Skip to main content

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Using Buffer

Sometimes, you dive into a new tool thinking it will solve all your productivity woes, and you're left scratching your head, wondering where it all went wrong. That's exactly what happened the first time we jumped into using Buffer. Picture this: it's a chilly Monday morning, the kind where coffee is less a beverage and more a life source. In the dim glow of our laptop screens, we were ready to become masters of social media scheduling. Spoiler alert: we weren't. We imagined Buffer as some sort of social media wizard. But wizards can be tricksters, too, and oh, did we stumble. We made mistakes—rookie mistakes that turned our social media magic show into a series of "What went wrong?" moments. Let's talk about those, shall we?

Ignoring Analytics Like They're Spam Emails​

So there we were, with our Buffer all set up, posts scheduled, and hands smugly patted on backs—except we barely noticed the analytics section. It sat there under our noses like a forlorn pet waiting for attention, brimming with useful information. Buffer's analytics are crucial, but let's be real, metrics can feel like a foreign language. It wasn't until we'd posted irrelevant cat memes on our car repair blog that we realized the error of our ways. Analyzing engagement levels and reach might sound dull, but it’s the difference between shouting into the void and having a conversation.

Over-scheduling, AKA Spammed by Our Own Genius​

With Buffer, there's this intoxicating freedom of posting when your actual self is drooling on the pillow at 3 AM. We got a bit carried away, scheduling content for every hour of every day. Who wouldn't love constant virtual company? Turns out, everyone. Our own enthusiasm became the social media version of having a friend who doesn't quite understand personal space. Our audience grew weary, and we learned this valuable nugget: quality trumps quantity, always. It might sound like something your grandma says about gift-giving, but it applies here, too.

Forgetting to Check the Queue: Really Our Queue-tastrophe​

We all know that moment when you hit "send" and realize your typo just joined the ranks of a perfectly curated social feed. Imagine that horror multiplied daily. At one point, our Buffer queue—unattended and unsupervised—became a trove of unintended gaffes. Each Monday brought the dread of realizing we'd recycled last year’s April Fool’s joke (no one laughs at the same joke twice, trust us). Here’s a thought: check the queue. A quick glance saves countless blushes and baffled audience members.

Let’s reminisce about that one time we shared a link that looked like a random keyboard explosion. Not only did it take up valuable character space, but it screamed, “I'm a suspicious link, probably used by opportunistic Nigerian princes.” Here’s a pro Buffer tip: use their link shortening feature. It makes your posts cleaner and offers tracking benefits to see who’s clicking—although knowing didn’t make our failed April Fool’s joke any better. But tracking, now there’s a name for lost opportunity regained.

Failing to Optimize for Each Platform​

In our Buffer infancy, we assumed one size fit all. We crafted single posts and flung them across platforms like digital boomerangs. The result was akin to wearing pajamas to a formal dinner—it had all the right pieces but felt wildly out of place. Crafting messages specific to each platform might seem like extra work, but the difference is palpable—like trading plastic cutlery for silverware. Thinking about how text and images are perceived on each social media channel can transform engagement rates overnight.

Relying Solely on Buffer's Suggestions and Ignoring Human Touch​

We came across Buffer’s suggested posting schedule and thought we’d hit a slice of digital heaven. We embraced it like a universal truth, blindly following its gospel without tweaking the times. But, hey, algorithms are great, but they aren’t divine. They don't know your audience as you do on that deep, borderline-creepy level. As much as we cherished those automatically suggested slots, a touch of manual peppering saw engagement rise, like adding a secret ingredient to the family recipe.

Not Exploring Buffer's Extensions and Extras​

Buffer, my dear friends, isn’t just scheduling posts and waving goodbye; it’s got layers. Like a social media onion. Yet, we were guilty of not peeling past the surface. Extensions such as the Buffer browser extension can save time by allowing you to add content to your queue straight from the web. Once that dawned on us, our productivity soared—porpoises in the wild would be jealous. And don't get us started on the Buffer app; it’s like carrying around a mini-social media command center in our pockets.

Overlooking the Team Collaboration Feature​

For a while there, our social media “strategy” was akin to everyone bringing their own dessert to a potluck—no coordination. Buffer offers team collaboration, and until we fully harnessed it, we were more confused than a penguin in the desert. This feature allowed us to strategize and streamline our content sharing effortlessly—no more double pistachio ice cream or redundant cat memes slipped through the cracks. The irony? We almost needed a team meeting just to truly appreciate the team's feature.

Assuming Buffer Solves Everything by Itself​

What a blunder it was—the belief that logging onto Buffer was the end of our social media optimization journey rather than the beginning. We mistook scheduling posts for having a strategy, like confusing packing a bag with going on a journey. What Buffer does is optimize time; what it doesn’t do is replace the need for captivating content. Becoming complacent with what we fed into it was a rookie mistake. Crafting engaging content remained paramount, a fact sometimes overshadowed by enthusiastic button pressing.

Forgetting About Customer Support and Resources​

Did you know Buffer has excellent customer support and resources? We didn’t—or rather, ignored it, like expecting to assemble Ikea furniture without the manual. An overlooked brilliance because we preferred to bumble through our quandaries, like social mice in a metaphorical maze. They have a blog, webinars, and a learning series packed with insightful tips. During our Buffer adventures, we discovered that tapping into these resources was like stumbling upon a goldmine, complete with canaries singing overhead.

Even with all our trial and error, there's an undeniable delight in weaving Buffer into daily chaos. It becomes like an invisible best friend—or even a wizard, if we're feeling particularly whimsical today—once those initial pratfalls are behind us. It’s not the tool but how we wield it that defines our success. Let’s share a toast to unlocking a Buffer experience that doesn’t just schedule, but resonates, inspires, and spares an audience from tired memes and typo-riddled mishaps. Cheers!