My Two Cents
My blog about business, social media, books, life, and what matters.
Full disclosure: I was given a free Post Planner account in connection with other social media writing, and am a registered affiliate for Post Planner. My commitment is to always give you my honest opinion so you can make your own decision about what is best for you! Now that is out of the way, let's dive in. What Is Post Planner?On the most basic level, Post Planner is a social media scheduling tool. Similar in ways to other tools like Buffer and MeetEdgar. Depending on your plan size you can connect multiple social media accounts, schedule and create content, and monitor results. So far pretty standard. You can also create your own custom RSS feeds like you can in Buffer or a tool like Feedly. There are a few features that make Post Planner worth checking out though, even if you use another tool already. How Is Post Planner Different?The biggest feature that Post Planner has is that it does not simply schedule content that you think of out of your head, it suggests content for you based on a wide variety of criteria. It pulls popular content from around the web and rates it if you want to share links or viral images. Want to post text status updates instead? You can choose from a large library of already created posts and then customize them. If you struggle with creating content day in and day out, this feature alone will make Post Planner pay for itself. I was really impressed with the breadth of content available. (And that is saying something!) Another thing I like is that you can decide what types of content gets sent out when in your schedule. While not quite as advanced as the Meet Edgar tool, you can at least plan when you want links, text updates, or pictures being published. I also have to add that their support team has been amazing. While it is possible I get preferential treatment, I doubt it because I go through the built in help tab when I have questions. Response time is fast and personal. Other features I love (though it took me a little playing with it to find them) are the ability to schedule recurring posts, and the Canva integration. What It Doesn't HaveOverall, Post Planner is a unique tool that adds some things to the landscape of content creation and scheduling. However, I wouldn't recommend it as a stand-alone social media tool. You will still need tracking and analytics from something like Buffer (or a more robust tool like Agorapulse). It does not provide any monitoring options (again, loving Agorapulse for that, review coming soon). The one thing that was most notable in my workflow though was the lack of a browser extension. While Post Planner is create for suggesting content, if I happen across it on the web I have to manually add it if I want to use Post Planner for scheduling. What Do You Think?Post Planner is a great addition to my social media arsenal, when I make the time to go in and browse the library for content. Like any other tool, you will only get out of it what you put into it.
If you have trouble being creative and coming up with content, then definitely give Post Planner a try. It's price point is very accessible even for a small business with only a couple social media accounts. An important note is that it only connects with Facebook and Twitter right now. That is fine for many businesses, but if you want to schedule to Pinterest, Instagram, Google+, or LinkedIn you will need another tool. Have you used Post Planner? Are there other social media tools that I should be reviewing? I would love to hear about your experiences.
Passion In the past I have often allowed myself to get sucked into projects that I am not excited about. There is a meta narrative in our culture that we have to do things that are unpleasant, and in fact that is the path to success. While that may be true in some ways and at some times, what I have discovered is that it is no way to build a life. Yes, I may need to work out in order to stay physical health. But I have choices about what I do. Playing a few games of "Just Dance" on the Wii with my kids is just as legitimate as running a mile. Maybe more, as doing something I love and building relationships have added stress relieving and brain building properties. In much of human history (and even still in many parts of the world) we have had to do what we have to do to survive. But I am extremely blessed to live in a time and place and situation that gives me lots of choices. I will be able to bring my best to the world when I make the choice that brings out my passion. That will help me deliver more results, get more done, and keep my productivity high. Sometimes that might still mean sacrifice and hard work. It always amazes me how far passion can carry me, even when things get rough. Purpose The next word I chose is closely related to the first. What can help direct passion, and overcome the challenges in the process, is purpose. A greater why behind my choices. My goal is to stay aware of my why behind everything I do. To focus on projects that make the world a better place overall. To not be afraid of being vocal about things that matter. This word is something that I already began in 2015. I started getting intense about where I am going and what I want to accomplish. Tracking successes and failures, measuring, and improving. That is something I definitely want to continue and even expand on in the new year. People My last word is people, because really that is what it all is about anyway. I have been accused of being a workaholic. And my response is always that it is not work for work's sake, but for a bigger reason. Which is all true. I have to always keep my eye on the fact that the bigger reason is the people I love immediately, and people as a whole indirectly. I want to keep my sons, my boyfriend, and my family and friends in the fore front this year. Looking for ways to make more time for them and to involve them in my purposes and passions too. Maybe this exercise has inspired you too. I would love to hear your three words in the comments below. Something amazing starts to happen when we start saying things out loud. Try it and see. And Happy New Year! |