When you’re a business owner, you have to become an expert in a lot of things you may not have expected when you first started. One of these things, for sure, is social media.
Social media expertise is so valuable that it can cost small businesses thousands to get established by a professional — so why wouldn’t you want to become your own social media expert?
A couple of things you’ve probably learned if you handle your own social media on your own or with your team is that it can be a ton of work, and organization is key.
Without a good method to your social media, expertise will elude you.
So, what social media tools will help you move your business to the next level?
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We’ve compiled a list of some of the apps, add-ons, and programs that help expert marketers shine on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram (among others).
1. TweetDeck
Twitter’s own TweetDeck is an app that fully customizes your Twitter account, allowing you to create multiple timelines that you can view in multiple columns.
The enhanced search function allows you to find and keep track of the topics most valuable to you.
Best of all, TweetDeck allows you to add users, so your whole team can share directly on your Twitter feed, without having to share your password.
2. Hootsuite
One of the most widely used social media content management systems, Hootsuite can connect with 35 different social media platforms (the free version allows you to connect up to three).
If you use several platforms and find it excessively time-consuming, Hootsuite allows you to manage your accounts all in one place, including scheduling posts, collaborating with your team, and reviewing analytics.
Hootsuite also offers some of the best social media monitoring systems, so you can see what people are saying about you and your brand.
3. Qwaya
If you use Facebook for business, you probably know the value of running Facebook ads. The thing is, if you don’t create effective Facebook ads and run them strategically, you could be throwing those advertising dollars away.
For the cost of Qwaya, a Facebook ad creation tool, you can make the kind of impact you want.
Qwaya includes ad testing to see which images and text are most effective, and audience testing that allows you to target certain segments accurately.
Qwaya is especially good if you run large-scale ad campaigns.
4. Buffer
Buffer is a social media scheduling tool that is similar to Hootsuite, but with less of a learning curve. Create content, upload images and videos, and schedule your posts in one place.
The free Individual Plan will help you organize one social media platform; for a low monthly fee, you can add 10 platforms, have increased scheduling flexibility, and connect RSS feeds for content curation.
5. Grapevine6
If you use LinkedIn, Grapevine6 can help you open a line of communication and forge valuable connections with potential clients and other professionals in your industry.
You enter a LinkedIn screen name into the search engine, and it will find articles based on that user’s interests.
You can then share that article with them and start a conversation, or simply share it in your newsfeed. This kind of targeted content curation can help build leads and client relationships — and will remind you to keep in touch with your network.
6. Twibble
Without effective content, your social media is nothing.
Twibble allows you to connect an RSS feed (which can be your blog, your Youtube channel, a news source, etc.) to your Twitter to allow you to instantly post content, or schedule tweets ahead.
One nice thing about Twibble is that the posts you tweet will display complete with images — and you can see how your tweets will look before they post.
If you’ve ever tweeted blog posts using a URL, you can probably see the advantage of the quality and control this tool gives you.
7. Conversocial
This social media customer service tool monitors comments and brings issues to your attention, so you can deal with them right away.
It even organizes comments into groups of positive, neutral and negative, and keeps track of the frequency of customer issues.
This is a must-have tool for customer-oriented businesses that use social media to keep in contact with customers.
8. Feedly
Feedly is a pretty basic RSS reader, but its value (and popularity) is in its simplicity.
You can search for blogs and topics of interest, save feeds, and share articles directly to your Twitter and Facebook accounts.
It’s also highly integratable, so you can connect it with tools such as Hootsuite for even more versatility.
9. ManageFlitter
A free (for a limited plan) tool simplifies that Twitter by helping you find accounts with similar interests network with.
ManageFlitter also keeps your account clean by regularly unfollowing non-mutual accounts, dormant accounts, and spam accounts. This tool also offers excellent Twitter analytics.
10. Forismatic
One of the most shared types of social media content is the inspirational quote.
A good quote is nearly universal in its appeal (or carefully targeted), makes people feel good, and makes them want to share it with their friends.
Which, in turn, they’ll want to share, giving your brand impressive reach. Forismatic is a searchable archive of expressions you can share instantly.
The iPhone app is a great way to share content on the go, when you don’t have time to devote to a real-time update.
11. Rock the Deadline
A curation tool that helps you find the best content, according to your interests or industry.
Rock the Deadline is free as a research-only tool, which may be all that you need; for a fee, you can upgrade to an account that allows you to post directly to Twitter or Facebook.
12. Social Mention
Social Mention is a free web tool that analyzes keywords on social media in real time, to help you find the topics people are talking about.
Far broader than Twitter’s Trending Topics, you can enter any keyword to see its strength, passion, reach, and sentiment (are people talking about it in a positive, negative, or neutral way).
This tool is also handy to see what people are saying about your brand. To use, just go to the website on your phone or laptop browser.
13. Viralheat
A powerful social media management tool that monitors your social media, analyzes your data, and curates content for increased social engagement.
This tool is on the cutting edge, offering social media technology for companies serious about modern marketing.
If you’ve been trying business social media on your own and feel out of your depth, Viralheat can help you move to a more professional level.
It might take some trial and error to figure out the right set of tools for your business — social media, like many things, is not a one-size-fits-all thing.
Once you find what works, and you stick to a social media plan, you will see results.
Do you use apps or online tools for your business social media? Join the conversation in the comments!
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How did you know Jon!
I’ve got a meeting this afternoon in London and the summary will be most helpful – appreciate the input. Thanks.
That’s good news, Simon. I hope the meeting is a success. Let me know if there’s anything else you need – Jon
Hi, i’m in South Africa and my business is only starting up. Can your recommendations work for me also?
Yes, that’s the beauty of the simple system. It will work for any business in any location and at any stage of growth. Start with a correctly set up hub, (website), add social media, create an offer to build a list of interested email addresses, nurture those people until they make their first order, then build an ongoing relationship that encourages them to buy again and to refer you to everyone else. It works 🙂