5 Social Media Management Tools That BNL Recommends
Growing a social media channel takes time and commitment. And, it takes a really great management program to lead your account to success. But, what platform should you use? There are so many out there and you probably see ads for them all day long. In this blog post, we’re going to be sharing the five platforms BNL Media Consulting recommends and why. We’ll discuss each platform’s added value point as well as the costs associated with each one.
Let’s get started!
LATER.COM
Later.com is one of the most popular options for social media management. Its main focus is Instagram but can cross-post to Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. Later.com has made some fantastic improvements over the years as they’ve gained popularity. You can now schedule stories through the platform as well as the first comment. By being able to schedule your first comment, you can easily create hashtag bundles that go live with your post.
Added Value: The added value of Later is its visual content calendar. You’re able to drag-and-drop images for your feed and it will show you what it will look like on the grid. This helps a lot when you’re trying to create a theme for your account. Additionally, Later has great analytics that you can review monthly to see how your accounts are growing through KPIs like engagement, reach, and shares.
Pricing: There are many different pricing levels for Later. They run from free to $49 USD per month for enterprise pricing.
HOOTSUITE.COM
Hootsuite.com is a fantastic platform that allows you to properly manage all of your social media in one place. It’s probably one of the biggest social media management tools with over 15 million people using it!
On Hootsuite, you’re able to schedule content for every account, see the different feeds in the one platform and measure your social ROI. Additionally, Hootsuite now provides the ability to run social media ads on its platform as well.
Added Value: The biggest value that Hootsuite has is that you’re able to monitor several accounts and keywords through one screen. You can connect with over 35 social networks and bulk-schedule every social media post you have.
Pricing: The pricing varies for Hootsuite and there are several levels of pricing. It starts from free and goes all the way to $599 a month for enterprise pricing.
SPROUT SOCIAL
Sprout Social is similar to Hootsuite, but what we love about Sprout Social is its customer relationship management (CRM) features. You are able to complete profiles of your customers/clients to help you provide better service for them. This platform is really great for freelancers, contractors or agencies but may not be the right choice if you’re just looking to schedule your own social media posts.
Added Value: Sprout Social is known for their customer service! If you’re just beginning to use Sprout Social and aren’t sure how to properly utilize the platform and CRM, their customer service reps are there to help. A second added value piece is their reports. Numbers are key in social media and Sprout Social provides reports that show all of the data for each account, which then can be sent to the client for them to review.
Pricing: Sprout Social is more pricey than the others we’ve compared so far. Plans start at $99 a month and run to $249 per user per month. The good news is that Sprout Social offers a 30-day trial to ensure it’s the right fit for you.
PLANOLY
Planoly is the second to last platform that we’ll be comparing. Formerly known as Planogr.am, this platform has been designed for Instagram content and marketing. Planoly helps from creating content on Instagram to analyzing how well the post is performing.
Value Added: Planoly has a user-friendly interface. Users of this platform speak highly about the drag-and-drop feature, which enables them to curate their Instagram feed similar to Later’s feed preview feature. Additionally, Planoly has hashtag sorting, which is another great feature for platforms to have!
Pricing: There are four subscription options for Planoly. Plans start at zero dollars and run to Custom, which starts from $19 a month. The options differ when it comes to the number of profiles, uploads and users.
BUFFER
Last but definitely not least is Buffer. Buffer is a well-established social media management platform full of fantastic features. Buffer allows you to publish with a queue, engage and it integrates with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and even LinkedIn!
We should note that Buffer isn’t made for evergreen posts. This means it won’t allow you to upload a handful of posts/pictures and then recycle them for future uses, again and again.
Value Added: Buffer offers a product called Reply. It supports Facebook, Twitter and Instagram comments. This allows you to use one platform to reply to all your comments on various accounts. It does come at a hefty cost between $50-250 a month per connected profile, but the value is there for a lot of users.
But, we have to say, the best value-added feature Buffer offers is the web browser extension! This extension allows you to share links, images and videos from wherever you are on the web without having to go into your Buffer dashboard! Simply download the extension, find something you want to share and share it immediately! This allows business owners to be showing up online often while sharing relevant information to their followers.
Pricing: Buffer is more expensive than a lot of the other options we’ve discussed, but it does have a free option! It then goes to $15 a month and can go up to $399 a month. Plus, there are additional add ons that vary from $10 to $50 per month.
WHAT PLATFORM SHOULD YOU USE?
Now that you’ve gotten the down low on five of the best social media management tools, it’s time to pick which one to use! Each platform has its own unique values and prices. Base your decision off of what you need now and which platform provides that for you.
If you’re feeling a little overwhelmed with these choices and social media in general, reach out to BNL today. We can take social media off your plate to allow you to focus on your brand’s bigger picture. Give us a call and we’d love to support your social media growth.