Social media is one of the fastest-growing and most effective forms of digital marketing for small businesses. It can also be one of the most nuanced and time-consuming to tackle with a small team and a limited budget.

As you grow your social media presence, it’s important to use the right tools for the job. In this guide to social media management tools for small businesses, we’ll show you how to find the best social media management apps, and determine which ones fit your business’ needs.

How to Find the Right Social Media Management Tools for Small Business

Determine What Features You Need

First, you’ll need to determine what you’re looking for in a social media management tool. Are you looking for an app that can save time by scheduling posts in advance? Decipher your analytics? Manage your influencer marketing program?

If you’re new to social media, start with apps that offer multiple features and scalable plans. That way, as your social media presence grows, you can add additional users and social media accounts.

Consider Your Company Size

Social media management apps typically allow a limited number of users (also referred to as seats) to access a single account. Consider the size of your team, and how many people will be managing your social media accounts.

Should your social media marketing team grow, most applications allow you to add additional users for a small monthly fee.

Review Your Digital Marketing Budget

While there’s a growing number of free social media management tools for small businesses, most offer limited capabilities on their free versions. You’ll likely want to pay for access to the full range of features.

Examine your social media marketing budget to determine how much you are willing to spend on your management tools. Be sure to compare prices and features before purchasing, as some apps can get pretty pricey.

Compare Similar Options

With hundreds of social media management apps on the market, it can be difficult to determine which one is right for your small business. Before finalizing your decision, compare multiple options for similar apps to ensure you’re making the right choice.

If you’re unsure of which tool to choose, read user reviews to see what other small businesses thought of the service.

Test Your Social Media Management Tools Before Buying

Most social media management tools offer a free trial period, typically one to two weeks. Use this time to test its different features and ensure the app is exactly what you’re looking for.

If you are unhappy with the service and decide to use a different app, be sure to cancel your subscription to avoid unnecessary charges.

How Social Media Management Tools Can Help Your Small Business

Keep Your Team Organized Across All Platforms

Managing multiple social media accounts can be time-consuming and confusing. It’s all too easy to let one channel slip between the cracks, meaning you may lose out on valuable opportunities to grow your business and reach potential customers.

Social media management apps allow you to oversee all your social media accounts in a single place. You can streamline your marketing efforts even more with an app that offers a compact calendar view of your scheduled content across all platforms.

Save Time by Scheduling Automated Posts

Most social media management platforms allow you to schedule posts in advance, saving precious time and ensuring you never miss a post. What once was a tedious daily task can now become a monthly task that can be tacked in a day.

Delegate Tasks and Approve Posts Easily

Management tools can ensure your small business doesn’t make a major mistake on social media. They offer an added layer of security for small business owners by limiting the number of employees with direct access to your passwords and credentials.

Some tools offer an added layer of protection, by requiring an authorized user (like a small business owner or head of marketing) approves posts before they go live, ensuring there are no inappropriate posts, typos, or misinformation.

Simplify Customer Service

Social media allows you to connect directly with customers, making it an ideal place to offer customer service support. Most basic social media management tools allow you to reply to direct messages and comments on your posts.

Sentiment analysis tools can improve brand health by measuring the number of positive and negative mentions of your brand and the average response time of your customer service team.

Track Analytics to Improve Future Content

As a small business, you likely don’t have the time or manpower to deep dive into social media analytics— especially when juggling multiple channels. Social media analytics tools offer insights that can enhance your future social media strategy.

These days, most social media platforms track common metrics— like engagement rates, likes, shares, and new followers— on their own apps. Social media management software can interpret advanced analytics to find new opportunities for your business to gain a competitive advantage.

If you need support finding the right social media management tools for your small business, Asset Digital Communications is here to help. As a full-service digital marketing agency in Toronto, we can help expand your social media presence, build your digital marketing strategy, improve customer experience, and increase sales.