What is best to manage social media

[Glenn Martin]

i am looking for a tool that I can manage all my social media accounts through so I can pre schedule posts etc.

I have been recommended Sprout Social and Hootsuite I am prepared to used paid for versions if they are better. Which is best or can you recommend a better solution

 

[fisicx]

What are you expecting from your social media activity?

Are you getting new business from your posts? Are people reading and sharing? Are the commenting and engaging?

If it's none of the above, why are you doing it?

 

[neils3]

I prefer Hootsuite.

Great to hear your using Social, just last week I came across two examples where Social is creating potential opportunities and sales.

One is a wedding celebrant who was approached by a blogger to provide a Guest Post on an authority after seeing her Instagram activity. The other is a digital marketer who developed a relationship on LinkedIn after he saw a few of their posts.

 

[Axphey]

I used sprout for doing social media marketing for the fashion blogger website. It worked like charm to me.

 

[ethical PR]

i am looking for a tool that I can manage all my social media accounts through so I can pre schedule posts etc.

I have been recommended Sprout Social and Hootsuite I am prepared to used paid for versions if they are better. Which is best or can you recommend a better solution

I was the person who recommended sprout social, based on the limited information you provided.

What will best suit your needs depends on your social media strategy, channels your target audience use, your objectives etc. Have a look at both systems and others available in the market palce, have a look at free and paid for functionality and then make a choice.

 

[RichardKearsey]

It is very difficult to manage each and every social accounts everyday,especially if you use it for online marketing purpose.For example,while you are busy updating facebook status,It might have forgotten to favorite a tweet.

There are plenty of tools we can update and monitor all of the accounts from single place.

Here are the list
1)SocialFlow
2)CrowdBooster
3)Sproutsocial
4)Spredfast
5)Tweepi
6)Socialoomph
7)Hootsuite

 

[Krystsina]

I use Buffer for my Twitter, Facebook and Instagram account. There is a possibility to add more accounts if needed. I would say that it is quite comfortable and helpful to use for managing of multiple social media accounts. I use its free version, but they also provide a paid one with more options.

 

[Rockpapercopy_biz]

Hootsuite for greater control of your scheduled posts and auto-posting feature. Buffer for handy clipping tool for your browser and for re-posting most popular posts. I use both inter changeably

 

[connectedstars]

Use Hootsuite. You can manage all social media posts with single platform

 

[StevePoster]

i am looking for a tool that I can manage all my social media accounts. Which is best or can you recommend a better solution

Its true that these tools can manage your social media accounts post for scheduling and distribution but it will limit the exposures of the post in which usually normal to these tools. shortened and not detailed in which most of the time will ignore by the audience compared to manually posted by real people in which is detailed, optimized, interesting, and with image.

 

[Bart Simpson]

I find Hootsuite very complicated and you end up in a confusion. There are a lot of tools by which you can manage social media platforms

Buffer is user friendly and simple. It is free, but you can go for its paid plans as well which offer amazing features.

Spreadfast enables you to monitor online conversations via keyword searches.

Percolate has customisable marketing calendar where you can schedule marketing campaigns and channels.

Tweetdeck is a just a Twitter based managing tool. It allows you to be updated with the latest Twitter trends and easily join discussions.

Oktopost is the best tool is terms of navigation and easy to use.

Sendible enables you to involve with online communities on multiple platforms, analyze and track your email campaigns and social media, measure the success of the content you share and much more.

 

[Glenn Martin]

Thanks for all the comments and comprehensive lists.

I will have a go with a few and see what's does what I want.

I find the hardest thing as a small business is keeping up with this as new new toys come out every week, don't get me started about the amount of choice in accounting software and apps.

 

[ukbf0001]

i am looking for a tool that I can manage all my social media accounts through so I can pre schedule posts etc.

I have been recommended Sprout Social and Hootsuite I am prepared to used paid for versions if they are better. Which is best or can you recommend a better solution

BuzzBundle has the most coverage in terms of functionality and platforms it uses, if you get in quick there is a bizarrely named 'Black Tuesday' sale on

 

[Lee Watkinson]

I can vouch for Hootesuite. Started using it around 2 weeks ago (free version) and it's autoschedule feature is brilliant. I also use it to track brand mentions and have search queries set up.

BuzzBundle has the most coverage in terms of functionality and platforms it uses, if you get in quick there is a bizarrely named 'Black Tuesday' sale on

I use the whole SEO Powersuite other than this piece of software - I too got this promotion and might take it.

 

[Steve Alphabet]

If you plan to broadcast one message across your channels, choose a tool that enables you to edit your message to suit each channel. It's painful seeing a company's LinkedIn post contain hashtags that are obviously for Twitter...

 

[fisicx]

I can vouch for Hootesuite. Started using it around 2 weeks ago (free version) and it's autoschedule feature is brilliant. I also use it to track brand mentions and have search queries set up.

Have conversions improved? By that I mean have you seen an increase in sales from all your SM activity?

 

[Lee Watkinson]

Have conversions improved? By that I mean have you seen an increase in sales from all your SM activity?

I can't say I've seen any major improvements in conversions (I don't think it will ever do that with the industry the company is in) but we use it mainly to build our brand and get involved with conversations that are relevant to the products that are sold.

 

[RedundancyClaim]

Just asked the question to one of my team, Hootsuite was the preferred platform. The paid version is less that $20, so I'm informed.

 

[fisicx]

I can't say I've seen any major improvements in conversions (I don't think it will ever do that with the industry the company is in) but we use it mainly to build our brand and get involved with conversations that are relevant to the products that are sold.

So if you stopped doing it would it make any difference to your income? If not then why do it? I get the involvement in conversations (that's why it's called social media) but you don't need Hootsuite or BuzzBundle or any other tools for this.

 

[Lee Watkinson]

So if you stopped doing it would it make any difference to your income? If not then why do it? I get the involvement in conversations (that's why it's called social media) but you don't need Hootsuite or BuzzBundle or any other tools for this.

I do it for the business I work for.

It's just a way of having even more engagement with current and possible customers.

I understand I don't need it but rather than me logging in to every platform, I can get involved from one place. Tather than me searching for conversations, I have it set up to show me brand mentions and keywords thato we target.

 

[webgeek]

Hootsuite made my life a lot easier, when managing many different social accounts for a number of clients (in a previous life).

It sounds like you're looking to use it as a broadcast tool, given the pre-scheduled posting thought you mentioned. This isn't exactly what social is designed to be about, or how you get the most out of it.

To be frank, you'll get more mileage picking one or two social networks and going deep than you will strafing and broadcasting across many. Engage, interact, syndicate, thanks, like, etc, including plenty of outreach and shared praise, and you'll do much better than trying to do more with less by spreading yourself thin across many channels.

 

[SimonLongster]

Believe me I have a lot of software and subscriptions and the best one I have found, with incredible functionality and awesome support, is Mass Planner (affiliate link). The software is updated almost daily. Have a look you will be amazed and it is very reasonably priced too. Any questions PM me. Si

 

[Alby10]

Hootsuite is a useful tool without doubt. The key is to ensure that whatever purpose your doing social media is to engage consistently, to grow your potential pool of interested parties.

 

[Habimana]

Nobody has mentioned Social Pilot. Best so far

 

[connectedstars]

Hootsuit is the best tool for social media sites. You can post one content at a time in major social media sites. I am using this tool from last couple of months.

 

[fisicx]

The best tool is to do it yourself. Take the time to write posts that add value rather than automate.

 

[tonymac84]

The best tool is to do it yourself. Take the time to write posts that add value rather than automate.

I think the point is to be able to schedule. The content will be original but it's to post at times when you may not be able to do so manually

 

[Azam.net]

I'll also vouch for Hootsuite like previous posters. It's excellent. We also use Dlvr, Buffer and Tweepi from our social media management clients depending on their needs. They've got different strengths and weaknesses.

Try them all - they have free versions - and see which you prefer the best. Or feel free to get in touch with me if I can help.

 

[fisicx]

I think the point is to be able to schedule. The content will be original but it's to post at times when you may not be able to do so manually

But why? If you have something of value to say then just post it. No need to schedule it for next week. There are those who tell you best time to post it at 2pm on Tuesday or whatever but this has been debunked. Social media feeds are now so clogged up with promotional posts their value is greatly diminished. But if you post less but add value then it can still get noticed.

 

[Tom_Dwan]

But why? If you have something of value to say then just post it. No need to schedule it for next week.

what about if you work for an agency and you're going on holiday or something. There are certain situations when scheduling posts is a good way to manage your social media accounts.

BTW, 1 more vote for Buffer- it's really simple and user-friendly. Just take into account that the free version does not support personal G+ account. You can still use it for Facebook and Twitter.

 

[fisicx]

what about if you work for an agency and you're going on holiday or something. There are certain situations when scheduling posts is a good way to manage your social media accounts.

This would be the exception not the norm. If it were for an upcoming offer or discount then OK but these aren't everyday posts. If you work for an agency and are paid to post 40 times a day then the whole exercise is pointless as you will have no idea what news stories are trending to ensure your posts are relevant and timely.

 

[tonymac84]

But why? If you have something of value to say then just post it. No need to schedule it for next week. There are those who tell you best time to post it at 2pm on Tuesday or whatever but this has been debunked. Social media feeds are now so clogged up with promotional posts their value is greatly diminished. But if you post less but add value then it can still get noticed.

An informative and thought provoking Tweet (or series of them) can still be scheduled though. Thus allowing the poster to spend time doing other things. I agree with your follow-up post about the need to be timely but it's not always possible is it?

The fact that there are so many options for scheduling social media posts indicates that there is a need for some kind of automation. They're rarely manned 24/7

 

[fisicx]

Or just not tweet/post at all. There is increasing evidence that fewer value adding posts get more traction than a continual stream of posts.

 

[tonymac84]

Or just not tweet/post at all. There is increasing evidence that fewer value adding posts get more traction than a continual stream of posts.

That may be the case but there's still no harm in scheduling to reach your target audience at an ideal time (when you may not be around to do so manually). A post for stay at home parents at 3.15 will probably get missed due to the school run. Similarly, a post for a football fan is more likely to be found in the build up to a match. Just a couple of examples but you get the idea.

 

[fisicx]

A post for stay at home parents at 3.15 will probably get missed due to the school run.

OK, I get that. You write the post for that day, picking up on some news or something you think they might like and schedule it for 10am when they get home from the morning school run and shopping and have time for a cuppa. This is not the same as writing posts for the next two weeks and automating everything to post 5 times per day - which is what @Tom_Dwan was suggesting.

 

[rf-harris]

hootsuite is pretty effective. If you need a free solution, you can try with manageflitter

 

[tonymac84]

hootsuite is pretty effective. If you need a free solution, you can try with manageflitter

I find Manageflitter really useful for clearing out fake followers and spam accounts on Twitter