It is crucial to have a social media management tool that can assist in simplifying all of your tasks in one interface, considering that social media marketing involves several aspects, such as creating, publishing, monitoring, engaging, and more.
Thankfully, there’s an endless list of tools to take advantage of for any part of your social media strategy.
In this article, we will discuss the main features of some of the leading social media management tools in the industry. Our aim is to provide you with the necessary information to determine which software will be most suitable for your team.
First and foremost…
What is a social media management tool?
In the most basic explanation, a social media management tool is a type of software created to enable one or multiple users to handle one or more social media profiles on one dashboard or program, spanning across various networks.
All aspects of social media management, including creating, scheduling, publishing, monitoring, analyzing, engaging, and collaborating, are simplified.
Best social media management tools to use
Social media management tools offer assistance with a range of tasks, which include content scheduling and publishing, social listening, commenting and engagement, customer care, analytics and reporting, among numerous others.
A range of tools to fit any budget are available, including free options for budget-conscious businesses as well as tools for agencies or smaller companies. Each tool offers distinct features and options that can cater to your team’s specific requirements.
To assist you in finding the best social media management tools, we will examine each of our suggested options one by one.
- Sprout Social
Sprout Social is a comprehensive social media management tool that enables businesses, regardless of their size, to effectively handle all components of their social media strategy.
By incorporating Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, YouTube, along with other platforms, you have the capability to efficiently operate on all your social media accounts using a unified control panel. Additionally, you can oversee feedback from platforms such as Google My Business and Facebook, as well as create shoppable posts in collaboration with Facebook Shops and Shopify catalogs.
Are you also interested in developing your employees into brand advocates? The Employee Advocacy tool offers a curated content feed that enables your employees to share across their social networks and increase your business’s visibility.
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- Social media publishing, scheduling, monitoring, analytics, reporting, and more in one easy-to-use dashboard
- Access to a ViralPost feature to ensure you publish your content when your followers are most likely to engage, boosting visibility and reach automatically
- Smart Inbox that compiles all your incoming messages from different social media platforms, giving you a complete view of all your social interactions
- The ability to identify the most relevant hashtags for your content
- Custom URL tracking to get a more in-depth insight into how your posts are performing in terms of referral traffic and conversions
- Social Pilot
SocialPilot is designed to be an uncomplicated and direct solution for individuals who are new to using a management tool in social media. The tool not only allows you to publish and schedule content, but also provides a list of carefully-selected content based on categories and keywords, which is shared automatically on your feed.
SocialPilot provides comprehensive analytics reports to assist in developing better strategies. By analyzing content performance and audience insights, users can gain an understanding of what content is resonating with their audience and examine growth patterns to ensure ongoing creation of engaging content.
Characteristics:
- Integration with several major social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube
- Ability to customize and optimize posts for multiple social networks in a single Post composer
- A content curation platform provides a list of content pieces to inspire you with new ideas
- Sendible
Sendible has successfully focused on meeting the specific needs of agencies and large businesses that handle multiple social media profiles by customizing their social media management software. In addition, they provide several useful integrations to simplify social media management for their users.
Characteristics:
- An all-in-one dashboard that makes it easy to see your overall social media performance at a glance
- Collaboration tools that allow your team to create content and then send it to the client or team leader for approval
- Presentation-ready reports to showcase the ROI of your social media efforts to clients
- A mobile app that lets you monitor and manage your social media accounts on-the-go
- KeyHole
KeyHole distinguishes itself from other tools on this list by claiming to be an influencer tracking and marketing software. It provides marketers with the necessary data through its Influencer Analytics feature, enabling them to comprehend the influence of each influencer on their campaign objectives. Social media reports are the core aspect of their services.
The characteristics are as follows:
- Automated social media reports that are shareable and presentation-ready within seconds
- Several reporting features, including brand reporting, campaign reporting, hashtag reporting, and influencer reporting
- Zoho Social
Zoho Social is an app that offers features specifically designed for all social media feeds. With this app, you can initiate discussions, distribute reports, establish team roles, and promote feedback. This simplifies the process of involving everyone in your updates, strategies, and performance insights.
Apart from scheduling, the platform also includes its own timing features that are optimized like Sprout. Zoho Social software also has integrated Instagram scheduling feature, enabling you to publish posts and repost user-generated content directly from your desktop.
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- An instant integration with the Zoho CRM and the ability to monitor customer interactions
- Social listening dashboards to track brand reviews, @mentions, and branded keywords
- Ability to collaborate with teammates within the platform via chat, audio, and video calls
- eClincher
eClincher positions itself as a social media management platform, emphasizing its dedication to round-the-clock customer support. Their emphasis lies on the ability of their team to consistently enhance their software according to user requirements, aiming to streamline operations and enhance efficiency.
What features does their tool offer? eClincher, like most tools on this list, offers a cross-network social publishing tool and visual calendar, along with a messaging inbox and publishing queue that are dedicated. Moreover, it includes brand monitoring across social, news, blogs, and other platforms, as well as sentiment analysis.
Characteristics:
- Provides 24/7 customer support for its users so they can “strategize, optimize and measure ROI”
- Team collaboration with drafts, comments, notifications, tagging, and assigning messages
- NapoleonCat
NapoleonCat is a tool for managing social media that assists users and teams in simplifying collaboration and unraveling complex workflows. Along with the ability to approve, publish, and schedule content, users have the option to color-code calendars and visualize them.
NapoleonCat stands out primarily for its ability to assist with ecommerce objectives. This includes tasks such as sharing product updates on various profiles, managing customer queries and reviews, and monitoring your performance.
It should be noted that NapoleonCat software offers integration with Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube but not TikTok.
Characteristics:
- Dedicated inbox for all social media comments, messages, and reviews
- Professionally designed, in-depth social media reports that will help you identify successes and areas of opportunity
- Boasts automated Facebook and Instagram comments that may help with converting comments into sales
- Buffer
Buffer is an excellent social media management tool for small businesses or businesses in their early stages. It provides a free plan ideal for setting up Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter accounts, with a limit of three social media channels.
Characteristics:
- Social media publishing tools that allow you to easily schedule out all of the social media content you’ve created for each channel
- A social media engagement dashboard that lets you respond to all mentions or messages online in one place
- Analytics and reporting to give you a bird’s-eye-view of how your social media efforts are performing
- The ability to create landing pages for lead generation, sales, and more
- Hootsuite
You can handle all of your social media platforms simultaneously from a single location.
Paid plans begin at $99 per month and come with a 30-day free trial.
Hootsuite, which is likely the largest social media management tool, is utilized by over 18 million individuals and more than one hundred Fortune 1000 companies. The reason behind their success is quite significant: it is an inclusive platform that enables you to curate and schedule content, analyze your social metrics, conduct social media advertising, and perform additional functions.
Hootsuite has a unique value as a comprehensive platform that offers several features that people appreciate. These features include the ability to monitor multiple accounts and keywords for social media presence, connect with more than 35 social media networks, and schedule social media posts in bulk.
- Agora Pulse
The process of managing social media is made simpler.
The price for the service is free, but there are paid plans available starting at $99 per month.
Agora Pulse, similar to the aforementioned social media management platforms, is a comprehensive social media scheduling platform that includes features for scheduling, responding, and reporting.
Agora Pulse offers a variety of unique features, including competitor analysis and social listening, at an affordable price point.
- CoSchedule
Step #1: Calendar for social media.
The price for the plan is free, and for the paid plans, it starts at $39 per user per month. A 14-day free trial is also available.
CoSchedule claims to have the best marketing calendar, manifested in its pricing structure. Users can access the calendar for free, but additional features require a conversation with the Sales team. CoSchedule allows you to effectively manage and collaborate with your team in creating social media posts, content, events, and tasks.
CoSchedule offers a distinct benefit for marketers seeking to consolidate their projects (such as social media, content, events, emails, etc.) into a single platform. With its ReQueue function, it assists in identifying the most suitable posting times and effectively filling in gaps within your social media schedule by utilizing your top-performing posts.
- MavSocial
Social media management that is made more efficient and organized.
Plans begin at $19 per month, and customers can enjoy a complimentary 14-day trial.
MavSocial is a social media management tool that emphasizes visual content. With the more expensive plans, you can also handle your Facebook ads using MavSocial.
In addition to the usual features like scheduling, monitoring, and reporting, MavSocial offers a distinct advantage through its digital library that allows you to organize, utilize, and modify your multimedia content for social media posts. Furthermore, it provides a search engine that enables you to explore an extensive collection of stock photos consisting of millions of options.
MavSocial can assist you in scheduling your social media posts to be repeated for a certain period of time if desired.
- Crowdfire
The process of managing social media has been made simpler.
There is a free plan available, while paid plans begin at $9.99 per month.
Crowdfire has added new features throughout the years which include content scheduling, managing your Twitter account (following and unfollowing), and suggesting articles for sharing.
One aspect that sets Crowdfire apart from other social media management tools is its ability to connect your blogs, YouTube channels, and online shops. Additionally, it creates social media posts for all updates on your sites.
- SocialBee
Easily post on all your profiles with smoothness across social media.
The price for the plans is $19 per month and includes a 14-day free trial period.
SocialBee, a social media management tool, guarantees to generate additional leads with minimal effort. Users can easily add, organize, and distribute content across multiple social channels using its core features, which also include integration with Buffer.
SocialBee offers a unique value with its loved feature of recycling evergreen content and keeping it fresh through post variations. With SocialBee, you can maintain a consistent posting schedule and ensure a well-balanced mix of content in each category. Additionally, the quality of support provided by SocialBee is highly valued.
- Post Planner
A more intelligent tool for marketing on social media.
The price starts at $9 per month and includes a 7-day free trial.
Post Planner aims to assist social media marketers with three essential tasks: locating top-notch content, organizing an ideal publishing calendar, and maintaining a consistent posting schedule. It accomplishes this by curating and evaluating content recommendations, while also enabling the creation of a schedule based on content types (further explained later).
The Find tool in Post Planner allows for easy discovery of engaging content. Additionally, you can customize your sharing plan by selecting content types for specific time slots, which Post Planner will then fill accordingly. It is also possible to schedule posts independently of this plan.
- Tailwind
Visual marketing that is more intelligent.
There is a free plan available, with paid plans beginning at a monthly cost of $19.99.
Tailwind is a tool designed for managing social media platforms Pinterest and Instagram. In addition to aiding in post scheduling, conversation tracking, and result analysis, Tailwind offers suggestions to enhance your performance on Pinterest and Instagram.
Tailwind’s unique value lies in its suitability for Pinterest and Instagram marketers, as it offers various features catered to these visual platforms. These features include Pinterest content promotion and management of user-generated content on Instagram.
- Later
The leading marketing platform for Instagram.
The price for the plans is $15 per month and comes with a 14-day free trial.
Unlike other social media management tools, Later primarily focuses on Instagram, although it does offer the option to connect your Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter profiles.
The main advantage of Later lies in its visual content calendar, which allows for easy scheduling of images through drag and drop. Furthermore, it provides a free link tool that enables linking to a shoppable Instagram feed or different websites and blog posts directly from your Instagram profile.
- MeetEdgar
You can handle all of your social media accounts in one place.
The price for plans begins at $29.99 per month and includes a 7-day free trial.
The description outlines MeetEdgar as a social media scheduling tool that aims to assist users in streamlining their social media marketing endeavors. It allows users to efficiently plan, curate, and automate content across various social media platforms.
The main benefit of MeetEdgar is its focus on repurposing evergreen social media content, which makes it stand out. By using this tool, you can enhance your marketing strategy by automatically and seamlessly resharing your most valuable content.
- Sprinklr
At scale, ensure to reach, engage with, and listen to customers.
Sprinklr offers a range of products to assist businesses in connecting and assisting their customers across various channels. This suite includes social engagement, which allows enterprise teams to effectively collaborate and interact with customers on over 25 social channels. Although there is no pricing page available, interested individuals can request a demo on the Sprinklr website.
- Oktopost
A platform for managing social media specifically designed for B2B enterprises.
Oktopost is designed specifically for B2B marketers who wish to use social media to create leads and measure the impact of their social media activities. With a range of features for social media management, promotion, and employee advocacy, Oktopost offers everything that most B2B marketers would require. To learn more, schedule a demo with their team.
- Brandwatch
The platform designed to cater to all types of social media marketers.
Brandwatch’s social media management tool, previously known as Falcon.io, integrates various features required by social media marketers into a unified platform. This includes social media management, engagement, and analytics, customer experience management, and a DIY landing page builder. Booking a demo allows you to connect with the team.
- HubSpot
Inbound marketing software that combines all features into a single platform.
HubSpot provides social media management tools as part of their all-in-one marketing software, with a starting price of $50 per month. By integrating various marketing efforts like social media, email, SEO, and CRM into one platform, HubSpot allows for effortless comparison of results and measurement of social ROI across different marketing channels.
Why do you need a social media management tool?
When marketers explore a new tool, they seek to discover one that enhances their marketing tech stack instead of adding unnecessary bulk. Below are some aspects to take into account when narrowing down options between tools.
- Pricing and budget
The ability to use free social media management software effectively depends on the size and scope of your business. If you are a solo entrepreneur or a small agency in the early stages, using free or freemium tools could be a starting point before transitioning to paid options.
However, the saying “you get what you pay for” is often accurate. Therefore, it is crucial to evaluate the features that are most important to your business and determine your non-negotiables.
Testing out tools and seeing what they can do firsthand is always a safe bet when unsure.
- Automation and time-saving features
In what way will this tool help me save time?
Every tool you incorporate into your tech stack should have the ability to provide an answer to this question for you and your business.
Your schedule can be significantly freed up with features such as publishing and scheduling, a social media calendar, automated responses, and content ideation.
A significant factor to think about is if your preferred tool integrates with the rest of your marketing stack, which can effectively save a lot of time.
- Collaboration features
The top social media management tools simplify collaboration by enabling tasks such as scheduling content and responding to customers in real time.
What is the maximum number of users that can work simultaneously in the tool? Is it simple to establish permissions to add new members to your social team?
The number of seats in a social media management tool is particularly important, particularly if you are delegating some of your social media tasks or planning to expand your team.
- Reporting and analytics
The importance of analytics cannot be emphasized enough.
It is important to have easy-to-read reports that highlight your performance and KPIs, whether you are reporting for clients or presenting data to stakeholders.
Before investing in social media management software, it is important to ensure that it includes monitoring important social metrics. Reporting can also be beneficial in identifying the effectiveness of your social presence.
