One of the first things any business looking to get on social media needs to do is set up your digital toolkit. Here at Infinity, we specialize in working together to help our clients choose the right-sized tools for their goals, and we want to offer a quick look into some of the platforms we use most.
First, we will discuss what brands often need out of their social media management tools, them we will explore and compare platforms.
What is a social media management platform?
If you’ve looked into social media marketing, you likely have heard some of the names of big players in the social media platform space, but you might not be sure what it is that they do, how they differ, and if they’re worth the spend. Let’s start from the top:
A ‘social media management platform’ is a name for a web-based application that helps you monitor, moderate, and post on your social media channels in real time. There are tons of different options, some specific to the type of content you’d like to generate, which channel you’re using, and importantly, how much you’re able to spend.
These tools can allow you to do things like schedule posts in advance, collaborate on content creation with team members, measure your results, and gain valuable insights into your audience and that of others in your industry.
How will a social media management tool help my business?
Choosing the right tools starts with not only understanding what is out there, but also making sure you have a good handle on your needs as an organization. Here are ways the right tool could help:
1. Streamline your posting by scheduling posts and posting to multiple channels at a time.
2. Get insights into the best post time for your organization using AI tools.
3. Gain valuable listening tools to understand what others in your field are doing, what your audience wants, and how they make decisions.
4. Prove the ROI for social media marketing ventures with analytics.
5. Streamline operations to lower your opportunity cost when it comes to social media marketing.
6. Unify your social media inbox to save time and provide better customer service.
Top 5 Social Media Management Platforms for 2021
1. falcon.io – A great platform for enterprise level clients. Excellent social listening tools, content publishing, analytics, and customer data management.
Platforms: Facebook, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube
2. sproutsocial.com – A best-in-class tool that provides scalable solutions for businesses at every level. Pricing starts at $99/month, so this tool may be out of range for some smaller businesses just starting out in the social media space.
Platforms: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, & Pinterest
3. Hootsuite – If you’ve heard of any social media management tool, this is probably the one. On the scene since 2008, Hootsuite has made a name for itself as being one of the most complete, simple to use, and powerful tools on the market. It does have a free version for those looking to explore the platform, and paid versions start at $29/ month, making it a great entry-level tool that can scale to a large operation.
Platforms: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, & Pinterest)
4. SocialPilot – One of the lightest, most well-priced tools on the market. SocialPilot is fantastic for folks who manage more than one business account on several platforms. One of the things that makes this platform a cut above the rest for marketers is it’s white label analytics reporting and ability to post natively to Google My Business. Definitely worth checking out (this is the tool we use here at Infinity!)
Platforms: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Google My Business, LinkedIn, YouTube, & Pinterest
5. Agorapulse – Need a social media management tool that can both post to YouTube AND boost Facebook ads from inside the platform? Look no further than Agorapulse. This platform is absolutely fantastic for audience listening and has some fantastic analytics tools at a great price (plans starting around $39 per month).
Platforms: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, & YouTube
Closing thoughts (no, we were not paid to promote these tools).
No matter which tools you use (or whether you engage with us for social media management help), we sincerely hope that this article has helped you see more clearly how you can leverage the power of social media and the adjacent tools to create a community around your venture.
At Infinity, our mission is to set your organization up with the tools needed for success – a mission we take very seriously. If you have any questions about what you’ve read today or how to get set up on ‘Digital Main Street’, please reach out today.
