Best Social Media Management Tools
Social media provides one of the most useful, effective marketing opportunities for small businesses, but managing it is hard work; there are so many platforms to keep up with that it’s almost impossible for one person to handle it alone. Having a social media management tool makes life much easier. These tools come at a cost, but it will pay off if you implement a proper strategy.
These tools can be used to attract website visitors, discover new clients, and communicate with existing ones, and you can focus on creating the type of content that appeals to your audience by quickly automating, analysing, and controlling all your accounts.
What Makes a Good Social Media Management Tool?
The short answer is that a social media management tool should free up your time so you can focus on strategy and other important aspects of your business, like client management and finances. The sole objective of social media management apps is to make it simple and effective to manage your company’s social media presence, so any tool you choose should have enough functionality to allow you to do that.
The process of creating content for your social media channels should be based on data and testing. Sometimes, marketers create content they think will work because the topic is trending; however, just because something is trending, that does not guarantee it’s a correct fit for your audience or brand. You cannot expect people to like whatever content you publish, so you have to find a way to generate ideas that people will want to engage with. This means being attentive to how your audience reacts to your posts and using analytics. Your social media management tool should make all of this accessible, so that your content strategy is based on data, and not assumptions.
The key features to look for in a social media management tool that can help you achieve the above include:
- Integration with all the social media platforms you use, the most important ones (arguably) being Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, TikTok, and Pinterest.
- The functionality for scheduling social media posts for the platforms of your choice.
- The ability to respond to comments and direct messages from many profiles, all from one inbox.
- Detailed analytics – the soul of a successful social media strategy. It is essential to have a feature for tracking analytics across accounts that you can access from a single location. It should also produce detailed performance reports.
- Features that help organise your creative resources and make them accessible to the entire team.
With those features in mind, below is a brief overview of some helpful tools.
1. Sendible
The highlight of this platform is that it integrates with 17 different platforms, making it the most efficient tool for management. The ability to view all platforms from one dashboard really helps with productivity and organisation. Sendible has completely changed the game, allowing you to post on all the main platforms with only a few clicks. It’s extremely user-friendly and keeps teams in check by allotting everyone their personal dashboards so that everyone can easily keep on top of things. This platform is all the more tempting due to its simplicity. For small enterprises, it can be quite pricey, but if you have the budget and need extensive social media coverage, this platform is highly recommended.
2. Buffer
Due to its pricing, Buffer is suitable for small businesses with fewer employees – users can access up to three social media networks under their starter plan, which is available for free. Buffer is a powerful, engaging, and effective platform that lets you keep track of content research, client feedback, and analytics in a single place. They are without a doubt a pioneer in the field, and they regularly offer services that social networks themselves do not, such as the ability to view all your content calendars in one place, saving hashtags, claiming the first comment, and so much more. Additionally, they have created a number of services that are supported by thorough research to help you optimise your photos and data for social media sites.
3. Mention
Mention is a marketing suite that helps you amplify brand awareness and grow your business. Their formula relies on a three-step model of monitor, listen, and publish. They monitor your company’s web presence so that every time someone gives your business a shoutout, you get notified, which helps you to keep track of your reputation. The listen feature tracks feedback that your brand is getting, which helps you improve your strategy. Based on the information from the monitor and listen stages, you can tailor your approach, and draft, schedule and publish content across social media platforms with ease. This platform feature is very effective for digital PR and starts at $29.00 a month.
4. BuzzSumo
If you’re a content creator, you know it can be difficult to find relevant content all the time. BuzzSumo takes the guesswork out of the equation by providing data driven insights from research performed on various social media platforms, and helps you conduct global content research and get international performance insights. On the downside, this tool is expensive, and the interface can get a little confusing as you add more features.
5. Link Tree – The Link in Bio Tool
On Instagram, you can only share external links through stories and bio, and the character limit in these areas is restrictive. This prevents you from directing your audience to your website, landing pages, and other social media profiles. LinkTree saves the day – it lets you create a landing page where you can list all of the links you want to direct people to. All you have to do is paste that link into your Instagram bio, making it much easier for audiences to reach you.
Unlike the other tools we’ve discussed so far, LinkTree is made to do one thing and it does it well. There is nothing more to this platform, yet it is one of the most commonly used tools among marketers. You won’t get a customised URL for yourself, but at $0 a month, it is a must have.
6. Hootsuite
Hootsuite was one of the first social media management platforms. Their aim is to make your company’s social presence impactful, as expressed in the quote, “Too many brands suck at social. Yours doesn’t have to.” This platform has all your social media management needs covered. Its comprehensive interface lets you plan, publish, and view advertisements across numerous social media networks. They have a range of price points available, and the most basic plan is free.
7. Loomly
Do you have a big team involved in your business’ social media marketing? If so, Loomly might be the solution for you as it’s designed for collaboration. Their swift customer care service makes using their platform even more efficient. They offer a wide range of functionality, from generating content ideas to managing inboxes. Their base plan allows for two users while the top tier plan supports up to 30. It’s cost effective for businesses with a large team.
8. Canva
I talk about Canva a lot because its features are extremely useful, but in the world of social media management platforms, it’s underrated. With its enterprise subscription, users can not only design graphics, but also schedule to post their creations. With Canva, you can create, plan, and schedule social media posts for all your preferred networks thanks to their content planner feature, which makes planning posts very easy. You can also track engagement, impressions, and performance analytics from one place. For small businesses on a budget, I think Canva is a one stop shop that fulfils all social media management needs.
9. MeetEdgar
MeetEdgar lets you put your social media on auto pilot and takes the guesswork out of content planning. Every day, new information is automatically selected for your feed by MeetEdgar’s social media calendar, helping you to engage your followers on a regular basis. They are a female owned business offering plans suitable for freelancers, small businesses, and side hustlers.
Using a social media management tool is invaluable and saves so much time. As a next step, I would recommend looking into the pricing of each of the tools above and learning more about their specifications. Give the most suitable ones a trial run, see which platforms your team members prefer, then make a final decision. If you’re struggling to see growth and results from your social media, click here to see how my team and I can help.