Replace 5+ systems with one and save tons of money! In my effort to help those new at Social Media or who are still trying to get their footing, I am posting just some tips on a couple of tools that I think Rock!
Ever wonder what to use to track ALL the Social Media channels out there? When I first started with Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Blogging, I really was overwhelmed by having to log into each of them as I needed to post something. It was very time consuming to log in to each system, copy & paste, each post. Sometimes you had to shorten or lengthen the post because there are different character limits for all the channels.
When Facebook came out with the ability to link to LinkedIn and Twitter by putting in a hashtag, I was way excited! I used that for a short while and then I found HootSuite. Hootsuite allows you to track Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and your WordPress, in one location. You can also add to the mix any clients you are also monitoring. You could literally be tracking a 100+ Social Media channels. There is even a little owl that will pop up if you have been inactive for awhile that says "Wake Up".
The next tool I like to use is Klout. It is not a monitoring tool like HootSuite, but rather a tracking tool. It gives you an idea of your Reach, Demand, Engagement, Velocity and Activity for Twitter. I use this to guage how active I have been on Twitter. You can tell when you have contributed because every 48 hours you can update your score. Klout also shows what people you may be influenced by and who may be influenced by you. Really cool when you see that others may be influenced by you.
Best part about these tools, they are FREE!
I am sure there are a ton of tools that people use. It is all about feeling comfortable with them. If you have an awesome tool that you would like to share, I would love to know about it. I am always looking for ways to simplify things.
