Top Social Management Tools That Help Teams Work Smarter, Not Busier

TL;DR

• Social media teams that want to keep up with competitors need to rely less on manual work and more on social media management tools that improve efficiency and team collaboration.

• Posting more often only helps if it's guided by a strategy and system. Better organization and processes result in content with more engagement.

• The top social media tools offer a single system to support planning, collaborating, posting, and reporting for social media teams.

• Social media management platforms aren’t a one-size-fits-all solution. The most suitable tool for each team depends on their size, process, and reporting needs.

For social media teams of all sizes, meeting the expectations of managing multiple social media accounts without the right tools can quickly take a toll. Teams that rely on manual data entry, disorganized setups, complicated workflows, or outdated software are putting themselves at a disadvantage. 

Social media management tools have taken the industry by storm. They offer new technologies, detailed analytics, and automation solutions for teams. Instead of working harder to churn out more content, these tools allow you to work smarter and publish the right content.

While solo creators can also benefit from social media management tools, there are certain tools and features that are more suitable for teams. Discover why these tools are necessary and what to look for when selecting them. Then compare some of the best social media management tools, like Later and Hootsuite, to get a sense of their real-world impact and how they could benefit your team.

Why your social team’s tool stack matters

When social media teams decide to expand, things can get complicated fast. Successfully adding channels takes more than making more content. It means using different content formats, coordinating posting schedules, and comparing analytics. Using multiple platforms also makes it harder to create reports and show stakeholders how things are progressing.

If your team is still using spreadsheets, email threads, and manual posting to manage your social media accounts, you’re giving yourself headaches you don’t need. Manual data entry can mean human errors that slow down the whole operation. Team members may waste valuable time scrolling through emails to find the finalized YouTube schedule. Manual posting increases the risk of missing a deadline or publishing at the wrong time.

Social media management tools solve these issues. Implementing a central system that threads together planning, publishing, approval workflows, and reporting immediately cuts down on confusion and wasted time. Whether you’re working on an in-house team or agency, or you're a marketing leader trying to scale efficiently, social media tools bring numerous benefits.

This guide looks at why social media management tools are effective and how to choose the best one by comparing the wide spectrum of features available. 

Why social media teams feel busy (but not productive)

There are so many aspects to social media management that it can pull teams in all different directions. It’s easy to lose track of what actually brings results. Teams can work nonstop and still feel like they’re always behind. 

This isn’t due to a lack of effort. When work is manual, rushed, and spread across multiple collaboration tools and platforms, disorganization becomes the main issue. These are pain points that many teams encounter when they don’t have a strong management system in place:

• Repetitive tasks: Manually copying and pasting text, resizing files, and reuploading content waste time and energy.

• Scattered approvals: When feedback, comments, and documents aren’t in a unified place, it causes confusion and delays. 

• Misplaced content: Content stored in random folders or hard drives can be lost, leading to reworking completed projects.

• Unclear responsibility: When team members aren’t clear on their roles, they may miss tasks or do the same work twice.

• Disconnected system: Without integrated tools, information gets lost, and work is harder than it should be.

Any single issue feeds into larger problems. Work that teams must redo or miss could mean delaying timely posts or whole campaigns. At the same time, spending time fixing the issue results in less time for other areas, such as planning and analysis. This eats away at costs as well. If team members need to put in more hours or leadership has to bring in additional hires to cover inefficient work, there’s less money in the budget for growth.

What makes a social media management tool effective for teams

Social media management tools shape how teams operate and the goals they can achieve. Finding the right fit depends on which tool best supports the team’s day-to-day tasks as well as the long-term agenda. Your solution should make planning and analysis easier and simplify communication. Teams should be improving quality rather than just increasing quantity.

Compare tools to choose the best one. Focus on specific areas where a solution could boost efficiency by supporting:

• Planning: Figuring out how to take action over time to meet business objectives

• Creating: Supporting content creators as they craft text, edit videos, or create graphics

• Posting: Providing adjustable calendars and timelines to make scheduling and publishing easy

• Collaborating: Allowing multiple people to work together without confusion or mistakes

• Tracking: Showing performance metrics from across platforms so you can monitor progress

• Reporting: Making reports and data exporting a straightforward process

Effective social media management tools allow teams to level up in multiple areas. Even if an option covers the basics, you’ll want to dive deeper to make sure it does everything you need. Some solutions may use the newest tech or have an impressive number of features. But if they don’t directly improve your results, they’re not the best fit. 

1. Pick a tool that supports your channels

Make sure the tool supports all of the social media platforms you’re using. This may sound basic, but some tools may cover some major platforms like Facebook and TikTok but leave out LinkedIn or Pinterest.

In some cases, you may not have a presence on a given platform. But if you think you may expand to it later, your social media management tool should include it. Choosing a tool that doesn’t support one or more platforms you’re using can lead to wasted time and effort. You’ll need to switch back and forth between applications for information, creating extra work for yourself.

Common social media platforms include:

• Facebook allows users and brands to post photos, text, links, updates, and videos. It’s great for community building and promoting events.

• X, formerly Twitter, is for short text posts. It works well for providing news, real-time updates, and fast discussions.

• YouTube is mainly a long-form video platform. However, it does support other content formats, like livestreaming and short videos. YouTube videos can range from educational breakdowns to movie reviews to travel vlogs.

• Instagram users can easily follow friends, family, and influencers from around the world. Everyone can post their own Stories, Reels, and photos. The mix of real-life connections and influencer content gives Instagram a unique feed.

• TikTok is known for short and fast videos. This platform presents a lot of opportunities for viral posts or jumping on board new content trends.

• LinkedIn is a social platform geared toward professionals. Users can use it for networking and career development.

• Pinterest is a discovery-driven platform. Users can add images and photos to boards for others to see. These are often based on lifestyle themes such as travel ideas, cooking recipes, and fashion.

Each platform has its own rules, formats, metrics, and styles. An effective social media tool integrates all of them in a single space.

2. Stay ahead with user-friendly scheduling

Scheduling is one of the most important aspects of social media management. Helpful tools offer simplified content calendars that allow team members to simply drag and drop posts into time slots. 

Tools with advanced scheduling features also allow leaders to assign responsibilities and tasks to specific team members. It’s a great way to plan days, weeks, or months ahead and keep everyone on the same page. Powerful solutions can even analyze your specific channel to give suggestions on the best times to post.

3. Keep the team on the same page

Both small and large teams depend on excellent communication. Helpful tools include features that support shared work. This can range from shared documents and calendars to internal commenting and chats. Clearly defining responsibilities and limiting conversations to a single channel creates a more seamless workflow.

4. Make quality checks simple

Prioritizing quality control minimizes mistakes, protects the brand’s reputation, and avoids legal issues. But certain tasks are more important than others. 

When leadership needs to sign off on something, a useful tool lets them review and approve things easily. For example, teams may need to have management approve all content before posting. Or managers may need to OK a plan before a filming session can get underway. Social media management tools that support approvals simplify this process and save teams time.

5. Track performance with ease

Analytics are vital for measuring performance. But when you’re using multiple social platforms, it can get complicated. Each platform has its own metrics and measures different things. 

Instead of switching back and forth between apps and manually converting metrics to compare them, you can use an analytics tool. These bring all the information and data into a single space. Deeper analytics also make for more detailed reporting. 

Bonus features that can take teams to the next level

Certain tools will come with extra features. Some teams may benefit from these added insights, while smaller teams may find little use for them until they’ve scaled. 

Social listening allows brands to monitor what’s being said about their brand beyond their direct mentions, messages, and comments. In addition, it tracks new trends and competitor movements.

Social media inbox tools are optimized for sorting, filtering, and responding to messages across multiple platforms. Organizations with large online presences can benefit from this feature, especially when multiple people are responsible for community management. The tool helps keep responses organized and tracks conversations.

Most tools use AI and automation to some extent already, and more features are coming. Teams shouldn’t use AI as a human replacement, but as support. It’s able to automate repetitive tasks, enhance brainstorming, and identify patterns that could lead to opportunities. Smaller teams or single-person managers may find AI and automation options especially helpful.

Compare leading social media management tools for teams

When social media management teams decide to upgrade the tools they’re using, there are plenty of options. Going with an established platform is often the best choice for guaranteed quality for the price you're paying. 

Available solutions vary in their capabilities and effectiveness. It’s a good idea to review several of the most popular options to get a sense of what’s available and what may be a good fit for your team.

Here are breakdowns of some of today's most in-demand social media management software. While being included on this list isn't necessarily an endorsement, it gives you a sense of what's out there. Check out the advantages and disadvantages, as well as the teams these solutions are most suited for: 

• Later: For large and small social media teams as well as individual creators, Later provides easy-to-use visual planning features. It integrates with many top social media platforms and is one of the most affordable solutions. On the downside, large organizations may not have as many customization options.

• Hootsuite: This suite of tools most benefits larger teams and agencies. It allows team members to deal with multiple social media platforms at once and offers advanced social listening capabilities. Some may find Hootsuite complicated and need time to adjust. It’s also more expensive than most other options.

• Sprout Social: Both large and small professional teams can take advantage of Sprout Social's high-quality analytics, reporting, and community management. It also offers AI automation options for communication with customers at scale. However, it's the most expensive tool on this list. It may be more advanced than most creators and small teams need. 

• Zoho Social: This social media management app for businesses of all sizes and agencies connects with other Zoho solutions, such as Zoho Marketing Automation and Zoho CRM. Zoho Social links social media performance to business goals, such as tracking leads and potential customers. On the downside, the business-oriented features may take longer to learn for those accustomed to easy-to-use commercial apps.

• Buffer: Small teams and start-ups may find this basic tool useful as the most user-friendly option available. The layout lets teams plan, organize, and schedule posts in an uncomplicated way. However, Buffer doesn’t have a unified inbox, meaning you must check each account individually to respond to DMs, comments, and mentions.

• HubSpot: A full marketing platform with integrated social media management features, HubSpot is aimed at professional teams. On top of creating, scheduling, and publishing features, it offers customer relationship management (CRM) data, email marketing, and lead tracking. But with so much to offer, HubSpot is an expensive and complex option that small teams may not use to the fullest. 

Brand-safe comparison table framework

These solutions can be great for team productivity and efficiency. But given the multiple options, finding the best social media management tool for your team can be intimidating. The right fit for your team depends on several factors:

• How many social media channels your team manages

• Which specific platforms your team covers

• How many team members there are

• Your team's reporting and approval process

• Which metrics the platform uses

• How quickly analytics update

• Calendar vs. checklist planning style

• Automation options

• Overall cost

Each tool has certain strengths and weaknesses. The following table lays out how some of the best social media marketing tools differ. Remember, your team’s individual context, goals, and structure will determine which is most suited to your business. 

How Later helps teams work smarter

Later takes disorganized systems riddled with confusion and turns them into well-oiled social media marketing operations. The easy-to-understand visual features and calendar-based workflows make scheduling posts simple. Teams can also take advantage of support drafts, feedback, approvals, and shared media libraries for better collaboration.

Later’s analytics help teams spot trends and determine what works. Customizable dashboards make sure you never miss the metrics you’re following for making quick, data-backed decisions. 

Here’s a big-picture view of how Later can help your team: A content creator uploads a finished video to the shared library. A different team member then amends the upload with captions and a thumbnail. Leadership checks the scheduled LinkedIn post and approves it. The team moves on to a different task, and Later automatically publishes the post as scheduled. The team then reviews the analytics as an individual post and part of the overall campaign. They use the data to create a report and plan their future posts.

Choosing the right tool for your team's workflow

Before teams pick a social media tool, they should spend time researching what would be a good fit for their brand, team needs, and overall business objectives. Leaders should list their channels, current and planned for, and the expected content for each one. 

They also need to consider which team members will handle each task and where current bottlenecks and gaps exist in their work process. When teams are aware of their main issues, such as complicated approvals, incomplete reporting, or disorganization, they can find a suitable tool to address them. 

A trial run can be an excellent way to find a good fit. Using a solution for a short period or a single campaign can give you a real sense of how useful it is. 

Work smarter on social with the right tool for your team

Finding the right social media management tool for your team can make a huge difference by simplifying your current processes and giving clear performance results. One of the best solutions available for teams of all sizes is Later. Simplify your planning, team collaboration, and analytics with an easy-to-use shared calendar system, detailed analytics, and cross-channel support that benefits all teams. 

If your marketing team suffers from disorganization or a random posting schedule, Later’s unified social media management system can help. Try Later free for 14 days to see how our tools can improve your team’s workflow.

Frequently asked questions about social media management tools

What should teams look for in a social media management tool?

Teams should look for a social media management tool that makes it easier to plan, organize, and share their work. It should serve as a central location for all of your social media channels. Multiple team members can access it at the same time. This keeps everyone on the same page and makes it easy for staff to work together. 

It's best to choose social media management apps and tools that people can master quickly. While some tools may have countless features, look for those that support your team’s real needs. The solution you choose should be more than just a place for publishing posts and videos. It should facilitate how your team actually works.

Are social media management tools only useful for large teams?

No, social media management tools can be useful for teams of all sizes in a wide variety of situations. While massive companies with large marketing teams do benefit from these tools, many others do as well. These solutions bring data and content together from multiple social media platforms together in one place, providing structure and efficiency. This makes management convenient for mid-sized businesses down to individual creators. 

With scalable tools, when teams expand, they don’t need to add new complex processes or systems. These tools bring consistency and stability. Automation and scheduling features maximize efficiency and save time overall. 

How do teams know when it is time to upgrade their social media tools?

Teams should upgrade their social media tools when their process begins to feel unorganized or slower than before. Common signs include workflow bottlenecks, approval delays, and messy reporting. If team members feel like they’re constantly busy but aren’t accomplishing much, it’s a bad sign. Implementing a new social media management tool or upgrading an existing one can make everyone’s job easier. 

Even teams that don’t see noticeable issues should recheck the software they’re using. Tools can become outdated even if they still cover the basics. This is especially true when teams and projects expand. Coordinating work with new team members and covering a broader scope may be easier with a new social media tool.