5 Must-Have Social Media Management Tools For 2021
Must have social media tools for 2021 that help you plan, schedule and analyse your content without getting overwhelmed.
2020 was the year when the world of online work exploded! Social Media Managers were in high demand and are in even higher demand in 2021. Being in the online space comes with a multitude of tools to help your Social Media Management business run more efficiently and to also help you make more money. But with so much choice out there which ones should you be using and what tools would bring you and your business the most benefit?
In this blog is where you will find out exactly what tools you should be using as a Social Media Manager in 2021. But before we get to it here’s a tip:
"You don’t need to be using every tool out there- use what works best for you!"
Tool 1 - Facebook Business Manager/Business Suites
Depending on your location you will either have access to the Facebook Business Manager or Facebook Business Suites, they are exactly the same tool and with almost identical features. So for this blog let’s use the name Facebook Business Manager.
Facebook Business Manager helps you to manage content for your Facebook and Instagram pages and you are able to schedule and post from here too. Facebook recently rolled out the Story scheduler in Facebook Business Manager that isn’t available on any other scheduling tool at the moment. Even, if a tool becomes available with story scheduling, if it is not an official partner of Facebook then Facebook doesn’t like this and could cause you issues in the future so for this purpose try to stay with a Facebook official partner for scheduling your stories.
This tool also helps you to navigate different permissions by allowing you to access and manage your client’s Facebook and Instagram accounts without them having to give you full control over their personal information and accounts. You can see and record their insights, reply to comments and messages as well as inbox management. You can even add notes, tags and assign messages and comments to other members of the team. Having this tool as an immediate option for your clients will show your professionalism from the get-go! -and did I mention it is totally FREE!?
Tool 2 - Facebook Creator Studio
The next tool you should be using is Facebook creator Studio. While Facebook Business Suites or Business Manager regulates permissions and shows some statistics, Creator Studio is where you really create and schedule your content. It makes life easier when recording insights, analytics for videos and you can also go live from here too! Facebook creator studio allows you to use all the features of a post such as questions, polls and GIFs, including scheduling stories.
Facebook crater studio will get you one step closer to having your work automated and streamlined, showing your clients how organised and productive you are and that you were worth the investment - and again, it is totally FREE!
The only downside to Facebook Creator Studio is that you cannot preview your feed when you schedule your Instagram content - yet! (fingers crossed for the future, though). Even though the branded feed and grid patterns are no longer the top trends for 2021, some users still want to have these styles of visual feeds, so this brings us swiftly on to our third tool, Planoly.
Tool 3 - Planoly
Planoly is an official partner and scheduling tool for Instagram; it allows you to schedule posts and has a visual preview of your content, allowing you to play around with different designs. Planoly also has the option to save different hashtag groups and to be able to simply drag and drop them into your posts.
Planoly is a great tool to have, and they do have a free version. Still, the downside is that you do not have all of its amazing features, so you would need to upgrade to the paid plan to use these, such as sharing to Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest, filters, links and comments inbox among a few. However, if you need to use these features, then it is definitely worth the investment!
Tool 4 - Tailwind
Tailwind is the only official partner of Pinterest. So if you are managing your clients Pinterest account or want to become a Specialised Pinterest Manager, then Tailwind will be your primary go-to tool. If you are unfamiliar with Pinterest or know it better for looking up recipes and cute decor ideas, then I cannot recommend enough to look into Pinterest as it is so much more! For example, Pinterest is a fantastic tool for helping you or your clients grow your website traffic.
Even though it is not really classed as a Social Media Platform, it works more like a search engine. Potential clients for you or your client would go to Pinterest to search for a particular interest such as Social Media tips or workout videos etc. This is great for you as a Social Media manager or your client, for example, your client is a Health Coach, and you/they have a blog, your pin will show up, and people will click on it and be driven to your website.
However, manually creating and posting new pins is very time consuming as you should be posting multiple pins a day. Tailwind allows you to schedule your pins in advance, and it even has an amazing feature that helps you quickly and efficiently create your pins in minutes!
Tool 5 - Canva
You may have already heard of Canva or have already used Canva but if this is something you have yet to integrate into your business, let’s say Canva is the BIBLE for creators and service providers!
Canva is a design tool. It helps you to design anything from social media graphics to workbooks, videos, slideshows, social media banners; there is literally a template for everything you need for your or your clients business. You can add in logo’s, brand colours and fonts so you can apply them to all of your designs and templates. They have a vast library of stock images and videos. There is also the option to upload your own images and videos too.
If you are struggling to develop new ideas for graphics, Reels, Tik Toks and Stories, you just write in the search bar and have access to hundreds of templates and ideas.
Extra Tool - Inshot
If you are like me and want to re-purpose your IG content, for example, turn your Reels and Stories into a Facebook post, but if you have already tried to do this, you will know that the format is different, so you end up losing the top and bottom of your video. Now, I want you to go and download Inshot. Inshot allows you to change the format and size of your video into the correct format for a Facebook post. Inshot even allows you to create all your Reels in the app and upload them to Instagram, making your life so much easier!
Bonus Tool - Flick Tech
Flick Tech helps you to research your hashtags. It gives you excellent access to in-depth analytics, helping you track which hashtags performed well and which didn’t. Flick Tech also allows you to create different hashtag groups, add them to collections and you can drag and drop them to your posts. Over time Flick Tech will help you learn exactly which hashtags are suitable for the different types of content, your posts and your client’s posts.
If you’d like more information on these tools or you’d like to get started as a Freelance Social Media Manager, then watch my FREE MASTER CLASS HERE where I share with you how to set up as a Social Media manager TODAY and how to use the tools to start booking in your first clients.
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