Social Media Management Tools

Social media management tools, also known as “social media dashboards,” give you a compact view of the multiple social networks you oversee. Depending on the tool you use, it might provide some or all of the following features:

  • scheduling
  • monitoring
  • responding
  • tagging
  • measuring
  • reporting
  • content planning

Social media management tool companies try to make their tools compatible with as many social networks as possible, but each may have some limitations. Some of those limitations are unavoidable and based on how open the social networks make their “Application Programming Interface” or “API,” the code used by programmers to develop compatible applications.

The right social media management tool for your business should help you do the following:

  1. Handle multiple social media accounts.
  2. Provide a dashboard view of your social media channels.
  3. Give access to multiple users, preferably with different permissions.
  4. Plan and schedule posts.
  5. Help you filter, manage and respond to messages, as well as assign tasks to others on your team to track progress.
  6. Provide metrics and easy-to-generate reports for your social media activities.

There is no single free or inexpensive tool or application that can help you manage every task and social media marketing tactic. Most robust social media management tools have subscription fees that may be out of reach for smaller businesses.

If you’re on a budget, you can assemble several applications to cover your needs. For example, Facebook and Instagram can be managed within Meta’s Business Suite. Buffer is a scheduling tool that can make posting to multiple social networks easier. The free version allows you to schedule up to 10 posts at a time.

Many third-party social media management tools are accessible on mobile devices either through a mobile-friendly website or a downloadable mobile app. Some provide a desktop client, and most can be accessed on the web using a standard web browser. Look for tools that give you multiple ways of accessing your dashboard.

Here are some popular social media management tools:

Hootsuite –The lowest paid subscription for Hootsuite is $99/month after a 30-day free trial for 10 social accounts, unlimited posts and post scheduling, and access for one user. Hootsuite integrates with over 20 social networks including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, X, Pinterest, Threads, and TikTok. Hootsuite offers a web-based dashboard and iOS and Android apps.

SproutSocial – Like Hootsuite, SproutSocial helps you monitor, manage, engage, publish, and analyze results for your social media marketing efforts on major social networks. SproutSocial’s Standard account is $199 per seat or user per month after a 30-day free trial. The Standard level covers five social profiles with keyword and location monitoring, and review management such as for Facebook and Google reviews. In addition to a web-based dashboard, SproutSocial is also available as iOS and Android apps.

Zoho Social – This tool still offers a limited free version that covers one user, one brand, and up to six social networks. The Standard level is $10/month after a 15-day free trial and a Professional level at $30/month. None of their levels support team access, only a single user.

Loomly – This platform looks to set itself apart from HootSuite, in particular, by offering several features that HootSuite either doesn’t have or offers at a more expensive subscription level, such as post mockups and optimization tips. Also, Loomly’s starting price is lower than HootSuite’s and offers seats for two users instead of just one. After a 15-day free trial, pricing starts at $32/month for two users and 10 social media accounts. In addition to the web-based platform, Loomly also offers an iOS and Android app.

Buffer – While Buffer is not a full-featured social media management tool, it is a popular and easy-to-use tool to publish content to social networks and analyze results. You can schedule posts to multiple networks and also “buffer” posts into a queue with a custom, pre-determined publishing schedule to trickle content out multiple times a day. Buffer’s handy browser extension lets you drop content you find on the web into a queue to share on your company’s social media accounts. Buffer offers a free version with access for one user, up to three channels, and up to 10 scheduled posts at a time per channel. Their Essentials level is $5/month per channel with unlimited scheduling. Their Team level is $10/month per channel and includes content approval workflows. In addition to the web-based platform, this tool is also available as iOS and Android apps.

Social media management tools should help you manage multiple social media accounts with ease and help you track interactions with your customers and prospects to increase engagement. Choosing the right tools can relieve some of the resource demands of monitoring, engaging, and publishing to your social networks. Before picking the tool or tools you’ll use to manage your social media marketing, do the research to identify the ones that best suit your needs and your budget.