No marketing strategy would be complete without social media these days. Even if you already know that, getting started can seem overwhelming. Thankfully, there are plenty of social media management tools that make the process of building a social following much more manageable.
“Social Media gives us the opportunity to humanize our communications and make our companies more approachable.”
~ Ardath Albee | CEO | marketinginteractions.com
But here’s the thing: boosting your following won’t mean much unless you know how to engage with your audience and convert them into customers. With that in mind, here are 6 tools that can help you both build your social media following and have better, more meaningful interactions along the way.
HootSuite: Organize and Schedule Content Across Platforms
TrustRadius Score: 7.6 out of 10
HootSuite features post scheduling across multiple social media platforms – Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, for example. The tool also lets users monitor their social media posts and see which reflect the most engagement. User reviews point to the scheduling feature as the most valuable; it helps them save time, which they can then devote to other areas of their business.
SEMRush: Understand Your Audience and Build a Local Following
TrustRadius Score: 8.7 out of 10
While primarily a search engine optimization software, SEMRush features several tools relevant to social media management and monitoring. The Social Media Poster simplifies the post scheduling process, while the Social Media Tracker lets you analyze your posts and figure out the most compelling content. Users tend to use the software for their entire digital marketing presence.
Buffer: Starting Simple With Social Media Management
TrustRadius Score: 8.7 out of 10
Similar to HootSuite, Buffer operates as a social media management platform with easy-to-use publishing features and content optimization. On top of scheduling, Buffer offers analytics on individual social media posts and entire campaigns. Many users love the easy-to-use platform, which lets professionals with no marketing experience start upping their social media game immediately.
Sprout Social: Drive Engagement With Your Following
TrustRadius Score: 7.8 out of 10
Sprout Social claims to provide a ‘smart social communication’ solution for business brands. Like some of its competitors, the software features scheduling, monitoring, and analytics tools along with built in collaboration for teams. Many users say that they take advantage of the easy reporting and analytics feature to understand their social media campaigns.
Commun.it: Build a Following the Smart Way
TrustRadius Score: 7.4 out of 10
Commun.it focuses in other three elements of social media marketing: analytics, campaign insights and influencer marketing. With those features, it may be a good tool for those looking to move beyond publishing and into content optimization. Users appreciate the free version, which lets them do everything from schedule posts to follow/unfollow their audience.
Falcon.io: Personalize Your Brand With Social Listening
TrustRadius Score: 8.0 out of 10
Considered an all-in-one social media management solution, this tool focuses simultaneously on social media marketing and customer experience management through social channels. The tool utilizes social listening to build customer profiles, which in turn helps brands personalize experiences. Users appreciate the ability to post across nearly all channels at the same time with content bundling.
Brooklin Nash writes about the latest tools and small business trends for TrustRadius. When he’s not writing, you can find him reading YA dystopian fiction (with guilty pleasure) and cooking.