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In today’s super-fast digital world, it’s really important to handle all your social media accounts without wasting time. Social media tools are like secret weapons for people in marketing, community leaders, and business owners who want to make their social media work easier. These tools gather posts from all over the internet into one place, so you can easily watch conversations, talk to people, check how well your posts are doing, and find cool stuff to share.
With so many of these tools out there, it can be hard to pick the right one. They each have different things they can do, different prices, and work with different programs depending on what you need. To help you figure things out, here’s a look at five great social media tools that are popular right now.
1. Hootsuite
Hootsuite has been around for a while and is always changing to keep up with what people want. It works with many networks , like Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
What it can do:
* See everything in one place, including mentions, messages, and hashtags.
* Plan your posts for different accounts ahead of time and post many at once.
* Check how well your posts are doing, like how many people are seeing them and how many new followers you’re getting.
* Work together with your team, assign roles, and approve posts before they go live.
* Works with other apps , like Canva and Google Drive.
Cost:
Hootsuite has different plans, starting at about $99/month, and special plans for big groups.
Good stuff:
* Lots of features for big teams.
* Really good at measuring and reporting how well your posts are doing.
* Works with many different apps.
Not-so-good stuff:
* Can be confusing for people who are just starting out.
* Can be expensive for small businesses.
Great for: Big businesses and teams that need a tool that can do everything to manage their social media.
2. Feedly
Feedly started as a way to read news feeds, but now it also collects social media posts. It puts social media together with news and blogs, so you can find all sorts of stuff to share.
What it can do:
* Put feeds into groups based on topics or words.
* Works with social networks to see what’s popular.
* Uses computers to suggest posts and articles you might like.
* Share stuff you find directly to social media or with your team.
* Has a phone app, so you can use it anywhere.
Cost:
Feedly has a free version with basic stuff, and a Pro version that costs $15/month, which lets you find more sources.
Good stuff:
* Easy to look at and focused on finding content.
* Good for putting social media together with news.
* Suggests things you might like, which saves you time.
Not-so-good stuff:
* Doesn’t have many features for talking to people.
* Isn’t really a social media tool you would normally think of.
Great for: People in marketing who want to keep up with what’s going on in their industry and also see what’s being said on social media.
3. Sprout Social
People like Sprout Social because it’s easy to use and good for talking to people and checking how well your posts are doing. Its Smart Inbox puts all your messages and comments from different networks into one place.
What it can do:
* See all your messages from Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, and more in one place.
* Check what people are saying about your brand.
* See reports on who your audience is, how fast you respond to messages, and how well your content is doing.
* Helps you manage your customers directly in the tool.
* Plan your posts and get suggestions for popular content.
Cost:
Plans start at $249/month per user, so it’s for medium and big businesses.
Good stuff:
* Easy to learn and use.
* Great customer service.
* Really good at checking how well your posts are doing and seeing what people are saying.
Not-so-good stuff:
* Can be expensive for small businesses.
* Some people say messages don’t always show up right away.
Great for: Brands that want to talk to customers a lot and use data to make their social media better.
4. Netvibes
Netvibes is a tool where you can make your own dashboard and put social media feeds, news, weather, and other stuff all in one place.
What it can do:
* Drag and drop things to make your own dashboard with social feeds, news, and more.
* Watch what people are saying about your brand and what your competitors are doing.
* Uses computers to find weird things and trends automatically.
* Teams can share dashboards and ideas.
* Connect to other data sources.
Cost:
Netvibes has special prices for businesses based on what you need.
Good stuff:
* You can set up your dashboards however you want.
* Computers do a lot of the work for you.
* Good for seeing lots of different kinds of data.
Not-so-good stuff:
* Takes some time to learn how to use.
* Not great for quickly posting or talking to people.
Great for: Big businesses that need to see lots of data and want to set up their social media monitoring just the way they like it.
5. Mashflu
Mashflu is good at finding content made by users on social media. It helps brands show real stuff from customers.
What it can do:
* Finds content from Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok, and more.
* Lets you choose which content to show.
* Lets you put feeds on your website or at events.
* Checks how well your content is doing.
* Works with online stores and marketing tools.
Cost:
Plans start at $29/month, and you can get more features if you pay more.
Good stuff:
* Helps you show real customer stories.
* Easy to use and set up.
* You can show content in many different places.
Not-so-good stuff:
* Not for managing social media or planning posts.
* Doesn’t let you manage many accounts.
Great for: Brands that want to show real customer stories.
Final Thoughts
When choosing a social media tool, you should think about what you want to do and how big you are. Hootsuite and Sprout Social are great for managing social media, checking how well your posts are doing, and working with a team. Feedly is good for finding cool stuff to share and keeping up with what’s going on in your industry. Netvibes is perfect for big businesses that want to see lots of data. And Taggbox is good for showing real customer stories.
No matter which tool you pick, using a social media tool can save you time and effort, so you can focus on making better content, talking to people, and growing your brand.