Week 16

 Social Media Management Tools

Social media management tools are designed to reduce cost, provide efficiency, and deliver analytics to manage ROI. There are many options. Which option is best for a business depend very much on that business.

First, let's examine what they all do. They all integrate multiple social media accounts into a single platform. They all manage post publication and scheduling. They all allow a variety of social media platforms (different amounts for each one). They all coordinate analytics, either onboard analytics, or coordinated external analytics. They all are going to cost. The free versions are basically trials designed to get companies to purchase a subscription service.

Now the differences:

Sprout Social. 

Sprout Social is largely seen as the top of the social media management mountain. Sprout Social manages multiple social media channels with a "cohesive and powerful dashboard" https://www.pcmag.com/picks/the-best-social-media-management-analytics-tools. The Sprout App is the most well-reviewed on the market. It delivers all of the functionality of their normal desktop app with the convenience of mobile. Sprout provides personalized analytics and reports. Their joint dashboard can coordinate social media accounts, email accounts, newsletters, joint calendars, joint inbox, response rate information, post scheduling, and keyword monitoring. They do all of this and also offer access to a full CRM service to manage the entire customer-facing side of your business.

Now the Cons. It is crazy expensive. The basic plan is $99/month. That allows one user and 5 social media accounts. More users, more money. More accounts, more money. The basic plan has limited keyword monitoring, social listening, and analytics. More features more money. Cost seems to be their only downfall, but it is a big downfall.

Hootsuite

Hootsuite is the king of analytics. Hootsuite tracks organic posts as well as social media ads. Hootsuite offers analytics and custom reports for all phases of social media involvement. They even offer team productivity reports and ROI tracking. Hootsuite offers automated post scheduling and can integrate with more than 20 different social networks. Hootsuite does offer a free plan. The free plan is limited to a single user and 3 social media accounts. Their starter plan isn't too expensive either. The starter Professional plan costs $29/month, and allows 1 user and 10 social media accounts. All plans allow "unlimited social messages, unlimited social messages, unlimited auto-scheduling, a publishing calendar, a social inbox, and plenty of other tools" https://www.investopedia.com/best-social-media-management-software-5087716.

Many of the analytics tools are add-on features that are only available at additional cost. Adding more than one user and the cost goes up to at least $129/month. That is quite a jump. Additional users, additional accounts, additional analytics, and additional reports can drive the cost much higher. Hootsuite also has no ability to pause bulk scheduled posts. Once you schedule them, they will post, regardless of competitive changes, dramatic news cycles, or current events. During the attack on the US Capitol on 01/06/2021 Ted Cruz's campaign office sent out a pre-approved automated fundraising post highlighting his resistance to certifying the election results. The post had already been created and scheduled in advance. I bet he wishes he could have paused that one.

Buffer

Buffer would be my choice for any business startup. Buffer offers automated publishing, collaboration tools, content management, an integrated calendar, post scheduling, reporting, analytics, social media monitoring and social media integration. Buffer offers an easy-to-use Mobile app for Android and iOS. Buffer's features are comparable with almost every other social media management tool, but at a much lower cost that scales up as you need more features. Buffer has a free account offering. It allows 1 user and 3 accounts. Additionally, every plan has a free trial for 14 days. Buffer Publish is their lowest priced paid option. It costs $15/month, allows 1 user, 8 accounts, and access to all of their features. To scale up is easy. The next paid option is $65/month, allows 2 users and 8 channels. Even their Business Plan is only $99/month, allows 6 users, and 25 channels. One criticism of Buffer had been that they were limited at the top end to only 6 users and 25 accounts. Buffer now offers small, medium and large business plans that scale to enterprise level.

Adaptability and access are drawbacks. Buffer has a limited platform access. Buffer can manage Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, and Instagram. Pinterest is available for paid accounts only. Buffer also has some authorization problems. Each account that is linked to Buffer needs searate authorization. Each time Buffer updates, you need to reauthorize Buffer. If any login information is changed for an account, you need to reauthorize Buffer. 

As a small business startup Buffer would meet all of my needs: integrated social media, multi-platform post scheduling, content management, mobile access, analytics, and reports. Buffer's pricing options scale gradually as a business grows. Each plan has a free trial, so it is easy to move between plans and make sure you are at the right tier for your business. It has limited platform access, but as a new company, the platforms they do have seem to be adequate.

https://www.investopedia.com/best-social-media-management-software-5087716 , https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/buffer-publish , https://www.pcmag.com/picks/the-best-social-media-management-analytics-tools , https://influencermarketinghub.com/buffer/ , https://www.capterra.com/p/143492/Buffer/