The best social media tools for 2016 are here! We’ve compiled a list of the best tools out there. Click to learn more about these top-rated tools and how to use them.
Whether you’re managing your own social media presence or a client’s, your social media management arsenal needs the best tools. The right tools can make all the difference when it comes to your reach and engagement on social media. To help you grow and optimize your presence on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn and more, we’ve compiled a list of the best social media management tools available in 2016.
Table of Contents
Best Social Media Tools 2016
1. Best All Around: TrueSocialMetrics
Started in 2012, TrueSocialMetrics helps businesses dive deeper into social media analytics. With this particular tool, companies can witness which platforms are successful and which platforms need refocusing. Some of TrueSocialMetrics’ highlights:
• Examine trends and customer engagement easily across one dashboard.
• Compare industry standards with your social media performance.
• Analyze content posted across platforms to observe which topics triggered conversation or post sharing.
• Free 30-day trial.
2. Best Dashboard: Locowise
Another great 2016 social media tool includes Locowise. This comprehensive tool offers companies a way to monitor social media outreach and track engagement alongside competitors. More attributes Locowise offers businesses are:
• In-depth hashtag analysis.
• Predicts engagement of future posts from previous published content.
• Quick customer support.
• Free 14-day trial.
3. Best Analytics Platform: Brandwatch
Need to track real-time conversations about your brand? Want to delegate social media posts to notify different departments of your organization? Brandwatch might be the best 2016 social media tool for you. Other features this social media tool incorporates:
• Highly flexible and collaborative interface for users.
• Analyzes events and campaigns in real-time.
• Offers different analytic plans for different business sizes.
Best Social Media Publishing Tool
4. Best Social Media Management: Sprout Social
Sprout Social offers clients to publish posts on multiple social media outlets through a planned content calendar. Additionally, Sprout Social provides social media analytics visually through graphs and charts, allowing subscribers to easily observe trends. Other characteristics of Sprout Social include:
• Measure social performance across all social media platforms seamlessly.
• Smart Inbox feature brings all social media messages into one tab.
• Demonstrate ROI with social media analytics and stress-free reports.
• Free 30-day trial.
5. Best Instagram Insights: Iconosquare
This social media management tool gives insight into your Instagram platform. From the amount of lost followers to the spread rate, the statistic of how many likes received from non-followers, Iconosquare offers subscribers essential understandings of their Instagram accounts. More excellent features from this best social media tool of 2016 include:
• The total amount of comments and Likes received.
• Talk rate, which calculates how many followers comment your media.
• Love rate, which shows followers engagement on how much they liked your posts.
6. Best Content Creator with Management: Buffers
Buffers allows consumers to schedule posts on a content calendar with ease. Individuals and businesses can set up 100 posts at a time in the launch queue. Recently, Buffer acquired Respondly, a customer service monitoring tool, for company support. Additional features are:
• Shortens links that are posted on social media accounts.
• Create images with personalized fonts and filters to directly post onto social media accounts.
• Mobile app capability to add or edit posts anywhere.
types of social media tools
1. Social audio platforms and formats
Examples: Clubhouse, Twitter Spaces, Spotify
Used for: Listening to live conversations on specific topics.
How your business can use them: New social audio platforms (like Clubhouse) and formats (like Twitter Spaces) have thrived during COVID-19 lockdowns while people have been at home with more time to join live conversations.
The most significant advantage of audio social media platforms and formats is the high attention and engagement you’re likely to get from opt-in listeners.
Lively, engaging conversations can help you build your image as a leader in your niche and introduce your business or products to valuable audiences already interested in topics related to your niche (otherwise, they wouldn’t be tuning in).
Here are some thought starters for using audio social media platforms:
- Host industry panels.
- Broadcast news and big announcements.
- Host interactive sessions (such as AMAs) with your audience.
- Record interviews during a live Clubhouse/Twitter Spaces chat and upload them as a podcast (example: The Social Media Geekout show).
- Build your business’ thought leadership through a 30-60 minute show.
Matt Navarra does a great job of combining Twitter Spaces AND podcasts:
We got you covered. Checkout: @SpaceCastsPod
We record and upload our twitter spaces sessions to this podcast feed each week.
Todays edition will be up in the next day or so
— Matt Navarra (@MattNavarra) July 16, 2021
2. Video social media platforms and formats
Examples: YouTube, TikTok, Instagram Stories and Reels, Facebook Watch
Used for: Watching videos in short and long formats.
How your business can use them: Video social media platforms are great for capturing attention, driving brand awareness, and bringing products to life in a way that still photos can’t.
Any video content that you publish should be designed to entertain, educate, and/or inspire your audience. Videos made purely to sell aren’t going to engage viewers.
Some of the best examples of businesses using video social media platforms are:
- Ryanair on TikTok — highly entertaining, show a good understanding of the humor and nuances of TikTok users.
- Notion on YouTube — creates educational content that’s both helpful and inspiring for its users.
- Beautiful Destinations on Instagram Reels — provides travel inspiration through short, professionally shot clips.
3. Disappearing content formats
Examples: Snapchat, Instagram Stories, Facebook Stories, LinkedIn Stories
Used for: Sending ephemeral messages privately and publishing timely, in-the-moment content for all of your followers to view for up to 24 hours.
Bonus: Read the step-by-step social media strategy guide with pro tips on how to grow your social media presence.Get the free guide right now!
How your business can use them: Ephemeral formats like Stories are well-suited for posting timely content, such as announcements, limited edition items, or live events.
Most Stories and Snapchat content also feels more genuine and less polished due to the 24-hour shelf life. As such, it allows businesses to show a more human side.
Here are some ideas for how your business can use disappearing content:
- Polls, voting (using interactive Stories stickers)
- Teasers/countdowns to product launches
- Behind-the-scenes content
- Time-sensitive announcements
A great example is from one of my favorite local bakers, who posts their weekly specials on their Instagram Stories.
Source: Instagram
4. Discussion forums
Examples: Reddit, Quora
Used for: Asking and answering questions, networking, forming communities around niche- and interest-based topics.
How your business can use them: Be genuinely helpful to your customers by lending your business’ subject matter expertise and answering questions related to your industry. Bonus points if you can share information about your brand and products in your answers, but that shouldn’t be your primary goal of participating in discussion forums.
One thing to note: On Reddit, it’s highly frowned upon to insert any self-promotion into answers. If you’re posting as a business, make sure to answer the original question and only add links to your products if they’re genuinely helpful. Before posting in a subreddit, check the rules to verify if including links to your own business is allowed.
While Microsoft didn’t create the /r/XboxOne subreddit, once they saw how popular it was, they started engaging with Redditors by hosting AMA sessions with game developers.
Source: Reddit
5. Shoppable social media platforms and features
Examples: Pinterest Product Pins, Facebook Shops, Instagram Shops, TikTok, Shopify, Douyin, Taobao
Used for: Researching and purchasing products from brands directly through social media platforms.
How your business can use them: Take advantage of built-in mobile-friendly features to allow your audience to purchase from you without having to leave a social media app.
Features like Pinterest Product Pins, Instagram Shops, and TikTok’s in-app shopping allow you to connect your product catalog directly to your profile on each app.
Even if your followers don’t like to make purchases on social media platforms or have longer buyer journeys, shopping features can allow you to tag products, add additional product info and drive traffic to your website.
Some great ways to use shopping social media platforms:
- Limited edition drops, e.g., announcing an exclusive product launch on social media and linking or tagging the product via your product catalog
- Social selling
- E-commerce (many social media platforms have e-commerce integrations, such as Shopify, which you can access directly from your Hootsuite dashboard)
- Retargeting, e.g., creating custom audiences based on who has engaged with your Facebook/Instagram Shops
You can also host live shopping events on social media. Livestream shopping has become a huge market in China, encouraging platforms like Instagram to introduce Live Shopping.
Conclusion
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