Social Media Management Tools

Social media management tools make it easier for individuals and businesses to manage their social media presence across multiple social networks. This includes interactions with other users on the social media platforms, allowing a team of employees to interact through company-branded social accounts without overlap or conflict, and taking care of things like scheduling content. These tools are often provided under a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model, where the individual or business pays a subscription fee.

The precise features in this type of software can vary significantly, not only from software to software but also between subscription tiers within the same software solution. Some social media management tools also only work with a selection of social media platforms, meaning the buyer would have to consider alternatives if a social media platform used by the business is not covered. Furthermore, all tools of this type should include a few core functions, such as being able to post content, respond to interactions, and schedule content for automatic posting at a later date.

Businesses can benefit from this software solution because it makes it easier to manage their social media presence overall. It can be used to allow a team of people to operate a company’s social media accounts without causing confusion—either within the company or among the users being interacted with. It also makes it easier to manage content across multiple social media networks through simplified cross-posting.

Some social media management tools incorporate social media analytics tools, or they can work well with other analytics tools to provide a more in-depth analysis of an organisation’s success on social media. Also, given that social media is increasingly used to provide support for a business’ customers, this type of software can also be said to be related to customer support.

As mentioned above, the features included in this type of software can vary quite a bit from one solution to another, but certain features should be included for a solution to be in the social media management tools category. These include:

• Providing the ability to carry out all standard social media tasks from within the management tool
• Providing the ability to manage more than one social media account from within the management tool, removing the need to go to several sites or apps to cross-post content
• Providing engagement tracking tools so a company can see clearly how well their social media strategies are working
• Allowing users to create customisable reports on a range of data points, from engagement to campaign analytics
• Allowing multiple users to operate the social media accounts of a business while keeping the distinction between those users clear to avoid confusion.

What is Social Media Management Software?

Social media management software is a suite of tools designed to allow businesses to track, publish, and update content on several social media platforms, all from one unified interface. Not all social media platforms are supported by every solution—especially with new social media platforms coming and going regularly—but most solutions will support the biggest names in social media, such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and more. These tools often provide more in-depth analytical functionality that would be available through any single platform’s native controls.

Modern businesses cannot afford to ignore social media, as more and more customers turn to platforms like Twitter for things such as customer support rather than turning to more traditional channels. Naturally, social media also presents a valuable opportunity to improve and maintain an organisation’s public image through regular interaction with its customers, something that would not have been practical before. Social media also presents an attractive opportunity for promotion, with companies able to put promotional material out to large audiences without paying for an advertising campaign.

Despite these advantages, managing social media is no small task for a large business, especially as social media platforms are disparate and function in several ways and for different purposes. This is why modern businesses are increasingly turning to this type of software solution to help manage their social media presence. Through this software, several employees can run the company’s social media accounts from a single unified interface. Furthermore, this allows the company to cover more ground, as it were, while still presenting as a single brand to the customers on the other end of the tweet, Instagram comment, or other means of communication used.

What are the benefits of social media management tools?

The benefits of social media management tools differ, and the specific benefits of a given software solution will depend on what that solution aims to do. Some solutions aim to do it all, while others specialise in certain tasks or a smaller selection of social media platforms. Some of the more specific advantages provided by social media management tools include:

• Manage multiple social media accounts: There are several major social media platforms, and most businesses will find value in being on more than one. Unfortunately, no two social media platforms work the same way, which can make it awkward and time-consuming to keep active on multiple platforms. These software solutions allow a business to control several platforms through one interface, reducing the learning curve and the time it takes to manage social media.
• Better organise conversations: The goals of social media platforms rarely align perfectly with those of the businesses that use them, especially relating to interactions with customers. One area where this is particularly true is when it comes to ongoing conversations, such as customer support messages. It can be hard to keep track of these conversations in a social media platform’s native system—especially when several of these conversations happen around the same time. However, social media management solutions can help to keep track of these conversations.
• Schedule content: Consistency is a critical aspect of social media, but it’s not always simple for businesses. After all, the average employee will only be at work for 40 out of 168 hours a week. That’s less than a quarter. Scheduled posts allow a business to keep its social media output going at regular intervals regardless of the company’s business hours.
• Analyse performance: Most social media platforms offer some analytics for business users. However, those analytics only cover the individual social media platform that is providing them. Social media management software can offer more detailed analytics that includes data from all the social media platforms used through the software.
• Monitor certain keywords: Social media presents an opportunity to capitalise on social trends that could never have been achieved in the past. Unfortunately, there is so much being posted on these platforms that it’s almost impossible to keep on top of everything. Social media management tools can often be set up to monitor for specific keywords so that companies can keep track of related events and trends, capitalising on them when appropriate.
• Easily cross-post to multiple platforms: One of the advantages of managing several social media accounts from one location is the ability to cross-post with minimal effort. In some cases, the same content can be posted to several social media outlets with just a single click.
• Simplify the social media experience: Bringing all an organisation’s social media accounts into a single unified experience has many advantages for employees using the software. For one thing, only using one system reduces the chances of making mistakes, which is always a possibility when switching from one platform to another.

What are the features of social media management tools?

The features of social media management tools are focused on making the process of using social media less complicated, more efficient, and generally better in terms of productivity and effectiveness, whether the user is an individual or a large business. Here are some of the most common features of social media management tools:

• Message scheduling: As the name suggests, message scheduling allows a user or business to schedule a post for a later date. The post will be automatically posted by the software at the scheduled time. This feature allows users to keep a consistent social media output even when, for example, the business is closed, and there is no one around to publish the post.
• Geo-targeting tools: Geo-targeting tools allow users to make specialised content for certain regions or exclude some content from certain regions. This can help a brand or business avoid regional faux pas due to cultural differences or political situations.
• Message approval systems: Message approval functionality can help brands and businesses avoid unfortunate PR situations due to poorly thought out (or malicious) posts by an employee. The fallout from social media posts that are perceived as negative in some way has never been so severe, but putting a check-in between the post being created and it going live reduces the chances of such an incident slipping through.
• Keyword monitoring: Keyword monitoring is a feature that allows the user to have the software watch for certain words or phrases, notifying them if there is a sudden increase in the discussion. One example of this in action would be for a company to monitor its name, furthermore, it would be notified if it was suddenly the subject of a lot of conversation on social media.
• In-depth analytics: As previously mentioned, most social media platforms offer some kind of analytics to business users. These tend to revolve around advertisements rather than regular social media posts, and the analytics around regular social media posts tends to be limited at best. On top of this, any given social media platform can only provide analytics for that platform. Social media management tools can usually provide analytics that is both more in-depth but also span multiple social media platforms, giving a much better picture of a brand or business’ social media performance.
• Social media inbox: Having a single social media inbox that aggregates messages from all of the connected social media platforms can be a substantial time-saver, not to mention a way to improve productivity.
• Report creation: Whether the user is an individual putting together a report for a potential brand deal, or an employee who needs to update their superior on the performance of the company’s social media, report creation tools can be an invaluable and time-saving feature.
• Task assignment system: If the user of the software is an organisation whose social media accounts are handled by a team of people, task assignment features can make the process run more smoothly. It will allow team leaders, supervisors, managers, or whoever is in charge of delegating tasks to assign jobs to team members within the software.
• Account permission tools: As with any other system within an organisation, it is often necessary to protect certain things through the use of permissions. Social media management software may offer the functionality to assign permission levels to team members and then make certain features only available to the appropriate permission level.
• Customer notes tools: Large enough organisations can find themselves dealing with many customers over social media. For this reason, some solutions give users the ability to leave notes attached to specific customers that can save time in future dealings with that customer.

What should be considered when purchasing social media management tools?

When purchasing social media management tools, it is critical to consider the needs of the individual or business making the purchase. Not all features in a particular solution (or a particular tier of a solution) may be necessary for a user. Likewise, a particular option may not have sufficient features for the user's needs. While locally deployed options exist, the vast majority of social media management tools come in the form of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), so one consideration that is not necessary is that of local hardware to run the software. Here are some of the more specific considerations that should be thought through when looking to purchase a social media management solution:

• What are the key features of the suite? The first thing to consider when purchasing any software solution is whether the key features meet the buyer's demands. Social media management tools aim to improve productivity and make handling an organisation’s social media presence easier and more effective. If a software’s lack of features means it is unlikely to achieve these goals, it may not be worth the purchase.
• What is the cost of the software? Once established that the software can do all the things it will need to do, the cost of the tools should be the next consideration. With this type of software almost exclusively being available in SaaS form, the pricing models are typically month-to-month (or annual) subscriptions. If the cost of a particular solution seems too high, it may be possible to opt for a lower tier of subscription, providing that tier still meets the buyer's needs.
• Does the suite support the desired platforms? While most of the major options on the market offer support for all the major social media platforms, not every solution does. If the buyer is considering an option with limited support, they will need to ensure that the social media platforms that are supported include the ones that are important to them. There is no sense in purchasing a social media management tool that doesn’t support TikTok if that is the primary source of engagement for the user.
• Does the software provide sufficient control of permissions? Due to the variety of social media platforms available, this type of software is still useful for individuals and businesses. Still, the needs of an individual are very different to that of a business. Namely, the permission controls mentioned above are practically essential for a business, whereas an individual who will be the only one using the software will not need them.
• Does the software provide strong analytics? While most social media management tools offer some analytics functionality, the degree to which those functions can vary significantly between options. A buyer should ensure the solution they choose will be up to the task when it comes to analytics.
• Is the interface user-friendly: Particularly for organisations with employees working in the software, the user-friendliness of the software will be vital. A challenging UX experience will reduce productivity, increase the time it takes employees to get to grips with the software, and generally minimise the advantages of having the software in the first place.
• Does the software have an API: For organisations looking to get hands-on and develop custom solutions for their social media strategies, it will be necessary to find a solution that offers an Application Programming Interface (API) that they connect to. It will also be necessary to check that any API offered gives access to enough of the system to achieve what the user wishes to achieve.

What are the most relevant social media management tools trends?

The most relevant social media management tools trends are centred around providing a better experience for the user. This will likely be achieved through a variety of tools. The most relevant trends in the field of social media management are:

• Human experts: Though the world of online content and social media drove a definite shift away from dealing with people, services are starting to bring humans back into the fold in the form of “case managers” and other experts. Furthermore, there is a good chance that human experts will feature as an option for users who want additional help getting their social media presence where they want it to be.
• Automated features: Cross-posting saves a great deal of time getting content out there, but it is not always possible. For example, a tweet cannot be directly shared on Instagram because the latter is an image medium. It is possible to automatically create an image from the aforementioned tweet and post that, and the integration of features like that is something we are likely to see more of in the future.
• The use of AI: AI is finding its way into many areas of life and business, and social media management is unlikely to be exempt from this trend. The most obvious place to expect AI to make an impact would be in analytics, providing more insight to the user. Pulling back a bit, AI can also find a home in areas like translating or regionalising content and even automatically generating content from scratch.