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You run it by cutting the parts of the job that don't need your judgment, and keeping tight control of the parts that do. If you're the only person handling social for your business, the shortlist that actually works looks like this: one tool with a real content library, a calendar that covers every platform you post to, and something that can pull your own performance data without you exporting a spreadsheet by hand. Planoly, Buffer, Later, Metricool, Planable, HeyOrca, and Meta Business Suite all claim to be that tool. They're not equally good at it, so here's an honest look at which wins for which situation, plus Planoly's full guide to MCP if the AI-assistant angle below is new to you.
Not writing captions. It's pulling assets from wherever they're stored, adapting one piece of content for four different platforms, and relaying between apps that don't talk to each other. If your tool doesn't solve that specific friction, a nicer calendar view won't save you.
Why it works: naming the real bottleneck first stops you from shopping for features that look impressive but don't touch the actual time sink.
Why it works: naming a real limitation for every option, Planoly included, is what makes a comparison worth trusting instead of skimming past.
Right now, most solo operators do this: check analytics manually, decide what worked, write new captions, then log into a separate tool to schedule everything. With a connected assistant like Claude, that becomes one conversation: ask what performed best over the last 30 days, get a short list of formats worth repeating, and have the drafts land on your calendar for review, not for automatic publishing.
Why it works: the assistant handles the admin chain, pulling data, drafting, formatting, and queueing, while you still decide what actually gets said and approve what goes live.
Which tool is best if I'm running social for a company completely alone?
It depends on your platform mix. Planoly or Later if Instagram and TikTok are your main channels; Metricool if reporting matters most; Planable if you still need someone else's sign-off.
Do I need an AI connector to run social media solo, or is it optional?
Optional. It removes admin steps, but the judgment calls, voice, timing, what's worth posting, still need to be yours either way.
Is Meta Business Suite enough if I only post to Instagram and Facebook?
For those two platforms specifically, yes, and it's free. It won't scale with you if you add TikTok or Pinterest later.
How do I know if I need an approval workflow tool like Planable?
If anyone besides you signs off on posts before they go live, even occasionally, a built-in approval step saves more time than it costs.
Can Claude actually schedule posts for me, or does it just draft them?
Through Planoly's connector, Claude can create and schedule posts directly onto your calendar. Publishing still requires your review and confirmation first.
Running social alone works when your tool matches your actual platform mix and gives you back the admin hours, not when it promises to replace your judgment. Pick the tool that fits your channels, then let an assistant like Claude take the repetitive parts off your plate. For the setup steps, head to Planoly's Claude connector guide. What's the one task on your plate right now that shouldn't still require you to do it by hand?
