It’s not uncommon for modern businesses to be active on several social media platforms simultaneously. Unfortunately, that means a lot of hard work if you want to make the most of all the channels.
There are lots of things to be mindful of, such as:
- The best social media network to post to
- Video and image formats
- Hashtags
- Trends
- Social media algorithms that are ever-changing
The trick to managing your social media accounts effectively is to be organized.
7 Best Strategies to Successfully Manage Multiple Social Media Accounts
The following strategies and tools will help you find the most efficient way of doing things.
1. Use software
There are a wealth of social media management tools you can use to help you maintain your social media presence, some of which you’ll be introduced to below. They vary in functionality considerably, but you might find mixing them up gets you what you need.
2. Secure your social media accounts
Losing your social media accounts would be catastrophic. It might not have happened yet, but that’s no reason to neglect the security of your various social media accounts.
There are some very simple rules you should always follow:
- Use different passwords for each social media account you have
- Make sure your password includes upper and lower case letters together with numbers and symbols
- Never give your passwords to people you don’t trust
- Regularly switch out your passwords, preferably at least once a week
It can be a bit of a headache trying to remember all your different passwords, but there are online password management tools you can use to make life easier.
Using a tool allows you to keep all the important information in one place which means you don’t have to keep jumping between all your social media profiles. You can organize tweets, RSS feeds, posts, hashtags, and mentions so that they aren’t so overwhelming.
3. Post at the right time
Each platform has its own optimum posting times and frequency because different social platforms have different demographics. People also like to use various platforms in a variety of ways.
A/B testing can help you figure out the best times and frequency, together with various analytics tools.
Don’t stress if you discover the best time for posting is in the middle of the night. There are plenty of tools you can use to automate your social media posts.
4. Make time to engage
Consumers prefer a brand that makes them feel there is a genuine human connection. The human aspect of a brand can be very persuasive.
If people are responding to your posts, take the time to respond to their messages because this shows that you care. Use other communication channels such as email or SMS messages to ensure a better engagement strategy. Also, when it comes to emails, check out some phishing statistics so that your recipients are safe.
5. Curate, repost, and repurpose content
There’s not enough time for you to constantly create new content across all your social media profiles. Curation is your best friend and you shouldn’t think of it as cheating. It’s a great time saver and a way to keep your audience engaged and leverage the audience of your competitors.
It’s beneficial to check on your competitor’s posts and if you find one that’s relevant, share it on one of your accounts and offer your opinion. Curation is a good way
6. Use templates for content creation
It’s likely there’s going to be a certain type of content you post regularly. For example, you might choose to post an inspirational or funny quote every week. You can streamline the process and keep your content pipeline moving by using templates. There will be no need to start from scratch which is going to save time.
If you regularly post quotes, design a template with an image that you can update with a new quote when you want to. You’ve already done most of the hard work. All that’s left to do is update it with a new quote.
There’s another benefit to using templates. They help to maintain a consistent visual brand identity across all your social media profiles. Use templates that have consistent brand colors, layout, and tone and it’s easier to convey your personality and brand voice.
7. Unify your analytics
As with any kind of strategy, analyzing the results has a crucial part to play. You should measure them against these key metrics:
- Are some of your social media accounts performing better than others?
- Does every social media account have a part to play in defining your brand?
- Is there something you can do to boost any channels that aren’t doing so well?
You’ll struggle to find the answers to these questions if you don’t check the platform analytics. Also, there are social media campaigns that are marketed offline too. To measure their success, a social media QR code can be attached to the campaign so as to get the analytics of how well they were received.
5 Best Tools to Manage Social Media Accounts
Social media management tools come in a range of shapes and sizes. The features are equally varied and can range from customer monitoring and listening to unified dashboards and more. Here are five of the best.
1. Crowdfire
Crowdfire is a social media management tool that’s been around for a while now. Over the years it’s added lots of new features. You can use the tool to schedule content and manage your Twitter account. It also suggests articles for sharing. Supported networks include Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Instagram.
Benefits include:
- Creates social media posts for every update you have on your sites
- You can schedule your posts in advance and publish them automatically
Pricing starts from $7.48 per month when billed annually. There is also a free plan, but features are limited.
2. BuzzSumo
You can use BuzzSumo to find out what pieces of content are working well across various social media platforms. It will help you plan a winning content strategy. Supported networks include Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.
Benefits include:
- Identifies interesting content that is going viral in your space so that you can reshare it
- Provides inspiration for content by looking at recent posts on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter
- Helps you find social media influencers that are performing well
Prices start from $99/month and you can save 20% when you choose to be billed annually. However, there is also a free plan that offers 10 free searches a month.
3. Agorapulse
Sign up with Agorapulse and you can automate posting, monitor account interactions, and gauge your performance, all from one dashboard. Supported networks include YouTube, LinkedIn, LinkedIn Profile, Instagram Business, Twitter, Facebook Group, and Facebook Page.
Benefits include:
- The software lets you schedule and post to multiple social media accounts
- Using the dashboard you can monitor and respond to messages and comments across several social media accounts.
- Identifying the most active and engaged followers for each account
- Spotting when your brand gets mentioned in social media posts
- Generation of in-depth performance results
Pricing starts from $79/month when billed annually. There is an option to try the tool for free. In addition, there is a free version of the tool that can be used by one user and manage three social profiles.
4. SocialPilot
This is a very budget-friendly tool that teams and SMMs can use to organize accounts into groups. It helps with content curation and posting automation. Supported networks include Twitter, Facebook Page and Groups, Pinterest, Google My Business, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and Tumblr.
Benefits include:
- You can organize your accounts into different groups
- Using the platform you can automate paid ads and organic posts
- It includes a unified inbox for all social media accounts
- You can use customizable feeds to curate content
Pricing starts from $140/month when billed annually. There is a 14-day free trial that gives you a chance to try the tool before you buy.
5. Hootsuite
Hootsuite is possibly the best-known social media management tool. It is used by millions of people around the world and more than 800 Fortune 100 companies. With this all-in-one platform, you can curate and schedule content, run social media ads, measure your social ROI, and much more.
Benefits include:
- Access to a comprehensive platform
- Connect with 35+ social networks
- Schedule social media posts in bulks
Pricing starts from $48/month for one user and 10 social accounts. There is a free 30-day which is too good to miss.
Conclusion
Managing multiple social media accounts can be a very time-consuming task, especially if you want to maintain a consistent voice across all channels. Use the following strategies above and try out one or more of the tools in the list and you should be able to get a better grip on your social media marketing strategy.