While producing content for social media is one big part of the job, publishing it isn’t necessarily easier or faster — at least if you don’t have the right tools. Luckily there are now many products on the market that help you with this task, make your life easier and increase your productivity.
We are introducing 4 tools and their features here, and there should be one for every kind of business, so make your choice and get to work!
1. Fast and Furious (and Easy) : Buffer
Buffer does a limited amount of things, but it does them really well. With Buffer you can schedule posts in advance and have them published on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and Pinterest. Buffer works for individuals and for teams.
The pros :
- very easy to use
- cheap, if not free (depending on how many people use it and on how many social profiles)
- it shortens links automatically
- for paying versions, you can have Buffer linked to your RSS feed (like Feedly), which makes curation very easy
The cons :
- only team and agency versions offer analytics
- works with a limited amount of networks
2. Say hello to The Owl: Hootsuite
What made Hootsuite insanely popular, next to the fact that there is a free package, is probably its panel view that creates a real dashboard. Let’s be honest: you will either love it or hate it.
The Pros:
- Hootsuite works with many social networks, including Instagram and YouTube
- There is a free version, and the pro one is really inexpensive
- Analytics included
- There are up to 80 extensions that can be added to make Hootsuite work with your other favorite tools like MailChimp, ZenDesk, Wordpress…
- The panel view interface is quite unique on the market, at least a that price point
The Cons:
- The panel interface is definitely polarizing, it’s not for everybody
3. Ze French one : Agorapulse
Make no mistake, Agorapulse might not be the most famous tool on the market, but it’s a very good one, with some quite unique features. (And no worries, it’s available in English too!)
The Pros:
- Agorapulse allows you to publish on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and to monitor Instagram
- The " inbox " allows you to see very easily everything that has happened on your accounts, and identify where you need to reply or take action. You can reply directly within Agorapulse.
- Monitoring tools allow you to track keywords on Twitter, hashtags and places on Instagram, and mentions on Facebook
- Analytics are included, and you can create a detailed PowerPoint report in just one click
- A very unique feature on the market: Agorapulse also comes with a pack of apps to organize contests, quizzes and promotions on Facebook. This transforms your social media publishing tool into a powerful CRM.
- Really affordable with no hidden costs
- Has a mobile app
The Cons:
- No free plan, but you can have a free trial of 15 days
- No interface with an RSS feed (yet)
- Works with a limited amount of networks
4. The All-Rounder : SproutSocial
With subscriptions adapted for one-person businesses as well as large agencies, SproutSocial is another very complete tool.
The Pros:
- Publishes on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Instagram (for monitoring)
- Also has an "inbox" system in which you can manage all comments and private messages
- Analytic Tools
- Integrates Feedly so you can easily share blog posts from your RSS feed
- Basic subscription is affordable and offers a lot of features already
- Has a mobile app
The Cons:
- No free plan, but a free trial of 30 days is possible
- The Advanced Analytics and the Monitoring Tools are only available to some types of subscriptions - and some only for the Enterprise/Agency version, which is more expensive.
So whatever your needs and the size of your business are, there is a social media publishing tool for you. We encourage you to try them (since most offer a free trial) and pick one. The right tool with definitely help you and your team streamline your social media efforts, so you can put in minimal efforts for maximal impact.
