Last Updated on by Michael Brockbank
The premium version of Buffer opens all kinds of possibilities over its free counterpart. Instead of being limited to 10 posts per channel, you can schedule a lot of content across several of the most popular social apps. But is it worth the expense?
Recently, I upgraded to the premium version of Buffer to test how well it’ll work in my situation. I manage several blogs, YouTube channels, and am an author trying to promote his books.
Needless to say, I don’t have a lot of time to play around on social media. That’s where Buffer comes in.
What is the Buffer Social Media App?
Buffer is a social sharing app that connects to the most popular platforms on the Internet. From a single dashboard, you can schedule and post content to all of the social media apps you have integrated within Buffer.
This is perfect for those who have busy lives but want to give their social accounts the appearance of being continuously active.
For example, I’ve been creating five posts per day across three of my most active social accounts. Then, I’ll add a new post here and there if something strikes me as important or if I have something new to share.
Setting up all of these posts takes roughly an hour and a half for a week’s worth of content while using the premium version of Buffer.
Free vs Premium Buffer
The free version of Buffer lets you connect up to three social profiles from the most popular platforms. Then, you’re able to schedule up to 10 posts per social account. This might be plenty for those who just want to have a modicum of a social presence.
According to experts, though, it’s ideal to post up to 23 tweets per day on Twitter alone. That doesn’t include any other platform you might want to use.
The premium version of Buffer gives you an unlimited number of scheduled posts per account. The price of upgrading varies depending on how many accounts you want to add.
For someone who is trying to have the greatest social impact, the premium version is ideal as you can spend an hour or two creating a long stream of content and schedule it until the end of time if you’d like.
Pros and Cons of the Buffer Premium App
PROS
- Automatic Posting to Social
- Hashtag Use Stats (for some)
- Activity Reporting
- Export as CSV and Images
- No Watermark for Posts
- Start Page (Linktree Alternative)
CONS
- No Data for Certain Social Profiles
- Mobile App is a Bit Wonky
Schedule Automatic Posts to Social Media
The primary function of Buffer is to share posts to social media en masse. You can schedule an unlimited number of posts to your connected social channels and give them the appearance of being constantly active.
This is great if you’re trying to build up your following or brand as you’re able to post when certain consumers are the most active. Not to mention that social accounts that don’t post often are usually ignored.
Of course, you still need to reply to commenters and spend a bit of time interacting with other people’s content. Still, Buffer Premium can save you a lot of time posting your original content on social apps.
Hashtag Usage Stats (for some)
Buffer will track the impressions of the hashtags you use on certain social accounts. As the API for each social platform is different, some don’t share certain pieces of data with Buffer. However, the most popular social apps have this data available.
Anyway, the hashtag report shows the number of posts in which you included that hashtag as well as the number of impressions (reach) and average engagement rate. This lets you see what hashtags are performing the best for your content.
This screen will show you the top five in either the Average Reach or Engagement Rate columns. However, you can export the data as a CSV file and see the data for all of the hashtags you used for the selected period.
Activity Reporting
Buffer will track the activity of your accounts, such as the number of impressions and engagement rate. Some social platforms will also record the best times to post on any specific day, the best types of content to engage your followers, and the most effective frequency for posting.
Some will also break down gender demographics, ages, cities, and countries. It depends on what social app you’re analyzing. As I said earlier, not all social apps share the same information in their APIs. And Facebook is quite anal about certain types of data.
In any case, these reports can help you determine what type of content to make next and build a strategy that is effective for your goals. I just wish that all of the social integrations shared the same information.
Exporting as CSV and Images
Buffer gives you the ability to download your data as CSV and/or image zip files. Then, you can use them in your favorite spreadsheet app, such as Excel or LibreOffice.
It’s worthwhile to download the data at least once per month as the CSVs usually have more information about the performance of your posts. Using the image download is nice if you want the visuals of your post content.
No Watermark for Posts*
Some social sharing apps will add a watermark on the post from where it originated. This was abundantly clear back when Hootsuite had a free version. Whether you’re using the free or premium version of Buffer, there are no watermarks on the content.
However, if you enable the link-shortening option when scheduling posts, it will show the “buff.ly” domain, much like how “bit.ly” shows up when using Bitly to shorten URLs.
For most, this shouldn’t be a problem as most people use link shorteners anyway to cut down on character space.
Start Page (Linktree Alternative)
Buffer has a built-in alternative to Linktree, Start Page. This page is customizable and allows you to add all kinds of links such as all of your social profiles, YouTube videos, Spotify music, and more.
It works similarly to Linktree and you can add various blocks for customization.
The only drawback to the Start Page that I’ve found in Buffer is that the system doesn’t have a built-in image editor. For example, if your image is too big for the header, there is no way to crop or shrink it to make the graphic fit.
No Data for Certain Profiles
Perhaps one of Buffer’s greatest drawbacks isn’t necessarily its fault. Not all social media apps share the same information in its API. So, not all of your connected profiles will have analytical data available.
For example, I don’t have stats for Pinterest or Threads. But, both of these platforms have their own data reporting system…kind of. Threads is very limited in comparison. Still, it would be nice if Buffer was able to pull this information.
Not to mention that Meta recently removed data from Facebook for post clicks, reach, impressions, engaged users, and demographics. Yet, you can still find some of this information in each individual post in the reports.
Mobile App is a Bit Wonky to Use
The mobile app for Buffer isn’t as easy to use compared to its desktop version. I found it to be lacking in many ways, and trying to post to multiple channels at once was a pain in the ass.
I stopped using it after about 10 minutes as I prefer using Buffer from my computer anyway. Still, it wasn’t as easy to find all of the options I wanted in the mobile app. You might have a better experience, but it wasn’t as easy to use in my opinion.
Would I Suggest Using the Premium Version of Buffer?
In its free version, you’re able to connect three social accounts to Buffer and schedule up to 10 posts for each one. For someone just starting out and experimenting, this might be more than enough. You can still log in every other day and continue building up your content strategy.
However, I’ve grown to a point where I needed more time and accounts to engage my audience on more than just three profiles. Upgrading gave me the ability to post five per day per account. Then, I spend two hours scheduling a week’s worth of content for all five, which saves me a lot of time in the end.
So far, having active social accounts has made a huge difference in followers and engagement. Instead of a post every few days when I remember, I have the entire week planned out and then add more if something arises.
At the end of the day, I would say to stick with the free version of Buffer until your accounts grow. Once you build momentum on other channels, upgrading to the premium version of Buffer will save you a lot of time to keep them all active.
Or, if you only plan on using one or two social accounts, there’s nothing wrong with scheduling 10 posts for each one as needed.
In a nutshell, you probably don’t need the premium version of Buffer unless you plan on hitting several social accounts hard with constant content.
Since I try to diversify my audience on their platforms of choice, it’s worth the money for me to schedule updates across all those platforms.
I Spent $300 Upgrading for the Year
For five social channels, I spent $300 for the entire year. That comes out to $5 per month per channel. That’s not too bad considering the costs of some of the others on the market.
I’m not sure if I’ll keep Buffer after the year is up. I’m currently recording data to determine if the app is worth using for the long term. I don’t have a lot of money available, so I have to be extremely particular about services and apps.
Nonetheless, the overall engagement from keeping the accounts active has worked out quite well.
Clearing Some Upgrade Confusion
You can connect up to three social media accounts in the free version of Buffer. When you upgrade, you have to pay for each of these three accounts in addition to any you would like to include.
For instance, I had three social accounts but wanted to add Instagram and LinkedIn. I paid the $300 for the entire year for all five accounts.
The wording Buffer uses might be a bit confusing to some. The bottom line is that you have to pay for every social account you want to use with Buffer Premium, including the free ones you had connected beforehand.
It would have been nice if they had included the free accounts when upgrading, but you wind up getting some interesting data tools depending on the platform.
7 Ways to Get the Most Out of Buffer Premium
- Posting in Bulk
The whole reason to use Buffer is to update a lot of social accounts with a single post. Schedule a week or two in advance to save you some time. - Schedule Ahead of Events and Holidays
If there is something you want to post for the holidays or future events but are afraid you’ll forget, you can schedule them ahead of time. Theoretically, you can say Merry Christmas to your followers automatically in 2077. - Use Hashtag Tools
Buffer will keep track of the best hashtags you’ve used on certain social channels. Using a hashtag tool may help increase exposure when posting. - Mix In Life and Non-Salesy Material
The last thing you want to do is continuously post salesy content. It’s social media; you need to mix in some social-ness to keep folks interested. - Pay Attention to the Data
Although Buffer only records some of the data from certain social channels, it’s worth the time to keep an eye on what is working and what isn’t. - Use the Create Boards
The Create boards are where you can plan out social marketing ideas. It’s kind of like a project management tool that helps you brainstorm and assign tasks, that is if you have anyone helping manage the accounts. - Share the Start Page
If you’re looking for a customizable alternative to Linktree, the Start Page is relatively easy to set up and share. It works similarly to Linktree with great customizing options.
How Often Do You Post on Social Media?
The Buffer social media management tool is a decent platform for those looking to expand their presence. By scheduling content ahead of time, you can give your social profiles the appearance they are constantly active, which is a good thing.
Just remember to spend a few moments per day interacting with others. The whole point of social media is to be social. But tools like Buffer can shave off a lot of time keeping the account active, especially if you upgrade to premium and can schedule as many posts as you’d like.
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