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While there’s something to be said for just hitting the button, going live, and creating engaging video content on the fly… the fact is, a successful social media presence requires time, planning, and continual work.
Which means there is a lot of opportunities to bring in tools to help.
Great tools can save us time, enhance the results of what we’re doing, and even make the entire activity more enjoyable.
But there’s more than just apps to manage social networks (social media management tools). There are tools available to help create graphics, help post videos and stories, help measure results, and help collaborate with teams and influencers.
While I’m going to give you very specific tool recommendations within this post, what I want you to take from this is a sense for the variety of tools available, and an appreciation for how they can help you.
Virtually every great tool has a price tag associated with it. While it’s easy to allow an abundance of subscriptions to pile up, don’t let that dissuade you from trying different tools and giving yourself time to sort out the ideal combination. The result will save you far more time and money than the combined cost of the tools.
Social Media Management
Of course, your primary social media tool is going to be a “social media management tool” – these are tools designed to facilitate the various things you want to do and accomplish with your selected social networks. Typically, that includes publishing, scheduling, monitoring, listening and reporting.
Publishing – ability to create text, image and/or video posts
Scheduling – ability to set posts for a specific date/time, as well as repeat or queue
Monitoring – ability to view & react to mentions, comments, replies and messages
Listening – ability to see posts and content of interest
Reporting – ability to track progress and success
If you’re just getting started on social media, my best advice is to use every platform natively, and track your activity and progress in a spreadsheet. That ‘in the weeds’ approach will give you a greater understanding and appreciation for that network’s nuance.
Using the advice offered in other posts throughout this blog, you can get to know each platform and gradually mature to...