How to Manage Your Instagram as a P.R. Professional Using “Later”

When you’re managing your own brand, social media plays a key role in getting the word out and obtaining clients, especially in P.R. Yet, there are so many social media platforms out there that most of us tend to feel overwhelmed; You ask yourself, “what social media platforms are best for my brand?” or “should I have one of each?”

Don’t worry, it has happened to most of us! The best way to stay focused is to get organized and ask yourself “where does my audience (ideal clients) live?” For P.R. professionals, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are your best bet. However, most of our clients are e-commerce and SMBs (small-mid sized businesses) that concentrate on growing their brand organically on Instagram. 

But, how can you manage all your socials and get clients? Well, there are many CMS (content management systems) out there like HootSuite and Buffer to get organized. But, we haven’t talked about “Later.” 

This app is specifically designed for managing content on Instagram, but it can manage content on other platforms like Facebook and Twitter as well. It has a free and paid plan options; The app also has a web version as well as a mobile version. 

Some Benefits of Using the Later App are:

1. It’s Designed for Instagram: Since the app is specifically created to manage Instagram accounts, it comes with special features like “Link in bio” where you can insert the link you want to show on your bio along with your scheduled post. This feature is one of my favorites, especially for my industry. For example, what if I made a new blog post and I want to promote it on Instagram, but I always have the link to my website on my bio and not a direct link to my new post…catastrophe! The last thing you want is a potential client browsing for your post and them not able to find it in less than 3 seconds. You know they’re going to get frustrated and bored, then sign off. People expect easy and quick information at their fingertips, otherwise, they’ll lose interest and you lost a potential client. 

2. It’s really easy to use: All you have to do is 

• Select what account you want to post to 
• Upload your media 
• Write your caption (don’t forget to use at least 10 hashtags)
• Paste your preferred link on your bio as mentioned above 
• Schedule the date and time of your post
• And you’re all set! 

3. It can handle other social platforms: Yes, I know! You have HootSuite and Buffer for your other socials. BUT, what if you can handle all your socials in one go? It’s a one-click stop! It’s a lot less time consuming when you schedule all your posts in one sitting, this gives you more time to concentrate on your clients. 

Later Cons:

1. You Can Properly Schedule Post on the Web: The mobile version of the app will let you prepare post, but they can only be officially posted on the web. For example, you’ve set a post for Friday at 12 p.m. on the mobile app. When you log into the web version the post shows up on the calendar as an “unverified post.” Then, you need to verify it for it to proceed to be posted at the scheduled time.This, for me is an inconvenience because the purpose of Later is to save time, it’s redundancy take time away from my clients or creating content for my YouTube channel. 

2. It Limits Your Number of Accounts: This applies to most CMS providers where they limit the number of social media accounts you can manage on their apps unless you upgrade to a paid plan. HootSuite, gives you a 30 day trial and you can sign into as many accounts you’d like for that period of time. However, Later only lets you sign into 1 account when using their free plan. Unlike HootSuite, Later doesn’t have a time limit on the free plan. 

In conclusion, I would recommend Later to manage your Instagram account, although I would manage it from the web version so you don’t see yourself running around between your phone and your laptop. Make it an on click stop saving time and energy for other tasks.  

References: Later.com. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://app.later.com/