Best Social Media Management Tools For Small Businesses

Social media has revolutionised the way businesses market themselves. Various small brands have grown from introduction to growth stage using these engaging channels. With more than 78% of Australians using social media, it has become a significant marketing platform. Almost every business uses it to increase brand awareness, build connections with target buyers, and establish credibility. It is also used for running highly targeted campaigns that bring traffic to the website and generate conversions.

Since they have to post different types of content regularly on different channels and monitor brand mentions, it becomes challenging to manage this marketing effort. It also requires tracking campaign efficiency and engagement levels to improve marketing efforts. They can reduce the burden of this time-consuming task by automating most of the activities with the help of social media management tools. They can help schedule and publish posts, analyse performance, and monitor brand mentions.

Here is a list of the best social media management tools for small businesses that make the marketer’s job easy.

1. Hootsuite

It is one of the most expensive tools but has become popular among marketers for its excellent social listening dashboard. The social media management software is a cloud-based tool with various pricing plans. It allows users to manage up to 50 social media accounts with its premium package that includes a content library and unlimited ad spending. Every digital marketing agency Gold Coast recommends using the advanced features of the tool.

It can be integrated with all popular networks, such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. One prominent feature of the tool is its ability to offer competitor data along with analytics of all social channels. The latest version has also integrated AI to help users create engaging posts.

2. Buffer

One thing that makes Buffer stand out is its forever-free pricing plan that offers the use of three social channels. Its other plans are also cost-effective with $5 and $10 per month packages. It has been around for a while and keeps updating and changing its price plans frequently. Small businesses can benefit from its reasonable pricing and features like content ideas, AI assistant for refining content, scheduling posts and analytics. The highest-priced package comes with a hashtag manager and engagement inbox. Another interesting feature is the ‘Start Page’, which creates customised ‘link in bio’ landing pages. Its dashboard is perfect for responding to comments and messages as well.

3. Sprout Social

Although Sprout Social has no free plans, it is recommended by every digital marketing agency in Gold Coast because of its inbuilt influencer marketing feature. Social media influencers help increase brand awareness immensely. The tool also has an employee advocacy feature. Small businesses can opt for the economical standard package that allows users to add up to five social channels and gives the ability to generate alt-text with the help of AI. Marketers can enjoy its comprehensive review management and reporting with keyword and location monitoring.

4. HubSpot

HubSpot is a well-known social media management tool that offers centralisation of all the social media campaign data in one place. It helps track brand mentions so that marketers have ample time to focus on responding rather than browsing. Small business owners can easily use this software to create, schedule and publish content and take advantage of the reports that provide insights about campaign performance. The tool can be integrated with customer relationship management software to understand engagement levels and identify leads. The data gathered from HubSpot helps marketers create customised messages for customers and increase conversions.

5. SocialPilot

Gold Coast digital marketing agencies use Social Pilot because it allows them to create separate dashboards for every client. Marketers can prepare content calendars for scheduling and organising posts and use the AI assistant to get new content ideas and approvals. It offers a content library with pre-approved ideas and allows agencies to collaborate with clients seamlessly. The tool provides advanced social reporting and analytics along with social media inbox. Marketers can review and respond to messages to increase engagement and maintain positive interactions.

6. Zoho Social

Like other social management tools, Zoho Social offers scheduling, monitoring, reporting and collaboration. It offers customised social listening dashboards and can be integrated with CRM for better engagement and interactions. Marketers can create calendars with content queues and use a single inbox for monitoring brand mentions to respond to customers quickly. Its filters help categorise comments based on their type and help prioritise. The users can also look into past interactions with customers to enhance service quality and personalisation. The collaboration feature gives the users the advantage of staying on the same page with the team through chats and video calls.

7. Sendible

Digital marketing agencies in Gold Coast use Sendible for separate client dashboards that help them easily manage several accounts. Small businesses can use the tool to build a robust social media calendar with several social profiles and an AI content assistant. It has various price plans ranging from $29/ month to $750/ month. It has the ‘nifty’ feature that helps to check the post before publishing it on social channels to ensure the right size, text and hashtags. Users can source royalty-free images and create posts in large numbers to be stored in the dashboard.

Wrapping Up

Social media management tools are essential for small businesses because they help reduce the time spent creating and publishing content on various channels. They automate most of the tasks and make it easy to focus on engagement and customer service.