Social Media Management Software Buyers Guide
Last updated: September 23, 2023
It’s no secret: without social media working in your company’s favor you’ll find it hard to get ahead in today’s business market. How up-to-date are you in managing your company’s social media accounts?
Yes, this applies to almost anyone. Whether you want more followers for your vlog or you’re in charge of a large corporation’s marketing, online social platforms must be on your priority list.
It takes time and effort to manage them, which is why innovative software vendors charge you money to help you stay in control. But which social media management software package gives you value for money? We’ll help you decide.
What is Social Media Software?
Social media management software makes it easier to achieve the goals and enjoy the benefits these platforms are supposed to give your business:
- Helping you post online content. The software makes it easier, often allowing you to publish across various platforms at once.
- You can monitor online conversations so you know what your customers are saying about you.
- Get feedback and measure your online impact. You can gauge which messages get the most traction and by using similar ones in the future you’ll optimize your impact.
Vendors cater for various needs, so you’ll come across different types of tools:
- Management
- Monitoring
- Analysis tools
- Finding influencers
Depending on your need you can ask your vendor if they can supply all or only some of these tools in your package.
Social Media Software vs Analytics Tools: What’s the Difference?
It’s important to understand the market before you start buying software because these days there are so many different types available. Make sure you purchase software that’s relevant to your need.
For example, pure social media analytics tools can also seem like an attractive buy, as you’ll get reports about what works in your social media engagement. These tools even help you predict the future and plan how to market or handle an event. But unlike social media software, the analytics tool will only supply you with the information, not help you with posting and managing the content itself. You’ll still spend a lot of time managing your posts.
Key Functionalities Your Social Media Management Tool Must Have
If social media management software is what you need, which features can you look forward to?
- Scheduling: The software should be user-friendly and allow you to easily schedule content for the future. The platform publishes on your behalf at the time you picked. This scheduling can be for one channel and account or multiple ones.
- Analytics: You must be able to draw reports showing an analysis of your activity, such as how many people engaged with your content. This can be used to determine what type of content is best to share.
- Automated actions: Along with automated publishing, other tasks such as sharing and retweeting can be automated to minimize the time you have to spend online.
- Tracking data: Modern software is advanced enough to track information to help you make more informed decisions, such as how your keywords perform for SEO purposes.
- Managing a campaign: High-end software will help you manage your entire social media marketing campaign.
These are common to most social media management software packages, but don’t forget to vet them according to their mobile friendliness so you can work on the go.
Also make sure you get value for money by reading reviews about customer service and how easy it is for your team to collaborate with you on a campaign. If your new program can integrate with others, such as your CRM software, even better.
Free vs Paid—Make the Right Choice
Today’s market offers you free versions of most software, but realize that you’ll have limited features with these packages. Will you make appropriate impact if you can’t draw on the power of proper analytics or you’re only allowed to use a limited number of platforms?
Pricing & Plans
You’ll usually pay per user, so you can manage your budget by opting to pay for one user at first. When you have the capital you can increase the number of users. It can be beneficial to give more people access as they can increase your online presence by helping you post more content.
How to Get the Right Social Media Management Tool for Your Business
When purchasing software it’s paramount to find the package suited for your unique setup and purpose.
These questions may help you determine your need:
- What type of business do you have? Don’t pay for features you won’t use and don’t pick software not meant for the platforms you’ll work on. You’ll need a cheaper, less robust package—even a ‘’Best of Breed” application with one focus—if you’re a small business. What works for a large company that publishes content on all social media platforms may not work for a small business who simply wants to generate leads on Facebook. Or perhaps you’re in search of B2B leads in which case you simply want to focus on LinkedIn.
- How long have you been using social media? If you have an established online presence, opt for a package that helps you monitor all your profiles. But if you’re new to the game, prevent being overwhelmed. Simply try one platform or feature at a time and ask your vendor if you can add others later on.
- How many users must there be? Determine how many employees must have access in order for your system to operate effectively.
- What platforms do you need? Your software must be able to handle the social media platforms you need for effective marketing.
Conclusion
When used correctly, your social media management software can boost your sales by 40% or even more. So, if you think you don’t have the budget to pay for one today, empowering your company to increase your bottom line may be reason enough to source the capital for this expense.
If you have advice for other users, please leave your comments below.
