by Ryan Bersitallat
Social media marketing tools are no more optional today than being on the networks is - it is something that just has to be done. In the old days, it was enough to hire a staffer and start engaging customers and throw in a few promotional messages here and there. But these days, with a massive flow of information and huge numbers of followers, it is virtually impossible to maintain relationships without a handy tool or two.
This demand has fueled a profusion of tools that are as varied as the demographics of all the tens of millions of people on the networks. Some are web-based while others are for installing on desktops. Some offer a unified login and central dashboard, while others simply send notifications for multiple accounts based on tracking parameters.
The cost ranges from free to paid ones for enterprise users. An advanced tool will even track responses to messages and offer metrics measurements and help to calculate ROI. A few tools are for use only on a single network, while others even have multiple language options.
The kind of tool that's best suited for a company will ultimately depend on the size of the company, the budget (if any) and team size allocated for social media outreach. For example, an enterprise level customer may feel the need for something robust like Spredfast. It is a Social Media Management System (SMMS) with an integrated panel to bring all the networks inside one window.
The same message is automatically customized on Spredfast before being sent to each network, which offers a bit of individualism while reducing the need to replicate efforts on different networks. It also collects and correlates data from across all the networks to provide overall analytics. On a slightly smaller level, Hootsuite offers almost all the same things.
For individuals, TweetDeck is a very useful tool that helps one person manage multiple accounts. CoTweet goes in the opposite direction, and is handy if multiple team members are posting on the same account. It can track each person's activity separately.
No matter which one fits the bill, the fact remains that without using social media marketing tools, it is virtually impossible not to get drowned by increasing numbers of followers and friends. With the tool, each mention can be responded to, and messages can be put out on all the networks with a minimum of effort and the capability to figure out ROI. Relevant keywords and brand name mentions can also be monitored. The sum of it is that a tool is not an optional item on the social media plan of action.
This demand has fueled a profusion of tools that are as varied as the demographics of all the tens of millions of people on the networks. Some are web-based while others are for installing on desktops. Some offer a unified login and central dashboard, while others simply send notifications for multiple accounts based on tracking parameters.
The cost ranges from free to paid ones for enterprise users. An advanced tool will even track responses to messages and offer metrics measurements and help to calculate ROI. A few tools are for use only on a single network, while others even have multiple language options.
The kind of tool that's best suited for a company will ultimately depend on the size of the company, the budget (if any) and team size allocated for social media outreach. For example, an enterprise level customer may feel the need for something robust like Spredfast. It is a Social Media Management System (SMMS) with an integrated panel to bring all the networks inside one window.
The same message is automatically customized on Spredfast before being sent to each network, which offers a bit of individualism while reducing the need to replicate efforts on different networks. It also collects and correlates data from across all the networks to provide overall analytics. On a slightly smaller level, Hootsuite offers almost all the same things.
For individuals, TweetDeck is a very useful tool that helps one person manage multiple accounts. CoTweet goes in the opposite direction, and is handy if multiple team members are posting on the same account. It can track each person's activity separately.
No matter which one fits the bill, the fact remains that without using social media marketing tools, it is virtually impossible not to get drowned by increasing numbers of followers and friends. With the tool, each mention can be responded to, and messages can be put out on all the networks with a minimum of effort and the capability to figure out ROI. Relevant keywords and brand name mentions can also be monitored. The sum of it is that a tool is not an optional item on the social media plan of action.
About the Author:
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