LinkedIn and Buffer are two popular social media tools used by many professionals and businesses to manage their online presence. LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional networking platform, while Buffer is a social media management platform that allows you to schedule and publish content to various social networks. A common question that arises is whether you can connect your LinkedIn account to Buffer to schedule and publish content. The short answer is yes, you can use LinkedIn on Buffer. However, there are some limitations and things to keep in mind when using the two platforms together.
Connecting LinkedIn to Buffer
To use LinkedIn on Buffer, you first need to connect your LinkedIn account to your Buffer account. Here are the steps to link the two accounts:
- Log in to your Buffer account and go to the “Social Accounts” tab.
- Click the “+” icon to add a new social media account connection.
- Select LinkedIn from the list of social networks.
- You will be redirected to LinkedIn to log in to your account and grant Buffer access.
- Once connected, your LinkedIn account will be linked to your Buffer account.
The linking process is quick and straightforward. Once your LinkedIn account is connected to Buffer, you’ll be able to schedule and publish content to LinkedIn directly from the Buffer interface.
What You Can Schedule on LinkedIn through Buffer
When you connect your LinkedIn to Buffer, here are some of the things you can schedule and publish:
- LinkedIn posts – You can write posts with text, images, links, hashtags, etc. and schedule them to be published to your LinkedIn feed.
- Articles – Buffer allows you to connect to LinkedIn’s publishing platform to schedule article updates.
- Sponsored updates – If you want to sponsor an update for a wider reach, you can schedule sponsored posts.
Essentially, most of the updates you would normally publish directly on LinkedIn can be scheduled via Buffer. The key exceptions are covered next.
Limitations of Using LinkedIn on Buffer
While Buffer provides an easy way to schedule LinkedIn content, there are some limitations to consider:
- You cannot schedule sharing other’s content. Buffer only allows you to schedule your own unique posts.
- Advanced targeting options for sponsored posts are not available in Buffer. You’ll need to use LinkedIn’s interface for detailed targeting.
- Buffer will not allow you to schedule content intended for Groups. You can only post to your main LinkedIn feed.
- Buffer doesn’t support scheduling LinkedIn events or jobs. These need to be posted directly on LinkedIn.
So for basic posting of your own content, Buffer works great with LinkedIn. But for more advanced functions like Groups, jobs, and targeting sponsored posts, you’ll still need to log in to LinkedIn directly.
Posting Frequency Recommendations
When publishing to your LinkedIn feed through Buffer, it’s important not to overdo it. LinkedIn works best when you post valuable content consistently, but not too frequently. Here are some general posting frequency recommendations to follow:
- 1-2 posts per day – This is ideal for most professionals and businesses actively using LinkedIn. Spacing out 1-2 updates throughout the day allows you to engage your audience without overwhelming them.
- 3 posts maximum per day – Even for very active pages, resist the urge to schedule more than 3 posts to LinkedIn in a single day. Too many posts in quick succession tend to turn followers off.
- 20+ posts per week – Be cautious scheduling over 20 updates per week. This risks your posts being throttled or labeled as spam, and reduces overall effectiveness.
The specific cadence that works best can vary depending on your audience and objectives. But in general, quality over quantity is advised when posting to LinkedIn through Buffer or directly.
Ideal LinkedIn Content Types for Buffer
In terms of the type of content ideal for scheduling through Buffer to LinkedIn, here are some of the top-performing options:
- Industry articles – Posting insightful industry articles and analysis is a proven way to boost engagement.
- Company/product updates – Share news, launches, and announcements related to your business.
- Event promotions – Countdown to upcoming webinars, conferences, and other events.
- Behind-the-scenes – Give a peek behind the curtains at your company culture.
- Expert advice – Provide tips and how-to’s to establish expertise.
Multimedia posts with visuals tend to outperform blocks of plain text. Infographics, photos, videos, and presentations are great to include when possible.
And remember – your followers crave variety! Mix up link shares, original commentary, quick tips, curated content, and promotional posts.
Best Practices for LinkedIn Scheduling with Buffer
To get the most out of managing LinkedIn through Buffer, keep these best practices in mind:
- Craft attention-grabbing headlines – This helps your posts stand out in the busy LinkedIn feed.
- Use relevant hashtags – Include up to 3 relevant hashtags to make your posts discoverable.
- Shorten links – Always shorten lengthy URLs using Bitly or another tool.
- Add captions to visuals – Provide context with captions for any images, infographics, or videos.
- Mention influencers/pages – Tag relevant profiles to broaden reach and engagement.
- Stagger your updates – Schedule posts at different times to reach people in different timezones.
- Analyze performance – Check your Buffer analytics to see top-performing post types, times, etc.
Following these tips will help make your LinkedIn content effective whether scheduling directly or through Buffer.
Buffer’s Unique Benefits for LinkedIn
In addition to the convenience of scheduling your updates in advance, using Buffer for LinkedIn provides some unique advantages:
- Scheduling flexibility – With Buffer, you can easily schedule updates weeks or months in advance to promote evergreen content when relevant.
- Social media calendar – See all your updates across networks mapped out on an editorial calendar for easy visual management.
- Analysis – Dive into Buffer’s analytics on your LinkedIn performance to optimize your strategy.
- Team collaboration – Collaborate with colleagues to plan, draft, and schedule LinkedIn content in one place.
- Image optimization – Buffer resizes and optimizes images for LinkedIn automatically.
For social media managers juggling multiple networks and clients, these features provide valuable time-saving benefits.
Potential Downsides of Relying on Buffer
Using a tool like Buffer to manage LinkedIn does come with some potential downsides to consider as well:
- Less ability to react quickly in real-time to trends or feedback.
- Difficulty conveying an authentic and human voice.
- Risk of errors when posting without reviewing first.
- Missing some of LinkedIn’s native analytics and data.
- Losing touch with your audience if solely posting through a tool.
The key is to find the right balance between automation and active engagement. Don’t completely hand your LinkedIn presence over to a scheduling tool.
Tips for Using LinkedIn & Buffer Together
Here are some tips for successfully using Buffer to schedule LinkedIn content without losing the human touch:
- Actively engage with your network and Groups beyond scheduled posts.
- Respond and react to discussions organically in addition to your updates.
- Carefully craft messages in your own brand voice before scheduling.
- Review scheduled posts before they go out to check for errors.
- Frequently check back on LinkedIn to like and reply to comments.
- Analyze your results in Buffer but also on LinkedIn’s analytics.
- Find the optimal mix of automation and real-time interaction that works for your brand.
The right balance will allow you to save time with Buffer while still connecting authentically on LinkedIn.
Should You Use Buffer or LinkedIn’s Tools?
When deciding whether Buffer or LinkedIn’s native tools are right for managing your LinkedIn presence, here are some key factors to consider:
Consider Buffer for LinkedIn if you:
- Want to easily schedule large batches of posts in advance.
- Need an editorial calendar to visualize updates across networks.
- Like having analytics and performance data consolidated in one place.
- Value the ability to collaborate with a team to schedule content.
- Appreciate automatic image resizing and link shortening.
- Want to save time on social media management.
Stick with LinkedIn’s tools if you:
- Require lots of organic interaction and real-time engagement.
- Need to use Groups, jobs, and other LinkedIn-specific features.
- Want access to all of LinkedIn’s detailed native analytics.
- Are focused on highly targeted sponsored posts.
- Prefer to craft and schedule posts individually.
For many professionals and teams, the best approach is utilizing both Buffer and LinkedIn’s tools in tandem to maximize benefits. But assess your specific needs and preferences to decide what mix is right for you.
Troubleshooting Issues with LinkedIn and Buffer
When connecting your LinkedIn and Buffer accounts, here are some common issues that may arise and how to troubleshoot them:
Problem: Posts not publishing from Buffer as scheduled
- Potential solutions:
- Double check LinkedIn connectivity in Buffer – Reconnect account if needed
- Verify you have an active LinkedIn business or premium account
- Check for errors or duplicate posts being blocked
- Contact Buffer support if issue persists
Problem: Image, link, or text incorrect when posting
- Potential solutions:
- Review your original update draft before scheduling
- Enable post preview option in Buffer to catch errors
- Verify multimedia files meet LinkedIn requirements
- Carefully check post content for typos before approving
Problem: Too many posts or getting throttled
- Potential solutions:
- Adjust your LinkedIn posting cadence in Buffer
- Schedule fewer posts per day/week to LinkedIn
- Spread out updates more evenly in Buffer queue
- Stick to 1-2 daily updates spaced out
Staying on top of these common hiccups can help ensure smooth LinkedIn posting with Buffer.
Conclusion
In summary, Buffer provides an excellent way for professionals and brands to easily schedule and publish content to LinkedIn in advance while retaining many of LinkedIn’s native posting capabilities. Key benefits of using Buffer for LinkedIn include scheduling flexibility, consolidated analytics, team collaboration, and time savings. However, it does come with some potential drawbacks like less real-time interactivity. Finding the right balance with your own organic engagement is key. For many, the ideal approach is using Buffer strategically in tandem with LinkedIn’s tools to maximize reach and save time. With some discipline around posting frequency and quality content that resonates with your audience, managing LinkedIn through Buffer can be an effective approach for streamlining your social media workflow.