If you want to see how your company grows and generates a community around your brand, we recommend that you read this interesting article.
Currently, thanks to the Internet, the world is totally connected to each other, we have all the information at our fingertips and absolutely all the impact that an event or event can generate is measured by the reactions that are created on the network. This means that companies are obliged to manage social networks and expand their reach on the largest number of potential users who can purchase their products or services.
One of the clearest examples can be found on Facebook and Instagram, which currently have a purchasing system.
How to choose the right tool?
In general, social media management platforms start from the same base. All allow to publish on different networks and manage communities. However, the differences between one application and another begin to notice when we must use functionalities focused on strategy and decision-making.
Access to statistical account performance data and its publications is one of the most important variables when choosing a tool. This is why we have to consider both the quality of the data obtained by the platforms and the display options they offer. Since this information must be of value for the execution of our strategy.
If the tool does not allow us to carry out our work in a better way, makes it difficult for us to manage time, is not friendly with our audiovisual resources, and does not help us obtain valuable information; then it is not the tool we need.
These are the essential elements to keep in mind when choosing your next social media management tool.
Identify and prioritize your needs
Before you start searching for an application, you will need to find out why you are searching for it. Much of the time, if something can’t be done directly from the same network, a third-party app isn’t going to change that. Most of what they do is make this process easier or more efficient. So make sure you know what the channel’s own tools do, so you don’t go looking to cure all your problems.
What do you hope to achieve with Social Media? More sales? More prospects? More and better employees? A combination of these? Focus on what you really want to do with social media, and what it will do will help you where to start more easily. Also, think about what kind of value you want to add to the communities you want to get involved with.
Set a budget
This step may be the first (especially if you know you don’t have huge assets), second, or somewhere else in the process. Then come the identification and prioritization of why you need a new tool. There is a wide variety of costs for applications, (from zero to thousands of dollars per month). Knowing your needs will help you determine your budget. If you’re able to figure out roughly how much of your time you’re wasting finding topic results and how they might be solved by an app, it will help you determine if an app is worth its price. Keep in mind that your budget could change if you find an application that meets your expectations.
Start exploring
With Google, it will be a good place to start, make sure you are using the correct terminology in the description. If you can’t find what you need, try to go from the most specific to the more general concepts, and vice versa. Search blogs on social networks and dig deeper. There are a lot of platforms that are not very well known, Kontentino compared to Hootsuite, and searching for these can greatly gain an edge over the competition.
Classify your options
Once you have a list of all the options that meet your top needs, they start by sorting them by the number of things they address, the convenience, the learning curve, the reputation, special features, customer service, and everything that is important for you. Once you have narrowed down your list, go to the apps that have the best options and ask for a demo. With this type of demos, you will not have to compromise your budget until you are sure that it meets your needs. If your favorite options are free, then you can go ahead and start testing them and see what’s best for your process. But if you have to pay for the new tool, go to step five.
Evaluate
Done, you have already reviewed among all the options, you have a demo and you have concluded that it is the best for you. It is time to pay. But before you do, be sure to check your initial needs and your budget. Make sure that the application meets all your needs in such a way that it is worth investing in. Estimate how much time or money you can save (or earn), and compare it to what it would be to pay. If you are sure it is for you, evaluate this investment often, and be sure to always keep an eye on the entire competitive environment, to see if it is a better (or cheaper) option.
If you can’t find the right one, seek alternatives
In the absence of platforms that are capable of meeting all technical and practical requirements; many times we are obliged to combine the use of different management platforms. This for both content management and obtaining performance statistics.
Conclusion:
Finally, there is no magic formula for choosing the right social media tools for your business. It is different for each environment and company. But by knowing where you want to go, start in stages and build in time and not be afraid to experiment. You will be on the right track.
