Social media marketing can be a handful.
Every day, it seems like there are new platforms to figure out, new tactics to put into action, and new ways for you to get lost in your social media feeds instead of focusing on your business.
Ignoring social media isn’t an option either. Facebook has over1.65 billion active monthly users.30% of all US Millennialsuse Snapchat daily.⅕ of all Internet usersare on Instagram. The potential for social media to help you grow your business is undeniable.
But don’t worry—social media marketing doesn’t need to be complicated. With the right tools, you can getmoreout of your social media campaigns while actually spendinglesstime working on them.
In this post, we’ve put together a collection of highly effective social media tools that will give you total control over your campaigns and help you find new opportunities to drive sales and engage with your customers.
Let’s take a look.
1. Buffer
Image credit:Buffer
社交媒体调度很容易。
As an entrepreneur, you’re busy enough as it is. The odds are that you don’t have time to spend every minute of your day posting to social media and keeping an eye on your profiles.
However, since regularly sharing content to your social media profiles is crucial for staying connected with your audience and keeping your brand top of mind, you need to be able to keep up somehow. Thankfully, withBuffer, you can schedule out your Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn posts in advance and focus onmanaging your time more effectively.
Not only does Buffer help save time by letting you take care of posts ahead of time, but it also comes witha handy browser extensionthat lets you easily share content in a single click.
2. Zapier
Image credit:Zapier
All of your apps working together.
Life is easier when you take a shortcut. WithZapier, you don’t just take shortcuts—you make them, too.
Zapier is a powerful automation platform that links all of your favorite apps together. With Zapier, you can create complex workflows that take care of the everyday tasks that secretly eat up your time. Since it’s integrated with over 500 different apps, including most major social media networks, you’ll also be able to automate your post scheduling and engagement.
Tired of having to manually share every new blog post that you publish? With Zapier, you can link your RSS feed to Buffer, so that all of your new content is instantly shared with your audience.
3. Buyable Pins
Image credit:Pinterest
Start selling on Pinterest.
Buyable Pinsmake it possible for customers to buy your products without ever having to leave Pinterest.
Buyable Pins look similar to normal Pins and show up in search results on Pinterest, but they also feature pricing information, product variants, and a blue “Buy It” button that lets customers purchase your products from inside the Pinterest app.
If you runa Shopify store, you’ll need toadd the Pinterest sales channel to your store从Pinterest,等待批准。一旦你的圣ore has been approved, every Pin that links to a product page on your store will automatically be transformed into a Buyable Pin.
4. IFTTT
Image credit:IFTTT
Automation for everything.Everything.
If This Then That, or IFTTT, is a free tool for automating tasks across apps, websites, and gadgets.
With a wide range of recipes (a fancy word for automations),IFTTT is incredibly versatileand has the potential to make every piece of your marketing strategy more efficient. IFTTT boasts 312 app integrations, including social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and more.
IFTTT is especially useful for making even the most tedious social media marketing tasks more manageable likekeeping your profile pictures synced upandautomatically sharing your Instagram photos on other platforms.
InIFTTT’s ever-expanding recipe library, you’ll find ready-made automations for just about everything you need.
5. Messenger for Shopify
Keep your customers updated.
现在,您可以发送快递信息更新,confirma秩序tions, and more directly to your customers through Messenger.
Once you’veadded the Messenger channel to your Shopify store, your customers will have the option to start receiving updates through their Messenger accounts, rather than email.
Being able to communicate directly with your customers through Facebook Messenger will not only help your customers receive shipping information more conveniently, but also open up a new way for you to interact with your audience. Whether your customers have a question or want to make another order, they’ll now have an open line of communication that puts them in direct contact with you and your store.
6. Canva
Image credit:Canva
Great graphics in no time.
No design skills? No problem!Canvais a simple and straightforward app for creating gorgeous social media-ready graphics along withinfographics, reports, and much more.
While Photoshop can seem intimidating for beginners, Canva is easy to learn and even easier to use, making it a great choice regardless of your skill level. Canva offers up a set of templates that come pre-sized for every social media platform and include a wide range of premade layouts and backgrounds.
Canva also features a simple drag-and-drop interface that lets you quickly build, edit, and tweak your images until they’re exactly as you envisioned.
If you just need to resize an image for social media, thenLandscapebySprout Socialis your best bet. It's a no-nonsense resizer tool: Just drop your images in and you're good to go.
7. Schedugram
Image credit:Schedugram
Take photos now, share them on Instagram later.
Instagram isa key tool in your social media marketing arsenal, but it’s hard to master if you’re constantly playing catch up.
WithSchedugram, you can schedule your Instagram photos in advance and stop worrying about whether or not you have your daily post ready. Schedugram also lets you upload and edit your photos through your web browser, giving you the chance to find the perfect caption, hashtag, and filter to get your photo the attention it deserves.
As an added bonus, Schedugram lets you schedule content for multiple Instagram accounts and allows for multiple users to collaborate using the same Schedugram account.
8. Discoverly
Image credit:Discoverly
Find mutual friends everywhere.
If you’re looking to collaborate with influencers or bloggers, it helps to have someone that can introduce you.
Discoverlyis a nifty chrome extension that analyzes social media profiles to let you know which connections you and another person have in common on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Once you’ve tracked a reliable mutual friend down, simply reach out and ask for an intro to the influencer, blogger, or journalist that you’re trying to connect with.
9. Facebook Store
Open up shop on Facebook.
Witha Facebook store, you can start selling your products right on Facebook.
Add the Facebook channel to your Shopify storeand a fully integrated, always visible Shop section will appear on your business’ Facebook page. Your customers will be able to browse your products and make purchases from the comfort of Facebook.
Facebook stores are easy to set up and stock with products, and all of your product details and pricing information will automatically sync up with your Shopify store whenever you make an update.
10. Buzzsumo
Image credit:Buzzsumo
一个behind-the-scenes look at your content.
Buzzsumois a powerful platform for uncovering the data behind your content’s performance on social media.
From where your content is being shared to which influencers are sharing it, you’ll have access to in-depth analyses and comparisons.
Not only does Buzzsumo give you a real-time, behind-the-scenes look at your content’s performance, but it also lets you spy on your competitors’ content marketing strategies and see what’s working for them. Get some inspiration and look for new ways to edge out the competition by deconstructing how they format their content and where it’s getting seen.
Buzzsumo also hasan intuitive browser extensionthat lets you check social media analytics for any page you’re visiting.
Connect with Your Customers
Now that you have a solid stack of social media tools at your disposal, it’s time to start finding new opportunities for growth and automating your current campaigns like a pro.
What are your favorite social media tools? Let us know in the comments below!
About the Author
Kevin Donnelly is a content creator at Shopify with an unhealthy Drake obsession.