Every business, large and small, is trying to ride the social media wave to success. There are numerous tools available to help marketing managers reach their goals of attracting new customers, communicating with current customers, managing their online reputation, and raising the profile of their business online. But, which are thebest MMS tools? Which ones really provide a good return on investment of time and/or money?
Covering all of the social media tools available – even just the good ones – would be a book-length worthy feat. On top of that, the tools that work for some don’t work for others. But there are a few social media marketing tools that have a reputation for really helping businesses of all kinds.
Buffer
Buffer is one of the most highly-recognized social media tools in the industry. It allows clients to pre-schedule social media posts across multiple accounts including Facebook, Twitter, and Google Plus. You can schedule recurring posts at exacts times across days, weeks, or months. This tool is great because it allows you to plan your social media campaigns ahead of time, but also allows you to be flexible and edit campaigns that have already been scheduled.
Sprout Social
Sprout Social is a more high-end tool than Buffer. Along with scheduling capabilities, it comes with robust analytics tools. But what really sets this tool apart is its listening platform that allows you to see and “hear” how your customers, followers, and potential customers are using social media platforms. This provides you with greater insight and empowers you to tap in on real-time trends.
Hootsuite
Hootsuite is an old standby that consistently delivers results. You can use this tool to schedule posts ahead of time and post on multiple social media accounts at once. What makes it stand out is its ability to drill down with multiple feeds from the same account (or from different accounts) in a single screen. With Hootsuite, you can view a global conversation on a specific topic or hashtag right alongside the conversations of your followers, your interactions with them, and any number of slice-and-splice content columns. It’s a great way to see what’s being talked about online right now.
Bitly
Bitly is one of those tools that quietly powers the social web without much fanfare. It began as a link-shortening service – a necessary tool, but now it is so much more. It allows you to create custom shortlinks that are memorable and easy to share. And, if you create an account, you will be able to view analytics on your shortlinks, including how many times they were clicked on and where they are being shared at. Because of the character limitations inherent in social communication and the short attention span of today’s average internet user, Bitly is an important tool to have in your social media marketing toolbox.
MeetEdgar
This scheduling tool is a must-have for anyone who owns a website with lots of content. Many blog posts that were published months or years ago are still relevant and timely, yet they have not been seen by the majority of your visitors — especially new visitors. Social media is a great way to get those old blog posts out to new followers. But, you don’t have time to sift through your archives and find and repost those articles. MeetEdgar does that for you. All you have to do is categorize your blog posts and tell the app how and when you want things sent out. The app will automatically select blog posts and send them out to your social media profiles according to your schedule.
Tagboard
Half of your online marketing efforts consist of listening, not talking. In order to know how to effectively market on the internet you have to listen to what people are saying on social media. And that is what Tagboard helps you do. This social listening tool allows you to not only see what people are saying about your brand, but about the industry and similar products. It allows you to keep your ear to the ground and make more informed decisions in your marketing plans.
Of course, there aremany more tools out there that you can use. Careful research and the willingness to try new things will help you find the best social media management applications for your business.
Kidal Delonix is a contributor to Mr. Hoffman's blog. The views and opinions are entirely his/her own and may not reflect Mr Hoffman's views.
