If content is king, then social media is queen. Social media posts and content marketing go hand in hand, a dynamic duo where each supports the other’s initiatives. To drive your social media and content marketing strategy, the right social media management tools can help you stay on track and move forward.
Tools can help with every aspect of your social media management, from finding the perfect keyword to developing and publishing LinkedIn content to analyzing and reporting on your Facebook ad campaigns. They can help you learn more about your existing audience, find new niche audiences, and connect with an influencer in your market.
For every task, there’s a tool. Which ones will bring the most value to you? Here’s our round-up of the best social media management secret weapons for small businesses and enterprises.
Contents
Why You Need Social Media Management Software
Best Social Media Management Tools for SMBs
Best Social Media Management Tools for Enterprise
Free Social Media Management Tools
Are Some Social Media Management Tools Designed for Specific Platforms?
FAQ: Social Media Management Tools
Try Meltwater's Social Media Management Tool Today
Why You Need Social Media Management Software
Social media management is a complex ecosystem, one that’s tough to navigate by hand. Part of the reason is that the landscape has grown so large. As of 2023, more than 4.76 billion people worldwide use at least one social media channel, a number that’s expected to reach almost 6 billion by 2027. The number of social platforms also continues to grow. The more ground to cover, the harder it is for team members to keep managing social media manually.
Much like using a GPS to get you where you need to go quickly and efficiently, social media software can accomplish similar goals.
Brands need to learn the unique intricacies of each channel, including the brand-growing features available to them. They also need to create content for each channel – what works for Pinterest might not translate well to LinkedIn, for example. And then there’s the chore of finding the right times to post content on all your social media platforms (and remembering to post!), responding to comments, and measuring your results.
Social media managers can hand off these and other tasks to social media management software. Purpose-built social media management tools like the Meltwater social media management solution reduce the workload on social media managers so they can dedicate more time and resources to strategy. Plus, as you grow, your tools will scale with you.
Tip: Take a look at the best brand management software, platforms, and tools to ensure your brand is always on point.
Best Social Media Management Tools for SMBs
While automation and social media analytics software is often thought to be reserved for larger companies, small businesses can take advantage of social media management tools, too. Lighten the workload, improve social engagement, and share on-brand content flawlessly. Here are our top picks for the best social media management tools for small businesses:
Meltwater
The Meltwater social media engagement platform is designed with a social-first mindset. It lets brands schedule posts, engage with influencers and other social communities, and measure analytics across all their social networks.
Key features
- Customizable workflows making post approvals seamless
- Track performance metrics from one place, making strategic changes based on engagement numbers easy and quick
- Intuitive content scheduling for all your accounts
Price: Meltwater offers custom pricing. !
Best for: Combining social management with powerful social listening tools
👍 Customer testimonial for Meltwater
"We plan our content per quarter, so it's great for planning all our communication over all platforms. We also use the Engage part almost every day. It helps us keeping track of our goals and gives great insights." (Source)
With a central anchor to unite your team and your cross-channel social media strategy, enterprises can keep everyone on the same page and never miss an opportunity. Companies can engage in social listening across the most popular social media networks in the West (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc.) and the East.
But, what really differentiates Meltwater from the other names on this list is the ability to listen across traditional media networks (Broadcast, online news, blogs, forums, etc.) in addition to the social media networks so that brands can get the full picture of how consumers are talking about them.
By integrating the needs of PR, marketing, and social media teams, Meltwater is the ideal platform for teams looking to improve collaboration -- not only simplify social media scheduling and community management.
If you'd like to get a free tour of our Meltwater Social Media Management Platform, fill out the form at the bottom of this post.
Hootsuite
Hootsuite works across multiple social media platforms, including LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest, offering a high-level view from a single dashboard.
Key features
- Bulk scheduling and post review
- Image asset management
- Follow brand mentions and gain real-time insights
Price: Plans start at $99 / month and there is a free trial available
Best for: Managing social all in one place with a centralized inbox and easy to use dashboards
👍 Customer testimonial for Hootsuite
"I have used Hootsuite since launching my company in 2012. Social media is a rapidly changing entity with new platforms coming, and older ones changing or going defunct. Throughout all this continual turmoil, Hootsuite has been a constant, evolving along with the changing social media landscape." (Source)
One of the biggest names in social media management, Hootsuite automates your social schedule so you can worry less about posting.
Statusbrew
One of the most flexible tools in social media management, Statusbrew helps teams organize publishing, engagement, and reporting in one place, especially across multiple brands, regions, or clients.
Key features
- Centralized inbox for comments, DMs, and ad replies
- Create custom dashboards and analyze performance using 250+ KPIs
- Set up automation rules to assign messages, hide spam, and apply labels
Pricing: Four plans are available, starting at $69 / month (billed annually). There is also a 14-day free trial
Best for: A customizable social management solution, ideal for managing multiple brands and accounts
👍 Customer testimonial for Statusbrew
"Its easy-to-use interface and strong teamwork capabilities have become a hit within our customer-facing organisations. We especially appreciate the fact that we can allocate conversations, leave internal notes, and solve tickets and never leave the dashboard." (Source)
Statusbrew supports Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, YouTube, Google My Business, and more, with features tailored for teams that need structured access and reporting at scale. You can also monitor keywords, mentions, and competitor activity across these networks.
MeetEdgar
Small businesses that don’t have a full copywriting team will love the AI power of MeetEdgar. You can connect all of your social profiles to the platform and schedule posts ahead of time.
Key features
- Automated scheduling and content management
- Evergreen content categorization
- Multi-platform management
Price: MeetEdgar has two main plans, starting at $24.91/mo
Best for: Automating social management
👍 Customer testimonial for MeetEdgar
"I love that I can schedule my posts to social media in an organized way without actually being on the platform. It helps minimize distractions and get my content organized into categories and dates that make the most sense for me." (Source)
The social media tool will automatically scrape your blog for new content and post it on your behalf. And if you’re not an expert copywriter, MeetEdgar’s AI can generate several caption variations on your behalf and let you choose the best one.
Zoho Social
One of the best CRMs also features dedicated social media tools. Zoho Social differentiates itself from other scheduling tools with advanced features like CRM integrations, Facebook lead ads, and advanced custom reporting.
Key features
- Unified inbox and multiple listening columns in one place
- Visual content calendar and optimal post-time predictions
- Custom reports
Price: Multiple plans for both businesses and agencies are available, as well as a free plan for individuals. Business plans start at $10/mo, while agency plans start at $230/mo.
Best for: Managing multiple brands across multiple social platforms and real-time social interactions
👍 Customer testimonial for Zoho Social
"What I like best about Zoho Social is how simple and reliable it is for everyday social media management. The centralized dashboard makes scheduling, publishing, and monitoring incredibly easy, even for new users. The content calendar view is especially helpful for planning ahead, and the collaboration and approval features keep everyone aligned without added complexity." (Source)
Create visual content pipelines to find gaps in your content marketing. Stay tuned into users’ conversations to monitor your brand mentions and reputation. Most importantly, learn more about your audience so you can continue to create social posts that connect with them.
Tip: See other alternatives to Zoho Social.
Hopper HQ
Thanks to its emphasis on simplicity and ease of use, Hopper HQ is ideal for small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) who want to optimize and automate their social media marketing.
Key features
- Multi-account collaboration from one dashboard
- Visual planning calendar and automated publishing
- Built-in analytics
Price: Hopper HQ has two plans available, billed annually: Grow ($5/mo) and Scale ($10/mo)
Best for: Small teams that need to automate key parts of their social management
👍 Customer testimonial for Hopper HQ
"HopperHQ has a user-friendly interface and robust scheduling capabilities, making planning and posting content across multiple social media platforms remarkably simple. I like the visual calendar and drag-and-drop features, which let me organize posts effortlessly for different social media platforms." (Source)
You’ll have available the expected scheduling and auto posting features, as well as an array of AI-powered tools, including automated image resizing and smart caption creation, designed to make content creation as effortless as possible.
With features like bulk scheduling and CSV upload, Hopper HQ ensures that businesses can maintain a consistent online presence across all social media channels. Additionally, it's visual Instagram grid planner and dynamic social media calendar aid in planning and publishing posts to always have an aesthetically pleasing Instagram feed that fits your branding.
Social Champ
With its easy-to-use dashboard, Social Champ differentiates itself as the industry's leading social media management platform. The feature-rich tool allows you to create, post, and schedule content on 11 major social media platforms.
Key features
- Easy team collaboration features for responding to comments
- Unified dashboard for scheduling across multiple platforms
- Social listening tools for monitoring mentions and sentiment
Price: Three main plans available, starting at $4/mo all the way up to custom pricing for enterprises. There is also a free plan for individuals.
Best for: Small to medium-sized businesses looking to efficiently manage their social media presence and scale their strategies
👍 Customer testimonial for Social Champ
"I love how simple and easy-to-use Social Champ is. Scheduling posts is super convenient, and the multi-platform support makes it effortless to manage all my social media accounts in one place. The analytics feature is a nice bonus, helping me track performance and make better content decisions." (Source)
Beyond scheduling features, the tool has a lot to offer, such as Social Listening, Social Inbox, Team Collaboration, Bulk Upload, in-depth Social Media Analytics, Champ AI Suite (exclusively powered by ChatGPT), and much more.
Birdeye Social AI
Birdeye Social AI is a comprehensive social media management platform, ideal for the complex needs of multi-location businesses.
Key features
- One-click posting to multiple social media accounts
- Monitor brand mentions and competitor posts across platforms
- Targeted suggestions for each account
Price: Contact for specific price information on their three main plans
Best for: Combining social media management with AI-powered features for maximizing engagement
👍 Customer testimonial for Birdeye
"The platform is very direct and has the ability to view all important information in one location for multiple properties, making it a time-saving program." (Source)
Birdeye enables businesses to create, publish, schedule, engage, and manage multiple accounts from a centralized dashboard. The tool also offers AI-driven features, including content ideas, automated post generation, media suggestions, and competitor tracking.
Best Social Media Management Tools for Enterprise
Larger companies have bigger needs when it comes to social media management. Teams are usually larger, responsibilities are often spread between multiple users, and the brand’s stakes are much higher.
For more robust social strategies, here’s a look at our favorite social media management tools:
Oktopost
Oktopost is a user-friendly social media management tool specifically geared toward B2B brands. Teams can plan, approve, and schedule posts directly within the platform, discover content ideas, and increase productivity.
Key features
- Centralized calendar with approval workflows
- Monitor conversations and track engagement from a shared inbox
- Analytics to tie social activity to business outcomes
Price: Customized quotes available. Contact through the form on their website for price information
Best for: In depth reporting to help strategize and improve ROI
👍 Customer testimonial for Oktopost
"Super intuitive on every front, from publishing and moderating and even in building out reporting. Very robust platform for brands to easily manage all accounts and activate employees." (Source)
It also includes a built-in employee advocacy platform that makes it easy to share company content on their personal social profiles. Oktopost integrates with some of the leading marketing technology, including Salesforce, Bitly, HubSpot, and Zapier.
Sprout Social
Sprout Social offers an all-in-one management tool across multiple social networks. Publish, schedule, and report all from a single place.
Key features
- Smart Inbox with conversation history, keyword tracking, and comment moderation tools
- Integrated content calendar for published across multiple accounts
- Reporting tools that help with benchmarking trends and improving performance
Price: Four plans available starting at $199/mo, billed annually. A free trial is also available
Best for: Establishing efficient workflows and incorporating social monitoring into social management
👍 Customer testimonial for Sprout Social
"Integrating the chat feature with users through the fanpage is really convenient. This helps me easily interact and support customers right on the platform they frequently use." (Source)
Sprout Social users can also track campaign performance, respond to audience messages, and easily assign tasks across your team to maximize each person’s time. Take advantage of a free trial and test all of its cool features.
HubSpot
HubSpot is a user-friendly tool with robust features. Part marketing platform, part CRM and, HubSpot help sales and marketing team members bridge the gap so they can work toward common goals.
Key features
- AI-assisted content suggestions
- Keyword alerts and automated emails for quick action
- Centralized inbox for managing multiple accounts and leads at once
Price: Two main plans available, starting at $800/mo
Best for: Empowering sales teams, content ideation and AI-powered optimization for post times, hashtags, and copy
👍 Customer testimonial for HubSpot
"What I appreciate most about HubSpot Marketing Hub is the seamless integration of its features including email, social, ads, automation, and reporting are all conveniently located in one platform. This setup saves me a significant amount of time." (Source)
Create and manage your content, generate inbound leads that are qualified and scored for your sales team, and easily compare results and ROI across all of your channels.
When you build marketing campaigns based on your CRM data on HubSpot, you can use the same insights, enhanced by the power of HubSpot AI for social media. With HubSpot’s Social Media Management software, you can integrate all your social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter). Furthermore, you can even link your blog to social media within HubSpot to post links to new blog posts on social media as soon as the blog goes live.
Khoros
Formerly Spredfast, Khoros goes beyond core social media capabilities to improve every digital interaction.
Key features
- Collaborative planning from a single calendar
- Central engagement workspace
- Social listening capabilities for tracking sentiment trends and brand mentions
Price: Request a demo for more information
Best for: Centralizing teams and honing workflows for optimal social management
👍 Customer testimonial for Khoros
"Khoros is userfriendly, you will see which social media customers are using to contact you, also it provides all the details about customer's account and also you can save notes." (Source)
It centralizes your social media posts to promote better collaboration, get insights into what’s working and what’s not, and makes it easy to shift your strategy when needed. Enterprise-level governance features help you control access and posting restrictions to protect your brand.
Visme
Visme’s all-in-one design tool & social media scheduler is a powerful platform for nonprofessional designers and social media managers. From its initial concept to design, approval, scheduling, and publishing, Visme streamlines your process to save time and money.
Key features
- Design social media graphics for multiple platforms
- Centralized publishing calendar
- Brand management workflows
Price: Four plans available, starting with a free plan and going up to custom pricing for Enterprise. Their most popular plan is the customizable Pro plan, starting at $24.75 / mo / person.
Best for: Creating, scheduling, and publishing visually appealing social media posts
👍 Customer testimonial for Visme
"I am able to use my imagination to the limit. It has a diverse set of models and frameworks I can employ for my business, I have created four different projects, and I feel they are cutting edge." (Source)
Visme centralizes social media content creation and management. Start by choosing the right templates for your content. Visme’s social media calendar helps you pre-plan your content goals for posting beautifully branded visuals. With Visme’s easy-to-follow social media content scheduler, you can do bulk scheduling for auto-posting.
Using Visme’s AI, you can create stunningly crafted visual content for Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and more within Visme’s dashboard. The collaborative feature of Visme allows you to share your work with your team for further edits and incorporate feedback before you hit ‘publish’.
Free Social Media Management Tools
Got a business on a budget? There are tons of free social media tools that can help you jumpstart your strategy. In addition to the options above, we’ve picked out some of our favorite tools that don’t cost a cent.
Agorapulse
While Agorapulse is not technically free, the feature-rich social media management tool offers a free plan with limited features.
Key features
- AI assistants to streamline your workflow
- Easily shareable reports
- Reporting dashboard
Its suite of modules includes publishing, inbox management, monitoring, and a reporting dashboard to help you gain a comprehensive grasp of your social strategy. With its free version, you get one user seat and can connect up to three social platforms at once.
Tip: See more alternatives to Agorapulse.
Followerwonk
Followerwonk is a must-have real-time analytics tool to learn more about your audience. The tool digs into Twitter bios to find your most engaged fans.
Key features
- Audience analytics
- Influencer discovery
- Competitive insights
These are the people you’re creating content for – not the many followers that never like, share, or comment on your posts. By learning more about your most active audience members, you can build on your successes and compare your relationships to your competitors.
Canva
Creating professional-looking content for social media can be quite an undertaking, especially if you don’t have a designer’s eye. Canva takes care of the bulk of this problem with its suite of easy-to-use design tools.
Key features
- Easy to use templates
- Image asset library
- Create visually appealing social images
Social media pros can import images and use pre-defined templates to craft stunning imagery to headline their content. Add captions, decorate the image with shapes and lines, change colors, and apply filters in seconds. Then, use your visual content to add interest to your social media profiles and posts. Canva also doubles as your image asset library by automatically saving all of your creations.
Are Some Social Media Management Tools Designed for Specific Platforms?
Maybe you don’t need all the bells and whistles of the above social media software tools. Maybe you’re not investing in multiple social media accounts because you've got a solid foundation on just one platform. We’ve got you covered there, too.
Meet our top picks for platform-specific social media software:
Instagram Management Service SnoopReport
Twitter Management Tool TweetDeck
Tailwind for Pinterest and Instagram
Instagram Management Service SnoopReport
Curious to learn more about your followers and who they’re following? Consider SnoopReport, your new favorite Instagram management service. You can see what someone likes and who they follow on Instagram – perfect for a little IG spying on your competitors. This is a great way to discover influencers in your niche and even competitors you didn’t know you had.
Twitter Management Tool TweetDeck
One of our favorite Twitter management tools, TweetDeck is a must for any brand on Twitter. Use this tool for real-time tracking and engagement so you can take part in live conversations.
Tailwind for Pinterest and Instagram
One of the best social media tools for Pinterest and Instagram, Tailwind takes social media publishing to new heights. Tailwind is equal parts content creation, social publishing, and post optimizing. It turns photos and images into professional designs in seconds – zero design skills required.
It optimizes the size of each image for the right platform and device so each piece of content looks perfect as soon as it’s posted. Plus, you can automate scheduling, find high-performing hashtags, connect with content creators in other Tailwind communities, and create shoppable feeds, all from within the platform.
FAQ: Social Media Management Tools
What are social media management tools?
Social media management tools are platforms that help individuals and teams plan, publish, manage, and analyze content across multiple social networks. A main benefit of these tools is that they typically utilize one central dashboard from which content creation, publishing, and responding to messages can be handled. Several social management platforms also including social listening and reporting capabilities.
What features should a good social media management tool have?
A strong social media management tool should support scheduling and publishing across all major social platforms. They should have a centralized content calendar, a unified inbox, and approval workflows to support busy teams and optimize social strategy. Those that offer analytics and reporting as well help users measure performance and share results with key stakeholders. Many tools now include integrations or AI-powered features to improve efficiency and insights.
How are social media management tools different from social monitoring tools?
Social media management tools focus on publishing, scheduling, engagement, and reporting for owned social accounts. Social monitoring tools, on the other hand, are designed to track conversations, mentions, and trends across the wider social and online media landscape, including posts not directly tied to a brand’s accounts. While some platforms combine both capabilities, monitoring tools are typically more listening and insight-driven, whereas management tools are execution-focused.
Try Meltwater's Social Media Management Tool Today
This is just the tip of the iceberg of all the available social media management tools, but it’s a great place to start. For more insight on how Meltwater can support your social strategy, reach out today!
