5 free tools for social media management

According to a study carried out by IAB Spain, 85% of internet users in Spain between the ages of 16 and 65 use social networks. We are talking about nearly 28 million people in our country. This represents a great opportunity for any e-commerce, as a social channel with many users means greater visibility. Moreover, if we go beyond just exposure, we can also create a community and improve the trust and credibility of our business with users to get a boost in our sales.

But to achieve this, it is important to manage these social channels properly. That's why, in this post, we tell you about some social media management tools that will help you increase your productivity and improve results. Let's get down to business!

What is social media management and what does it consist of? 

First, we need to understand what social media management (SMM) is. This activity is nothing more than the process of managing or administering social profile accounts. This includes certain tasks such as: elaborating, planning and publishing content, analysing metrics, and developing strategies.   All this can be done in a simpler and more automated way through a management tool.

What is a social media management tool?  

This type of tool integrates all your social profiles in the same space. At the same time, it allows you to schedule posts, reply to messages or comments in real time, and receive alerts from your customers among many other functions. All these features will improve your business' social media strategy among other benefits mentioned below.

Benefits of implementing a social media management tool

I'm sure you're wondering, why are social media management tools so widely used? The reason is because they allow you to:

• Schedule content to be published automatically.
• Streamline interactions with followers across platforms.
• Access to all social networks through a single dashboard.
• Generate reports and analyse metrics.
• Integrate with CRM or other software. 

There are several tools to manage your social networks. And the best thing is that most of them can be free. Here, we explain some of them.

What are the best social media management tools? 

1. Hootsuite

With over 18 million users, it's one of the most popular tools on the market. It is easy to use and allows you to schedule posts, set up alerts and respond to comments or messages in real time, all in one dashboard. It also has a paid and a free plan available. In the latter you can manage up to three social profiles.

2. TweetDeck

It is aimed only for Twitter users and with it you can manage several profiles of this social network through a single panel. In addition, you can schedule tweets to be published automatically, monitor your competitors and set up alerts for your publications. Another interesting feature is that you can also reply to tweets in real time.

3. Buffer

In Buffer, you can create posting calendars and schedule all content from your Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Google and Instagram accounts. Its free version is ideal for small businesses with a smaller social media presence as it allows you to schedule up to 10 posts per profile. Another of its stellar features is that you can analyse the behaviour of your communities and generate reports.

4. Metricool

This Spanish tool for analysis, management and planning of social media is very complete and easy to use. In addition to the basic functions, Metricool unifies data from social networks and online and web advertising. Additionally, it allows social listening and monitoring hashtags in different social networks.

5. Facebook Business Manager

We can't forget Facebook Business Manager. This free Facebook tool helps you manage your Instagram and Facebook profiles, schedule posts thanks to Facebook Creator Studio, and reply to comments and messages in real time. In addition, you can also manage the profile's advertising accounts or include a product catalogue.

As you can see, there is a wide variety of tools that can facilitate the management of social networks. The ones we explained above are just some of the most popular free ones, which also offer a paid version that includes more features. We advise you to choose the one that best suits the needs of your business. This way you will be able to boost your social media marketing strategy. Don't wait any longer and join the digital change!