(Published in The College of Westchester’s Newsletter, June 2014)
Managing social media pages by individually logging into each site can be a hassle. It is very difficult to be up to date with everything and be able to post fresh content for every platform. Here’s where a social media management tool comes in to give you hand. Social media management applications make it a lot easier for us to organize multiple platforms and share information across several social networks. This alleviates the need to continuously post everything separately directly from the web.

There are many companies that provide social media management services, and I will list the most popular in the market below.

HootSuite – One of the most popular in the market. Hootsuite has been the go-to management tool for individuals and small companies. The reason steams from its ability to integrate multiple social media platforms and users at a minimum cost. There is a basic service for free, however.

Buffer – Buffer is a smart and easy way to schedule content across social media. Think of Buffer like a virtual queue you can use to fill with content and then stagger posting times throughout the day.

Sprout Social – This is a great platform for individuals who want to stay informed of target audiences, engagements and demographics. It is also great for receiving metrics reports, useful analytics.

TweetDeck – A web and desktop solution to monitor and manage your Twitter feeds. You can schedule tweets and stay up to date with notification alerts for new tweets. It’s perfect for real-time tracking, organizing and engagement. As the name indicates, TweetDeck is a service only for Twitter accounts.

CrowdBooster – They offer a set of no-nonsense social media analytics with suggestions and resources to boost your online engagement. The platform provides easy to understand analytics, recommendations for engagement and timing, audience insights and content scheduling to optimize delivery.

Other popular Social Media Management Tools include Sendible, SocialBro, SalesForce, Argyle Social, Adobe Social, and many, many more.