Best Social Media Management Tools for Creators – Top Free List

In today's digital age, social media is crucial for creators to connect with their audience and promote their work. However, handling multiple social media accounts can be tough. That's where social media management software helps. They make tasks like scheduling posts and tracking engagement easier. With these tools, creators can save time, focus on creating great content, and grow their brand. This guide will look at the best free social media management tools, also give tips on using them well, and mention top companies that offer professional social media management services.

What is a Social Media Management Tool?

A social media management tool is software that makes managing multiple social media accounts easier. It lets you schedule posts, track engagement, monitor mentions, and analyze performance from one place. These tools help you plan and automate your social media activities, ensuring your content is posted on time. They also provide analytics to measure how well your campaigns are doing, track audience growth, and understand user behavior.

Social media management tools are great for individuals and businesses who want to boost their online presence, engage with their audience, and save time by automating tasks. Using a social media management tool lets creators focus on making quality content instead of managing their accounts.

Best Social Media Management Tools

Now that we have a basic understanding of what social media management software is, let's explore some of the top free options available to creators:

• Hootsuite: Popular tool for scheduling posts, monitoring mentions, and analyzing performance across multiple social media platforms. Great for its user-friendly interface and robust analytics.
• Buffer: Ideal for scheduling posts, tracking engagement metrics, and collaborating with team members. Offers a free plan with limited features.
• Later: Essential for creators relying heavily on visual content, especially for Instagram scheduling. Allows planning, scheduling, and analyzing performance metrics, with additional features like hashtag suggestions and analytics available in paid plans.
• TweetDeck: Perfect for managing multiple Twitter accounts, scheduling tweets, and creating custom timelines. It is owned by Twitter and completely free to use.
• Canva: Not a traditional management tool, but crucial for creating attractive graphics and visuals for social media posts. Offers an intuitive design interface and a vast library of templates, fonts, and graphics.
• SocialOomph: It is one of the powerful social media management tools for post-scheduling, content recycling, and keyword tracking. Free version available with limitations, but valuable for automating social media tasks and maximizing online presence.
• Bitly: Handy for tracking and optimizing links across social media platforms. Features URL shortening, tracking click-through rates, and creating custom-branded links. Offers a free plan with upgrade options for advanced analytics.
• IFTTT (If This Then That): Unique tool for automating tasks and creating custom workflows using conditional statements. Connects favorite apps and devices to create powerful automation. Free to use with premium features available.
• Zoho Social: Comprehensive platform for scheduling posts, monitoring mentions, and analyzing performance metrics across multiple social media channels. Offers a free plan with limited features and upgrades for advanced analytics and team collaboration.
• SocialPilot: All-in-one tool for post-scheduling, content curation, and social media analytics. Known for its intuitive interface and affordable pricing plans. Popular among creators for streamlining social media workflow and maximizing online presence.

Free Social Media Scheduling Tools

Besides the social media management tools mentioned, there are also free tools specifically for scheduling posts. These tools let you plan and schedule your content ahead of time. So, your posts are consistently shared with your audience at the best times. Some popular free social media scheduling tools include:

• TweetDeck: A free tool by Twitter to schedule tweets and manage multiple Twitter accounts in one place.
• Buffer: The free plan lets you schedule up to 10 posts at a time across various social media platforms.
• Later: The free plan allows scheduling up to 30 posts per month on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest.
• Hootsuite: Also a free plan lets you schedule up to 30 posts in advance for three social media profiles.

Social Media Monitoring Tools

Besides scheduling posts, creators also need to keep track of mentions, comments, and engagements on their social media accounts. Social media management tools help with this by letting you know what people are saying about your brand online. This way, you can respond quickly and interact effectively with your audience. Some popular social media monitoring tools include:

• Google Alerts: Free tool to monitor the web for mentions of your brand or specific keywords. Set up alerts, and Google notifies you when new content matches your criteria.
• Mention: Tool to track mentions of your brand across social media, blogs, and news sites. It lets you monitor conversations, analyze sentiment, and engage with your audience in real time.
• Brand24: Tool providing real-time insights into your brand's online presence. It tracks mentions, analyzes sentiment, and identifies influencers talking about your brand.

Top Social Media Management Companies

There are several top social media management companies known for their expertise in helping businesses manage their online presence effectively. Here are a few notable ones:

• Socialbakers: Socialbakers offers a suite of social media marketing solutions, including social media management, analytics, and content optimization tools, designed to help businesses maximize their social media ROI.
• Zoho Social: Zoho Social is part of the Zoho suite of business tools and offers social media management features such as scheduling, monitoring, and analytics, suitable for businesses of all sizes.
• Agorapulse: Agorapulse is a social media management tool that focuses on engagement, monitoring, and analytics, helping businesses streamline their social media efforts and build stronger relationships with their audience.
• Sendible: Sendible is a social media management platform that offers features such as scheduling, monitoring, and analytics, with a focus on helping agencies and businesses manage multiple client accounts efficiently.

Also Read: Top 10 Best Ways to Use AI in Social Media Marketing Strategy

Before choosing the right social media management solution for your business, it's important to consider your needs and budget. Look at the features, pricing, and target audience of different tools to see which one fits best. Make sure the social media management tools you choose match what you need and can afford.

Conclusion

In conclusion, navigating social media can be tough, but the right tools make it easier. Free tools like Hootsuite, Buffer, and Later help schedule posts, while Google Alerts, Mention, and Brand24 track mentions and engagements. Top companies like Socialbakers, Zoho Social, Agorapulse, and Sendible offer expert help. Using these social media management tools, creators can focus on making great content and connecting with their audience, leading to more success online.

Frequently Asked Questions