Week 14: Social Media Management Tools

This week I will be researching the use of Social media management tools and how they may help with my business. I will be researching their overall use, along with some pro's and con's of me using these tools. I must admit, I had never heard of any of the online management tools before, so it was really interesting for me to invest some time and to see if they will genuinely help me if i eventually launch my business. 

As the article states, 'Social media management software is crucial for businesses that want an effective social media marketing strategy. After all, social media is now used by more businesses than ever as a way to curate and engage with clients while spreading messaging about their products and services. However, social media management programs also help businesses save time and money. Where you would otherwise have to manage each social media platform separately, social media management platforms let you create and schedule posts across multiple platforms in one place.' I think this is extremely relevant to all businesses in this day and age, especially one like mine where all services are performed 'online'. 

One advantage I noticed that will work for my business is that some management accounts will allow me to not only manage my social media accounts, but also there were some which would allow me to merge with a CRM and email campaigns. So this then turns into a business tool for all of my communication rather than just social media accounts. As I will be communicating via email, LinkedIn, phone calls, texts, this allows me to contact as many clients as possible whilst also keeping track. For example, Zoho Social, offers comprehensive social media management software you can buy separately or integrate for full all-in-one management, which is a great way for me to manage my business. 

When researching these accounts, clearly the price is also a large consideration for if these would work for me, now or in the future. I was actually surprised at the prices, I feel the majority of them for a small business are reasonably priced. As a recruitment company, I will need a CRM anyway, so to be able to have a all in one that costs as little as $10-$30 a month is a completely justifiable amount. I am a firm believer that if you find the right tool, then it will make your business more efficient in many ways. I am able to manage my advertising, my communication and my database, which in the long run will help me place and find candidates to fill roles. 

I also like the idea of being able to analyze my outreach, however, its quite hard to see how they will help on a 'free trial' but on the first thought, it would definitely help me utilize my business results and what works and what doesn't for my target market. 

Overall, I believe that the majority of social media management tools will work great for my business, especially the ones which are more of an 'all in one' service. The ability to utilize results, target audiences and campaigns is a great way for me to improve my business and especially when competing in a market full of recruiters.