Social Media

SmarterQueue: The New Tool That Is Saving Me Hours On Social Media

SmarterQueue is a social media scheduling tool that works fantastically well for people like me - busy creative entpreneurs. I’ve gone back and forth between different social media scheduling programs for a while. I kept finding issues with one or another that would frustrate me and make me want to jump ship. Either it was too expensive, or it didn’t have recycling posts, or I thought the interface was annoying to use. I actually stopped using any program for a while because I just couldn’t figure out what I wanted to stick with.

About that time I started hearing whispers of SmarterQueue and I’ll be honest the first time I logged in my initial thoughts were, “uh uh. I am not learning another one of these things just to be disappointed.”

But then one Monday morning I sat there and did it, I set up the whole schedule and everything and then I just let it run its course for the free trial period. I didn’t even think about it (or my Twitter or Facebook accounts at all).

Well, spoiler alert, the trial period won me over. It made me see the light. I’m a convert.

Here’s why you need SmarterQueue in your arsenal (trust me on this one).


CREATE A SCHEDULE + CATEGORIES

Something that I love about SmarterQueue is that it’s very much a ‘set and forget’ approach (quite possibly my favorite approach to anything). The initial set up involves creating a schedule for posts based on categories. My categories include “my own blog posts”, “self-promotion”, “other articles”, “inspiration”, “questions”, and “tips”. How the scheduler works is that you designate that at whatever time and day you want it will send one of the categories to post.

Then you take time to a fit content into those categories (which I’ll touch on next). But that’s it – SmarterQueue filters what content appears at what time based on your schedule and your categories. The schedule stays consistent but the content varies depending on what you put in and the best part is it recycles (but more on that later).

The set up honestly took me about an hour the first time. Which might seem long, until you realize you NEVER HAVE TO DO IT AGAIN. Like it’s just done. Forever. What used to take hours each week is just done. Plus, I truly had no idea what I was doing on initial set up (I'm one of those 'read directions after I'm frustrated' kind of gals), BUT had I read a post like this one I would’ve been able to do initial set up in even less time (so keep reading!).


ADDING NEW POSTS

Adding new posts into each category is simple. They have a drop down to ‘add content’ and you can either write a new one (which I did for the tips and the questions and the inspiration categories) or pull from a RSS Feed (which I did for my own posts and other blogger’s articles).

They also have the option to repost your best content (and it’ll pull from way before you started using SmarterQueue) and the coolest one – “find content” where you can literally type in someone’s username, name, etc. and find their content and related content.

It’s so easy to support other people this way and you don’t have to worry about scrolling through Twitter to find a good tweet to repost, you can search for influencers or peers you trust and repost them directly in SmarterQueue.

Oh, you already have Twitter lists created for that? Cool. Just search the name of your Twitter list and pull that up directly in SmarterQueue to pull from. It’s amazing. I wasn’t lying.

The best part of all of this is that it seamlessly shortens links for you and pulls relevant photos, so your Facebook posts always look formatted correctly and your Twitter posts always have graphics attached (which convert better).


RECYCLE POSTS (FOR HOWEVER LONG)

In the area where you are ‘writing’ a post, you’ll notice near the bottom the question “would you like this post to expire?” which really should say “do you want to make your life easier?”

Because guess what!? You can just recycle posts that you know will always be relevant (like questions that might provoke interest in your services or your own content). So I usually leave the option for posts to re-queue if I know they’ll be relevant forever in my Twitter feed (plus SmarterQueue won’t let the same post show up to close together, so no worries about back to back posting of the same exact content).

There’s also the option to have the post expire after a set number of posts (so maybe you only want to share someone else’s same content like 4-5 times, and then delete it from the schedule) OR the option to stop posting it after a certain date (which would be useful for a launch or promotion that ends).

That’s part of the ‘set and forget’ concept that I love so much. I started with probably 20 posts of other people’s content that I will always want to share and know will be relevant and useful, so I left them to never expire. Then I’ll occasionally go in and add a new post (if I’m excited about someone’s post, or featured in their post especially) randomly, to make sure it stays fresh and relevant. That process takes me about 2 minutes when I randomly think to do it (probably once a week).

"Want to 'set and forget' your #socialmedia? This is how!" [tweet that!]


ANALYTICS

I’ll be honest, I’m not great at tracking numbers in my business (which I know is just terrible of me), but if you are an analytics person SmarterQueue delivers weekly updates straight to your inbox and also has a robust analytics section in your account.

In the analytics you can study which type (category) of post is performing best, which is getting the most likes or clicks or other engagement, what time is performing best, etc.

I won’t pretend to be an expert at analytics, to me engagement and interaction with people has always held precedence over straight numbers – but it is nice to get a weekly report showing numbers increasing, clicks increasing, and followers increasing – especially when I’m honestly not doing that much (if anything) to make it happen!


NOT BREAKING THE BANK (+ AFFILIATE PROGRAM)

Here’s the best thing I’ve found – SmarterQueue is super affordable and also has a customizable package option, so depending on if you need 4 accounts linked or 40 accounts linked, you can make the package fit your needs (and not overpay for services you don’t need).

I also admire any company with an affiliate program. Regardless, if I like something enough I am going to share it with you. But, it’s nice to be rewarded for wanting to shout from the rooftops about a new program or software that is benefiting you and your business. Plus, I like when affiliate programs offer more of an incentive – SmarterQueue gives you a free 30 day trial (versus 14 day trial) when you click through my (or someone else’s) affiliate link (which are all through this article, just a heads-up)!

Ready to learn more about SmarterQueue? I’m doing a Facebook live this afternoon at 2pm EST. I’d love for you to hop into our group and hang out, plus see #BTS of my SmarterQueue account and ask any questions about set up, using, etc.!

Every link to SmarterQueue in this post is totally an affiliate link, but I promise you this: I'm legit obsessed. Hop onto my FB live, I'll show you how #obsessed I am!



5 Super Easy Strategies To Skyrocket Your Followers on Instagram

Hey y'all! This week the lovely Amber Dee is sharing 5 SUPER EASY strategies to really grow your Instagram in no time at all. This post has some seriously great information! Be sure to follow Amber Dee on social media using the links at the bottom of the post!

There are a lot of people that complain about no growth on Instagram but they never understand exactly why. Some people think that they have to follow a ton of people to get followers while others think that you must be on Instagram for years to grow your following. Well, my friend, neither of these are actually true. What’s key is content when it comes to building your following. As soon as I implemented my content strategy, I immediately seen growth in my account and tripled my following. Here’s how you can do it too.


BE CLEAR ABOUT YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE

This is one of the major things that people tend to overlook when starting a business. Though there may be an ideal target audience in mind, such as women, you have to be more specific. Think about what type of women you want to target. Are you looking to sell to stay-at-home wives, full-time mothers, first time college students, or women making below $30,000 working a 9-5? Be clear about your ideal audience so that it’s easier to target them.


KNOW WHAT THEY LIKE

Once you understand who you are targeting, then it’s easier for you to understand what they like. For example, you can pretty much guarantee that a 17-year old high school student will not like the same thing as a 45-year old full-time working mother. Once again, this is why it’s important to know and understand your audience. Say for example, you have a product you are trying to sell to stay-at-home moms. You can imagine that a stay-at-home mother is working a full-time shift with cleaning the house, caring for the children, cooking, etc and would love a break. You can attract your ideal audience by posting things that spark their interest like “everyone needs a break” or “moms need quiet time too.” Knowing your audience and their pain points will make it easier to attract them as followers and future customers.

Knowing your audience will make it easier to attract them as future customers. [Tweet That!]


POST A VARIETY OF THINGS

Instagram is a platform for you to show your creativity. Though quotes are a great way to relate to your followers, every post should not be a quote. Posting the same thing everyday gets boring and eventually you will start losing follower rather than gaining them. Give your followers something to look forward to by using the element of surprise.

Get your content calendar here that takes out the guesswork out of what to post. Here are some examples of what to post.

  • BEHIND THE SCENES: Take your followers behind the scene of your work place. Show your audience how you do what you do. You can showcase your office, your workspace, your laptop, your camera or set up of your video recording. Let them feel as if they are apart of your process. Even showing that your life isn’t perfect is a great way to build a connect by relating to you.

  • QUOTES: Hands down the easiest, most useful posts that you can use to gain followers. Quotes are the most used method to create content for followers. Find things that relate to your audience to get the most impact. Are your followers trying to lose weight? Post motivational quotes about stick with it. Are your followers trying to start a business? Post inspirational quotes about how someone made it through though odds were against them.

  • FAQS: Posting frequently asked questions is a good way to overcome any uncertainty your followers may have about your product or service. Review some questions that you have received previously about what you are selling or ask yourself some questions about your product or service. If you’re still not sure, get a friend or a family member to give you some questions that they may ask. Use those questions as a post and answer them in the comments. It’s a great way to show your audience transparency and build trust.

  • TIPS: Regardless if you have coaching business, a fitness business, a make-up business, or a graphic design business, you can always give your audience tips on certain things that they wouldn’t know. If you’re a makeup artist, you can recommend certain products or how to best apply your favorite lipstick or mascara. This not only is helpful for your audience but sets yourself as the expert in this field which only increases your authority.

  • FILL IN THE BLANK: Questions such as fill-in-the-blank are great ways to increase your engagement with your followers and simply gain more followers by intriguing them with you question. Make sure to relate it to your business. For example, if you’re focused on weight lost then posting something such as “When I lost 10 lbs. I will_____”, to get your audience to engage and make it entertaining. If you’re not sure how to incorporate this in your feed, grab the FREE content calendar that tells you want to post each day of the week and make your life a lot easier.


BE CONSISTENT

This single-handedly is a major reason people will stop following you. Once you start a pattern, your audience begins to expect you to post around the same time each day. When you don’t adhere to that schedule, people tend to forget about you and you quickly become removed. Anyone in business as a solopreneur understands the multitude of things that has to be done to keep the business running so make it easy on yourself and plan your content in advance with the FREE content calendar. Once you know what you want to post use a scheduling program to keep you on track. I recommend Buffer, Hootsuite, or Later for posting.


HAVE FUN

Lastly understand that your post should be fun. When you have fun with your posts, your followers will as well. Enjoy your time on social media and be social. The more social you are, the more people will view you as a human instead of some random person behind the screen. Remember, humans like to connect so leave comments on some of your ideal follower’s accounts and engagement in conversation when your followers leave a comment on your post.

By implementing these simple steps, your account with be shining in no time, my friend. Happy planning!


Instagram Followers Growth

Amber Dee is a business coach and consultant for hustling creatives, bloggers, and online entrepreneurs. She is the author of the book Girl, Get It Together and runs her own blog over at The Amber Dee where she shares the secrets to turning your passion into your profit. She also shares tips on growing your audience and how to effectively turn your audience into loyal customers.

Facebook - Instagram - Twitter - Pinterest - The Amber Dee