Alex CharalambousMany B2B businesses have hopped on the social media train and are using it on a regular basis. While many started with only one or two accounts, others have expanded their social media presence on many different platforms and need a way to easily manage them all.
As many businesses are now looking to reach their target audience on other platforms such as Twitter and Instagram, beyond simply Facebook or LinkedIn, managing posts gets to be a tedious and time-consuming task.
That’s where social media management tools come in. While there are plenty of options out there to help you save time, we’ve come up with five tools that we recommend for social media management.
There’s no right or wrong choice and the following are in no particular order. All of the tools have their pros and cons, but we hope it will help you find which one is right for you.
1. Hootsuite
Hootsuite is one of the most popular social media management tools available. With the free version, you can manage up to three social media accounts in various channels including Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. It’s an essential tool that can manage and schedule posts, track conversations, and measure campaign results.
Once your account is set up, you can set up “streams” in the form of columns to show sent messages, mentions, scheduled posts, etc. Hootsuite also makes scheduling really easy. You can choose the day and time that you want a post to send out.
Supported Social Networks: Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, Foursquare, WordPress, Mixi
Pricing: Free for up to three social profiles with no collaboration. Pro plans start at $ 9.99 per month for 50 profiles and 1+ team members. Larger plans are also available.
2. Oktopost
Oktopost is a social media management platform that is targeted toward the B2B industry. It focuses on managing content and analytics reporting to measure lead generation and other additional features. For example, Oktopost can integrate with CRM and marketing automation platforms, such as Salesforce, Marketo, and Act-On.
Supported Social Networks: Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn
Pricing: There is no free version. You can get a 30-day free trial for any plan. Plans start at $ 55 per month for one user and 15 social profiles.
3. Buffer
Buffer is a great management platform for people just getting started with social media. Buffer’s dashboard has great scheduling flexibility that allows you to keep a consistent social media schedule without having to micro-manage the delivery times. The interface is clean, simple and easy to use. It also provides analytics about the engagement and reach of your posts.
Supported Social Networks: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+
Pricing: Free version allows one profile per social network. Individual plans start at $ 10 per month. Business plans start at $ 50 per month for 25 social accounts and five team members.
4. Sprout Social
Sprout Social is another great option for social media management. It creates one unified inbox where you can see all of your activity in one stream. It also has workflow management features so you can assign tasks to users to follow up with tweets or posts.
Another feature is its “Discover” tab where you can find people who follow you but you’re not following back. On the same note, there is a “Clean Up” tab where you can unfollow any silent, irregular or “do not follow back” accounts.
However, with these additional features comes additional cost. This management platform is one of the more expensive options.
Supported Social Networks: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Feedly
Pricing: 30-day trial available. Plans start at $ 59 per month for up to 10 profiles. Larger plans are also available.
5. Agorapulse
Agorapulse is a more robust tool with social media management and CRM features. It boasts a unified social media inbox with real time tracking and the ability to get to a “zero” inbox—allowing managers to create workflows and see what has been handled and what hasn’t.
With the CRM component, you can classify your fan base and identify your most active fans. Monthly reporting is also a feature that is included in the price and the reports can be easily converted to PowerPoint.
Supported Social Networks: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
Pricing: A free trial is available. Annual plans start at $ 19 per month for one Facebook and Twitter account.
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There are many social media management tools out there, so it can become overwhelming to try to pick the one that best fits your needs. We hope this post will help narrow down the search and help you choose the best platform for your goals and budget.
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