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Which Social Media software is most cost effective?

by dipakshorey
21 replies
I want to build up my database of leads and I understand that Social Media provide the mechanism for achieving this. However there are many software packages in the market for connecting up with potential customers on Twitter, Facebook, G+, and Linkedin etc. :confused: I have heard there is Hootsuite, SproutSocial and others for managing Social Media accounts including sending out messages at scheduled times from one place and also providing analytics. I would like advice from seasoned Warriors as to which package they have found to be most cost-effective which they would recommend for someone just starting out? These packages all appear to come from membership sites; is there single payment package that they know of? Is there a WSO that can do all this and more?
#cost #effective #media #social #software
  • Profile picture of the author SanifSentosa
    Hi, this is my first post, but will try to answer your question. If I don't get it wrong, then are you looking for a social media software that you can write once, and post it to several social media? Tried TweetDeck before?
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    • Profile picture of the author dipakshorey
      Originally Posted by SanifSentosa View Post

      Hi, this is my first post, but will try to answer your question. If I don't get it wrong, then are you looking for a social media software that you can write once, and post it to several social media? Tried TweetDeck before?
      TweetDeck is owned by Twitter and it used to also cover Facebook, LinkedIn and Google Buzz but alas no longer. Apparently an Android version of the software called TweetDark exists and this still has the original functionality of Tweetdeck but I cannot find one for PC or Mac.
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  • Profile picture of the author dipakshorey
    You are right, posting material to several media is the general idea. I want use Twitter, Facebook, LinkenIn and G+ and blog posts so I dont think TweetDeck will do.
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    • Profile picture of the author FirstSocialApps
      Originally Posted by dipakshorey View Post

      You are right, posting material to several media is the general idea. I want use Twitter, Facebook, LinkenIn and G+ and blog posts so I dont think TweetDeck will do.
      No disrespect but your general idea is a bad idea. Put your thought process into a different situation. I want to open a restaurant. Its going to be a pizza shop, burger joint, Italian food, Chinese buffet, that serves French specialties. Get the idea?

      Pick one thing, get great at it, then move on. There are entire books spent on using Facebook as a marketing tool for example. Now you expect to master Facebook, G+, Twitter all at once? Not likely. What is likely to happen is that your going to be overwhelmed, frustrated, give each platform a half hearted effort and in the end give up with little accomplished.

      Choose a platform, master it, then move on. I suggest Facebook as it has the greatest opportunities.
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  • Profile picture of the author namenetwork
    There is lots of social media management solutions out there and like you I tried to find a holistic solution. I'm still searching but have found there's very few that integrate G+ as well.
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  • Profile picture of the author Adblogcontent
    Try Hoosuite. The monthly is really cheap. Around $9. You might want to check out the free version to determine if it meets your needs. We used the free version of Hootsuite for several months before deciding to go Pro version. The difference of the free is just the number of users and social media accounts you can use at a time.

    We used Tweetdeck before. However, we had problems with the app. If you schedule a social media post, your computer must be running in order for Tweetdeck to send out the scheduled post. Unlike in Hootsuite, schedule the post and you can shut off your computer. It also has cool apps (sort of plugins) to enhance the functionality.
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    • Profile picture of the author dipakshorey
      Originally Posted by Adblogcontent View Post

      Try Hoosuite. The monthly is really cheap. Around $9. You might want to check out the free version to determine if it meets your needs. We used the free version of Hootsuite for several months before deciding to go Pro version. The difference of the free is just the number of users and social media accounts you can use at a time.

      We used Tweetdeck before. However, we had problems with the app. If you schedule a social media post, your computer must be running in order for Tweetdeck to send out the scheduled post. Unlike in Hootsuite, schedule the post and you can shut off your computer. It also has cool apps (sort of plugins) to enhance the functionality.
      Thanks Hootsuite seems to be just the right software for most social media marketing projects. Plus it has history and not a fly-by-night software that is here today but gone tomorrow. I decided to investigate this multi-platform marketing issue when we were quoted a value of approx $3.5K for one year use for an alternative software - totally unjustifiable for most thinking folks. It annoys me when so-called 'mentors' try to pull a fast-one on unsuspecting folks :p.
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  • Profile picture of the author Moneymaker2012
    For small businesses, HootSuite is the perfect Twitter management tool
    Triberr is an awesome way to get more people reading, sharing and commenting on your content.
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    • Profile picture of the author dipakshorey
      Originally Posted by Moneymaker2012 View Post

      For small businesses, HootSuite is the perfect Twitter management tool
      Triberr is an awesome way to get more people reading, sharing and commenting on your content.
      Great, will look into Triberr
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  • Profile picture of the author Sclark
    I was looking for a social management solution a while ago and checked out free versions of the software you’ve mentioned here and a couple others (Buffer, SocialOomph), but BuzzBundle SMM tool turned to be the best bet for me.

    One of biggest pros of BuzzBundle is that the tool allows not only having a complete control over multiple social media accounts (I use it for FB, LinkedIn, Google+, Twitter and YouTube), but covers other socially powered sites as well - forums, blogs, Q&A. So, just from one dashboard (a really convenient one) it is possible to manage all online interactions.

    Other than that, I often use BuzzBundle to search for niche forums and blogs, so later use some of them for promotions, discussions and so on. But generally, experience with any tool depends on many factors, starting from interface to the right balance of features... That’s why I like trial versions so much
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    • Profile picture of the author dipakshorey
      Originally Posted by Sclark View Post

      I was looking for a social management solution a while ago and checked out free versions of the software you’ve mentioned here and a couple others (Buffer, SocialOomph), but BuzzBundle SMM tool turned to be the best bet for me.

      One of biggest pros of BuzzBundle is that the tool allows not only having a complete control over multiple social media accounts (I use it for FB, LinkedIn, Google+, Twitter and YouTube), but covers other socially powered sites as well - forums, blogs, Q&A. So, just from one dashboard (a really convenient one) it is possible to manage all online interactions.

      Other than that, I often use BuzzBundle to search for niche forums and blogs, so later use some of them for promotions, discussions and so on. But generally, experience with any tool depends on many factors, starting from interface to the right balance of features... That’s why I like trial versions so much
      BuzzBundle sounds like a really good choice. I believe you can pick it up for as little as $99. Am I right to assume this is for lifetime access? I understand updates are free for the first 6 months beyond which there is a charge. How much is that charge and do you need the updates at all? Could you do without them? The BuzzBundle website is not very clear on that aspect. What is you own experience to date?
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  • Profile picture of the author CRGreen
    Hootsuite is a great tool to use. You have the ability to post to Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn from within Hootsuite. However, it doesn't give the Google+ option like you're looking for. But you still might want to check it out, it really is a great tool to use.
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    • Profile picture of the author Krishna876
      Hootsuite does what it's supposed to but my problem is that, in my opinion, photo sharing work best for facebook and text works for twitter so having a tool that updates them both with the same content didnt work out well for me.
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  • Profile picture of the author shafinazahra
    I use hootsuite and it allows me to access all the networks too - I have the $10 a month package -I'd go with a trial first rather than buy a bigger package of anything - test it out, see if you like the interface and then take it from there. Hootsuite is easy to use
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    Shafina Zahra
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  • Profile picture of the author bradstern
    I understand your dilemma in here. The thing about using a software for social media management is that different needs apply to different companies or businesses.

    I may recommend HootSuite, SocialBro or Sproutsocial. But, either of these may not work for you. By that, I mean you are not exactly making use of all the features you paid for.

    What I would recommend though is for you to look at all the possible list of software, compare all the features and pricing and see which one would work well for you.

    To help you with it, I suggest you check out this list:
    List of Social Media Management and Monitoring Software | Staff.com Blog

    That has around 25 tools with a comparison of every feature you will get including the pricing. That might help you decide which one to use. Ultimately, the best tool out there is the one that fits exactly your needs.
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  • Profile picture of the author lnerd
    If you need ability to manage and post to multiple social media accounts on Twitter, FB, LinkedIn, G+ etc. then there are a bunch of them - most of them are free.

    I have used Hootsuite as well and am currently using Beevolve. Beevolve supports all that and also helps track which social media posts are generating Sales/Conversions so real ROI tracking for me. And best of all the ROI tracking is Free.
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  • Profile picture of the author nonin
    Hello,

    I would be really cautious with allowing software to work on your behalf at your established social streams.

    The possible outcome - is it enough for an established fan of yours to consider that you use software and they will never return.. never!!

    Are you prepared for that?

    ... this reply is based on a personal experience :/

    Good luck,
    Helmuts
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