Social media has a number of benefits: you can reach a wider audience, you can stay in contact with current and potential customers, etc. But It can be overwhelming to manage all your accounts – you need to create posts, respond to followers, build your presence; the list goes on. To manage such a large task, Forbes put together 15 social media tools with the help of their Forbes Agency Council. View what the Council had to say below.
1. HootSuite
Whether you are a user handling multiple accounts, or an agency that handles hundreds, HootSuite makes it easy. It’s easy to add accounts, easy to schedule posts across all major platforms and easy to add account managers. In addition, the company also has a robust training platform that teaches not just the tools, but how to think about social marketing as a whole. As a package, the best out there for the price. – David Kley, Web Design and Company
2. Hubspot
While there are a lot of tools out there that let you monitor and publish to social accounts, we recommend platforms such as Hubspot where you can not only monitor and publish but also get closed-loop reporting data. That means you’re not just seeing what channels drive the most engagement, but you can track further down the funnel to see what posts and channels drive actual leads and sales. – Ryan Short, MODassic Marketing
3. MeetEdgar
There are countless tools that post for you and schedule posts but what about a system that re-shares evergreen posts? MeetEdgar is the one thing I would recommend because it has the biggest impact on traffic by automatically re-sharing your evergreen content. – Christina Baldassarre, Zebra Advertisement
4. TweetDeck
TweetDeck has been around a long time now, and there’s a reason for that: It’s one of the best and best-priced (what can beat free?) ways out there to be a part of the Twittersphere. The multi-columned layout makes it easy to follow several conversations at once, and scheduling content is a snap. Twitter moves so fast, but TweetDeck makes it doable and even enjoyable. – Starr Million Baker, INK
5. IFTTT
IFTTT, or “If This Then That,” is a great automation tool that can help you save a lot of time on trying to manage social media platforms, apps and websites. The tool can link these services together based on a trigger and an action. Based on the trigger you create, it will start an action. For example, if you publish a blog (the trigger), then IFTTT will automate and create a tweet (the action). – Solomon Thimothy, OneIMS
6. Buffer
I’m a fan of Buffer. It lets you schedule and manage social media posts across all of the most widely used channels, and you can individually customize each post for all of the different platforms it gets posted to. Buffer also shares your content at the best possible times throughout the day and tracks links so that you can see what content gets the most traction. – Chi Zhao, Hokku PR
7. Sprout Social
Our digital team utilizes Sprout Social for its social media management, which allows the team members to monitor clients’ social media mentions, engage with brand advocates, schedule content in advance, and utilize reporting tools to inform future strategies. As our hotel clients’ guests view social media as a virtual concierge, we find it essential to have a tool to streamline real-time communication. – Jennifer Hawkins, HAWKINS International Public Relations Inc.
8. Google Analytics
Google Analytics is the one tool that manages our social media. Why? Because the data we gather from analytics focuses our efforts on the social media platforms that are driving traffic and conversions. Did we receive a ton of traffic from Reddit in the last month that converted to subscribers? Did we have a negative ROI on our Facebook ad spend? Google Analytics provides these answers and more. – Brett Farmiloe, Markitors
9. A Content Calendar
Creating a content calendar doesn’t require complex software; you can create one in Google Docs or Microsoft Word. Planning out your content a month at a time offers you a distinct advantage: You can plan for holidays, scheduled product releases, newsletter blasts and more. Having a content calendar is a key aspect of developing a cohesive social media marketing strategy. – Kelly Samuel, Qode Media
10. Raven
Individual reports and scheduling posts for individual channels are always helpful, but that is not always a sufficient representation of your online image. I like Raven because it provides reports gathering information from PPC, SEO, and social media channels. It also allows you to access data and schedule posts on a wide variety of digital media channels. – Ahmad Kareh, Twistlab Marketing
11. SocialFlow
SocialFlow’s algorithms analyze user behavior. And then optimize each post based on real-time data, in order to predict the best times for publishing content to capture peak attention from target audiences. They release posts when timing, relevance and audience are optimized, and also offer a full suite of services that aim to expand audience engagement and increase revenue per customer. – Ryan Pezzotti, Knowzo.com
12. Iconosquare
If Instagram is a big part of your business, you absolutely need to be using Iconosquare. Its in-depth analytics are the best out there. And they keep rolling out new features, such as monitoring the content of multiple accounts in one place, scheduling posts, etc. – Leila Lewis, Be Inspired PR
13. Sprinklr
Social tools are not all created equal. Some are quite expensive. The tools trying to cover everything mainly focus on organic vs. paid. So it is nearly impossible to have just one tool for organic and paid social. If you want an all-in-one service, Sprinklr seems to be the best management tool for all of your social channels. It helps you with posting, approval of content, and metrics reporting. – Gina Michnowicz, Union+Webster
14. KnowEm
Too often, businesses fail to secure all of the relevant social media profiles prior to kicking off a formal social media strategy. That’s why I highly recommend KnowEm. KnowEm allows you to check for the use of your brand, product, personal name or username instantly on over 500 popular and emerging social media websites. By securing your social media identities you will maximize brand equity. – Kristopher Jones, LSEO.com
15. Humans
Perhaps the hardest part of social media marketing is staying relevant. Even large brands find it difficult to connect with their fan base effectively at all times. One brand that is doing it extremely well right now is Wendy’s. By having a dedicated social media manager, the company is able to be very fluid, responsive and engaging. Simply using a tool to schedule posts will not get you results. – Arya Bina, Kobe Digital
15 Tools to Help You Master Social Media
There you go – 15 tools for posting, measuring, and more. Now’s the time to see if you can find any trial runs and find your perfect combo of social tools. Soon enough, you’ll master social media marketing like a pro.
