There are many ways that you can schedule social media updates on Facebook; even if you're not at your computer, you can continue to send gags, links and posts with your audience.

If you're running a Facebook Page or Group in general or use your Facebook account to advertise a service, being able to schedule updates can be a lifesaver.

Here are some of our favorite free ways to schedule Facebook updates...

1. Twittimer

Scheduling Facebook posts with Twittimer.

Twittimer, formerly known as LaterBro, is a web app used for scheduling posts on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Facebook's commercial policy prevents you from using this Facebook post scheduler to post to your own personal account. You're free to use it to schedule posts to any Facebook Page or Facebook Group that you manage, as well as to a personal Twitter or LinkedIn profile, however.

This site is cool because it puts everything at your fingertips—you've got a calendar showcasing your stats, and even an RSS feed function where you can funnel in all of your favorite sources of social media inspiration from the blogosphere.

Some features are premium-exclusives, such as access to your posting timetable and scheduling Facebook posts by way of a CSV upload. If you're serious about your burgeoning SEM career, it's a great tool to use. If all that you need is a post scheduler for Facebook Pages or Groups, even a free account is worth signing up for.

Related: How to Make a Facebook Post Shareable

2. Hootsuite

Hootsuite, one of our favorite Facebook publishing tools.

Hootsuite is the industry standard in social media marketing. If you manage social media professionally, you've no doubt at least heard of the service. Facebook's personal publishing policy prevents you from using Hootsuite to post to a personal profile, but it's totally unrestricted when posting to a Group or a Page.

Hootsuite, of course, gives you an immense amount of control over your Page or Group's Facebook posting schedule, but it goes so far beyond this baseline function. Included with your plan: post management, engagement monitoring, and incredibly detailed analytics reports. These features and more all make Hootsuite one of the most powerful suites for SEO, SEM, and social media marketing in general.

It's one of the most trusted names in the game; if you've got the budget for it, it's probably our top pick for professionals. Build your brand in style, and stay connected with your audience.

Related: When Is the Best Time to Post on Facebook?

3. SEMrush

How to schedule a post on Facebook with SEMrush.

SEMrush is another industry heavyweight when it comes to all things SEO, SEM, and analytics. It's probably known best as being an incredible premium keyword research app, but the SEMrush Media Toolkit as a whole has so much more to offer than on-page optimization.

SEMrush's Facebook scheduler is free to use, and it certainly lives up to expectations. While still subject to Facebook's new policy on automatic Facebook posts, it's a great way for Page owners and Group admins to remain engaged and tuned in to their audiences.

For a social media post scheduler experience, complete with insights, ad services, and even competition tracking, SEMrush's take on post-scheduling is not one to pass up.

Related: How to Pin a Post on Facebook

4. Later

How to auto-post to Facebook with Later.
Image Credit: Later

Later is another all-around social media post scheduler for Facebook Groups and Pages—Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and even TikTok posts can all be queued up and scheduled well in advance.

Later comes packed with many enticing features, but it's still incredibly accessible for those just starting out on their marketing careers. You're able to customize your experience by answering a series of questions when you first sign up. This survey allows the program to hone in on the features most relevant to your needs and skill level.

A free Later account includes one "social set," which amounts to three related social media accounts, all representing the same brand. Each subsequent pay tier increases the number of posts that you're permitted to send out per day, as well as the number of additional social sets and users that you're able to add to your subscription.

Later's free version is pretty decent for beginners, but if you work with a couple of different clients, you'll definitely want to make the upgrade.

Related: How to Manage Your Facebook Privacy Settings for Specific Posts

5. Facebook's Built-In Publishing Tools

Third-party tools are useful if you want to use a free, central tool for scheduling Facebook updates. But Facebook also includes a built-in scheduling tool for Pages called Publishing Tools.

If you want to find out how to use this tool to schedule Facebook posts, check out our guide on how to schedule posts on your Facebook Page.

Free Tools for Scheduling Facebook Updates

Your time is valuable, but you certainly don't need your client base forgetting that you and your brand exist. Facebook automatic posting is one way to remind them periodically of the good that your business does for them without dumping in high volume randomly. These tools do the work for you, allowing you to remain productive without getting sucked needlessly into your own feed.

Taking a step back gives you a bit of fresh air; you're able to map out your plan of attack and strategize. For a big-picture perspective and the tools that you'll need to capitalize on every insight, automated Facebook posts allow you to craft your brand's image with minute precision.