As mentioned in a previous blog post, we spend far too much times on our phones as a society. If you work in marketing or social media it can be difficult to cut down on screen time for obvious reasons. However, with the help of some handy assistant style apps, you can cut down on your social media usage, even if you use social media for work. These apps are some top pics for social media management in 2021, but there are loads out there so keep looking around as newer ones with great features are always popping up in the app stores.
Hootsuite is a tried and true social media app that helps you manage you social media posts across social media platforms. Hootsuite is pretty much the OG of social media management apps, and has remained a solid player in the game even with the appearance of newer competitors. Hootsuite lets you take care of your mentions, analyse your insights and demographic information all in one place, across almost any of your platforms. It is a one stop shop management tool. Hootsuite also integrates with other helpful apps like Asana, Mailchip, Sensible and more.
There are three plans available, varying in price based on your needs, with Professional, Team, and Business plans allowing 1, 3, or 5 users respectively, as well as up to 10, 20, or 35 social media profile management.
Buffer is another all-in-one app that also helps you schedule your posts. It is extremely easy to use, with simplicity being a key feature of this app. Great for analysing your engagement, Buffer also allows you to analyse your platforms in real time. It works seamlessly with Google Analytics and other productivity based apps. Buffer exceeds where Hootsuite fails in that it is much better integrated with image sharing, allowing the user to simply right click and share the image through Buffer, unlike having to download it first and then share with the program.
There are a few different plans available, ranging from a fairly limited free plan to an agency tier account which hosts 25 team members and cost $250 USD per month. The lesser plans start at $50 a month, but in my opinion if you are using social media to promote your small business, as you should be, then $50 a month used to help you streamline your productivity and easily manage you platforms all in one place, them $50 doesn’t seem quite so bad. Personally, I think the 50 is well worth it.
Planoly aims to also simplify social media and is a great choice for a simple to use app that helps you easily plan your posts, see and arrange your Instagram grid, and post to Stories all from one place. Planoly is a wonderful app for selling based businesses as well, such as those who use social media to sell their products. As Planoly puts it, “Don’t just link it, sell it.” Planoly also allows you to create hashtag groups, for use in all your posts so that you can keep certain hashtags consistent throughout your posts, upping engagement. Creating content that helps create a unified look and feel for your brand is what this app excels at as well. Planoly is one of the more affordable apps out there for planning and scheduling, with an entire year of access costing just $23.99. All in all, I like this app and use it mostly for my Instagram planning.
SEMrush is best known for being a SEO software app, but it also allows for fairly thorough planning across the bigger social networks (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Pinterest). There’s also the ability to manage Facebook and Instagram ads with this app. In all, SEMrush is an important app, even if you hire a copywriter or someone else to do your SEO. Using this tool can help you better understand SEO basics and how they relate to post planning and analytics.
Loomly is a newer social media management app, with few reviews on the app store. It is however definitely one to look out for. Loomly is unique in that it’s focus is providing actual content ideas per day and for specific time slots for your planned posts. This is a great asset for those who struggle to come up with ideas for post content. For example, Loomly allows you to create different calendars for your individual social media platforms, and from a drop down menu gives you some basic conversation starters you can use in posts. Perhaps it is National Taco Day? Loomly will remind you of that so you can use fun ideas based around it in your posts. Loomly is also great at recommending hashtags that are relevant to trends, helping you stay ahead in your social media game.
There are plenty of apps out there, these are simply the five I find to be at the top of the list. Each app truly offers something unique, so downloading them all and playing around with them individually until you find a combination, or main app that works best for you is highly recommended. You may be missing out on better analytics that one app might provide if you don’t branch out to try the newer apps that are appearing in the marketplace. Trial and error after all, is always key!
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