Whether you are part of a dedicated team or marketing is one of the many hats you wear in your company, you need the right tools for each task that won’t blow a huge hole in your budget.
Searching the web for the best creative and social media apps can lead to an overwhelming number of results to sort through. We’ve found five social media marketing tools that help social media teams stay at the top of their game.
1. Canva: Build Your Marketing Assets
When you find yourself short on time (or creative inspiration) and need to whip up a quick image for your business’ Facebook page, pop open a new tab and head over to Canva. With hundreds of ready-made templates, stock photos, plus a huge library of graphics, shapes, frames, and grids, you can be ready to post in minutes. You can even post your image directly to your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or Pinterest feed.
And with Canva’s Pro plan, you not only gain access to additional stock images, but you can also resize your creations to fit other social media platforms with one click (and a few quick tweaks). The Pro plan also offers a Brand Kit where you can set up your brand’s color palette, fonts, and logo. Don’t have a logo yet? Canva can help you create one!
Canva’s extensive template library covers all of your online and analog needs, from Instagram Stories and YouTube thumbnails to flyers and business cards. You can even give your Zoom background a refresh.
2. Sendible: Cross-Platform Scheduling that Won’t Break the Bank
Raise your hand if you have more than five accounts with various content scheduling platforms in a seemingly vain effort to find The One?
Finding the right social media scheduling tool is arguably the most frustrating and confusing part of executing your digital marketing strategy. With dozens of applications available, finding one that supports the social channels you use is a challenge. And with many of these apps, the price can skyrocket when you have more than five social profiles, and you post frequently.
That’s why we love Sendible. While many scheduling platforms only support the Big Three (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram), Sendible supports Pinterest, YouTube, and LinkedIn. And you can even link your Google My Business profile and post updates, which helps raise your local ranking.
You also get a robust suite of tools, including keyword monitoring, analytics, and reporting. And all of this comes at a much more agreeable price point compared to Sendible’s bigger rivals.
3. Adobe Premiere Elements: Professional Video Editing Without the Blockbuster Price
The two biggest challenges in finding a video editing tool are:
- Price
- Platform – (Windows vs. Mac)
There are many fantastic video editing programs available, ranging from free to hundreds of dollars. Not surprisingly, the free versions often lock away important features, limit the length of your video or slap their watermark on it. And the pricier options come with more features than you need to create marketing videos for your YouTube channel and social media posts. Then you find one with the features you need at a reasonable price, only to discover it only works on a Mac and you’re on Windows.
Enter Adobe Premiere Elements. It comes in a Windows and Mac version and has everything you need to turn your videos into mini-cinematic masterpieces. And where the Pro version comes with a hefty price tag, you can get Elements for under $100. Adobe has a collection of tutorials to help you get the most out of Premiere Elements’ features so that you can create professional-looking videos for your marketing library.
Brand24: Hear What People are Saying About Your Business
Your reputation is everything, so it’s critical to keep tabs on what people are saying about your company.
Many of the social media scheduling platforms available include a listening component, gathering hashtags, mentions. But not every user tags your business when they talk about you, so if you have room in the marketing budget, it’s worth investing in a dedicated listening tool, such as Brand24.
Brand24 monitors everything from social media and blogs to newsletters and podcasts for mentions of your business. You get alerts when posts are found that use your chosen keywords (from every 12 hours to real-time, depending on the plan you choose) so you can take action as quickly as possible. This allows you to get out in front of possible problems so you can turn a potential crisis into a positive look for your brand.
You also get access to a robust set of analysis tools that measure the buzz around your brand, including customer sentiment. Brand24 can also identify industry influencers, so you can reach out to potential partners for your next marketing campaign.
With three plans available, you won’t have to pay a lot to use these valuable functions. And when you factor in how quickly negative mentions can hurt sales, Brand24 will pay for itself by helping you avert a crisis.
Zapier: The Swiss Army Knife of Apps
Let’s face it. It’s not always easy to coordinate content with everyone in your organization. Zapier (pronounced like “happier”) integrates a mind-boggling number of apps, including social media, blogging, CRM, and team/project management.
You create “Zaps” that connect one app to another and perform an action. For example, if your editors posted on the company blog, a zap could add the new blog post to your social media accounts. Compared to similar apps like IFTTT (If This, Then That), Zapier comes with a steeper learning curve. However, with hundreds of available integrations, Zapier is an indispensable tool not just for your marketing team but for your entire company.
Ready to Get Your Social Media Team Up and Running?
Whether you’re a one-person shop or you’re in charge of digital marketing in a large company, getting the most for your money is a high priority. Our top 5 favorite social media marketing tools strike the right balance of functionality and affordability. While all of these products are fairly easy to learn, you may find you need a little expert advice. Our social media experts are here to help you get up and running.
Are you ready for a new social solution?
CONTACT US.