With so many social media management and marketing tools out there, how do you know which ones to use? And how do you know which features to choose from? The variety of social media tools out there can be pretty overwhelming, for a beginner as well as for the more advanced user. Are you looking for an all-in-one solution to manage your social media presence? Perhaps you need a smarter way to manage multiple profiles and networks? Or maybe you need to improve team collaboration? Whatever your situation, managing social media requires the right strategy and the right tools. Let’s look at some of the most awesome Social Media Management Tools for 2018.
Airtable
Every time you sit down to knock out a blog post, you probably already have your audience in the back of your mind.Airtable brings the processes of content planning and social media scheduling together. The platform can be used among teams or individuals to not only plan out future pieces of content, but how those posts will be promoted across various social sites.
In short, Airtable allows you stay one step ahead by assessing what your social media posts will look like before your content even goes live.
Tailwind
Brands with a heavy presence on Pinterest shouldn’t be strangers to Tailwind. Apps like this offer Pinterest scheduling as part of their platform. The tool’s drag and drop functionality make it easy for marketers to upload, tag and publish their Pinterest posts en masse. Tailwind also allows users to shuffle their post queue, a smart move for brands looking to avoid parroting the same content.
The solution also answers the question of when to post by automatically recommending times to pin content. These times are determined by learning when your audience on Pinterest is most active, priming posts for higher engagement.
Buffer
If you’re small time and just looking to get your feet wet with social media, Buffer isn’t a bad place to start. The platform’s free option is a solid introduction to social media tools in general. Allowing users ten scheduled posts across multiple social accounts, budding brands can better understand what automation looks like in action.
Buffer’s ability to identify your highest-performing posts is a nice touch for those looking to figure out how to improve their social content in the future.
As such, Buffer’s integrated “Pablo” platform allows users to quickly create visuals for their social content. With how much attention visuals attract these days, accompanying imagery with your content should be a no-brainer in 2018.
Feedly
There’s no denying that one of the biggest challenges of social media scheduling is content curation. Feedly’s platform automatically curates content to fill up your social media calendar. Instead of scrambling for news or relevant pieces to publish to your audience in-between your own posts, Feedly does the legwork for you.
Again, managing your social feeds shouldn’t eat up all of your free time. Tools like Feedly take the pressure off of marketers to constantly save and bookmark content for future sharing.
Tweetdeck
Integrating with Twitter in an instant, Tweetdeck represents a straightforward scheduling tool that allows you to queue tweets across multiple accounts. Set up your Tweet, and watch it go live accordingly. Despite its simplicity, Tweetdeck also boasts a comprehensive Twitter dashboard for users. You can see your live feed in addition to notifications, mentions and other activity all in one place.
Even if you use another social scheduling tool, you might consider toying around with this platform just for fun.
CoSchedule
The common thread between almost every social scheduling tool is saving time. CoSchedule emphasizes efficiency for marketing teams and individuals alike. Integrating with company blogs via WordPress, the platform allows brands to publish and push content to social media simultaneously.
It also documents social shares and engagement: a fantastic feature for content creators looking to figure out which pieces are resonating most with readers. Unlike other social media scheduling tools, CoSchedule primarily focuses on content versus solely social performance.
Later
Later is an ideal option for brands specifically working with visual content and focusing heavily on growing their Instagram presence. Although Instagram automation is possible via various social media scheduling tools, brands can’t approach Instagram like they would Facebook or Twitter. Tools such as Later effectively allow brands to schedule Instagram content through a clever workaround. Users essentially “plan” their posts in advance of publishing and are sent real-time text notifications to send those posts live.
Additional features such as real-time post previews, hashtag curation and basic analytics help brands save time publishing to Instagram while also uncovering opportunities to optimize their posts.
Are you benefitting from Social Media Management Tools?
What features do you find to be most important for a social media management tool? If you haven’t gotten started with social media management, what are you waiting for? Contact your local full service Digital Marketing and Web Design Agency for assistance today!
