There are several social media planning and reporting tools out there, such as Sprout, Hootsuite, and Coschedule. However, these tools can be very pricey and thus, not affordable for small businesses and nonprofits. To circumvent this issue for our new client, a small soccer club in Florida, we researched, tested and rolled out a new tool called Later.

This FREE tool has a great user experience built for people and companies who are just starting out and provides a bunch of unique features that frankly, our team just loves!

“With a start up, small business or nonprofit, it’s no secret that their staff likely wears many hats. So when it comes to knocking out to-do lists, the question is, “How can I do this efficiently and budget-friendly?” And in the social world, that’s where Later fits the bill.

Many social media scheduling and analytics tools can be overwhelming and highly priced with more bells and whistles than you will ever need. More isn’t always more, especially when it comes with a higher price tag. Adding Later to our arsenal of social media tools is another opportunity for us to provide our clients with a great tool at a great price point, with their budget, strategy and goals in mind.” - Jenna Morr, Social Media Consultant at IOI

For business leaders that don’t have the time to sit down and post on social media three times a week or can't seem to remember to post consistently, Later sets you up for success.

Here are some of the features we love about Later:

1. The free account allows you to have one set of social media accounts (so one business Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc.).

2. After you begin posting, Later will start pulling analytics for your accounts to help you understand what works for your business, giving you unique suggestions to optimize your social strategy.

3. Need assets?  Later has your back. The tool has stock photo platforms built into its system. So, as you are posting, the tool will recommend stock photos to you for use based on the content you have already been sharing. This feature can save you time down the road with content creation.
4. Later’s unique option “linkin.bio” feature turns your Instagram profile into a mini-website, complete with analytics. You’ll know exactly which posts are driving traffic to specific links, and where your followers are converting from.

As for the results, our client’s reach is up 11% month over month, engagement went up 8% and followers increased by 5%. Overall, for a free social media planning tool, you can’t go wrong with Later.