Tools for Marketing and Content Creation

It’s January, and you’re fired up—new year, new strategy, new wins. Or maybe it’s March, and you’re side-eyeing your social media, wondering if you missed the reset window. Spoiler: You didn’t. Whether it’s the first week of January or the last day of October, the best time to get your social media on track is right now. This checklist is your blueprint for momentum in 2025. Whether you’re aiming for more consistency, kickstarting your creator journey, or landing your first brand deal, this guide will help you build a strategy that sticks. So grab your notepad, open your planning app, or start a fresh Google Doc and let’s dive in. Callout: P.S. Scroll to the end for a sim…

No one likes to be left on ‘seen’ — not your friends, not your partner, and definitely not your social media community. Social media monitoring is the process of tracking your brand mentions, post comments, and direct messages (DMs) on all major social media channels. Sounds simple, right? Reply to every comment, DM, and brand mention you receive. But messages start slipping through the cracks as your social media presence expands. Maybe you’re on many social media channels, and it’s hard to respond everywhere promptlyMaybe your social followers have ballooned rapidly (yay!), and the number of messages and customer queries you receive is piling by the minuteMaybe you’re h…

There’s a bit of a misconception that it’s “too late” to get started as a creator in 2025. Sure, the TikTok boom of 2020 is behind us (RIP days where videos of your sourdough starter got 10K views), but that doesn’t mean you’ve missed the boat. For one thing, it’s probably never going to be as easy as it is right now, ever again. The space is crowded, but it’s only getting more so. And another: there's still plenty of room for authentic voices to make their mark. "Your voice and your perspective matter," says creator and marketer Aarushi Singh. "There's room for everyone in the creator economy, and the world needs more passionate people sharing their knowledge and creativ…

As a millennial, I’m not ashamed to be a Facebook fan, and it turns out that I’m not alone. About 69% of my generational cohort is still active on the platform. Although only 37% of Gen Z are active users, Facebook still boasts a solid presence among older generations, with 6.6% of users aged 65 and up. In total, approximately 3.07 billion people log on to the little blue app every month. Facebook’s size alone makes it hard to ignore. But it’s not just about numbers. With its mix of generations, built-in community features, and powerful tools for targeting and content, Facebook is still a key player for brands and creators. Thanks to new updates in AI, video, and even …

Social media marketing is using social media platforms — like Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, X, etc. — to promote your business and build a community. It also includes paid social media marketing, like running ads and influencer marketing. But what’s the difference between a social media calendar and a social media marketing strategy? A content calendar is the place where you slot your social media posts. It shows what content will go live, when, and on which social media platform.A social media marketing strategy is the driving force behind why you post what you post and choose the social media platforms you’ve selected. It outlines your social media goals and the metric…

Remember the days when ‘likes’ were the gold star metric on Instagram? Now, you’re spoiled for choice when it comes to the sheer volume of data available to help you measure the performance of your content. Impressions, views, comments, shares… It’s exciting — if a little overwhelming. Instagram analytics can be a goldmine of insights for you as a creator or small business owner. These numbers can shape your Instagram strategy, helping you pinpoint exactly what kind of content will boost your reach and help grow your audience. But how do you get these insights? How do you spot patterns, connect the dots, and use your performance numbers to inform your strategy? And — bes…

Last year was Buffer’s first profitable year after two years of losses. This turnaround has been a huge accomplishment for our team. Given our focus on long-term sustainability and growing through revenue from customers rather than funding, it was a symbolic achievement in service of the path we’ve chosen. We closed 2024 with a net profit of $202,459. But perhaps the most exciting part for me of achieving a profit is that we were able to distribute our profit share bonus again. Read on to learn more about our philosophy as it relates to profitability and profit sharing. The journey back to profitabilityLooking at how we achieved profitability in 2024 tells an interesting …

AI chatbots like ChatGPT have become ubiquitous and vital to how many knowledge workers, content creators, and business owners operate. But as powerful as ChatGPT is, it’s not the only player in the game — and sometimes, exploring alternatives can reveal new ways to streamline your workflow. That’s where this guide comes in. Instead of just rating chatbots based on generic criteria like accuracy, speed, and creativity, I wanted to see how they perform in a real-world content workflow. So, I paid for the subscriptions (courtesy of Buffer’s AI Tools stipend that will help me recoup those costs) and fed them data from my own social media, and gave a structured challenge to e…

Social media marketing has become a necessity in most businesses' toolkits today. And B2B companies are no different. If you’re saying, “But we sell to other businesses, not individuals, why do we need to practice social media marketing?” remember there’s still a human behind every B2B purchase, too. Numbers tell the same story: 75 percent of B2B buyers use social media to make buying decisions60 percent of B2B marketers say social media is the most effective channel for driving revenueThat said, there are key differences between how you formulate a B2B social media strategy and a B2C social media strategy. This article will highlight those and help you create a solid soc…

TikTok stepped onto the social scene in 2016 and completely reshaped the way we create and consume content, but nearly a decade later, with over 1 billion monthly active users uploading millions of videos daily, standing out can feel impossible. How do you capture attention and keep viewers hooked? It comes down to more than creative ideas — you need to grow skills that transform good concepts into great content: especially editing. But here’s the good news: you don’t need professional editing training to create a standout TikTok video. Whether you're just starting with TikTok’s intuitive built-in editor or you're an experienced creator exploring advanced tools like CapCu…

As a creator or brand trying to get going with video marketing it can feel like everyone else has a ring light, a script, and a multi-camera setup — and you’re still figuring out where to start. You know what helps to remember, though? All of those folks started out exactly where you are now. Video is a great format to explore: it helps your audience connect with you more deeply and puts a face to the (brand) name. It’s not a trend; video marketing is here to stay. Can you succeed in your social media marketing strategy with a text-first approach? Of course. We’ve got tons of data to prove it. You don’t need to hop on the video marketing bandwagon just because everyone s…

You're spoiled for choice when it comes to Facebook ads — from images and videos to carousels and collections, there’s a format (and placement) for just about every goal. Advertising on Facebook also gives you the chance to experiment and find just the right approach for your brand. But with so many options, it’s important to keep up with the latest Facebook ad specs. Facebook offers a world of creative opportunities, and getting the specs right is your first step to making the most of them. If you’ve ever found yourself Googling “Facebook ad sizes” or “Meta ad specs” five minutes before launching a campaign, we’ve got you covered. In this fully updated guide, you’ll fin…

I find myself wanting to buy a new product I’ve seen on Instagram at least once a week. (Right now, I’ve got my eye on a gorgeous set of coffee mugs from Studio 13.) Instagram makes those “I need this” moments easy to act on — people see something they like, and they can buy it in just a few taps. What started out as a simple photo-sharing app has evolved into a powerful social commerce platform where you can show off your products, find new customers, and even make direct sales. With 130 million people tapping on Instagram shopping posts each month, it’s clear that casual scrolling can easily turn into active shopping. That’s a big opportunity for businesses and creators…

When it comes to social media platforms, Facebook is as crowded as they come. The social network currently has a staggering 3 billion active users — so almost a third of the world population has a Facebook account they use regularly. Crowded as it may be, it’s still a powerful social media marketing platform for businesses and creators — if you have the right social media strategy in place. Part of that content strategy involves figuring out the best time to post on Facebook for maximum engagement. When it comes to the Facebook algorithm, engagement — reactions, comments, shares, and the like — is a strong signal that your content is valuable and that more people will enj…

Have you ever wished you could just skip the Instagram algorithm altogether and guarantee your content gets seen by your target audience? Or, rather than asking folks to click over to your bio to find your products, content, or website, just include a link right in the post? Well, meet Instagram ads. They are paid posts on the platform that you can use to promote your business, product, or services and reach new people. Ads appear in the same format as organic posts across Instagram Stories, Reels, Explore, and in-feed posts. But unlike organic Instagram posts, Instagram ads have a link to redirect users to a website to shop for your products or check out your services. …

As a type A perfectionist, there are few things that give me more satisfaction than a good old spring clean. Come change of seasons, I’m always overcome with the urge to clear out drawers, declutter cupboards, and rearrange shelves. Doing it is a bit of a slog, of course, but that feeling you get after a good tidy-up? Worth every second I spend cursing over piles of old clothes on my bedroom floor. Now, wouldn’t it be neat if we could do the same for our online spaces? (You see where I’m going with this) As it happens, you can — on Instagram, at least. And, unlike spring cleaning, it won’t do a number on your back. In November 2024, the social media platform quietly launc…

While scrolling on my Instagram feed, I saw a post about a gorgeous planter in my friend’s post. I immediately inquired about the brand and ordered a couple of pots for myself. That’s a classic example of how user-generated content (UGC) works. It’s an authentic post about a brand and its products on social media channels — created by real and relatable customers instead of the brand or influencers. In this article, I’ll share the A-Z on user-generated content and how your brand can use it to improve your social media marketing efforts — with some examples to inspire you! What is user-generated content (UGC)?User-generated content (UGC) is brand-specific content created b…

Instagram Stories are one of the first things I tap on when I open the app. I love seeing the more authentic, in-the-moment content creators and brands post there, rather than the polished Instagram feed. Many Instagrammers will spend hours creating beautiful Instagram Reels and photo posts, but ignore their Instagram Stories — and they’re missing a trick here. The Instagram Stories feed appears right at the top of your followers’ screens when they open the app. And if they’re anything like me, tapping on the lit-up profile pictures is tough not to do. "Stories is designed to really connect people with others that they know in real life, their friends," Instagram Head, …

I took my first foray back into AI video generators when the first version of this article came out in mid-2024. I was pretty impressed with what was on offer at the time, but my initial assessment was that, while there were some helpful AI-driven features in the world of video, nothing could really change the game for me just yet. As I updated this article in 2025, let me tell you — I’ve just had my socks knocked off by some absolutely incredible AI video generators and tools. What's pretty cool, too, is that there is a huge spectrum of functionality when it comes to AI video generators, too. The artificial intelligence tools on this list can do everything from helping y…

Dark Mode is now available in Buffer! And we timed it perfectly for spooky season. This has been our second most-requested feature, with 352 upvotes from our community. We heard you loud and clear, and we're thrilled to have it ready for you! As a creator, you know the feeling: it's late at night, inspiration hits, and you're ready to plan your content for the week. Or maybe it's early morning, and you're catching up on comments before the day begins. Dark Mode is designed for precisely these in-the-zone moments. It's about creating a calm, comfortable workspace that protects your focus and reduces eye strain. More than just flipping a switchWhen we set out to create Dark…

What’s the first thing you do when you open Instagram? If you’re like most of us, your finger probably goes straight to tap on stories and see what your friends and accounts you follow have been up to over the last 24 hours. Instagram Stories have become one of the best ways for everyone — from creators to small businesses and social media managers — to show up, stay top of mind, and connect with their most loyal followers. Whether it’s a quick behind-the-scenes snap, a poll sticker, or a sneak peek of your latest product, stories are where the day-to-day magic happens. The only catch? Stories are fleeting, often on-the-fly, and easy to forget when your day gets busy. I…

The use of AI to generate weird and wonderful imagery is definitely one of my favorite applications of the cutting-edge tech. I've tested out AI writing tools and AI productivity tools, but putting the host of AI image generator through their paces was hands-down the most fun I've had in testing tools in ages (and I love testing tools). As with other AI tools, there's no shortage of artificial intelligence image generators on the market. I'm sure by the time this article is published, about 35 more will have just launched. ❗Looking for Pablo? We've sunsetted Pablo, Remix, and Stories Creator (more on that here), but the AI tools on this list might help!By now, we all kno…

So many factors contribute to the success of your videos on YouTube: your video title, thumbnail, YouTube SEO, and (perhaps most importantly) the quality of your content. It’s a lot to consider, and it’s often not easy to pinpoint what will resonate with your YouTube subscribers the most. But thanks to our analysis of more than 1 million videos shared on YouTube, we can offer a little more concrete guidance on at least one of those factors: the best time to post on YouTube. As we’ll get into later on, this is not a magic bullet for content success — the factors I mentioned above have an outsized impact. But compared to all the work that goes into the rest of these process…

If you're a regular reader of our content, you know we spend a lot of time thinking about and researching the optimal posting times for every social platform. We've analyzed millions of posts to pinpoint the days and times that lead to the highest engagement rates on each platform. I'm excited to share that we've now incorporated our data and research directly into Buffer, so you can always post at the best time to post. 👏 Now in Buffer, you can set set a weekly posting goal for your social channels and Buffer will automatically add recommended posting times to your schedule. With this combination, you can stay consistent and be "in the feed" when it matters most. I’m an…

"What should I post this week?" If you've ever stared at your social media accounts asking yourself this question, you're not alone. Creating and finding enough content to maintain an active social media presence is one of the biggest challenges we hear from our customers. That's why we built Feeds — a new Buffer feature that brings fresh content from your favorite websites directly into your Buffer account. What are Feeds?Think of it as the bridge between the content you love reading and the content your audience will love seeing. You can add feeds from your favorite blogs and websites, and their latest posts will automatically appear in your feed collections, ready to b…