Brooke BallardAs a Community Manager (CMGR) it can be difficult to keep up with daily tasks of one online community, much less several!
Thankfully, we CMGRs have the luxury of using social media management tools to help us with our day-to-day activities, and even help some of us grow.
And while there are practically a million and one tools you can choose from when it comes to social media management, there are four that are absolutely dominating the social sphere right now.
Can you guess which ones they are?
Our friend Ian Anderson Gray of Seriously Social recently wrote a post about these four standout social tools.
And while I wasn’t surprised about some of the top contenders, there were actually a few very surprising finds!
Ian used information from G2Crowd, which is a leading industry review site for users by users.
What does that mean to you?
Well, it means this isn’t some arbitrary list. It means users who are actually users of these tools rated these sites.
And that, my friends, is hard to come by.
Best 2015 Social Media Mangement Tools Infographic
Infographic brought to you by Seriously Social and G2 Crowd
What was the scoring methodology?
Ian looked at 8 factors:
- User satisfaction. Winner: AgoraPulse.
- Product direction (meaning the software’s ability to meet the latest trends and features). Winner: Agorapulse.
- Easy-to-learn (maintenance). Winner: Sprout Social.
- Support. Winner: AgoraPulse
- Usability (ease-of-use and improve productivity). Winner: Sprout Social.
- Meet requirements (ability to meet business needs). Winner: AgoraPulse
- Market presence. Winner: Hootsuite.
How does pricing come into play?
Hootsuite led the smallest investment to get started while Sprout Social rounded out at the highest priced platform.
Why should this matter to CMGRs?
Having used all of the platforms listed in this infographic other than Sendible, I can honestly say that businesses and CMGRs need to do their homework when it comes to using social media management tools.
Early in my career, Hootsuite made the most sense as it was the most “popular” and my boss at the time was cheap and didn’t fully understand the value of investing in tools that could help with productivity.
In my own opinion, Hootsuite met my needs when I was just starting out, but I would later find that it was clunky and not as intuitive as Sprout Social.
Sprout Social was the next social media management tool I turned to.
I have been with this Sprout for over four years, and they have been wonderful for me, my team, and our clients.
[Sprout Social is great at surprising and delighting customers — just check out my recently delivered Sprout swag]
Recently, as a writer for AgoraPulse, I started to dive into the platform and how it works.
I know what you’re asking … if I’m so happy with Sprout, why bother?
Again, what works for me now may not work for our team as we grow.
And it’s my job as a savvy business owner to make sure I’m getting my needs met (#6 on the list), increasing productivity for our team (#5 on the list) and doing all of these things with the most bang for my buck.
When is the last time you checked out a tool in comparison to the one you’re using now?
If it’s been over six months, my suggestion is to GET TESTING.
Nearly every platform listed has some sort of free trial … so you’ve got no excuse when it comes to taking a look at what’s out there!
Start with the clear winner, AgoraPulse, and then try Sprout, Hootsuite, or Sendible.
You can bet I’ll be checking out Sendible as a possible platform for B Squared Media and our team of talented CMGRs.
Find The Right Solution For YOU
It’s my belief that you can’t know what you’re missing until you try it.
Go ahead, make a plan to test these top four platforms before the end of the year so you, too, can dominate the social sphere.
And don’t forget to use a site like G2Crowd when researching any software for your business, so you can see real reviews from real users.
By knowing and understanding what’s available on the market, you’re not only helping you/your team be the best they can be, but using the best available tools to ensure your business is the best it can be.
Curious: What social media management tools have you tested? Share your favorites with us in the comments section below!
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