Social Media Scheduling

Overview

Social Media Scheduling lets you queue posts for automatic publishing to Facebook and Instagram. AI generates posts tailored to your business using optional topic prompts, automatically picks photos from your completed jobs and library, and can generate fresh drafts daily - BlueClerk publishes them automatically via cron every 5 minutes. You can also create blank posts to write your own content without using AI credits, dismiss posts you don't want to use, and manage a Photos library that combines your uploaded marketing shots with tech photos from completed jobs.

Connecting Meta (Facebook + Instagram)

Setting Up Your Connection

Before you can schedule posts, connect your Meta account:

1. Go to Settings > Integrations
2. Find "Meta (Facebook + Instagram)" in the Social Media category
3. Click "Connect"
4. Sign in to Facebook when prompted
5. Authorize BlueClerk to post on your behalf
6. Select your Facebook Page - This is where posts will publish
7. Select your Instagram account (optional) - Link to post on Instagram too

What You Can Post

• Facebook Page posts - Text, photos, and links
• Instagram posts - Photos with captions (text-only posts not supported by Meta)
• Both platforms at once - Check both boxes when creating a post

Managing Your Photos Library

Accessing the Photo Library

1. Go to Finance > Social Posts
2. Click the "Photos" tab at the top

What's in Your Library

The Photos library automatically includes:

• Job photos - Tech photos from completed jobs appear automatically (source=job)
• Uploaded photos - Marketing images you upload (source=library)
• Auto-resized - Full images resized to 1200px max, thumbnails at 300px
• Recent photos prioritized - Newest photos appear first

Uploading Photos

1. Click "Upload Photo" button
2. Select image files (JPG, PNG, or WebP - max 20MB each)
3. Photos are processed automatically - resized and thumbnails created
4. They appear in your library instantly for use in posts

Deleting Photos

• Library photos only - You can delete uploaded marketing photos
• Job photos can't be deleted - They belong to the job and are managed from the Job detail page
• Click the trash icon on any library photo to remove it

Creating Social Posts

Generate AI Content (1 Credit)

1. Go to Finance > Social Posts
2. Click "Generate (AI, 1 credit)"
3. Optionally enter a topic in the input field:
   • Example: "summer AC tune-ups"
   • Example: "holiday specials"
   • Leave blank for random topic rotation
4. AI writes caption and hashtags automatically based on your company profile and topic
5. AI selects photos automatically - pulls from your last 10 completed jobs with photos and 20 most recent library photos, feeds them to AI, and pre-attaches 0-3 recommended photos to the draft
6. Review and edit the generated content in the Post Studio

Create Blank Post (Free)

1. Click "Create Blank Post"
2. Write your own caption and hashtags
3. No AI credits used - perfect when you know exactly what you want to say

Dismiss Posts You Don't Want

1. Click the three-dot menu on any draft post
2. Select "Dismiss"
3. Post is hidden from your list - won't publish and won't clutter your drafts

Editing Posts in the Studio

When you open a post (draft, scheduled, or published), the Post Studio shows:

Post Details

• Caption - The main post text (required for Facebook, required with photo for Instagram)
• Hashtags - Separated hashtags for reach (optional but recommended)
• Template tokens - Use {company}, {city}, {services} in your caption - they're replaced with your actual company info when published
• Photos - Attach 0-3 photos from your library

Photo Picker

1. Click "Add Photo" to open the picker
2. Filter by source - All, Library (uploaded), or Job (tech photos)
3. Click a photo to attach it
4. Remove photos by clicking the X on thumbnails
5. Instagram requires at least 1 photo - can't post text-only to Instagram per Meta rules

Platform Selection

• Post to Facebook - Check to publish on your Page
• Post to Instagram - Check to publish on your linked IG account (requires at least 1 photo)
• Connection status shown - See your Page name and IG username if connected

Preview

• Switch between Facebook and Instagram tabs to see how your post will look on each platform
• Live preview updates as you edit caption and photos

Scheduling and Publishing

Save as Draft

1. Click "Save" to keep the post as a draft
2. Edit anytime before scheduling
3. Drafts don't publish until you schedule them

Schedule for Later

1. Click "Schedule"
2. Pick a date and time in the calendar picker
3. Post status changes to "scheduled"
4. BlueClerk publishes automatically via cron every 5 minutes when the scheduled time arrives

Publish Now

1. Click "Publish Now" to post immediately
2. BlueClerk sends to Meta APIs right away
3. Status changes to "published" when successful
4. View on Facebook/Instagram via the links shown after publishing

Managing Published Posts

View Published Posts

1. Filter by status - Published
2. See publish date and platform icons (Facebook, Instagram)
3. Click "View on Facebook" or "View on Instagram" to see the live post

Retry Failed Posts

If a post fails to publish:

1. Review the error message shown on the post card
2. Click "Retry" to attempt publishing again
3. Common issues: expired tokens, photo upload errors, caption too long

Skip Scheduled Posts

If you no longer want a scheduled post to publish:

1. Click the three-dot menu on the post
2. Select "Skip"
3. Post status changes to "skipped" - won't publish but stays in your list for reference

Auto-Generate Feature

How It Works

Enable auto-generation to have AI create new draft posts automatically:

1. Go to Settings > Integrations > Meta
2. Toggle "Auto-generate daily posts" to ON
3. Every day at 12pm UTC, BlueClerk generates 1 new draft post with AI
4. Review and schedule manually - auto-generated posts are saved as drafts, not auto-published

When to Use Auto-Generate

• You want a steady stream of content without thinking about it daily
• You're comfortable reviewing AI-generated posts before they go live
• You have an active Facebook/Instagram presence and post regularly

Status Filters

Use the status filter dropdown to view posts by state:

• All - Every post regardless of status
• Draft - Posts you're still working on
• Scheduled - Posts queued to publish at a future date/time
• Published - Posts that have been posted to Facebook/Instagram
• Failed - Posts that encountered errors during publish
• Skipped - Scheduled posts you chose not to publish

Tips

• Use topics for variety - "spring cleaning", "winter HVAC tips", "emergency service"
• Job photos work great - Show off recent work automatically
• Schedule consistently - 2-3 posts per week keeps your feed active
• Review AI suggestions - Edit captions to match your voice
• Template tokens save time - Let BlueClerk fill in company details automatically
• Instagram requires photos - Can't post text-only per Meta rules
• Check connection status - Reconnect