Do you ever look at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest or Google Plus and get completely overwhelmed? You’re not alone. We can’t even name all of the social media platforms without having to stop and catch our breath. Even the most established marketing pros would admit, that social media management is no easy task. But, we do have a few tricks up our sleeves to make managing and tracking the content on all of your platforms a little bit easier. Whether you are a new business or new to social media, we have a few suggestions that may help you kick-start or better manage your digital presence.

Try four of our favorite social media tools to help you better manage your accounts.

1. Facebook Scheduled Post

If you have a Facebook page for your business then you have the ability to schedule your posts. Try taking a moment to plan your social media content for the week. Write out all of your posts and gather their accompanying visuals. Choose what days and times you want them to populate and then get to work scheduling. Write the post in Facebook; click the drop down arrow on the blue ‘post’ button, then click ‘schedule post.’

Maybe not as simple as 1, 2, 3 but if you do this at the beginning of every week you will quickly get the hang of it.

2. TweetDeck

TweetDeck is our favorite Twitter management tool. You can automate your posts, set up notifications and alerts, track activity of specified individuals and so much more. There are several sites that allow you to do things similar to TweetDeck, the main one being Hootsuite. You can’t go wrong with either one, so check both out and see which platform you have an easier time navigating.

3. LaterGram

LaterGram is one of the only free Instagram tools that allows you to schedule your posts. But even still, you can’t 100% automate your content with this app. LaterGram is more like a friendly tap on the shoulder, reminding you to post on a specific day at a specific time. Much like Facebook, you upload your content and choose the day and time you would like for it to appear. When the time comes, you will get an alert on your phone. All you have to do is open the post in Instagram (LaterGram will prompt you to do this) and the picture and verbiage will automatically populate!   Click share and you’re good to go!

4. Bit.ly

Bitly is a tool that will help your track your social media posts. Commonly known as the go to source to shorten your super long URL links, Bitly is so much more than that. Media professionals use this tool to watch the performance of their clients posts. Companies find freelancers and agencies so important not only because they help to create and post their content, but because they also come back with reports and statistics to help their business grow. With Bitly you can track how many people are clicking on your link, where they are coming from, what posts they are engaged with and much more. It is vital to understand your audience. Try watching some tutorials on bit.ly to continue to learn how it can help your business.

Automating posts are great. It is a sure fire way to make sure that all of your platforms have consistent content without having to stop two to three times a day to post across all of your platforms. But, it is not the answer to social media strategy. Social media is more than just posting on Facebook and Twitter. It is about interacting with your target audience, listening to what they want, and creating a trustworthy brand. Automating is no substitute for being actively engaged. But, it does ensure your company or organization has a consistent social media presence.

If you would like help with turning your social media into a platform with more engaging content, please email us at info@theburnetteagency.com or contact us here.