Table of Contents
Why I am writing this
So, let’s be honest this review is so that I can use CoSchedule at a discounted price. Any referrals that I receive from this I also get more off of my yearly price which is pretty sweet for a one dad show like myself. Click on any picture or this link to be referred. If ten people use my link, I get it free this year. (#nomoneyinthebudget) I have used free and trial versions of Hootsuite, Buffer and several other social media management suites. For me, CoSchedule blows them away. It’s not even close. CoSchedule is an all-in-one management platform that I still haven’t even broken through all the features yet. The best part is it integrates into WordPress seamlessly. It is a piece of cake to use and has some features that are game-changers for one person shows like myself. Now obviously, I have some skin in the game, but CoSchedule has allowed me to add on to my marketing management in some significant ways.
So, first I am going to tell you about me. You can decide if you are in the same boat, therefore, making this article more relevant first. Then we can get to my favorite features of CoSchedule. Also, if you think I am some super advanced techno wiz for working all this out, I am not. I have only had this platform for two weeks. I have posted nearly 200% more social posts in almost half the time. That’s a 4x gain. What did I do with that time? I built an email marketing automation foundation. Sign up for my emails if you like Dad jokes and Meaningful Faith opportunities. That means that my marketing platform is almost fully automated with stuff that gets the likes, retweets, shares and builds relationships with people. Which gives me more time to be Dad, and work on future projects.
My story
So, I am a full-time stay at home dad. My son is 3 and my daughter is 5 months. Yes, you should pity me. What I am trying to do is be a successful author. My first book came out last winter. I wake up at 5:30 am every weekday to write, market, schedule, make PowerPoints for speaking engagements. I get up then so I can have a few hours of peace before the day crowds in. My son usually wakes up just after 7 am. I take a shower and then he is mine to play with love on, teach and enjoy life with for the day. 1 day a week I get Grandma day and recently he has started preschool two days a week.
If you add it up I get about 3 days to do 5-7 days’ worth of work. Time is precious to me, not only because my son is growing up before my eyes but because I squeeze in all that marketing and writing around my time with my son. Parenting is my beloved day job. So, marketing automation is key for me, and from the products I have used, CoSchedule offers some of the best automation.
Consistency is Key
To be a successful author you need a platform and social media marketing is the best way to build up a platform on the cheap. There are two caveats to that though. First, you have to valuable things to say. Second, you have to be consistent. The consistency is the hardest part for me. If consistency is the most difficult thing for you then I highly recommend CoSchedule. The other platforms might be better for making your content great, Hootsuite, for example, offers ad credits to help your good stuff stand out from the not so good stuff. See, I actually have used the other platforms.
Coschedule Features I love
So, what makes CoSchedule great. Well, for me its three things really: 1. ReQueue and 2. One stop calendar tools. 3. Full integration with WordPress.
ReQueue
- ReQueue has elevated my marketing game soooooooo much. I urge you to check out the short video to see the radical change in not just the amount of social posting but the consistency increase. It is all automated too which is pure gold on days where my son has nightmares all night or is sick or life just happening. I don’t worry about my consistency anymore. Tweeting multiple times, a day no longer hangs over my head. I set it in the morning or OMG the day(s) before and it just runs it. Then if I get some good feedback on a tweet, I simply set it to Evergreen and ReQueue automagically queues up that great content for a different time than I last sent it. 3 am EST, yeah, I am active there. Malaysians make up 15% of my twitter following. 8 pm EST, yeah, the Brits wake up to me, also 20% of my following. That’s huge! ReQueue keeps my good stuff up front and present at times when I may not be on social media. Check the calendar and see the difference between August and September posting.
Calendar
- The one-stop calendar is awesome for me. I am a visual kind of guy. Before CoSchedule I was literally printing out calendars to write on. Yes, I know you can do it in excel. I am not great at setting excel or outlook or any calendar. CoSchedule’s calendar, though, gives me an overview. I see an empty space, click a few buttons and I am off on my next blog post, email marketing campaign, or tweet. Then it lives there. I don’t fill out a calendar and then fill out a post to go into the schedule. I do both at the same time. Check out the video and you will see how I use the features.
WordPress
- Full integration with WordPress makes life easy. Remember all that automation. I don’t have to go anywhere besides WordPress, where I already live, to get all of the tools. I don’t need an app and I don’t have to go to their website (though I recommend heading there for some early education). That’s convenient. The gamechanger is the ability to link social campaigns to WordPress posts. I show you how I do it in the video. This links in with my calendar but my posts get nearly 30 days of coverage in 30 minutes or less. That’s awesome. Each message gets spread out and they are different and customizable.
These features are why I love CoSchedule. For me, it is the best bang for my buck, especially if a few of you follow my subscriber link. It may not be for everyone, but for the one-person blogger author show who has a full-time job doing something else. CoSchedule is pretty great. Check out this video to see how I use it. Pro-tip watch video on 1.5x speed.
If you enjoyed this review and would like to find out more about me join my email list either on the widget to the right or here. Also, included will be a preview of the Introduction to my upcoming book, From Our Fall.
