Top 20 Social Media Management Tools for Marketers in 2024

A strong social media strategy is a natural part of a content marketing strategy — but social media management can be an elaborate process without the right tools, strategies and processes in place. With online users spending approximately 151 minutes on social media in 2024, social is a prime opportunity to generate brand awareness, engagement and drive traffic.

What’s more, managing social media can look different depending on your organization and brands. Depending on a slew of factors from buyer personas and broader marketing goals to everything else, your social team might have different needs to achieve their goals. However, there are in fact some basic social media management tips that every team should know, whether they plan to implement them or not. 

This blog explores:

• What is social media management? 
• Why is social media management important? 
• Why brands need social media management tools.
• Social media management tips. 
• Best social media management tools. 
• Most popular Dash Hudson social media marketing management tools.

What Is A Social Media Management Tool?

A social media management tool is a website or software solution designed to streamline how businesses and teams manage their social media presence. Social media management tools often offer a range of functions that simplify tasks like scheduling content, performance analytics and platform integration, so your team doesn’t have to bounce around from one social platform and tool to the next. Some of the most common features of social media management tools are:

• Content scheduling and publishing.
• Analytics and reporting.
• Engagement and monitoring. 
• Multi-platform management. 
• Team collaboration.
• Content curation.

Why Is It Worth Investing In Social Media Management Tools?

Social media management tools are essential to any communications and marketing team. Social teams, in particular, are often very lean. Without a social management tool, these teams spend valuable hours navigating from site to site, manually optimizing and posting content and even more time collecting information on KPIs and performance. 

The Best Social Media Management Tools

Which social media tools stand out from the rest? The following section compares some of the most popular social media management tools to determine which is best for your team’s needs and goals. 

Social media managers face a diverse and challenging role that encompasses a significant amount of administrative tasks. We examined a few key criteria when researching and analyzing the following social management tools, including: 

• Scheduling: Features that let you schedule, post and share social media content on multiple platforms. 
• Detailed analytics: The ability to see how your content performs with detailed metrics and automated reports. ‍
• AI capabilities: Any AI integrations or features that help generate copy, content or provide intelligent insights.

1. Dash Hudson

Dash Hudson’s intuitive interface helps social teams effortlessly organize, schedule and post content. Essential tools like Scheduler help you share your content, while Social Analytics and Monitoring help you measure and track performance. Campaign Reporting is perfect for measuring the individual impact of your campaigns, helping you pinpoint metrics so you can get down to the nitty-gritty of what works — and what doesn’t. 

In addition to these must-haves, Dash Hudson also offers Influencer and Creator ROI, so you can discover potential creators to partner with and measure the impact of your partnerships on campaigns and your overall social performance.  

Pros:

• Simple, accessible interface: An intuitive and easy-to-navigate platform, to make customizing data, reports and posting seamless. 
• Advanced Content Performance Prediction: Dash Hudson uses AI-powered visual analytics to help brands identify the most engaging content, enabling data-driven decisions to maximize audience engagement and reach.
• Comprehensive Content Management: The platform provides robust tools for planning, scheduling, and analyzing content across multiple social media channels, streamlining the workflow for social media managers and ensuring cohesive brand messaging.

Cons:

• No hashtag suggestion: No automated hashtag suggestions — however, we update a list of both TikTok hashtags and Instagram trending hashtags monthly for a variety of industries.  

Best for: 

• Beauty, fashion, retail, food & beverage, travel

2. Sprout Social

Similar to Dash Hudson, Sprout Social is a robust social media management platform that helps brands streamline their social efforts.  It offers comprehensive tools for scheduling and publishing, community management, performance analysis and more across platforms like X, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, TikTok and YouTube. 

Pros:

• Free trial.
• Internal employee advocacy feature. 

Cons:

• It's a steep learning curve for some beginners. 

Best for: 

• Large businesses, agencies

3. Emplifi

Emplifi is a social media management platform that integrates customer experience, social media marketing, and e-commerce capabilities. It aims to help businesses engage with their audience, monitor brand performance, and drive sales through a unified interface. Emplifi offers tools for content scheduling, analytics and customer care, enhancing overall social media strategy.

Pros:

• Combines social media management with customer experience and e-commerce tools.
• Provides comprehensive analytics and reporting features.
• User-friendly interface for streamlined operations.

Cons:

• Can be complex to set up and configure initially.

Best for: 

• CPG, media & publishing

4. Sprinklr

Sprinklr is an all-in-one social media management platform designed for large enterprises to manage customer experiences across multiple channels. It offers a suite of tools for social media marketing, customer service and analytics, helping businesses streamline their online presence. Sprinklr focuses on providing comprehensive solutions for engaging with audiences and improving brand performance. 

Pros:

• Robust features for managing social media marketing and customer service.
• Extensive analytics and reporting capabilities.
• Scalable for large enterprises with complex needs.

Cons:

• High cost, which may not be suitable for smaller businesses.

Best for: 

• Retail, technology

4. Planoly

Planoly is a social media management tool designed primarily for Instagram, offering a visually oriented approach to planning, scheduling, and analyzing posts. With its intuitive drag-and-drop interface, users can easily create a cohesive and aesthetically pleasing Instagram feed. Planoly also supports Pinterest, expanding its visual planning capabilities to another key platform for visual content.

Pros:

• User-Friendly Interface: Easy-to-use drag-and-drop feature.
• Detailed Analytics: The platform provides detailed analytics to help users track engagement and optimize their posting strategies.

Cons:

• Limited to Visual Platforms: Planoly focuses mainly on Instagram and Pinterest, lacking broader support for other social media platforms like Twitter or LinkedIn.
• Feature Restrictions on Free Plan: The free version has limited features, pushing users to opt for paid plans to access more advanced tools.
• No Native Video Editing: Similar to some other platforms, Planoly does not offer native video editing, requiring external tools for video content preparation.

Best For:

• Influencers, content creators

5. Meltwater

Meltwater is a media intelligence platform that combines social media monitoring, analytics and engagement tools to help businesses manage their online presence. It offers advanced insights and real-time data to inform strategic decisions and improve brand performance. Meltwater is designed for organizations looking to leverage comprehensive media analysis and reporting capabilities.

Pros:

• Extensive media monitoring and analytics features.
• Real-time data and insights for informed decision-making.
• Strong reporting capabilities with customizable dashboards.

Cons:

• Steeper learning curve for new users due to its advanced features.

Best for:

• Public relations, consumer goods

6. Social Pilot

Social Pilot is a social media management tool designed to streamline scheduling, monitoring and analytics for various social media platforms. It caters to businesses and agencies with collaborative features and reporting features like automated reports, high-performing page identification and more. Social Pilot aims to enhance social media strategies by offering an intuitive interface and robust functionality.

Pros:

• Affordable pricing plans, especially for small businesses.
• Comprehensive scheduling and content calendar features.
• Strong collaboration tools for teams.

Cons:

• Limited integrations compared to some competitors.

Best for:

• Small business, agencies

7. Hootsuite

Hootsuite enables users to schedule posts, manage multiple social accounts and analyze performance from a single dashboard. It’s designed to help businesses streamline their social media strategies and improve engagement across various channels. Hootsuite offers a range of tools to facilitate content planning, monitoring and reporting for social media managers. 

Pros:

• Supports multiple social media networks and accounts.
• Offers a user-friendly interface with a variety of scheduling options.
• Provides detailed analytics and reporting features.

Cons:

• Can be expensive for small businesses or individual users.

Best for:

• Large companies, agencies

8. Buffer

Buffer is designed to manage social media campaigns from content creation to performance analysis. Some of Buffer’s features include an analytics dashboard, team collaboration tools and a browser extension so you can access the tool to share content or click in wherever you’re browning. 

Pros:

• Easy-to-use and accessible interface.
• Shopify and Mastodon integration.

Cons:

• Limited freemium features. 

Best for:

• ‍‍Startups, small businesses

9. CoSchedule 

CoSchedule began mainly as a content social media scheduling platform, offering tools including content calendars, project management and social media scheduling, which helps teams stay organized and efficient. CoSchedule also integrates with Google Analytics, WordPress and social platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest and TikTok. 

Pros:

• Blog posting capability.
• Plan and post podcasts and their format. 

Cons:

• No X posting functionality. 

Best for:

• Large companies, agencies

10. Sendible

Sendible helps social teams grow their audience, reach new customers and achieve their goals. It offers some tools tailored directly to agencies as well as tools for creating and organizing social posts, performance tracking and team collaboration. 

Pros:

• Client Connect tool makes the client onboarding process easy for agencies. 
• The White Label feature helps maintain consistency for agencies when managing client’ssocial media. 
• Google My Business functionality.  

Cons:

• No AI functionality. 
• No Pinterest integration. 

Best for:

• Agencies, mid-sized businesses

11. X Pro

X Pro (formerly known as TweetDeck) is specifically designed to manage one — or multiple — X accounts. The platform offers real-time post-tracking, scheduling and analytics functionality. X Pro has features like customizable columns so users can track competitors and relevant accounts (think relevant industry accounts or competitors), detailed analytics and content management. This tool is best to process and maintain an active and engaging Twitter presence. 

Pros:

• Early access to Grok (AI tool).
• Get a blue checkmark with the purchase. 

Cons: 

• Only offers X management. 
• Only offers paid scheduling. 

Best for:

• Freelancers, small agencies

12. Iconosquare

Iconosquare is designed for brands and agencies to optimize their presence on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. It offers detailed performance insights, scheduling tools and competitive analysis features that let social teams track engagement, monitor audience growth and refine their content strategies. 

Pros: 

• AI content inspiration tool. 
• No Reels analytics. 

Cons:

• Little separation between organic and paid results.

Best for:

• Digital marketing agencie

13. Brandwatch

Brandwatch is a digital consumer intelligence platform that merged with Falcon.io. Brand watch helps businesses monitor and analyze online conversations about their brand.  Using AI and machine learning, the platform offers real-time insights from social media, forums, blogs and news sites. Brandwatch also offers dashboards and analytics to equip businesses with the data-driven tools they need to make informed decisions.

Pros: 

• Consumer intelligence with segmenting ability. 
• Collaborative content calendar.
• Large range of integrations.

Cons:

• High price, only suitable for enterprise-level companies. 

Best for:

• Large enterprises, public relations firms

14. Loomly

Loomly lets social teams plan, create and manage their social media content to improve engagement and track performance across multiple social channels. It offers a user-friendly interface with features like content calendars, automated publishing and collaboration tools, making coordinating and streamlining social media campaigns easy. 

Pros:

• Ultra-visual content calendar.
• Advanced social media analytics and reports.
• Community management feature available. 

Cons:

• No social listening tool. 

Best for:

• Small to mid-sized businesses, content creators

15. SocialBee

SocialBee empowers businesses to streamline their content creation, scheduling, and publishing processes. Designed for efficiency, SocialBee offers features like category-based scheduling, audience segmentation and performance analytics, which let marketers maintain a consistent and engaging social media presence. Its user-friendly interface and automation tools help save time while maximizing reach and impact across various social networks.

Pros: 

• AI-assisted platform suggestions, posts and content strategy. 
• Canva, Giphy, Google Business and Unsplash integrations. 
• Hashtag generation. 

Cons:

• No Salesforce or Zendesk integration. 

Best for:

• Small business, agencies

16. Ocoya

Ocoya is a versatile platform for streamlining content creation and scheduling. It combines advanced AI-driven tools for graphic design, copywriting and automation, allowing users to produce and publish engaging content across multiple social channels. Ocoya’s features, like analytics and collaboration, help marketers enhance their social media presence and optimize their campaigns for better performance and engagement.

Pros: 

• AI-generated captions and images.
• AI-powered e-commerce post creation.

Cons:

• No community management function. 

Best for:

• Content creators, e-commerce brands

17. SynUp Social

SynUp is designed to streamline brand marketing. Its platform lets social teams find influencers, automate campaign management and generate detailed performance reports. SynUp incorporates AI in nearly every aspect of its platform, from influencer identification to trending posts and more. 

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Pros: 

• Local posting capabilities.
• AI content generation.
• Share, optimize and manage business profiles.

Cons:

• No social listening capabilities. 

Best for:

• Service-based industries, local businesses

18. Skai Social

Skai Social is a marketing platform that helps brands optimize paid social media and search campaigns. It offers advanced analytics and strategic recommendations to improve engagement and ROI across paid social media content. Skai Social leverages data and automation to enable marketers to create compelling content, manage ad spend and better understand their audience's behavior.

Pros:

• Ability to run experiments. 
• Bid management for paid campaigns.
• Creative AI to classify creative elements. 

Cons:

• Geared toward paid search and social versus organic social. 

Best for:

• Large enterprises, marketing agencies

19. Later

Later is a social media management tool designed to streamline the planning, scheduling, and posting process for visual content on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. Its user-friendly interface and drag-and-drop calendar make it easy for users to organize and preview their content in advance.

Pros:

• Visual Planning: Visual planner that lets teams see their feed before it goes live, to ensure a cohesive layout.
• Hashtag Suggestions: The platform offers hashtag suggestions.

Cons:

• Limited Analytics: Compared to some competitors, Later's analytics capabilities are relatively basic and may not meet the needs of data-driven marketers.
• Paid Features: Some of the most valuable features, such as advanced analytics and additional posts, are only available in the higher-tier paid plans.
• No Native Video Editing: Later lacks native video editing tools, requiring users to prepare their video content externally before scheduling.

Best for:

• Travel, hospitality industries

20. BazaarVoice

BazaarVoice is a social media management tool that specializes in harnessing user-generated content to help social teams increase their engagement, reach and drive sales. It provides brands with the tools to collect, curate and display customer reviews, photos and videos across e-commerce sites and Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Pinterest and X. BazaarVoice also acquired Curralate, which helped enhance their visual social features and capabilities. 

Pros:

• UGC integration: User-generated content integration to source new creator content.

• Robust analytics: Comprehensive analytics and insights into customer behavior and content performance.

Cons:

• Complex implementation: Initial setup and integration can be time-consuming and require some technical expertise.
• High cost: Expensive for some, especially for small businesses.
• Limited social features: While strong in UGC and reviews, its broader social media management capabilities are not as comprehensive as other tools.

Best for: 

• Retail, E-commerce

Why Use Social Management Tools?

Social management tools let you bypass these time-consuming, navigational tasks and give you more time to spend on the ‘heart’ of your social media strategy. In addition to essential functions like scheduling and performance updates, many management tools have built-in other valuable features and functions, like social listening capabilities, trend forecasting features and more. 

Here are some additional benefits of using a social media management tool:

• Access to cross-channel insights: When deploying a social marketing campaign, you’ll likely use a cross-channel marketing approach and share content on various channels. Social management tools let you see the impact of your entire campaign rather than channel-by-channel insights.  
• Content management: Many management tools — like Dash Hudson — offer content libraries to store your content. Libraries are helpful to examine digital assets across all channels, uploading images and tapping into tools like Dash Hudson’s Vision AI that help determine which images from your library have the best chance to perform. 
• Competitive Insights: It’s crucial to understand how you perform on social channels, but how well is your performance measured against competitors? Competitive Insights help you set industry benchmarks, find opportunities within your strategy, and see where your plan has succeeded. 

The beauty of a social media management tool is that it doesn’t have one specific purpose. Any suitable tool will have various products and features that you can utilize for precisely what your brand’s social channels need.