2016 is already here and long gone 2015. If you think 2015 was a tough year for social marketers, wait until the end of 2016. One thing for sure, social media will continue to grow at rapid speed.
The old tradition of quantity will not make the mark in this year. As a matter of fact, it would entirely be the quality that will rule the social sphere.
Have you ever wondered what would be the right tools you need to use for all your social media needs? Well, I certainly do!
I am constantly trying out new tools and gadgets just to maximize my social media reach and efficiency. So, here are my top 5 social media tools that I highly recommend for both newbie and advanced social marketers.
5 Social Media Tools You Need To Be Using In 2016
1. Hootsuite
Hootsuite is my number one choice when it comes to social media tools and the reason behind this is very simple: It is an absolutely flexible, all-in-one social media dashboard.
Here are some useful features you can gain when using Hootsuite:
- Automatic scheduling and posting
- Schedule posts and updates at selected time
- Integrate with over 50 social media account (using Hootsuite Pro)
- Summary and advanced social media statistics
- Availability of third party add-ons to integrate with HootSuite
- Campaign management using Hootsuite (such as running contests and quizzes)
Hootsuite is one of the most affordable social media tools out there not only because it cost $10 a month, but it also allows you to integrate with over 50 accounts at one time … which is extremely cost saving.
Apart from the above Hootsuite is always my go-to tool for social media because it has the automatic schedule feature. Automatic schedule feature allows you to publish contents at the most optimum time based on the algorithm.
The algorithm is based on the most active users at specific times and even the number of response or engaged at any given time.
2. Buffer
I started using Buffer around 2 years ago and trust me, it is probably the easiest social media tool I have ever come across.
Buffer is built based on simplicity. You can easily share posts, images and even videos directly to Buffer. From there on, Buffer will publish the items to various social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+.
Just like other social media tools, Buffer comes with a few powerful features for social marketers such as:
- Post scheduling
- Easy to read statistic reports
- Mobile applications
If you are looking for an affordable social media tool for your business, you definitely will not go wrong with Buffer (which comes with paid features as low as $10 per month).
3. Post Planner
When I read that Kim Garst and Rebekah Radice were using Post Planner as well as their success stories with it, I knew instantly that it was something I need to try.
For starters, I pretty much disliked Post Planner simply because it is only integrated with Facebook and Twitter. Since I signed up for their pre-paid, yearly plan ($7 per month), I decided to give Post Planner another shot.
And that was when everything changed instantly!
My engagement shot up at least twice and I was getting more organic reach thanks to Post Planner.
That. Was. It.
It didn’t take long before Post Planner because my favorite tool especially for gaining attention and traffic from Facebook (and some on Twitter).
Here’s what you will get by using Post Planner:
- Publish posts based on custom schedules
- Integration between visual and text updates
- Ability to re-use posts of others which are popular (and statistically proven)
Make no mistake. Post Planner is not going to replace Facebook advertisements but it certainly compliment the entire marketing process on Facebook.
This is because Post Planner is built based on the idea of increasing reach. Therefore, you will bound to get more visibility when people engage with your posts.
4. IFTTT (IF This Then That)
Some say IFTTT is a productivity tool more than a social media tool. And yes, that is absolutely correct. However, with the right strategy, IFTTT can really be an awesome social media tool that saves you a lot of time.
IFTTT is basically a tool that can do pretty much everything (from reading, publishing a post etc) on various social media platforms such as:
- YouTube
- Tumblr
It looks something like this:
So, the methodology of IFTTT is pretty straight forward. In every case, there must be a trigger and it is triggered, an action will take place.
Based on the image above, when a person liked a YouTube video, IFTTT will be triggered and it will automatically share the same YouTube video on your Tumblr channel.
So, instead of doing it manually (imagine all those copy and paste stuff), it is automated and can be done under 5 seconds (or less).
IFTTT saves you not only time but as well as the ability to increase your productivity level – triple fold.
5. Canva
Alright, alright. I cheated a little. Canva isn’t a social media tool … but here’s the thing.
Canva is probably the best thing for you when it comes to publishing beautiful images on social media. For starters, it is free to use and if you are getting all tied up (or lazy), you can find beautiful images and props under $5. In most cases, they cost like $1 per piece.
Canva is an online digital image creator and editor. Create an account, upload your stock photos and throw in some filters.
It is just that easy and you can’t go any wrong with Canva.
Used by tons of social media experts in the sphere, you need to use Canva if you want to create powerful images (without spending a dime on Adobe Photoshop).
Summary
There are many social media tools out there where you can use but the above are the ones which I use the most. To be exact, these are the tools that I use on a daily basis!
So, here’s a question for you: what are your favorite social media tools? Leave a comment below and let’s discuss further.
See also: Best Facebook Tools For Marketers
