Maintaining an active presence on social media isn't easy. In fact, it can be a full time job. Whether you have one social media page to manage or dozens of them, using a scheduling tool has many advantages over clicking the “publish now” button. Below are just a few of the many benefits of scheduling your social media posts:

• You can spread out your posts so that you don’t overwhelm your followers. It’s not unusual to find yourself on a roll. You may have a dozen interesting ideas all at once. That doesn’t mean all of those ideas need to go out all at once. Using a scheduling tool allows you to spread them out.

• Other team members can review your posts before they go live to catch errors in judgment, spelling mistakes, legal issues, or other potential problems. By scheduling posts in the future, you or someone else can look them over to make sure that they comply with your social media strategy and avoid potentially embarrassing mistakes.

• You can work more efficiently. It’s much more efficient to spend a block of time composing social media updates and scheduling them than it is to do it on the fly.

• You can post more consistently. By scheduling social media posts, you can set up a consistent schedule. Whether you schedule a month’s worth of posts at once or do it a week at a time, you’ll be less likely to miss a day thanks to your advance preparation.

• You can take time off. Who wants to write business posts when on vacation or dealing with a family emergency? By scheduling your posts in advance, you can take time off without distractions. At the same time, you can rest assured knowing that your social media audience is not being neglected.

• Scheduling posts can drive engagement. For example, you might work Monday through Friday from 9:00 to 5:00. Without a scheduling tool, your status updates would be limited to your normal business hours. However, what if your audience is more active on weekends or at night? With a social media scheduling tool, you can reach your audience at the best possible times.

Despite all of the advantages of scheduling social media posts, some social media users choose not to schedule their posts because there are a few potential pitfalls. For example, what if a terrible tragedy occurs and your scheduling tool posts inappropriate status updates? If you do schedule social media updates, you should review tomorrow’s posts the night before. With your upcoming posts fresh in your mind, you’ll be better able to respond should an external circumstance occur. Another potential problem is receiving comments and questions on a post and not being around to respond. You may want to schedule posts that will generate comments and questions for a time when you’ll be available to moderate the discussion and schedule those designed to generate likes and shares for when you’re unavailable (if necessary). The benefits of scheduling social media posts are compelling. It’s not an all or nothing process either. Try a mix of scheduled and live status updates and get the best of both worlds.