Social media plays a huge role in generating Buzz, otherwise known as some good ol’-fashioned word-of-mouth. With more than 3 billion people using social media, marketers have realized the worth of time and effort invested in running a successful social media campaign. Most have now made it an essential part of their marketing strategy. The brand in turn is bound to get its due by the increased online reach that social media provides.
Of course, the success of any strategy is measured by how effective it is. In response, several social media monitoring tools have emerged. Designed to help everyone from bloggers and influencers to social media managers and agencies, these tools help to answer tough questions and to make informed decisions. There are several great options out there, like Everypost, Buffer and Hootsuite among many others. The choice of selecting one for your brand isn’t an easy one, but we’ve tried to simplify it here.
First of all, ask yourself – What is your end goal? And why are you doing this? Your responses will help you narrow down the things you need to keep in mind while finalizing your social media management tool.
Here are some important considerations to help you get started.
1. Compatibility
This is the first & foremost point to consider while deciding on the tool. Your brand is present on 6 different social platforms. Great! But are all 6 platforms compatible with the tool you’re considering? Investing in something that only gives you partial returns obviously isn’t the best way to go.
2. Number of feeds allowed
Does the tool you’re considering allow you to check more than one account on a particular platform? Especially for agencies, influencers and multi-brand companies, it’s important to note this. For e.g. – As an agency, you have Brand A, Brand B & Brand C to manage. You should be able to link all social networks of all the brands without any exceptions.
3. Option to schedule posts
This feature comes handy especially on occasions like festivals, events etc. Once your posts are scheduled in advance you can focus on other more important tasks without a slick of worry. Also, the tool should let you view comments and engagement across all channels in real-time.
4. Desired Metrics
Let’s face it- metrics are the only thing the decision maker is interested in. Choose a tool that gives you all desired metrics like Clicks, Reach, Effectiveness of the posts, Sentiment Analysis, Engagement, etc. on a real time basis. This will help you decide the kind of content you want to push.
5. Desired analysis
Once you get your metrics, it is also important to analyze them for future strategy. The tool should be able to provide a concise analysis or the summary of the performance of the campaign or the content.
6. Reporting format
The tool should help you build your monthly & quarterly report with the help of graphs & charts and other visual aids like videos or audios.
7. Paid campaigns integration
Managing paid campaigns can be a Herculean task! The tool should be able to help you manage the paid campaigns with the minutest details like Impressions, Reach, Search, ROI, Sentiment Analysis, what’s working & what’s not. Whether you’re a brand or an agency, paid campaigns can be fairly stressful and you need a great tool to manage them.
8. Ease of moderation
If you’re managing multiple accounts, this can be time-consuming. Make sure your tool allows you to respond to all your channels from the same dashboard. This will also help ensure you don’t miss any opportunities to build relationships.
9. Cost effectiveness
How much does your tool require you to invest? Does it offer a free trial for you to get a feel of how it works before you make your purchase decision? Is the service worth the price? The price obviously plays a big part in the decision of whether or not to go after a certain tool.
10. Easy to use interface
Lastly, you need to look for a social media tool that simplifies your life. A clean cut interface that shows you what you need in an easy to understand way is should be on the top of your list.
Define your strategy and the things you’d like to improve and choose a tool that will address your biggest pain points. Investing in the right tool can save you and your team a lot of time and energy, and thereby help you make meaningful progress towards your goals.
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