Picture this: There’s a crowd of people standing outside your office, madly waving cash in the air. They’re excited to throw some of it at a company just like yours – to invest in exactly the kind of thing you’re selling – but they can’t find the door. Social media management software helps your company invite these new customers in and consistently connect with them in a meaningful way.
Social media management software helps you automate and optimize your social media presence to achieve increased visibility, engagement, and lead generation. How, you ask? In this article, I’ll be sharing my list of the best social media management software platforms and breaking down precisely what each has to offer.
Best Social Media Management Software Shortlist
Here’s the shortlist of the best social media management software tools that I’ll cover in this article, with detailed summaries below:
- HubSpot - Best social media management software for community building
- HootSuite - Best for social media marketing agencies
- Zoho Social - Best social media management software for remote teams
- Sprout Social - Best for identifying emerging social media trends
- Loomly - Best social media management software for audience targeting
- Buffer - Best for AI-powered content creation
- SocialPilot - Best social media management software for small businesses
- CloudCampaign - Best white-label option for marketing agencies
- Meet Edgar - Best for monitoring performance + A/B testing
- Sendible - Best for managing community engagement at scale
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Overviews Of The 12 Best Social Media Management Software
Here’s a brief description of each social media management software platform, showcasing each tool’s best use case, their noteworthy features, and some pros & cons. I’ve also included screenshots to give you a snapshot of their user interface.
1. HubSpot - Best social media management software for community building
HubSpot is a social media management software with time-saving features that prioritize community relationships.
Why I picked HubSpot: HubSpot allows you to create keyword monitoring streams that trigger alerts to appropriate team members when relevant conversations pop up on your accounts. For example, your sales team can receive a notification when a prospective client mentions a specific product. It’s easy to prioritize conversations with VIP community members and to make sure you never miss a critical interaction. All conversations can be linked back to your CRM, allowing you to keep an accurate eye on social media ROI.
The HubSpot platform enables you to build social media campaigns and publish content to a variety of social media platforms from the same interface. You can also automatically share the content from LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter directly to your blog as soon as it’s published.
HubSpot Standout Features and Integrations
Features include a centralized dashboard, real-time metrics, scheduled posts, customizable reports, posts to multiple social accounts, a marketing campaign builder, and keyword monitoring.
Integrations include Calendly, Eventbrite, Facebook Ads, Instagram, Mailchimp, Outlook, Shopify, Slack, Typeform, WooCommerce, and Zoom. Further integrations are available by connecting a free Zapier account.
From $50/month and a 14-day free trial is available.
Pros
- Easily bulk schedule social media posts
- Drag and drop feature for attaching images
- Monitor character counts + shorten URLs from within HubSpot
Cons
- Link previews can be buggy
- Reporting needs better depth of metrics
2. HootSuite - Best for social media marketing agencies
HootSuite is a social media management software that’s well-suited to agencies with multiple clients.
Why I picked HootSuite: HootSuite makes it easy to manage multiple campaigns for multiple clients from a single location. Their enterprise pricing plan starts at 50 social accounts, so it’s equipped to scale with you as you grow your client roster. Pre-built report templates can be customized to add titles, notes, and specific metrics. These can then be shared with clients to provide valuable feedback on campaign performance.
HootSuite has a number of features to assist with posting, including easy-to-use templates and an AI-powered hashtag generator. You can bulk schedule posts according to data-proven posting times to best serve your audience, map out campaigns, and easily suspend a post in the event of a sudden pivot.
HootSuite Standout Features and Integrations
Features include post templates, an inspiration library, hashtag suggestions, bulk post scheduling, streamlined approvals, collaboration tools, and analytics and reporting.
Integrations include Canva, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Mailchimp, Pinterest, Shopify, TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube.
HootSuite costs from $99/month and has a 30-day free trial available.
Pros
- Easy onboarding + intuitive interface
- Streamlined scheduling
- Add 50+ social accounts
Cons
- No bot tracking feature
- Real-time tracking + analytics is a paid feature
3. Zoho Social - Best social media management software for remote teams
Zoho Social is a social media management tool with added features for remote teams.
Why I picked Zoho Social: Zoho Social understands the unique needs of remote teams and has designed its tool to enhance team collaboration. You can define workflows by customizing roles and permissions, and tag teammates to chat about drafts and campaigns with native audio and video calling features.
Monitoring dashboards empower users to stay up to date on all mentions, and to track relevant topics as a trend is unfolding. Automation tools like their bulk scheduler and customizable content queues make it easy to fill the pipeline across all social networks for months at a time. And it’s easy to add new team members to the back end as you grow with their flexible pricing plans.
Zoho Social Standout Features and Integrations
Features include publishing, monitoring, analytics, collaboration, Facebook lead ads, LinkedIn lead ads, mobile app, bulk scheduling, custom reports, and a listening dashboard.
Integrations include Canva, Zoho Desk, and Zoho CRM.
Zoho Social costs from $13/month and has a 15-day free trial available.
Pros
- Manages multiple social channels
- URL shortener
- Bulk scheduling
Cons
- Cannot post Instagram reel + standard post at the same time
- Challenging to add Instagram stories
4. Sprout Social - Best for identifying emerging social media trends
Sprout Social is a social media management software that helps users unlock business critical insights.
Why I picked Sprout Social: Sprout has extensive social listening tools that allow users to tap into trending conversations, identify actionable insights, and ensure that the content produced is always relevant and never tone-deaf. Their platform provides a line of sight on how consumers are feeling about your industry and your brand specifically and thus better equipped to deliver content that hits the mark.
Sprout helps to connect you with influencers who would be a great match for your brand. You can also easily identify market gaps where competitors are lacking and seize the opportunity to differentiate your brand. Listening data can also be used beyond the social media setting to influence wider marketing campaigns and the launch of entirely new products.
Sprout Social Standout Features and Integrations
Features include listening tools, audience engagement, analytics, publishing, scheduling and automation, social collaboration, and employee advocacy.
Integrations include Canva, DropBox, Facebook, Feedly, Glassdoor, HubSpot, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Salesforce, Shopify, TikTok, Twitter, WhatsApp, and YouTube.
Sprout costs from $249/month and a 30-day free trial is available.
Pros
- Easy onboarding
- Detailed reporting
- In-depth listening tools
Cons
- Some difficulties if you plan to scale
- Some features are paid add-ons
5. Loomly - Best social media management software for audience targeting
Loomly is a social media management software that helps your posts reach your target demographic.
Why I picked Loomly: With Loomly, organic posts on Facebook and LinkedIn harness the power of audience targeting to reach the audience members that matter most. You can easily boost sponsored posts and launch objective-driven campaigns on both Facebook and Instagram. From within the Loomly interface, you can also directly respond to reactions, messages, and comments from community members on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
Loomly allows you to plan content to be published later – and for the platforms that don’t allow automated publishing (Snapchat & TikTok), Loomly provides reminders to ensure a post is never forgotten. Loomly also automatically generates post previews so you’ll always have an accurate view of what you’re sharing before you post.
Loomly Standout Features and Integrations
Features include post overviews, notifications (via email, Slack, push, or Teams), list view and calendar view, post ideas, asset library, optimization tips, hashtag manager, and post sponsoring.
Integrations include Asana, Buffer, Google, Instagram, Monday.com, Slack, and WordPress. Further integrations are available by connecting a paid Zapier account.
Loomly costs from $26/month and a 15-day free trial is available.
Pros
- Detailed analytics reports
- Easy to schedule posts
- Built-in URL shortener
Cons
- Photo carousel posts can’t be scheduled to post automatically
- No photo editor
6. Buffer - Best for AI-powered content creation
Buffer is a social media management software that helps users save time on content creation.
Why I picked Buffer: Buffer has an impressive suite of AI features to help users streamline their content creation process. Using their AI assistant, you can essentially type in little more than the topic of the post, and be served up a variety of ideas and complete copy options. You can customize these suggestions based on the intended format or platform, as well as tone and language.
Buffer makes it easy to repurpose existing content, whether switching from one platform to the next or simply finding new ways to deliver a prior message. It can also serve up post inspiration from long-form content like blogs. The tool learns as it goes, and will make suggestions based on past wins for enhanced follower engagement.
Buffer Standout Features and Integrations
Features include direct scheduling, shop grid, reminders, first comment, approvals, collaboration, boosted post insights, audience demographics, and AI assistant.
Integrations include Canva, CloudCampaign, CrowdRiff, Feedly, Make, PicMonkey, Planable, Pocket, SocialBee, Stencil, UpFlow, and WordPress. Further integrations can be accessed by connecting a paid Zapier account.
Buffer costs from $0/month. They have a freemium plan available.
Pros
- Free image editor
- Content Library
- Freemium plan
Cons
- No native content creation tools
- Freemium plan has limited analytics
7. SocialPilot - Best social media management software for small businesses
SocialPilot is a social media management platform that’s affordable and easy to scale.
Why I picked SocialPilot: Small businesses will love that SocialPilot is a low-commitment option that can scale as you grow. You don’t need a credit card to sign up for their free trial, and you can cancel or change plans at any time. As your business grows, the platform can grow with you.
SocialPilot lets you bulk schedule up to 500 posts at once, and their drag-and-drop feature makes it easy to add new posts as you go. You can collaborate on posts with team members and clients by creating custom viewing and approval rights. And to keep an eye on performance, SocialPilot gives you access to comprehensive reports regarding KPIs and market trends.
SocialPilot Standout Features and Integrations
Features include social media calendars, bulk scheduling, content library, client management, content curation, collaboration, white label, and analytics.
Integrations include Bitly, Box, Canva, Feedly, Rebrandly, Slack, and Snip.ly. Further integrations are available by connecting a paid Zapier account.
SocialPilot costs from $30/month and a 14-day free trial is available.
Pros
- Post recycling feature
- Easy bulk scheduling
- In-depth reporting
Cons
- Mobile app needs work
- Cannot schedule Instagram Reels
8. Cloud Campaign - Best white-label option for marketing agencies
Cloud Campaign is a social media management software that allows agencies to custom-brand the interface.
Why I picked Cloud Campaign: When it comes to collaborating with clients and gaining speedy post approvals, sharing access to your social media management tool is super helpful. Cloud Campaign’s white label feature (free with Studio or Agency plans) makes it easy for you to replace their branding with yours, and present clients with a totally customized interface.
Cloud Campaign's mobile app allows clients to easily access the platform to provide approvals. Their one-click social media reporting tool generates easily digestible, well-organized reports that are great to share with clients. And their drip automation feature streamlines the scheduling process for bulk uploads.
Cloud Campaign Standout Features and Integrations
Features include bulk scheduling, white label, analytics and reporting, approval collaborations, automatic importing, recommendations, stock photo library, social inbox management, and drag-and-drop.
Integrations include Canva, Google Analytics, and Google Drive. Further integrations are available by connecting a paid Zapier account.
Cloud Campaign costs from $33/month (billed annually). A free trial is available.
Pros
- Excellent customer service
- New features added frequently
- Custom white label is free with Studio and Agency plans
Cons
- Cannot schedule the same post to appear at different times on different platforms
- Cannot post multiple photos to Instagram at once
9. Meet Edgar - Best for monitoring performance and A/B testing
Meet Edgar is a social media management software with excellent A/B testing features.
Why I picked Meet Edgar: With Meet Edgar, you can maximize engagement across multiple platforms by monitoring and tracking performance of A/B test variations. Unlike some other tools, their content library has no storage limit; meaning when you create a post you can store it and repurpose it at a later date.
Meet Edgar’s “categories” feature allows you to store evergreen content according to topic, and their “auto import” feature makes it easy to bulk upload. In their scheduling tool, you can select the time slots in which you’d like to publish, and Meet Edgar will automatically pull content from your categories and post according to the category rules you create. Their queue provides you with a well-organized bird’s eye view of everything scheduled to post in the next two weeks.
Meet Edgar Standout Features and Integrations
Features include weekly automated time slots, audience engagement, unlimited evergreen content library, auto-generated variations, A/B testing, analytics tools, and engagement monitoring.
Integrations are available by connecting a paid Zapier account.
Meet Edgar costs from $29.99/month and has a 7-day free trial available.
Pros
- Actually reach a human when you contact customer support!
- Many courses + tutorials to increase your social media skills
- Auto-change titles to repurpose evergreen content
Cons
- Some challenges with Instagram integration
- Initial setup of content library can be time-consuming
10. Sendible - Best for managing community engagement at scale
Sendible is a social media management software that’s perfect for agencies with a growing client base.
Why I picked Sendible: As your agency scales and you sign more clients, it can be increasingly tricky to sustain your earlier levels of community engagement across each account. Sendible addresses this challenge with a well-organized user interface featuring a “priority inbox”. With this feature, you can view each client’s relevant messages and mentions from a single view, and filter conversations by a variety of metrics.
Sendible also has a feature that allows clients to securely log in and connect their profiles themselves on your website, meaning that they won’t have to share their login credentials with you in order for you to post on their behalf. Hierarchies and approval workflows help you make sure you’re getting correct sign-offs before posting, and you can use pre-designed templates or the drag-and-drop feature to build custom analytics reports.
Sendible Standout Features and Integrations
Features include white labels, custom reports, drag-and-drop, approval hierarchies, priority inbox, weekly training sessions, feature ideas portal, and collaboration tools.
Integrations include Canva, Dropbox, Facebook, GIPHY, Google Business, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pexels, Twitter, WordPress, and YouTube.
Sendible costs from $29/month and a 14-day free trial is available.
Pros
- Can upload multiple images (carousels) to Instagram
- Excellent customer support
- Weekly training videos
Cons
- Old notifications sometimes stick around after being solved
- Two-step process for posting to Instagram
11. Constant Contact - Best for email marketing efforts tied to social strategy
Constant Contact is a digital marketing suite with social media management features.
Why I picked Constant Contact: Constant Contact has developed a reputation as an industry leader in email marketing. Their solution also has a flexible, centralized CRM. The social media functions make this tool an all-in-one platform that helps users gain new leads, nurture relationships, and conduct sales follow-ups from a single interface.
Constant Contact’s social media management features allow users to create posts that will funnel leads into their contact lists. You can schedule posts and publish on multiple platforms with a single click, and easily respond to messages, comments, and mentions.
Constant Contact Standout Features and Integrations
Features include SMS marketing, social media marketing, A/B testing, reporting, mobile app, email marketing, CRM, event marketing, list-building tools, and ecommerce.
Integrations include BigCommerce, Eventbrite, Gmail, Quickbooks, Salesforce, Shopify, Vimeo, and Wordpress.
Constant Contact cost from $13/month and has a free trial available.
Pros
- Built-in CRM
- Email marketing integration
- Lead generation + capture tools
Cons
- Fewer features than other “strictly social” platforms
- Learning curve when getting started
12. Semrush - Best social media management software for SEO
Semrush is a SaaS content marketing platform with social media management functionality.
Why I picked Semrush: Semrush is an industry leader in SEO, online visibility enhancement, and content marketing. Their social media functionality works with their existing suite of tools to leverage SEO and boost the performance of your social posts. The platform leans on industry and competitor data to help you identify the best channels and content types for your niche.
Semrush provides custom content ideas and best performing hashtag suggestions to save you time on content creation. Their communication functionality helps you manage messages across multiple platforms from a single interface, and sort messages according to workflows that you establish. You can also set up automatic email reporting to stay on top of performance without having to invest time in pulling from analytics.
Semrush Standout Features and Integrations
Features include social media poster, social tracker, social analytics, social inbox, influencer analytics, keyword research, competitor analysis, content optimization, and content marketing analytics.
Integrations include AgencyAnalytics, Databox, Funnel Adverity, Monday.com, Respona, Scalenut, Supermetrics, Surfer, Swydo, Whatagraph, Wix, and Zoho.
Semrush costs from $0/month and a freemium plan is available.
Pros
- Robust SEO tools
- Content optimization functionality
- Frequent updates + additions to tools
Cons
- Learning curve when onboarding
- Many features only unlocked with highest tier plans
Other Options
Here are a few more worthwhile options that didn’t make the best social media management software list:
- Constant Contact - Best for alignment with email marketing strategy
- Semrush - Best social media management software for SEO
- Agorapulse - Best social media management software for TikTok integration
- Traject - Best for automated social media content planning
- Reputation - Best for monitoring brand keywords
- Later - Best for scheduling Instagram Reels
- Planable - Best social media management platform for easy client approvals
- Thryv - Best for outsourcing social media content creation
- Brandwatch - Best social media management software for early trend detection
- HeyOrca - Best social media management software for large teams
How I Selected The Best Social Media Management Software
Are you curious how I selected the best social media management software for this list? I began by evaluating and comparing a wide range of social media management tools that shared a high number of positive user ratings.
After gathering my long list, I drilled it down using the selection criteria below. Was the tool cost-effective? Easy to use? Well-organized and value-packed? After assessing how each tool stacked up against the next, I arrived at the shortlist you see in this article.
Selection Criteria
Here’s a short summary of the main selection and evaluation criteria I used to develop my list of the best Social Media Management Software for this article:
Scheduling Capabilities
Perhaps the most important feature of any social media management software is the ability to schedule posts to publish automatically at a later date. Bulk prepping your social media calendar saves you time and creates order within a task that can easily become overwhelming. The tools on this list were chosen because they allow users to upload several posts at once and schedule them across multiple months. Many of the tools can also be set to provide notifications at the time of posting to remind you what’s being published and when.
Analytics
While platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook do have their own native analytics, they lack the in-depth, granular data that social media management software can provide. I chose tools for this list that feature user-friendly reporting and analytics that offer real-time insight into your audience, niche, post-performance, and even dates and times to maximize engagement. Several of the tools have templated reports that can be pulled with just one click, and others offer a white-label feature that allows you to brand the report before sharing it with clients.
Software Integrations
The information gleaned from social media has endless applications. You’re interacting directly with your customers, talking 1:1 – that’s some powerful feedback! I selected tools for this list that allow you to leverage that data and use it to enhance other efforts, including your CRM, email marketing, and sales funnels. These social media management software platforms integrate with a number of other tools you’re already using, making it easy to use the data in new and exciting ways.
Pricing
Social media marketing is about making money. In my opinion, you shouldn’t have to spend an arm and a leg in order to see some ROI. The social media management software tools on this list were chosen because they represent a range of prices. Some offer freemium plans or mid-priced tiers, and others have premium-level pricing that comes with extended features. Regardless of your budget, you can rest assured that there is a tool on this list that will work for your team.
Frequently Asked Questions
Social media is constantly shifting. With new platforms, tools, content types, and trends popping up daily, it can be hard to stay up to date on all the latest info. Social media management helps you stay organized, and keep your audience engaged. Let’s take a look at some of the most frequently asked questions about social media management.
What is social media management?
Social media management is the process of optimizing and automating your social media presence to improve audience engagement on a variety of social media accounts. In creating a social media strategy and using social media management software to carry it out, you can identify your target audience, create content that’s tailored to their interests, collaborate with influencers, bulk schedule posts, and measure and monitor performance.
What is the best social media management software?
This list provides a comprehensive overview of the best social media management tools on the market today. The platforms feature in-depth content calendars, marketing tools, social media analytics, and a user-friendly interface. To find the best solution for you, establish a budget, understand your team’s needs, and choose a social media management solution that serves your priorities.
Why is social media management important?
Social media marketing is a labor-intensive, ongoing process. To make headway, you need to consistently post high-quality content that speaks to your audience’s needs and interests. It requires attention and organization for the long-haul. Social media management empowers you with data to improve your content, and social media software saves you time while enhancing the quality and quantity of the content you produce.
Find the Best Social Media Management Tools for You
While 82% of companies agree that social media is an important component of business growth, only 58% currently have a defined social media strategy. What’s up with that?
Whether you’re a solopreneur with a small cult following, a mid-sized business with a remote team, a social media marketing agency with a lengthy client roster, or a global enterprise with offices across the world, social media is a powerful tool to grow your business. It’s time to start taking it seriously, and the first step forward is choosing a social media management software to help you along the way.
To learn more about social media marketing, don’t miss these articles from our subject matter experts:
How to Refine Your Social Media Marketing Strategy
Using Social Media Marketing Automation to Work Smarter
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