11 Best Free Social Media Management Tools

Staying on top of every social media marketing obligations can be taxing. Being organized is one of the primary keys to being successful in online marketing.

From reporting and analytics to designing and publishing content, it all gets overwhelming for social media marketers to complete each day.

The good news is, there are many excellent social media management tools.

Tools such as these help with the following:

• Guarantee your content is posted to the right audience and the right time
• Streamline your workflow
• Save you time

However, with so many available, how do you know which products stand out from the crowd?

If you are not already taking advantage of social media management tools, you need to change that starting today.

1. HootSuite

HootSuite is one of the most trusted social media management tools by businesses and companies.

With Hootsuite, you can link your social media streams to a chronological scheduling system. You can choose what platforms you want to post on and schedule them throughout the month. Each platform will be laid out on a timeline so that you can see the order of your posts and past content that has already been posted.

Hootsuite makes time management a breeze and allows you to schedule content for multiple clients and on all of the major social media platforms quickly and easily.

You can monitor your profiles and feeds, schedule post and respond from them as well all in one platform. You will be able to oversee post engagement and your success with analytics. 

The free version, however, limits to basic scheduling of posts. What that means is you cannot add images to your post, and you will have a limited analytics platform.         

The cool stuff:  the auto-scheduling tool allows you to be sure your social media profiles never go dormant. You can schedule two posts per day while setting your parameters. These posts have to be only on weekdays between 9 am, and 5 pm. Did you know when you post on social media can make impact engagement by up to 400%?

Your auto-scheduling content places them in a “queue”  during the next time that comes available in those parameters.  HootSuite comes with a browser extension that allows you to schedule other content that you are directly visiting.

Reviewers comments: Users find that the platform is simple to use and reasonably perceptive, through analytics. These became available in full and are relatively light – even on an enterprise level.  You can upgrade to pro for $9.99 per month, and that will get you pro reporting, bulk message scheduling, and up to 50 social profiles. 

2. Buffer

Another powerful social media tool that you can get started with for free is Buffer. Buffer not only helps you to schedule your posts, but is designed to help with post optimization. Simply put, it will analyze the right time to post for each platform and help you to analyze the performance of your content so that you can post more efficiently and hopefully get higher engagement.

Buffer is a strategic platform that will make planning incredibly simple and will lay out analytics for you so that you can better understand when your posts are performing well. Buffer is a great tool when it comes to upping the engagements of your posts and learning the right way to post on each platform. 

Buffer does have a free version however it limits you to a posting schedule for only a single profile. There is also a limit to ten posts at one time. Buffer’s free version is best suited for small businesses that have one account to manage.

It could also be a good match for someone who only has one account they need to tend to at the moment. However, with the freemium, you get access to most of the paid features, including the following: 

• Access to a mobile app for Android or iPhone 
• A Video/GIF uploader
• Integrating with Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or LinkedIn
• An optimal timing tool. The tool allows you to post at a time when your audience will most likely see it.
• A browser extension that permits you to schedule your content directly from the page

The Cool Stuff: The stand-out feature of Buffer is Pablo. Pablo is a built-in image creator that lets you design content post within the app.

Reviewers Comments: Users find the platform to be organized and simple to use even with the free version has its limits to the number of posts you can schedule. You can easily upgrade to Buffer beings the cost is on a pay-per-post basis. For $10.00 you get ten profiles and 100 posts you can schedule as well as other features. 

3. SocialOomph

Socialoomph is another management system that hits all the bases; Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Tumblr, blogs, Plurk, etc. SocialOomph’s free version works on up to five accounts on Twitter to track keywords and schedule tweets. 

The tool that does scheduling and posting includes a shortening feature for URLs as well as allowing you to track clicks.

You can schedule and monitor your activity on all of these different platforms via Socialoomph. You can schedule your tweets, track your keywords, save drafts, shorten website links, purge your tweets, schedule for unlimited Facebook accounts and Pinterest Boards, Maximize LinkedIn efficiency and more.

The Cool Part: SocialOomph’s cool feature is that even if you are on the free level, you can manage your Twitter followers as well as your direct messages box from the app. You can also save and reuse social posts so that you can post at a later date to get an extra boost from your best performing content or as a fresh campaign.     

You will also have the ability to schedule in advance your pins on your Pinterest boards. You can upgrade to the Pro account for $6.97 for two months. However, the free level only permits you to work with Twitter. Accessing the others requires the upgrade.   

4. Mavsocial

Even though Mavsocial is freemium, it is so entirely fully-fledged that you could consider it to be a social brand management system.  The program not only lets you schedule profile post to multiple networks, but it also stores your assets and images on the platform for later use.

Mavsocial works with YouTube, Instagram, Tumblr, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.

It allows you to consolidate your social media pages and activity. MavSocial enables you to post in multiple languages and comes with a free starter kit. If you are looking to grow your business via social media, MavSocial is a great place to start. MavSocial streamlines the posting process and makes it easy to view the metrics of your posts.

The following are the features available with the free version:

• Up to 50 social profiles on six social networks
• Full content calendar and campaign planner
• Native scheduling and publishing
• Advanced analytics dashboard
• Your digital asset library
• Access to thousands of royalty free stock images you within the app

Reviewers Comments: Users find that the platform is excellent for media-driven social strategies even though it may not be the easiest product on the market to use.

When you upgrade you get the ability to republish content, an analytics dashboard customized, additional social network integration, and unlimited digital asset storage.    

5. Likeable Hub

Are you ready to marketing on social media,  but aren’t sure exactly what content you should be posting? Welcome to Likeable Hub.

Likeable Hub is an excellent tool that is a better fit for individuals as it places limitations on your access to business profiles. Its design is for “Faster and Smarter” management tools that with the freemium level you can combine and auto-schedule from LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.      

Likeable Hub is designed to help you share stories, generate leads and references, manage your reputation, amplify your search, save you time and resources, and measure your social media growth through analytic tracking.

This platform has thousands of post ideas, scheduling tools, automatic posting options, and is custom branded and industry-specific. You can not only manage your social media quickly and efficiently, but you will also be exposed to fun and engaging content ideas that will bolster your engagement and liven up your platforms.

You will have access to a database packed with social media post ideas, email support, and basic analytics and reporting. You can upgrade to VIP to get integration with business pages on Facebook and LinkedIn and the capability for repeating post and many other great features for $19.99 per month.

There is also Pro Level and Expert upgrades that permit access to support and strategy consulting,  industry-specific content,  Facebook ad spend. 

6. Tweetdeck

If you are specifically focused on marketing through Twitter, then Tweetdeck may be for you.

With the Tweetdeck, you can stream your feeds in real time as well as schedule and post to your Twitter account.   

Tweetdeck will help you to track your tweets in real time and measure your engagement. It will also help you to reach and analyze your target audience and “discover the best of Twitter” as it says on their website. Tweetdeck will give you customized timelines and searches that will help you to know when the right time to post is for each of your target audiences.

Tweetdeck integrates well with Buffer for more detailed management, and you can download it as desktop software.

The Cool Stuff: The tool is fully accessible at no cost, or no limit on the number of Twitter accounts used.  You also can stream more advanced feeds, such as of a specific user or feeds of trending content.   

SocialPilot have an app explicitly geared towards online stores although it should not be discarded for other types of businesses.    

Here is what features you get with the freemium level:

• Eight different social networks including Pinterest and Instagram
• Ten posts per day with 30 scheduled out
• Up to three connected profiles
• Content suggestions and discovery
• Bulk Scheduling

The Cool Stuff: This application is primarily geared towards retail. It is capable of integrating with an e-commerce site as well as sending branded Facebook posts. You can post details of your products directly onto social media using existing photos on the site.    

Combined with Instagram and Pinterest, the integration is particularly useful for the e-commerce websites that rely on stellar visuals. 

Reviewers comments: Users feel SocialPilot is effective and easy to use. You can upgrade your account for a mere $4.99 per month.

8. Friends + Me

Unlike most of the other platform options, Friends + Me is targeted towards a social media team.

Friends + Me is free to begin and easy to use. It is incredibly cheap even in its advanced plans in comparison to some of the other paid features on social media management platforms. You can schedule your social media content and pick the brains of your peers in one secure place with the Friends + Me scheduling tool. It also helps you to plan your posts for the right time to reach the maximum amount of followers for more successful overall engagement.

9. Loomly Social Media Calendar

If you are looking to simplify or consolidate, consider trying Loomly.

Manage multiple social media calendars efficiently without the need for complicated spreadsheets. Automated publishing for Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+ & LinkedIn. Instagram requires a third-party application.

Loomly will also inspire you with twitter trends, and RSS feeds. It will provide post optimization tips, can help you with post mockups, and can help you work as a team. It also collects advanced post analytics and helps you to pick the best time and platform to reach your audience.

10. Hopper HQ

Another simple and easy to use social media management tool is Hopper HQ. It is used by over ten thousand brands in seventy different countries.

Hopper HQ  bills itself as a “complete Instagram marketing solution.” They are best known for Instagram marketing, but also provide tools for Twitter and Facebook.

You will save hours and hours of time with this management system as it allows you to schedule far in advance for your digital marketing platforms.

Some of its unique features include:

• Instagram Analytics. Ability to track follower growth, find the best time to post,  and view all previous posts.
• Create, plan & schedule your Instagram posts with the Hopper iOS app.
• Manage multiple accounts with calendar planning included for collaboration.

11. Sked Social

Sked social, previously known as Schedugram

Focused on Instagram, you can also use it for Pinterest, Twitter, and Facebook. You can post hourly and schedule as you please.

In-app photo editor can create single or multi-image posts and videos and then share them across Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.

With scheduled posts, your entire team can improve content before it posts live.

This tool starts with a free trial and will help you to minimize your notifications and maximize the time you are spending on social media.