monday through Friday. Note: Buffer will only publish what you put into the queue, so make sure that it’s always full, or as the app dubs it, being “topped off.” Buffer also does not discriminate what posts actually publish, so always double-check that your tweets are in the right order in your queue and are actually ready to send!

If you’re looking for on-the-go content, Buffer has a Chrome extension, so if you are visiting a website you really want to share or find a picture you think would be great for your followers, you canautomaticallyadd the content to Buffer from your browser. Neat, right?

Where to Safely Download

If you’re interested in Buffer, click here to sign up for this incredibly useful service. You’ll have to allow the app access to use Twitter on your behalf, but know that Buffer will publish only what you tell it to. Check out Buffer’s Getting Started for an even more comprehensive look at what this app is capable of.

Use something other than Buffer? Tell us how you stay productive on Twitter by tweeting at @WNBANYC. We look forward to hearing from you!

(Featured Image source: Buffer)

Alex Grover
Alex Grover is a digital production associate at Penguin Random House. Alex plans on becoming an expert in all things e-books.

About Alex Grover

Alex Grover is a digital production associate at Penguin Random House. Alex plans on becoming an expert in all things e-books.

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