5 Best Social Media Tools for Authors & Publishers

5 Best Social Media Tools for Authors & Publishers

Aerio Staff

In an earlier blog we discussed how social media automation tools can help save you time, money, and hassle.

Now, it’s time to look for the right tool for you.

With so many different social media automation platforms out there, it can be hard to pick just one. That’s why we’ve put together a list of the top 5 social media tools for authors and publishers:

Buffer

Buffer helps you save time while managing all your social media accounts from a simple and easy-to-use dashboard. You can schedule posts across various social media platforms, customizing your posts for each network. This tool also offers basic analytics that allow you to easily see which types of content are performing best.

When compared to other social media tools, Buffer is one of the easiest to use and provides some of the most cost-effective plans, making it perfect for those new to social media automation or those who are operating on a tight budget. Their plans include:

  • A Free plan, allowing you to schedule content for one social profile with 10 posts per profile.
  • The Awesome plan, only $10 per month, allowing for 10 social profiles and 100 posts per profile.
  • The Business plan, $99+ per month, allowing for 25 social profiles with 2,000 scheduled posts per profile, and the ability to add 5 or more additional team members.

CoSchedule

CoSchedule is more than just a social media automation tool. This content management platform allows you to create a streamlined marketing calendar for all your content, including social media and blog posts. You can synch important applications like WordPress and Google Docs to consolidate all your content management efforts into one platform. This is a great option for authors and publishers who are looking for ways to streamline and optimize their content marketing strategy and implementation.

Of the other social media tools on this list, CoSchedule is the only platform that offers comprehensive content management features beyond just social media, allowing you to manage blog posts, email marketing, newsletters, landing pages, and marketing campaigns in addition to your social campaigns. Their plans include:

  • The Essential plan, $40 per month for 1 user, provides both blog and social campaign capabilities.
  • The Growth plan, $60 per month for 3 users, provides additional capabilities including email, newsletters, and client projects.
  • The Professional plan, $300 per month for up to 7 users, offers even more capabilities like landing pages, branding and promotion management.
  • The Enterprise plan, $2,200 per month of up to 14 users, provides similar capabilities as the professional plan.

Hootsuite

Hootsuite allows you to connect over 35 social media networks on one convenient dashboard. In addition to offering scheduling, social listening, and analytics, this tool also makes it easy to coordinate your whole social media team and manage contests as well as content curation. You can also integrate your existing applications into the platform. Hootsuite also offers social media management education for those who want to optimize their social media efforts.

When compared with the other social media tools, Hootsuite is one of the most comprehensive, making it the best option for those who need a variety of features or have many team members working on social media at once. This platform is also the best when it comes to integrating other marketing efforts such as email marketing. Their plans include:

  • A Free limited plan, allowing for 1 user to utilize message scheduling for up to 3 social profiles.
  • Paid memberships start at $19 per month for 1 user, 10 social profiles and a range of features including message scheduling, analytics, and app integrations.
  • The Team plan, $99 per month, allowing up to 3 users and 20 social profiles and use features such as bulk scheduling and a custom branded URL.
  • The Business plan, $499 per month, offering 5 to 10 users and 50 social profiles as well as additional features like analytic data reports and premium app integrations.

Sprout Social

Sprout Social allows you to plan and schedule posts across social media networks, while also providing social listening and analytics capabilities. One of the best features of Sprout Social is its analytics reporting, which provides attractive and easy-to-understand reports. Unlike some other social media tools, these reports are provided at no additional charge as part of your monthly plan. Sprout is also great for those who want to streamline real-time communication as the platform allows you to engage followers right from the main dashboard.

Of the social media tools on this list, Sprout Social provides the entire package at a reasonable cost, making it great for authors and publishers who need a social media management tool with robust features. Plans on Social Sprout are as follows:

  • The Premium plan, $99 per user/month, which provides a range of social tools such as social media management, profile and keyword monitoring, and social content calendar for 10 social profiles.
  • The Corporate plan, $149 per month for additional tools such as team and productivity reporting, trends and engagement reports, and competitive benchmark reporting for 15 social profiles.
  • The Enterprise plan, $249 per month for additional features such as advanced keyword listening, building custom chatbots, and custom URL tracking for 20 social profiles.

Overall, social media automation tools can help save time and money by consistently posting to your social channels and engaging with your audience. If you want to get the most out of your social media management, you should choose the tool that can best meet your unique needs. Many of these tools offer a free trial to try the platform for a limited time, or a complimentary demo showing how to use the features. Use these opportunities to find a social media tool that is easy to use and provides the features you need most.