The number of social media management tools can leave the beginner and even the more advanced user overwhelmed.
So we made a list of the top social media management tools for 2019. There are three major features that a good social media management tool should always have. These are publishing and RSS integration, social engagement, and great analytics reporting.
Buffer
Buffer is a well established social media management platform that allows you to schedule, analysis and has various team contribution features. Buffer integrates with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and LinkedIn.
Publishing – Buffer has basic publishing features, such as scheduling and adding posts to a queue. However, it will not let you upload hundreds of posts and then recycle them. It does have the RSS feed that helps you publish posts from blogs.
Social Engagement – Buffer offers a product called Reply. However, it only supports Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram comments. It costs $50-$225/month, 1 user for each connected profile. This is in addition to the basic Buffer pricing.
Influencer Search – Buffer does not have an influencer search feature.
Client Management Support – Buffer has a limited team feature. It allows a user to add team members and give them permissions to manage various social media pages.
Sprout Social is similar to HootSuite and other social media tools in that it combines a variety of tools.
Publishing – It has all the basics and a few more customized features. These include individual statistics on each post and agency features such as post-approval. It does not have the Auto Post with queues feature.
Social Engagement – Sprout Social has a social inbox, which is great. It also has social monitoring and keyword searching features that help you monitor your brand on social media.
Influencer Search – Sprout Social doesn’t have an influencer search feature.
Clients Management Support – Sprout has the basic team features but not much else in this category.
HootSuite has probably been around the longest (since 2008). It has all the various applications you need and some robust content features, as well. For example, it has content curation, organization, scheduling, and RSS integration.
Publishing – Hootsuite has bulk scheduling, which allows you to upload several posts at a time. However, it doesn’t have the Auto Post feature that recycles the content for you. It has a feature that allows you to create social sweepstakes or contests on social media. It also has RSS integrations.
Social Engagement – Hootsuite doesn’t have a Social Inbox or anything like it. You have to manually engage with each follower by logging in to each social media account separately.
Influencer Search – Hootsuite doesn’t offer the ability to find influencers.
Client Management Support – Hootsuite has the basic team features, plus post-approval and custom branded URLs.
Agora Pulse has a variety of features such as social engagement, publishing, listening, reports, and team collaboration
Publishing – Agora Pulse has the Auto Post feature, where you can queue evergreen posts (indefinitely). You can put labels on your content that allow you to retrieve and analyze each post (or an entire category).
Social Engagement – Agora Pulse has the Social Inbox feature, where you can interact with every follower and message in one place. It does have social monitoring and keyword searches.
Influencer Search – Agora Pulse does not have any influencer features.
Clients Management Support – Agora Pulse has the basic team sharing features, plus content approval from clients.