The Best Apps for Managing Social Media

If you run a small business, you probably know how time-consuming social media can be. But nowadays, it’s essential. If you don’t have a large social media presence, it can be difficult to get the word out. That’s why social media management apps are so important. With them, you can schedule posts, answer messages, and manage multiple accounts at once. This post will look at the best apps for doing this. 

What to Look for in a Good Social Media Manager App

Easy Management

The first thing you should look for in any management app is, well, management. How well does the app help you organize and schedule posts? How simple is it to compile all your messages and answer them?

Analytics

An excellent social media management app should include detailed analytics that gives you insights into how your campaign is going. Reading the analytics may also make you realize that you need to change your strategy.

Other Bells and Whistles

Many of these apps have different bells and whistles that can help your social media campaign thrive. For example, modern apps tend to have AI support, making it easy to draft posts. Some apps have shoppable posts, and others may include browser extensions. Peruse these apps and see what standout features work well for your situation.

Price

Finally, how much does it cost? Most apps require a subscription, but some are more expensive than others. Some include a free version with limited features or a free trial to give you peace of mind.

Hootsuite

Hootsuite is one of the most popular social media apps, and it’s easy to understand why. If you have a social media team, Hootsuite has plenty of ways to manage that team and assign tasks to them. They use an AI assistant to help you copyright or repurpose posts. You can analyze specific topics relating to your niche, which will help to refine your social media marketing strategy.

That said, there are a few drawbacks. First, Hootsuite is expensive. Pricing starts at $99 a month for ten channels. If you’re an upstart, this price may be unaffordable. Another downside is the lack of a free plan. Instead, you get a free 30-day trial if you purchase a paid plan. But some may not be comfortable doing this.

Another disadvantage is that the dashboard is not as user-friendly as it should be. It can take a while for you to figure out the ropes. And once you learn, it still can be challenging when there’s an update or redesign.

Buffer

If you’re a small business, Buffer may be a great alternative to Hootsuite. This app is also one of the oldest, so it has plenty of features and support for almost every social media app out there.

One of the best features is that it has a free tier. With the free tier, you can schedule posts for up to three social media accounts. If you want to add more sites or features, the plans are quite scaleable.

Other features include an AI assistant to help you with workshop posts. With any AI assistant, you should always refine these posts and put them in your own voice and style. But this can expedite making posts so that you can spend more time building your business.

You can also create your own mini website through its Start Page service. This page can lead your audience to a mobile-friendly version of your store, where they can see the latest content and products offered. It’s a must for any business that has a wide variety of products and services.

One downside of Buffer is that it is a little inconsistent with pricing. They are known to change pricing for its members, meaning that you should never get too comfortable with what they’re charging. However, this is just the nature of business nowadays.

Tailwind

Tailwind is an affordable social media management app if you have only one social media account you want to focus on, and that account is Pinterest. Plans start at $19.99 monthly, with up to 400 posts per month on a single account.

Tailwind is also a great app if you have a Pinterest presence. It lets you schedule pins, create pins using browser extensions, and monitor all activity on Pinterest to help refine your strategy.

Tailwind also has a free version, but it’s lacking. You can select up to five free posts every month, meaning you’re better off paying for them.

Sprout Social

Another app to look into is Sprout Social. It’s one of the best if you’re looking for an all-in-one tool that can integrate with most major social media platforms. In addition to social media, you can also manage reviews from different sites like Google, Trustpilot, Facebook, and more.

Another great feature is that you can make shoppable posts. This can help you showcase your new products and give customers a way to buy them more easily.

Sprout Social also provides detailed analytics, which is essential if you’re trying to monitor your growth strategy carefully. You may find that you need to change your strategy or just refind it a bit.

It has many other advanced features. However, it’s worth noting that Sprout Social is expensive. The standard plan starts at $249 a month and only goes up from there. You do get a 30-day free trial. However, many smaller businesses may find this cost to be too much. As your business grows, you may want to consider an upgrade to Sprout. The benefits it provides will justify the high price tag.

Final Thoughts

These four social media apps will help you manage your accounts and more. Another way to manage your account well and increase your online presence is to buy IG followers with ViralGrowing. Each app is good for a specific situation and budget, but if you don’t see a good app for you, have no fear. There are many social media apps out there, and we may do another post showcasing more of them. Good luck!