15.1 Social Planner: Scheduling Listings, Market Updates, Content

Purpose:

The Social Planner (Marketing → Social Planner) allows you to connect your agency's social media profiles and schedule posts in advance across multiple platforms from one central location. This saves significant time compared to logging into each platform individually and helps maintain a consistent posting schedule, which is key for audience engagement and brand visibility.

Supported Platforms (Check current platform capabilities):

Typically includes:

• Facebook Pages & Facebook Groups (you administer)
• Instagram Business Profiles (must be linked to a Facebook Page)
• LinkedIn Personal Profiles & Company Pages
• Google Business Profile (GMB) Posts
• TikTok
• X (formerly Twitter)
• Pinterest
• YouTube (scheduling video uploads)
• Close Master Community Groups (See Chapter 12.8)

Connecting Your Social Accounts (CRUCIAL First Step):

1. Navigate to Marketing → Social Planner.
2. Click the Settings tab (gear icon) within the Social Planner interface.
3. Go to the Social Accounts section.
4. Click + Add Account for each platform you want to connect (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, GMB, TikTok, etc.).
5. You will be prompted to log into the native platform (e.g., log into Facebook) and grant Close Master (LeadConnector) permission to manage your pages/profiles. CRITICAL: Grant ALL requested permissions. Denying permissions will likely break the connection or limit functionality. Ensure you are logging in with the profile that has administrative access to the relevant Page/Group/Profile.
6. Select the specific Pages, Groups, or Profiles you want to connect from the list presented after authorization.
7. (Instagram Specific): Ensure your Instagram account is a Business Profile and is correctly linked to the corresponding Facebook Page within Facebook's settings *before* attempting to connect it here.
8. (Community Specific): Connect your internal Close Master Community Groups here as well if you want to schedule posts to them (See 12.8).
9. (Optional) Group Profiles: Use the Group feature here to bundle multiple related profiles (e.g., group your Agency Facebook Page and Instagram profile together) for easier selection when creating posts.

Creating and Scheduling Posts:

1. Navigate back to the main Social Planner view (Calendar or Posts tab).
2. Click + Create New Post (or click directly on a date in the Calendar view).
3. Select Account(s): In the account selection area (usually top or left), check the box(es) next to the specific social profile(s) or Community Channel(s) where you want this post to appear. You can select multiple accounts to post the same content simultaneously (but consider customizing per platform - see below).
4. Compose Content:
   • Text: Write your post caption in the main text area. Use relevant hashtags. Consider using the built-in Content AI (See 19.1) to help draft captions or generate ideas. Use Hashtag Groups (# icon) to save and quickly insert frequently used sets of hashtags.
   • Media: Click Upload Media to add images or videos from your computer or Media Library. You can also use Design with Canva (if integrated) or Generate Image with AI.
   • Link: Add any relevant URL link. A preview might automatically generate.
   • Customize per Channel (Recommended): If posting to multiple platforms (e.g., Facebook and Instagram), look for tabs or options to slightly customize the text or media for each platform, as best practices differ (e.g., different optimal image sizes, different hashtag usage, different call-to-action phrasing).
5. Advanced Options (Platform Specific): Explore options like:
   • Follow-up Comment (Facebook/Instagram): Automatically post the first comment (e.g., with more hashtags or a link).
   • Instagram Options: Specify Reel or Story post type, add Location Tag, invite Collaborator.
   • GMB Options: Add a Call to Action button (Book, Learn More, Call).
   • YouTube Options: Set Title, Description, Video Thumbnail, Privacy Status.
   • LinkedIn Options: Attach PDF document.
   • TikTok Options: Configure privacy, allow comments/duets.
   • Community Options: Select the User profile that will appear as the author.
6. Choose Scheduling Option:
   • Post Now: Publishes immediately.
   • Schedule Post: Select the desired future Date and Time for the post to be published automatically.
   • Recurring Post: Set up a schedule for the post to repeat automatically (e.g., weekly market stat post).
   • Send for Approval (If Approval Workflow enabled - see below): Submits the post for review by a designated approver before scheduling.
   • Save as Draft: Saves the post without scheduling.
7. Click Schedule Post (or Post Now, Save Draft, etc.).

Other Social Planner Features:

• Content Management (Content Tab):
  • Upload from CSV: Bulk schedule multiple posts by uploading a formatted CSV file.
  • Recurring Schedule: Manage your repeating posts.
  • Category Queue: Create categories (e.g., "Evergreen Tips," "Testimonials") and assign posts to them. Set a schedule for the planner to automatically republish posts from selected categories.
  • RSS Schedule: Automatically create posts whenever a new item appears in a connected RSS Feed (e.g., your blog).
  • Post Reviews: Automatically share positive Google or Facebook reviews as social posts (configure in settings).
• Approval Workflow (Settings Tab): Enable post approvals. Assign roles (Creator, Approver). Creators use Send for Approval. Approvers manage pending posts via the Content → Approval tab (can Approve, Reject with feedback, or Edit & Approve). Useful for maintaining brand consistency or compliance oversight.
• Managing Posts (Posts / Calendar Tabs):
  • View scheduled, published, failed, draft, or pending approval posts in a Calendar or List view.
  • Filter posts by Status, Social Channel, Category, Date Range.
  • Search the List view.
  • Save commonly used Filter Views.
  • Click on a post in the Calendar/List to Edit (if draft/scheduled), Retry (if failed), Delete, or View Stats.