If you manage a page or a business profile on Facebook, then not only can you access data into the reach and engagement of your posts, but you can schedule them in advance to ensure posts go out at the right time for your audience.
Scheduling posts is one of the best tools available for business owners and those who manage a page but have other commitments – enabling them to create posts in advance and at a time that suits them. These posts do not become visible until their scheduled posting time, with no identifying features that make these posts any different from live updates.
NOTE: To schedule a post on Facebook, you need to have a business profile or run a page. This feature is not available for personal profile users.
Scheduling a Post as a Business User
If you run a business page on Facebook, then you will be familiar with all the tracking data and information behind each post you share.
Scheduling a post means choosing a time and date in the future, generally tapping into the aforementioned data and insight to work out what the best time is for your audience to engage.
Once you know what time and day is best, follow these steps to schedule a post…
- Create your post as normal
- Tap ‘Next’ in the top right hand corner once you’ve created the post
- In the Post Preview page, select ‘Scheduling Options’
- To choose a date and time, select ‘Schedule for Later’
- Save your chosen date and time
And there you have it! Your post will remain in drafts until the scheduled posting time. It is important to note here that scheduled posts cannot be edited once they have been confirmed with a date and time. To change a post that has been scheduled, you will need to delete it and start again, rescheduling it in the process.
Scheduling a Post on Your Facebook Page
If you run a Facebook Page, the process is the same as above. Simply create your post, select ‘Scheduling Options’ on the Post Preview menu page, and select the ideal time and date for your audience.
Should I Use Scheduling Tools?
Of course, if you manage multiple social accounts for your business, then you might find it easier to access and use third party scheduling tools rather than setting your post up directly in Facebook.
These tools, which include apps like Hootsuite, are designed for business owners and page managers to set up posts which can be scheduled across different social platforms – pulling entire feeds into a single screen and dashboard. From within these apps, users can control and compare engagement across several platforms and can set up new posts and add comments from a central dashboard.
Again, these tools are great for those who consider themselves time poor or who want to streamline their time spent on Facebook and other social platforms.
We hope this guidance helps and shows just how useful Facebook’s scheduling options can be!
