The new year is approaching and with that comes new year resolutions. Perhaps your resolution is to try to take your business to the next level. In the past you may not have had the time and you may think that it is going to be expensive. One of the easiest ways to take your business to the next level and to make it more efficient is to make your online and social media management more efficient. There are some tools that can make this easier for you and they come cheaper than you might think.
Blog posts are a great way to increase your SEO rankings and to establish yourself as an expert in your particular industry. When you write a post and publish it to your blog it goes there but to reach the people most interested in it needs to be shared on social media.
That may seem daunting since you would need to log into Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and the many other social media sites out there. You’ve probably heard someone complain about how difficult social media management is and that is why there are plenty of people who are willing to do it, for a price of course. You may be questioning at that point why you have a presence on all of them at that point but you don’t need to.
Multiple Platforms
Hootsuite
One of the most popular scheduling programs is Hootsuite. They offer a free plan that links to 3 social media profiles and can schedule up to 30 posts at a time. Paid plans are also available that increase the user’s reach starting at $29.99 per month and non-profit organizations are eligible for discounts. A free trial is also available for paid plans. Over 18 million users trust Hootsuite for their social media accounts.
Buffer
Buffer offers many of the same key features as Hootsuite. Like Hootsuite a free plan is available that allows the user to link 3 social accounts but only 10 posts can be scheduled in advance. Users have to sign up for a free trial of another plan and at the end of the trial they can downgrade to the free trial. It does allow a user to schedule content using an extension in the Chrome browser. It is also able to monitor activity and recommend the perfect time to post based on past activity.
Socialoomph
Like Hootsuite and Buffer Socialoomph offers many of the same services like scheduling and analytics and like those services it offers a free version and several different paid versions. The free version works with one social profile with basic posting abilities but with an unlimited number of scheduled posts.
Friends+Me
Friends+Me like the above offers a free version and several different paid versions, with a free trial to get started. The free version gives the user the ability to link 2 different social media pages and can schedule 5 posts per platform. It primarily worked with the defunct Google+ but it does work with other platforms as well like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Tumblr with Pinterest available with paid versions.
Specialized
Later
Later specializes in Instagram posting but can also work with Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter. Their basic plan is free and allows the user to schedule either 30 or 50 posts and photos, depending on the platform. Uploading is done by dragging media onto a calendar and Instagram posts can be previewed. More advanced plans are also available for a cost.
TweetDeck
TweetDeck specializes in Twitter. It allows a user to customize their timeline, create and manage lists and searches and add team accounts. It is also free for Twitter users.
Content Curation
CrowdFire
CrowdFire allows users to discover content from other sources and share that content on their own accounts. The free version works with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn and allows for 10 scheduled posts. A Chrome extension can be used to more easily share articles. Paid versions offer access to more social networks and many more features.
Scoop.It
Like CrowdFire Scoop.It also is used for content curation. The free version allows for 50 scheduled posts and paid versions are available with a free trial optional. Content can be discovered on autopilot and suggested to you and published to your website in a matter of minutes. It is also easily integrated with WordPress, the world’s top website design tool.
Building your SEO is a great way to help build your brand and these programs can help you with that. Each offers a free version so you can get started and if you find it is working you may consider upgrading to a paid version to increase your efforts. Posting to social media can be easier than you think and you can increase your reach while getting some of your free time back. It’s a win-win! Social media management has never been easier.