As a social media manager, finding the right scheduling and publishing platform is essential. Later has been a popular solution but lacks critical capabilities that the leading alternatives now offer.
In this definitive guide, we‘ll compare Later‘s features against top competitors, outline must-have functionality needed today, and provide specific recommendations tailored to your business‘s unique needs.
Compare Later vs Leading Alternative Platforms
While Later pioneered visual social media scheduling, key gaps have emerged as audience behaviors and platform capabilities advance rapidly.
Here‘s how Later‘s core features compare against the most widely adopted alternatives recommended earlier:
| Feature | Later | Buffer | Hootsuite | Sprout |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Instagram Scheduling | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Facebook Scheduling | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Twitter Scheduling | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| LinkedIn Scheduling | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Pinterest Scheduling | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Bulk Upload & Schedule | Yes | Additional | Additional | Additional |
| Post Approvals | No | Team Plans | Yes | Advanced |
| Collaboration Tools | No | Team Plans | Advanced | Advanced |
| Unified Inbox | No | Yes | Advanced | Advanced |
| Audience Insights | No | Extra Fee | Yes | Advanced |
| Campaign Analytics | No | Extra Fee | Yes | Advanced |
Later clearly falls short when it comes to more advanced needs like team workflows, audience intelligence, campaign analytics and consolidated inbox capabilities. This is where leading alternatives excel.
Understanding current social media usage and trends is also key context. For instance, did you know:
- 95% of social media marketers are now managing Instagram campaigns according to Sprout‘s 2023 Index.
- The average American spends 2.5 hours per day consuming social networks and messaging apps per Hootsuite‘s research.
- 76% of marketers will invest more heavily into paid social advertising according to Social Media Today‘s 2023 social trends report.
With social dominating both consumer time and marketing budgets like never before, having the right management platform is a make-or-break priority.
A 5 Step Methodology for Choosing Your Social Media Scheduling & Publishing Platform
We just explored the limitations Later users now face given changing social landscape and user requirements. The key question becomes – how does one evaluate the array of Later alternatives using an informed methodology to determine the ideal fit?
Here is a 5 step process I guide my clients through making this critical technology selection:
Step 1: Document Primary Business Objectives
- What key goals are you trying to achieve via social media (brand lift, lead gen, etc.)?
- How will you define and measure success for the program?
Step 2: Profile Your Audience Personas
- Detail the demographics, behaviors and interests of your target customer groups.
- Identify where each persona engages socially based on category data.
Step 3: Catalog Required Platform Features
- Outline publishing needs, team workflows, analytics requirements and capabilities gaps.
- Prioritize must-have vs. nice-to-have functionality.
Step 4: Shortlist Platform Finalists
- Based on platforms evaluated earlier, list those that align to documented functional needs.
- Validate capabilities via free trials and customer testimonials.
Step 5: Calculate Total Cost of Ownership Comparison
- Factor both subscription fees + internal labor savings into TCO model.
- Make 2 year projection across shortlisted options vs. current approach.
While needs will vary greatly across company sizes and industries, this framework helps guide any brand through the complex process of social software selection leveraging today‘s breakthrough capabilities not offered by tools like Later alone.
Expert Recommendations by Business Size and Focus Area
Beyond core publishing and scheduling, social platforms now provide advanced capabilities tailored to key business functions from PR to Care to Sales.
Here are my top alternative recommendations based on company stage and primary focus area when leveling up from entry-level tools:
Startups
Great for early stage brands focused on organic reach and conversion optimization.
- Buffer – Extend reach with consistent scheduling optimized per network
- Sprout Social – Listen and engage across channels to convert conversations
- Agora Pulse – Build loyalty by fostering community engagement
Mid Market Businesses
Ideal for steady growth tied to social conversion, referral and retention.
- Sendible – Streamline collaboration with clear team workflows
- Hootsuite – Unify management at scale while gathering data insights
- Social Bee – Maintain brand voice publishing across regions
Enterprises
Critical for large regulated brands managing complex programs and multi-region teams.
- Sprinklr – Reduces risk and orchestrates experiences globally
- Hearsay – Aligns social media with regulated industry compliance
- Salesforce Social Studio – Maximizes customer lifetime value and retention
The key is aligning primary business objectives, customer audience, use case requirements and team structure with the platform offering the right mix of tailored capabilities.
Emerging Social Media Platforms and Capabilities Not Offered by Later
Beyond predictable social publishing and reporting, today‘s leading solutions also provide access to emerging channels, forward-looking analytics and even AI recommendation engines not found in basic tools.
While adoption varies greatly per industry, those on the leading edge of leveraging social to engage younger audiences are prioritizing capabilities like:
Live Streaming & Shoppable Video Commerce
- TikTok and Instagram Live now permeate youth culture and will soon eclipse passive feeds as attention metrics indicate. Consider turnkey overlay integrations.
Conversational Marketing & Commerce
- Messenger, Whatsapp and WeChat dominate as conversational platforms foster deeper customer engagement grounded in comfort and trust. Explore open API accessibility.
Predictive Analytics & Optimization
- Applying techniques like sentiment analysis and text mining to audience data now allows more accurate campaign forecasting powered by today‘s AI capabilities vs intuition alone.
Accessible Team Workflow Automation
- Consolidating alerts and assignments into predictable system workflows accessible to all customer-facing staff reduces problems amplified by fragmented consumer data in legacy analog systems.
Capable Later alternatives now open the door to these emerging tactics and technologies in a turnkey SaaS package – no need for disjointed standalone services and skills training various staff across outdated channels.
Wrap Up and Next Steps
I hope this comprehensive guide has armed you with clarity in identifying and vetting the leading Later alternatives aligned to your specific social media management needs today plus where audiences are migrating with expectations next.
To dig deeper across any areas or address unique requirements not covered, please don’t hesitate to schedule a custom consultation. Thanks!
