The problem
Many virtual assistants manage social media for several clients, and posting at the right time means interrupting other work again and again. With 3 clients on 3 channels each and 45 posts a week, posting by hand at 3 minutes each takes over 2 hours a week, scattered across the day.
What the AI does
Buffer is a social media scheduling tool: you plan, schedule and publish posts to connected channels, and its AI Assistant, listed on all plans, helps refine and repurpose copy. You set each client's posting times once, then schedule the whole week in one sitting, adapting one post for each channel with the AI Assistant and checking every version before it goes in the queue.
A worked example
A virtual assistant in Taunton manages Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn for 3 local business clients, about 45 posts a week in total. Each Monday they schedule the week in Buffer from content the clients have approved.
Before
45 posts a week posted by hand at 3 minutes each: 135 minutes a week
After
45 posts scheduled in one sitting at about 1 minute each: 45 minutes a week
What it's worth
About $258£194€231A$372C$365 a month in time saved: 90 minutes a week, times 4.3, is about 6.45 hours a month, at an assumed $40£30€36A$58C$56 an hour. Buffer is priced per channel: Essentials is $5 a channel a month on yearly billing, so 9 channels is $45, about $45£34€40A$65C$64 a month. Its pricing page shows no monthly-billing price.
How to set it up
- Agree with each client which channels you manage, how posts get approved and who answers comments.
- Connect the client channels to Buffer and set posting times for each.
- Each week, write or collect the approved content, adapt it per channel with the AI Assistant and check every version.
- Schedule the week and check the queue once more before the first post goes out.
- Look at engagement monthly with each client and adjust times and content.
What goes wrong
- Buffer is priced per channel; a fourth client with 3 channels adds $15 (about $15£11€13A$21C$21) a month.
- Essentials is for 1 user. If an associate also schedules, Team at $10 a channel a month with unlimited users costs more.
- Scheduled posts don't pause themselves. If a client has a crisis or bad news, clear the queue straight away.
- AI-polished copy can drift from the client's voice. Keep each client's own wording and check facts, prices and dates.