10 Best Instagram Marketing Platform Shortlist
Here's my pick of the 10 best software from the 25 tools reviewed.
Our one-on-one guidance will help you find the perfect fit.
There are seemingly countless Instagram marketing platforms available, so figuring out which is best for you is tough. You know you want tools that help businesses and marketers effectively reach and engage their target audience on Instagram, increase brand visibility, and drive conversions—but now need to figure out which tool is the best fit. I've got you! In this post, I make things simple, leveraging my experience as a marketing expert, using dozens of different Instagram marketing tools, to bring you this shortlist of the best Instagram marketing platforms overall.
What Is Instagram Marketing Platform
An Instagram marketing platform is a dedicated digital software or service designed to facilitate and optimize marketing efforts on the Instagram social media platform. The purpose is to provide a range of tools and features that enable users to plan, create, schedule, analyze, and manage their marketing campaigns effectively. These platforms typically offer capabilities such as content scheduling, audience segmentation, performance tracking, influencer collaboration, and engagement analytics.
Overviews Of The 10 Best Instagram Marketing Platform
Let’s delve into my analysis of the best Instagram marketing platform, including what each does best. I’ve also included standout features, pricing details, and a pros and cons list.
Best Instagram marketing platform for automating social media reports
Social Status is a social media analytics and reporting tool that automates the generation of comprehensive reports across multiple platforms, including Instagram. It offers features like profile, ad, competitor, and influencer analytics, customizable reports, and multi-channel reporting.
Why I picked Social Status: Social Status automates social media reports into various formats, which is crucial for efficient reporting. It stands out due to its comprehensive range of analytics and reporting tools, primarily targeted at digital agencies and marketers. Since the platform covers different platforms, you can also get a holistic view of all your social channels and how they compare to your Instagram's performance. The platform's quick setup and transparent pricing also add to its appeal with easy monthly billing and no contracts.
Social Status Standout Features and Integrations:
Standout features include profile analytics, ads analytics, competitor analytics, influencer analytics, multi-channel reports, customizable and white-labeled reports, monthly social media benchmarks, quick setup, and transparent pricing.
Integrations with other tools are not specifically mentioned, but it supports a variety of social channels that include Facebook Pages, Instagram Professional Profiles, Instagram Stories, Instagram Reels, Meta Business Suite, Meta Ads Manager, TikTok Profiles, LinkedIn Company Pages, X (Twitter) Profiles, YouTube Channels, and YouTube Shorts.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Automated report creation
- Comprehensive analytics across multiple platforms
- White-labeled reports tailored to branding
Cons:
- No functionality for social media management
- Twitter integration only available with higher tier plans
HubSpot Marketing is a comprehensive CRM and marketing automation tool that offers a wide range of features such as CRM system, chatbot, ticketing, and social media management. It stands out for its comprehensive capabilities and seamless integration with various software, making it a valuable tool for businesses looking for a complete marketing and customer relationship management solution.
Why I picked HubSpot Marketing: HubSpot Marketing's unique use case is AI-powered lead generation and marketing automation. It stands out for its ability to integrate with various communication channels and provide features such as lead scoring and sales forecasting. This makes it the best choice for businesses looking for a complete marketing solution that includes social media management, email marketing, and customer relationship management.
HubSpot Marketing Standout Features and Integrations:
Standout features include marketing automation, email marketing tools, robust lead management capabilities, social media management, and detailed analytics and dashboards to measure campaign performance.
Integrations include Gmail, Google Calendar, Outlook, Zapier, Google Ads, Facebook Ads, Zoom, Slack, LinkedIn Sales Navigator, Mailchimp, Instagram, Twitter, Canva, Salesforce, Eventbrite, and Stripe.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Offers SEO recommendations based on generated content
- Customizable smart content to match viewer profiles
- Content performance insights
Cons:
- Complex learning curve
- Email design limitations
Canva
Best Instagram marketing platform for designing Instagram marketing graphics
Canva is a web-based graphic design tool that allows users to create a wide range of visual content, such as presentations, social media graphics, posters, and more.
Why I picked Canva: If you don't want to use complex design software but want to create professional-looking graphics for your Instagram account, then Canva is for you. Its extensive library of visuals, fonts, and design elements empowers users to create visually appealing and engaging posts, stories, and advertisements.
Canva's collaboration features facilitate teamwork, while its integration with social media scheduling tools helps with content distribution. However, for advanced analytics and social listening capabilities, supplementary tools may be required. Overall, Canva is a valuable resource for businesses seeking to enhance their Instagram marketing efforts through compelling visuals and easy-to-use design tools.
Canva Standout Features and Integrations:
Standout features include high-resolution downloads that make it easy for users to download Canva designs in high-resolution JPG, PNG, or MP4 formats. Canva also provides a wide variety of templates and design elements, including graphics, images, fonts, and so on.
Integrations include DataPocket, Wedia, Flowcode QR, Widen DAM, SharePoint, Dybder, Brandfolder, Smartmockups, Publuu Flipbooks, and more.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Allows users to collaborate on designs
- Design editor is easy-to-use
- A vast variety of templates
Cons:
- Customer support is limited to email and chat
- Many templates and design elements are paid-only
Best Instagram marketing platform for planning Instagram content
SocialPilot is a social media management tool that helps businesses manage and publish their social media content. It connects with various social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Google My Business, Tumblr, and more.
Why I picked SocialPilot: SocialPilot is a superb tool for planning Instagram content. Its social media calendar tool helps users plan and schedule their content effectively across various social media platforms, including Instagram. The calendar provides a visual representation of your content schedule, allowing you to see your planned posts for a specific period at a glance. This visual layout helps you maintain a bird's-eye view of your content strategy, making it easier to spot gaps or overlaps in your posting schedule.
Duplicating posts can be time-consuming, especially if you have to do it manually. SocialPilot's duplicate posts feature saves you time and effort by allowing you to duplicate similar posts easily and schedule them seamlessly.
SocialPilot Standout Features and Integrations:
Standout features include SocialPilot's AI Assistant, which analyzes social media data, identifies trends, and formulates creative post ideas. With this feature, users can generate social media post ideas, captions, and hashtags instantly.
Integrations include Slack, Unsplash, Google Drive, Giphy, Dropbox, Sniply, Rebrandly, Feedly, Canva, and Box.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Integrates with Canva
- The dashboard is easy to navigate
- Android and iOS mobile app is available
Cons:
- Lacks advanced features
- Pricing may not be suitable for small business owners
Iconosquare provides a range of tools and features to help users effectively manage their social media presence on these platforms.
Why I picked Iconosquare: I picked Iconosquare due to its analytics features, which help users track and analyze 100+ metrics, such as reach and impressions, engagement, profile activity, post analytics, and so on. Additionally, it provides insightful data about the demographics of your Instagram followers, including age, gender, location, and language. This information is essential for tailoring content to specific target audiences.
Also, the competitor analysis feature helps users can compare their performance to that of competitors, gaining valuable insights into their relative standing in the industry and identifying areas for improvement. Iconosquare also offers metrics for Instagram Stories, including views, reach, and engagement. This helps users assess the effectiveness of their Stories content.
Iconosquare Standout Features and Integrations:
Standout features include monitoring features that make it easy to reply to comments and mentions on Instagram. Iconosquare also helps users identify and respond to unread comments.
Integrations include Facebook Pages, Shopify, Google Analytics, Hootsuite, Canva, Dropbox, Slack, Adobe Creative Cloud, and Mailchimp. You can also get additional integrations through a paid Zapier account and RESTful API.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Allows users to create customizable dashboards
- Provides detailed stats on social media performance
- Simple and intuitive user interface
Cons:
- No company-branded PDF reports feature in the Pro plan
- No keyword monitoring feature
Buffer is a social media management platform that integrates with social networks Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Buffer also offers professional reports, hashtag generator, and posting strategy recommendations to help users grow their following and build an engaged audience.
Why I picked Buffer: Buffer is a great solution for small business owners and small marketing teams because it offers affordable and scalable pricing plans. It offers a free plan that allows you to connect up to 3 channels and schedule 10 posts per channel. The lowest plan is priced at $6 per channel per month and lets users schedule unlimited posts, making it accessible for those who are starting their Instagram marketing journey.
Additionally, Buffer has a user-friendly interface, making it easy for small business owners to schedule, plan, and publish content on their Instagram social media accounts.
Buffer Standout Features and Integrations:
Standout features include the scheduling feature that lets users schedule social media content across multiple social platforms, including Instagram. Users can add website links and images to their scheduled content. Buffer also suggests the most suitable time for posting content.
Integrations include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Feedly, Pocket, Slack, Shopify, Google Analytics, and more. You can also get additional integrations through Zapier and RESTful API.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Provides a 14-day free trial on all plans
- Great collaboration features
- Wide range of integrations
Cons:
- The free plan has limited scheduling features
- Limited analytics capabilities
Best Instagram marketing platform for creating on-brand designs
Mailchimp is an email marketing platform that also offers social media marketing tools to help businesses manage their social media presence.
Why I picked Mailchimp: Mailchimp's Content Studio and Creative Assistant features are designed to help businesses create professional, on-brand designs for their marketing campaigns. The Content Studio is a digital asset management system that allows users to store and manage all of their digital marketing assets, including images, files, and other creative content, in one place. The Content Studio allows users to organize their assets into folders, search for specific files, and preview images before adding them to their campaigns.
The Creative Assistant is Mailchimp’s AI-powered design tool that helps users create on-brand designs using your brand’s colors, images, logo, fonts, etc.
Mailchimp Standout Features and Integrations:
Standout features include social media analytics features that provide businesses with insights into how their social media posts are performing.
Integrations are available with 250+ apps, including Chargebee, Firebase, Formstack, Patreon, Recurly, Shopify, Stripe, Squarespace Commerce, Typeform, QuickBooks, and so on. You can also get additional integrations through Zapier.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Easy to navigate
- Mobile app for Android and iOS
- The interface is user-friendly
Cons:
- Limited Instagram marketing features
- Limited customization features
Best Instagram marketing platform for scheduling Instagram posts
Hootsuite is a social media management tool trusted by brands like Ikea, Domino’s, Allianz, and more. It helps individuals and businesses manage and schedule posts across various social media platforms from a single dashboard.
Why I picked Hootsuite: While Hootsuite offers a suite of social media management features, making it a versatile tool, I loved its social scheduling features. Other than helping users schedule Instagram posts in advance, it also provides insights into the best times to post based on historical data and engagement patterns. This helps users optimize their posting schedule to reach their target audience when they are most active.
It also supports a variety of media types, including single-image posts, carousel posts (multiple images or videos in a single post), and video content. This flexibility allows for creative and diverse content strategies.
Hootsuite Standout Features and Integrations:
Standout features include the Streams feature, which enables users to monitor mentions, keywords, relevant hashtags, and posts from their Instagram accounts. It offers a single platform for managing social media conversations. Another feature I liked is Hootsuite Analytics, which helps users track key metrics.
Integrations include Canva, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Mailchimp, Pinterest, Shopify, TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube. You can also get additional integrations through Zapier and API.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Includes content approval workflow
- Provides a 30-day free trial
- Customizable reporting available
Cons:
- The Professional plan is limited to 1 user
- Doesn't allow the uploading of large files
Best Instagram marketing platform for creating Instagram ads
Constant Contact is an online marketing platform that provides a suite of tools for email marketing, social media posting and advertising, website building, online advertising, and more.
Why I picked Constant Contact: I picked Constant Contact for this list due to its Instagram ad creation capabilities. The platform allows us to create and manage ad campaigns directly within Constant Contact, eliminating the need for constant switching between platforms. This centralized approach saves valuable time.
The ad creation process is relatively straightforward. The intuitive interface guides users through selecting ad objectives, defining target audiences, setting budgets, and designing creative content. The tool offers a variety of ad formats, including photo, video, carousel, and story ads/
One of the strengths of Constant Contact's Instagram advertising feature is its audience targeting capabilities. It allows users to narrow down the audience based on factors like demographics, interests, behaviors, and location. This level of granularity ensures ads reach the right people, maximizing the return on advertising investment.
Constant Contact Standout Features and Integrations:
Standout features include Instagram post creation capabilities, which allow users to curate and publish Instagram posts from within the Constant Contact dashboard. This feature helps users save time by consolidating all activities in one place.
Integrations include Google and Facebook Ads, WordPress, Canva, and Vimeo. Constant Contact also integrates with Zapier and provides an API if you require additional integrations.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Includes a 60-day free trial
- Integrated email marketing feature
- Well-organized menu and interface
Cons:
- Limited customization options
- Limited reporting features
Instagram for Business is a feature of Instagram that allows businesses to create a Instagram business account and use the platform for marketing purposes.
Why I picked Instagram for Business: If you're just beginning your marketing journey on Instagram, then Instagram for Business is a great starting point. It's free for everyone and you just need to switch to a business account.
Additionally, it offers some basic features, such as post scheduling and analytics tool. The Insights dashboard offers in-depth insights about post reach, engagement, and audience demographics. This data will empower you to fine-tune your content strategy and tailor it to your specific audience's preferences. Also, the integration with Facebook's ad manager facilitates advertising campaigns, enhancing reach and targeting capabilities.
Instagram for Business Standout Features and Integrations:
Standout features include the Instagram shopping feature that enables users to discover, browse, and purchase products without leaving the app.
Integrations are available with Zapier.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Easy to use
- Provides businesses with audience insights
- The tool is free
Cons:
- Limited insights
- Lacks advanced social media management features
Tools | Price | |
---|---|---|
Social Status | From $6.75/month (billed annually) | Website |
HubSpot Marketing | From $800/month + $45/month for additional seats | Website |
Canva | From $12.99/month (billed annually) | Website |
SocialPilot | From $25.50/month | Website |
Iconosquare | From $52.50/month (billed annually) | Website |
Buffer | From $6/user/month | Website |
Mailchimp | From $13/month | Website |
Hootsuite | From $99/month | Website |
Constant Contact | From $12/month (billed annually) | Website |
Instagram for Business | Free | Website |
Compare Software Specs Side by Side
Use our comparison chart to review and evaluate software specs side-by-side.
Compare SoftwareOther Options
Here are more Instagram marketing tools that didn’t make it to the top 10 list but are worth looking at:
- Later
Instagram marketing platform for hashtag suggestions
- HubSpot Marketing Hub
Instagram marketing platform for ease of use
- Plixi
Instagram marketing platform for increasing engagement and follower growth
- Sprout Social
Instagram marketing platform for social listening
- Agorapulse
Instagram marketing platform for Instagram Reels management
- Sendible
Instagram marketing platform for scheduling and managing Instagram stories
- Loomly
Instagram marketing platform for managing approvals
- SocialBee
Instagram marketing platform for content categorization
- Marketing 360
Instagram marketing platform for small teams
- MeetEdgar
Instagram marketing platform for automating social media content sharing
- Tailwind
Instagram marketing platform for Instagram content ideation
- GoGram
Instagram marketing platform for auto followers and likes
- Meta Business Suite
Instagram marketing platform for a consolidated inbox
- Microsoft Digital Marketing Center
Instagram marketing platform for AI-powered campaign management
- Brandwatch
Instagram marketing platform for sentiment analysis
Selection Criteria For Instagram Marketing Platform
Here’s a short summary of the main selection and evaluation criteria I used to develop my list of the best Instagram marketing tools for this article:
Core Functionality
While researching for an Instagram marketing tool, I looked for the following core functionalities:
- Content scheduling; allows users to plan and organize their Instagram posts in advance, helping maintain a consistent posting schedule for optimal audience engagement.
- Performance analytics; provide insights into the effectiveness of marketing efforts by tracking metrics like reach, engagement, likes, comments, and follower growth.
Key Features
To fulfill the above core functionalities, here are some key features to look for in Instagram marketing platforms:
- Content scheduling: Allows users to plan and schedule Instagram posts in advance, ensuring a consistent and timely content strategy.
- Content creation tools: Offers features for creating and editing visually appealing content, including image and video editing tools.
- Content library: Stores and organizes content assets in a centralized place.
- Performance tracking: Offers analytics and reporting features to measure the performance of Instagram marketing efforts.
- Social listening: Monitors social media conversations and mentions related to the brand, allowing for timely responses and engagement.
- Multi-account management: Allows for the management of multiple Instagram profiles from a single platform, making it easier for teams to collaborate on various brand profiles.
Usability
Usability is an important aspect of social media management tools. Hence, I looked for Instagram marketing platforms that were easy to use and navigate. Automation is also a key aspect of social media management tools. Users should be able to schedule posts in advance, automate responses to comments and messages, and track analytics automatically. It should allow for collaboration between team members. This includes the ability to assign tasks, share content, and communicate within the tool.
Software Integrations
Social media management software should integrate with various tools and platforms to provide a seamless experience for users. Some types of integrations that matter for social media management software are CRM software, email marketing tools, and collaboration tools.
People Also Ask
Here are some questions that I frequently get asked:
How much do Instagram marketing platforms cost?
The cost of Instagram marketing platforms can vary widely depending on the features and capabilities they offer. Hence, the price can range between $20-$1,000 per month. Additionally, some platforms may offer custom pricing based on specific business needs and scale. It’s important to carefully evaluate the features and pricing tiers offered by different platforms to find the best fit for your business.
Are there any free Instagram marketing platforms?
Here’s a selection of free Instagram marketing platforms that offer essential features for planning, scheduling, and managing your social media content:
- Instagram: Sometimes your best bet is just to use the platform itself and the limited planning/management features it offers. This option would be entirely free.
- Pally: Pally’s free plan lets users schedule 15 posts per month and provides basic feed planner and reporting features.
- Buffer: Buffer offers a free plan that allows users to connect up to 3 channels. It includes basic features, such as planning and publishing tools, landing page builder, and AI assistant.
- Agorapulse: Agorapulse is a social media management tool, which offers a free forever plan that lets you connect 3 social profiles. It includes 10 scheduled posts, basic social inbox and reporting, limited social media ROI report, and a mobile app.
- Tailwind: The free version of Tailwind provides basic features to help you get started. It allows users to create 20 post designs and schedule 20 posts every month.
- CoSchedule: It is a marketing work management software that offers a free forever social calendar for basic publishing. It allows users to connect 2 social profiles and schedule up to 15 social posts.
What are the benefits of Instagram marketing platforms?
Instagram marketing platforms offer a range of benefits that enhance businesses’ marketing efforts on the platform. Here are some key advantages:
- Facilitates campaign management: These platforms provide tools to efficiently plan, schedule, and analyze Instagram marketing campaigns, saving time and increasing overall effectiveness.
- Improved content quality and consistency: With features like content scheduling and creation tools, businesses can maintain a consistent posting schedule and produce high-quality content that resonates with their audience.
- Efficient ad management: These platforms simplify the process of creating and managing Instagram ads, optimizing ad spend and ensuring campaigns reach the right target audience.
- Enhanced engagement and customer interaction: Tools for comment moderation, user mentions, and direct messaging allow for more effective communication with the audience, fostering a strong brand-consumer relationship.
- Customizable reporting and dashboards: Businesses can tailor reports to focus on specific KPIs and metrics, providing a clear view of campaign performance and facilitating more informed marketing decisions.
Other Social Media Marketing Platform Reviews
Here are some other social media marketing platform you can consider:
- Social Media Management Software
- Social Media Marketing Software
- Social Media Scheduling Tools
- Social Media Analytics Software
- Social Listening Tools
The Takeaway
With over a billion active users, Instagram is no longer an optional marketing platform for businesses. The platforms mentioned in this article represent some of the best tools available to optimize your Instagram marketing strategy. Whether you're looking to schedule posts, analyze performance, or engage with your audience in innovative ways, these platforms offer a diverse range of features to suit every business need.
Remember, successful Instagram marketing isn't just about numbers but about creating meaningful connections with your audience. It's about telling a compelling story, showcasing your brand's unique personality, and providing value to your followers.
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