Buffer Software analyses results, manage accounts in social networks and engage with their community. Buffer is a social media marketing tool for marketers and agencies to share on social media. Use Buffer Software to schedule your posts later at the best possible times allowing your followers to view updates and make the most of each post. Post to all your social media accounts simultaneously. Work from anywhere with browser extensions and mobile apps. Pablo by Buffer creates images for Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Linkedin, and Pinterest, based on their recommended sizes. Produce content both with typography, formatting, font sizing as well as visuals. Post and schedule images and videos. Add content to queues whilst browsing the web or on the go. With the premium feature, add your blogs RSS feed to buffer or automate with apps like IFTTT. Buffer Reply is a separate Buffer app that contains tools for managing conversations.
Integrate Buffer with other software tools or apps such as Zapier.
Buffer Software: Dashboard
Login Buffer. To start fig 1, click on ‘Connect your social accounts’.
The Free Plan supports 3 social accounts, 10 scheduled posts per platform, 1 user. Go through the pricing and explore the features available under the paid options.
Setting Up Buffer Software
Buffer supports Facebook Page/ Groups, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn Page/ Profile. Pinterest Social Media is for Paid Users. After connecting your social media channels set up a schedule for each of them. Apart from this, Buffer has extensions for Chrome, Firefox or Safari. For signup, ensure that your email settings are filled out along with the time settings and the browser extensions.
The left pane of your dashboard displays the social media accounts that have been connected. At the bottom in the left pane fig 3, you can connect your social media channel from the ‘manage social accounts’ tab. On clicking the tab fig 2 you can connect to your social media accounts. After you have connected your social media channels set up a posting schedule for each of your channel.
Scheduling Posts in Facebook
For Scheduling your Posts click on the social media channel and then go to settings in your Dashboard. In the sub-menu click on the settings tab.
Click on the icon fig 5 in the box ‘What would you like to share?’ and add the URL of the post.
The post with your featured image with its meta description content will be posted to your social media account ie Facebook Page. Next click on the tab ‘Add to Queue’.
Alternatively, you can also share by clicking on the buffer extension and have the social media channels checked where you want the posts to be displayed. The ‘Add to Queue’ tab also provides the option of either ‘Share Now’ or ‘Schedule Posts’.
The posts which have been scheduled for Facebook Page will all appear under the ‘Queue’ tab. The posts are scheduled based on the times you have defined under Settings> Posting Schedule fig 4.
Scheduling Posts on Twitter
The Posts scheduled for Twitter will appear under the Queue tab.
For Twitter, you must have a constant stream of content going out. To stay active on Twitter is to be posting enough relevant content. The posts on Twitter hardly last for about 10 minutes within people’s feeds and then disappear. Buffer Software is primarily used on Twitter as a content curation tool.
If you share content to engage with your community then have a steady stream of information going out. To share promotional information that interest your community use Twitter and curate content. Schedule a steady stream of content in Buffer by having some hours or days or weeks of content setup.
Bulk Upload Messages Using Buffer
Search in Google ‘Bulk Upload Buffer’ to find different tools and apps. bulkbuffer.com can pick a text or a CSV file or manually enter updates to send it to your buffer profile.
Click on ‘Start uploading for free’ fig 9 and then click on ‘Allow access’ fig 10.
Fig 11 shows the two social media accounts ‘Facebook’ and ‘Twitter’ connected. Manually type the update or click or drop a file or a text file or CSV file. It depends on the buffer plan as to how many messages and updates that the plan allows you to schedule. The free plan, allows to schedule up to 10 updates for each of your social media channels.
We have 2 uploads in a CSV file which we drag and drop in the box fig 11 – ‘Click or drop a file on me to import updates’. fig 12 shows that 2 updates imported. Click on ‘Send to Buffer’.
Wait for some time till the icons next to updates turn green with check marks.
In the dashboard click on Facebook fig 14 and find the two updates from Bulk Buffer in the Queue.
Similarly, in the dashboard click on Twitter fig 15 and find the two updates from Bulk Buffer in the Queue.
Pablo by Buffer Software
Content with images gets more engagement and more clicks. To use Pablo an online image creation tool, you need to have an account with Buffer.
Templates
To create social media images fig 16, choose from a series of templates (2) based on your needs eg: promotional post, create announcements, quote post or start with a blank canvas.
Size & Images
Choose a size for your image (4) depending on the social media network where you want to add the image eg Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook or Twitter. Select an image from a series of stock photos (10) and scroll down to find a suitable one or search with a specific keyword (1) eg: bridge. To choose the image simply click on it. Alternatively, upload (9) your own image. Reposition (3) to select that part of the image you like and click ‘Done’.
Text
The text bar (6) allows you to add a header, body and/ or caption. The caption can be your hashtag or a website address. Add the text of your own or shuffle through quotes by clicking the < > (7) to scroll through different quotes from what Pablo offers. You can also use your own quotes such as customer testimonials, how to’s, tips
Filters
Use Filters (5) to edit your pictures from the background. Use other options such as ‘no filters’ and adjust the image qualities to normal, blurred, black and white or contrast. Go to your text and check the visibility of your font.
Logo & Share
Finally, add your logo (8) and size it ‘big’ or ‘small’ to brand
Buffer Social Media: Save Time
Manage all your social media in one place and save time. No need to log into multiple social accounts. Add any text, link, picture or video to Buffer and select when and where it is to be posted.
Share Text from Twitter Time Line
Sometimes while reading content on the Twitter timeline you may come across an article that you might want to share. Check for the extension fig 17 and you will have an option of adding this piece of content directly to Buffer. Select the social media channel that you want to send it to and then from the options – Share now, Schedule or Post at a specific date or time or add it to your Queue.
Buffer Selected Text
As you go through text on blog websites, sometimes you want to share not the headline but a piece of text inside the post. First, highlight the text and right-click fig 18. Since you have the Buffer extension it will show options such as (1) Buffer Selected Text or (2) create Image with Pablo. The Buffer Selected Text is going to create a social media post or update based on the text that was selected. Add hashtags or share it
Buffer Selected Images
Since the buffer extension is installed, right click and go to buffer and (1) buffer this image directly to your social media accounts or (2) Open image with Pablo fig 19.
Suppose you want to create an image using the text, right click on that selected text, go to buffer and then click on create an image with Pablo. Add a caption or a hashtag eg: #sapcanvas this is the branding that I use for my website. With Pablo, coin any text on different blog articles you read and convert it into compelling images.