Tweetdeck vs Buffer: How Should you Schedule your Tweets?
Today I will be discussing Tweet scheduling. Specifically whether you should schedule your Tweets using Buffer or Tweetdeck. I won’t lie, for my personal social media, I schedule very little. I schedule for Twitter chats and Pinterest posts (using Tailwind) but for the most part I like to go “live.” I also choose to only engage frequently with the platforms I really like (Instagram/Twitter/Pinterest.)
However when it comes to work, if I didn’t schedule social media, I physically couldn’t keep up! So think of this post as a friendly face off between the two scheduling interfaces! So, how should you schedule your Tweets?
*Does best ring announcer impression*
Introducing first…. from the red corner weighing in at £0s (dependent on your plan) hailing from the world wide web, supporting 4,000,000+ marketers we have BUFFER!
Introducing the challenger also weighing in at £0s (no paid plans available) also hailing from the world wide web, the most powerful Twitter tool for real-time tracking we have TWEETDECK!
LET’S GET READY TO RUUUUUUMBLE!
Why Schedule your Content?
Scheduling content means that you can get the boring stuff out of the way whilst leaving yourself time and flexibility to actually engage with your audience. The best and most effective part of social media, is being social!
A lot of the content I schedule at work includes relevant awareness days, events we are at in advance, our service offer and promotions. It saves some serious mental energy reserves knowing that you are prepared with your content!
What is Buffer
Buffer is a social media scheduling tool. The social media platforms covered on the free plan are:
- Google+
You can manage up to three of your social media platforms in one place, scheduling up to ten posts per platform. You can also do link shortening and tracking which is helpful! Initially the free plan offered analytics (the Buffer weekly report was AMAZING) but they have now stopped offering this. Sad face.
What is Tweetdeck
Tweetdeck is not just a scheduler. It’s a Twitter revolution baby! It began its life as an independent App, but it was so good that Twitter acquired and integrated it into their interface. You can view multiple time lines in one place and manage multiple Twitter accounts. Unlike Buffer which offers scheduling for multiple platforms Tweetdeck is specific to Twitter.
I have written a little bit more about how I used Tweetdeck in my previous post 5 Awesome Twitter Tips for Bloggers! Right, I have covered a little bit of the back story for each scheduler. Hopefully those that are not aware of either or just one will be more informed.
Tweetdeck vs Buffer for Twitter: Round 1
Buffer is great because you can schedule content for most social media platforms in one place. This can be extremely time saving. Another plus with Buffer is that you can edit each post whilst they are still in the queue before they go live. Which you can’t do with Tweetdeck!
Tweetdeck vs Buffer for Twitter: Round 2
With Tweetdeck you can see everything else that is happening in real time through Twitter. This enables you to keep your finger on the pulse and respond appropriately with your scheduled posts.
This feature also works really well for hosting Twitter Chats. Find out how in my previous post! Sorry Buffer but you just can’t compete with this feature… you are purely a scheduler after all.
Tweetdeck vs Buffer for Twitter: Round 3
Buffer is great for amending scheduled content in your posting queue. Tweetdeck is similar to Twitter aka you can’t edit a tweet that has been posted…including a tweet you have added to your schedule with Tweetdeck. If you notice an issue you have to copy, delete, make your amendments and reschedule. This can be pretttttty frustrating.
Tweetdeck vs Buffer for Twitter: Round 4
If you are using Buffer and a Tweet doesn’t post correctly from your queue the first time you can find an archived version on Buffer and re post from there. If you are using Tweetdeck and you have a posting issue…the content just disappears. Ouch! However from my personal experience, Buffer glitches A LOT more than Tweetdeck. For some reason social media profiles seem to disconnect quite frequently out of the blue. Especially LinkedIn and Instagram!
One time I had a whole weekend campaign for a client not post from Buffer. It was awful. Luckily I realised in time and could resolve the issue before it was too late. Phew! I have never had a major issue with Tweetdeck in this respect.
Tweetdeck vs Buffer: Who Wins?
Ok! I’m sorry but when it comes to Twitter scheduling Buffer never really had a chance. Even though Buffer wins on a lot of fronts, Tweetdeck is literally MADE for Twitter. The good news is, all is not lost for Buffer!
Both interfaces can work in partnership to cover your WHOLE social media presence…without costing you a penny! If you are using the free plan for Buffer this is your lucky day. If you use Tweetdeck to schedule your Twitter, this frees up space so that you can use three other platforms on Buffer!
At work I use LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram on Buffer, holding back Twitter for Tweetdeck. I find this interdependent relationship works really well! For instance, hashtags aren’t so much of a big deal on Facebook and LinkedIn so the fact that you don’t have much flexibility in this area via Buffer isn’t so much of a big deal. Obviously this is different for Twitter and Instagram – with Instagram you can go back and add up to thirty hashtags in as a separate comment once posted!
Ultimately it is up to you how or even IF you schedule in advance! But if you have A LOT of content to plan for in advance, scheduling is the perfect solution! I urge you to try both out for yourself and find out what works best for you.
As always if I have missed anything or you have found this post to be helpful, please leave me a comment!
P.s. If you appreciate the content I share here, why not buy me a coffee? 🙂
Let’s connect on the socials!
Renard Moreau
August 5, 2018 at 7:15 pm🙂 I am comfortable with Buffer; I use it for scheduling my Tweets!
Rachael Hope
August 6, 2018 at 5:45 amThat’s great! I do love Buffer. I would suggest looking at Tweetdeck for its other benefits (if you haven’t already obviously!) It is a fantastic Twitter tool. Thank you for reading and commenting!
Renard Moreau
August 6, 2018 at 5:46 am🙂 You are most welcome, Rachael!
rachaelstray
August 6, 2018 at 7:46 amI’ve used both Buffer and Tweetdeck but I prefer Hootsuite to schedule Twitter. I found Buffer to be quite fiddly. The Hootsuite app is great on your phone and the desktop version is also really good. The free version is great for personal use but you can upgrade for more flexibility to a business plan.
Rachael Hope
August 6, 2018 at 7:58 amI’ve not tried Hootsuite yet!! But I’ve heard good things 🙂 will have to trial it! I do understand that it’s easier to have all your scheduling in one place. But Tweetdeck is such an all round powerful tool for Twitter I am happy to make an exception 🙂 I love the layout, the specific search options, the automatic hashtag recognition 😍
rachaelstray
August 6, 2018 at 8:46 amYeah it’s really similar to Hootsuite actually so I’m sure you’d like it 🙂
Rachael Hope
August 6, 2018 at 10:04 amI’ve just started looking into the free plan! VERY tempting !!
Vox
August 6, 2018 at 8:30 amNow that I am considering automating my social media posts, anything related to this catches my eye. Thanks for providing some food for thought. Though I still have not made a decision, your post really helps me understand some of the differences.
Rachael Hope
August 6, 2018 at 8:33 amThis has literally made my day! Thank you so much. I always have a slight anxiety before posts go out. Am I talking about what people already know? Is my advice even helpful? Haha! So when I read comments like this it makes me happy to know the effort is worthwhile 🙂 thank you !!!
An Introduction to Hootsuite for Social Scheduling | Rachaelhope.co.uk
August 6, 2018 at 6:20 pm[…] I noticed the basic analytic option available on Hootsuite. As I mentioned in my previous post, at one stage Buffer included a weekly analytics report within their free plan. This has since […]
Hurray! Hootsuite has a FREE plan! | Rachaelhope.co.uk
August 7, 2018 at 6:27 am[…] I noticed the basic analytic option available on Hootsuite. As I mentioned in my previous post, at one stage Buffer included a weekly analytics report within their free plan. This has since […]
sensiblehomeliving11
August 12, 2018 at 1:55 amI was looking for a good site to use to schedule with! Thanks!
A Practical Guide to Social Media Marketing for Business | Rachaelhope.co.uk
October 7, 2018 at 3:34 pm[…] Tweetdeck vs Buffer […]
Carrie @ Cat on the Bookshelf
October 8, 2018 at 6:23 amMy experience with TweetDeck is that I can edit any tweet so long as I didn’t attach an image to it. I sometimes have to refresh the page to show the edit, but it still works for tweets that are only text with hyperlinks at the most. I’m glad to know to stick to TweetDeck over Buffer for my tweeting needs.
Rachael Hope
October 8, 2018 at 6:28 amI also noticed this recently and was confused/shocked lol!! I wonder if it’s a new update? Thanks for commenting 🙂 I will update in the post to reflect this!