5 social media tools I'm thankful for
Social media tools pop up daily. Many overpromise and under deliver. In an effort to sweep the disappointment away, I present you with 5 social media tools that won't leave you wanting more. These tools will revolutionize the way you do social for your brand while all on a shoestring budget.
1. Hootsuite
Hootsuite, you are the gravy to my mashed potatoes, the Cool Whip to my pumpkin pie. You complete me and I'm lost without you. Constantly open on my browser, Hootsuite helps me manage multiple accounts at one time. I primarily use it for Twitter (I don't believe Hootsuite has mastered functionality for the other social outlets), but it is so good at Twitter that I can look past any shortcomings with other platforms. There are two functions of Hootsuite that I love. The first is its incredible scheduling feature that clearly lays out messages from all accounts. This view allows you to easily identify typos at a glance. The second feature is its keyword and hashtag streams. I love this feature for when I'm in my #RaganSocial chat on Wednesdays. With it, I never miss a tweet. Add Hootsuite to your social armada, you won't be sorry.
2. Tweepi
Is your Twitter home feed spammed with daily deals and nonsensical commentary? Ready to do something about it? Good, now go get Tweepi. With multiple features, it allows you to review your Twitter accounts and see who is following you, who you are following, and those who may not be following back. A pet peeve of mine is following someone who is like-minded and has relevant content to my own, but does not follow back. Tweepi lets me find these social divas and quickly remove them from my social realm. If you are overwhelmed with Twitter clutter and desperately need a moment of digital Zen, Tweepi is for you. Now you can find the content on Twitter that really matters.
3. Mention
One element of social success is tracking down whenever anyone is talking about you. Mention is my go-to for making sure I don't miss any opportunities to engage. It scours the web for conversations about you and doesn't limit results to social. There could be a site that mentions your brand that you or the almighty Google Alerts may have missed. Knowing where the conversation is happening is half the battle in social media, and Mention arms you with the ability to find it now.
4. Cloze
This is a relatively new tool for me, but I can already tell this is one I will be using daily. Think Klout, but good. Seriously though, Klout is great in theory, but the meddling of advertisers and shoddy algorithms makes it less than desirable. Cloze provides you with a metric of influence AND actually explains what your score means. While that's all great and dandy, it's not why I like this tool. My favorite part is that it actively seeks out influencers for you and identifies them. Looking to make an impression through influencer marketing? Looking to press abort on Klout? Then think Cloze.
5. Reddit
Hold the criticism. I know this isn't traditionally viewed as a social media tool, but that's a narrow view of its true value and potential. I use Reddit to generate unique content for my other platforms. As the self-quipped "Front page of the Internet," with a close eye, you can provide your followers with content that hasn't even hit most areas of the internet yet. If you find the right subreddits to follow, you can truly set your content apart from your competitors.
5 social media tools takeaway
In honor of the holiday, I'm thankful for anything that makes my job more enjoyable. These 5 social media tools have allowed me to worry less about the mechanics and actually participate in the parts I love, the conversations. What 5 social media tools are you thankful for? Happy Thanksgiving!