Social media is now a part of most of our everyday lives. Facebook, alone, now has over 2 million active accounts on the platform, meaning that, roughly speaking, a third of the planet is on the site in some capacity. Other platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat are growing in popularity, year after year.
And when you couple the fact that e-commerce on social media, too, is experiencing a sharp increase, it’s of little wonder why it’s so important to have a solid social media marketing strategy behind your brand or business. But, admittedly, that can be difficult to do, especially for small business — which is precisely why we’ve compiled ten social media tools to help you tackle just that.
Here’s the rundown on our favorite social media marketing tools to use in 2019.
1. Buffer
Buffer’s ace-in-the-hole is that it allows you to not only simultaneously schedule a post on social media networks, but also get useful data back from those postings, as well. Buffer is both mobile and desktop friendly, and scheduling and post analyzations are available, regardless of which device you’re on.
2. Canva
Like the adage goes: A picture’s worth a thousand words. And Canva is an easy-to-use graphic-design tool you can employ to help boost social media postings, as well as website traffic. In fact, social media posts that include some sort of graphic significantly outperform those without one concluded by a factor for three.
3. Woodbox
One of the most significant advantages social media has bestowed upon marketers is the ability to almost seems gold campaigns and contest. Woodbox allows you to build and employ Facebook campaigns, giveaway, competitions, forms, you name it across the platform with ease. A word to the wise: Conduction polls, which can be done with Woodbox, is a sure-fire way to garner useful consumer feedback and insights.
4. Bitly
Ever tried to copy-and-paste a hyperlink, only to find out that the said link is almost a scroll’s length in size? Not only is this an inconvenience for you, but it can negate impact sharing on social media sites. Using a tool like Bitify can help you shorten those grossly long links, all while helping boost your social sharing numbers.
5. Later
Posting during the right time frames on social media is borderline as important as what those posts contain, themselves. Later, a software that allows you to sync-up and cross-post Instagram content, is a great way to make sure you’re posting during the optimal time frames — without having to jump between social media accounts.
6. Sprout Social
Sprout Social is a social media marketing tool that contains a bevy of perks, all under one digital roof. It can help managers better control their efforts across social platforms and guiding fellow team members. Better yet, Sprout Social includes full post scheduling, an analytics platform, and a useful addition called “social listening,” which allows a user to get a better grip on their demographics and other information on users who check out their social accounts.
7. TweepsMap
Even if your a local small business, odds are you’re still selling products and services online, many of which are coming from social media accounts. Using a tool like TweepsMap allows you to understand where your customers (and social media users) are coming from. This information can then be used to help drive sales and build your business for the e-commerce future to come.
8. Facebook Audience Insights
Like we mentioned before: Facebook’s quickly take the globe by storm. Thus, using Facebook Audience Insights is great, because it allows you to view the education level, location, lifestyle, and even purchasing behavior of those who “like” your business’ Facebook page. These insights are almost priceless when trying to hone in on what products and services will do well with a demographic.
9. Backly
It’s all too easy nowadays to forget, be it intentionally or accidentally, to credit already published content you choose to share. However, Back automatically pairs content with the creators who, well, created it, without you having to go down a Google Search rabbit hole. By crediting the correct sources of shared content, it only saves you from trouble down the road, but makes your business look trustworthy, responsible, and appreciative.
10 .BuzzSumo
Because of just how much viral content is splayed on the internet every day, it can be hard to stay on top of it all. However, that’s where BuzzSumo comes into the picture. This phenomenal e-tool allows users to discover popular web content based on their industry. Doing this can help you focus in on relevant keywords and topics to help construct social media posts that’ll perform incredibly well.
And, last but not least, here’s one more recommendation for those that are looking for a free social media video maker: VEED
In Summary: Use These Social Media Tools as a Means to Foster Connection Between Your Customers
If it isn’t clear by now: Quite a lot goes into the social media market. But by using these tools to help facilitate your efforts — which should include building a digital loyalty program and spreading the word via social media — will not only help drive up your sales but aid in fostering a loyal customer base that can lead to years, if not decades, of loyal service. That’s worth smashing the “like” button for, right?
Feeling inspired and want to create digital loyalty cards for your business? Check out Loopy Loyalty, the world’s first digital stamp card solution for Apple Wallet & Google Pay.
