The Best Social Media Tools for Your Small Business

With so many social media tools on the market, do you find yourself feeling overwhelmed with all of the choices? It’s hard to determine what social media platforms you should be using yet alone what tools would work best. I’ve broken down some of the top social media tools to help you decide what will work best for your business.

Twitter & Facebook Tools

Buffer (affiliate link)
I currently use Buffer to schedule Twitter and Facebook posts to multiple accounts. With the Awesome Plan, I can connect up to 10 Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google + and Pinterest accounts. I can schedule up to 100 posts at once and the Buffer Chrome Extension makes it even easier. Buffer keeps track of analytics, letting you know which posts are preforming the best. For $10 a month, I’m a big fan of all Buffer offers.

Cost: Free plan or $10 per month for Awesome Plan

TweetDeck
I log into Twitter daily to engage with others in real-time and I highly encourage you to do the same. To use TweetDeck, you log in with your Twitter account and add different timelines to your dashboard. You can set up timelines to view mentions, hashtags, lists and more in realtime. You can also schedule Tweets via TweetDeck if you are just getting started with Twitter.

Cost: Free!

CoSchedule
If you post a lot of content from a WordPress blog, I recommend checking out CoSchedule. You can schedule blog post promotion to Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google + and Tumblr when creating a new post. There is also a handy calendar scheduler so you can share older content too.

Cost: $15 per month for Solo calendar

Edgar
I have not tried Edgar yet because it is a little pricey, but if you have a ton of great content you want a way to easily share, this platform is for you. Pre-load different libraries of your content like “Design” and “Social Media” posts, create a posting schedule and Edgar shares your content via Facebook Twitter and LinkedIn. Learn more about Edgar on the Being Boss podcast, Meet Edgar with Laura Roeder.

Cost: $49 per month

Hootsuite
Hootsuite can schedule content to be shared via Facebook, Twitter, Google +, YouTube, Foursquare, LinkedIn and Instagram*. View analytics to see what is working and what needs tweaking. You can use the Hootsuite dashboard to directly engage with your social media accounts.

*You can schedule your Instagram photos and captions, but you must still hit “Post” via the Instagram app on your mobile device when you want the photo should post.

Cost: Free plan or $9.99 per month for Pro plan

Pinterest Scheduling Tools

BoardBooster (affiliate link)
The more content you post to Pinterest, the more you content will show up on other’s feeds. Using a tool like BoardBooster will schedule your pins, so even if you go on a pinning spree, your content will be shared over time and not all at once. You can also easily host group boards, set up campaigns and monitor analytics.

Cost: Starting at $5 per month

Tailwind
Like BoardBooster, many use Tailwind to schedule their pins. It recommends content your audience might like for easy repinning. You can also monitor your analytics and see how your content is preforming on Pinterest and learn how to optimize it.

Cost: $15 per month

Instagram Tools

Latergram.me
As I noted earlier, Instagram photos and captions can be scheduled, but you must still hit “Post” via the Instagram app on your mobile device when the post should go live. Latergram.me allows you to easily plan and schedule Instagram posts in advance. You can easily schedule your blog posts or product launches with this tool.

Cost: Post up to 30 images monthly free or $19 monthly for Premium plan

Iconosquare
If you have worked with me, you know I am a huge fan of Iconosquare. While Facebook, Twitter and Pinterst all have built in analytics, Instagram does not. Iconsquare allows you to track your Instagram growth, engagement, hashtags and more. It also shares the best times to post (under Analytics Optimization) on Instagram for the most engagement.

Cost: $28.80 yearly

VSCO Cam
I love taking photos with my iPhone, but sometimes I need to make a few adjustments. VSCO Cam is my app of choice for photo editing. You can make adjustments to your photos and add filters. When you have finished editing your photo, it can easily be opened in Instagram.

Cost: Free!

Now What?

These tools are not one size fits all. Different combinations work better for different people depending on workflow and platforms used. The good thing is, most of these tools have a free trial period, so be sure to test a variety out. I have tested out most of the above tools to in order to find a combination that works best for me.

Here is what is currently working for me:

Buffer to schedule Twitter and Facebook posts + TweetDeck to engage with my audience +
BoardBooster + Iconsquare + VSCO Cam

As the tools and platforms change and evolve, I might end up dropping one tool and adding another. Staying as flexible as possible will help make social media work best for you. What works today might not work tomorrow, but there is always a new solution.

What are your favorite social media tools?

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Need more help organizing your social media and deciding what tools are best for you? Then set up a one-on-one social media strategy session with me today. Together we can develop a strategy that works best for your business or blog![/wc_box]

Disclosure: Please note that some of the links below are affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you decide to make a purchase. I have used the products below and recommend them without the affiliate. I suggest them to you because they are helpful and beneficial for you and not because of the small commission I make if you decide to purchase using it. You’re under no circumstances obligated to purchase the items listed above.