SO MANY SOCIAL MEDIA TOOLS. WHICH ONES ARE YOU TRYING AND DID THEY WORK?

So Many Social Media Tools. Which ones are you trying and did they work?

9/25/2018

“Don’t get caught up in all the shiny new things” is my favorite peace of social media advice. New Social Media tools pop up all the time and it can be a real time waster exploring new resources. My advice is pick one or two you think can benefit you and explore that resource. Always stay focused on getting to know the platforms you are using in your social media strategy. Start small and expand your platform and resources as you listen to where your customers engage. My favorite resources right now is the Heminway Editor. For a $19 life time member you get access to an editing tool that works from anywhere, even your phone. Social media marketing includes writing whether we like it or not. So, for non-writers out their getting some help with editing content is essential. Grammarly is a great one as well and it is free for you to down load today! What is your favorite social media resource? What advice do you have about handling all the new and shiny tools in social media?
Dr. Emrich
Always Learning

27 Comments

Lindsey Kernya link

9/26/2018 07:34:18 am

The first social media tool I used was Instagram. I am using it for my business, to display my recent work. I showcase weddings I've done and post pictures from photographers I've worked with, It does exactly what it says it's going to do. It gets my "portfolio" out there to other vendors and soon to be brides. I would recommend this tool to someone with a business similar to me. It is great for all wedding vendors, business in the interior design world. Anyone that needs to show case their work.
My second tool that I highly recommend is Canva. I use it to make marketing material for my business for print and social media content. This tool does exactly what it says as well, it creates beautiful material with little effort. You plug in a picture and words and your done! Canva is a little tricky for someone just starting out but once you play around with it a little, it becomes very easy. I would recommend this tool to anyone who needs marketing materials and has no background in graphic design, or wants to spend the money on marketing materials. It is very user-friendly and it only takes a few minutes to create something great!

Andrea Freeman

10/1/2018 07:59:27 pm

Well I have never given much thought to social media even as much as you hear about social media. I have only used Facebook and I use it for fun, keeping up with my friends and classmates (we are in our sixties). I have never heard of any of these platforms. I have never typed on a blog. My daughter uses Instagram to highlight her personal training business and she blogs and has a blog camera. After reviewing the different platforms, the only one that interested me was WordSwag. I have always wondered how everyone came up with such creative graphics. Well, I don't know if it does what it says it would do because I have never used it. However, I plan on exploring and seeing which it does do. Yes, if you are into graphic designs and it has the capability to do what it says, I would definitely recommend.

Deval Sheth

9/26/2018 10:05:08 am

The first social media tool I used was Facebook Messenger. I use this tool for private messages when I don't have any other contact information for my Facebook connections. This app is supposed to provide a way for one-on-one communication on a public platform and it does work. I would recommend this app to current Facebook users who need a private and direct mode of reaching out to businesses or individuals.

My second social media tool was Canva. This app allows you to create logos, posters, flyers, resumes, web banners, invitations, photo collages, and more. It provides free templates with limited customization. The instructions could be better. The end products can be professionally printed or directly published to social media sites. I used this app to make invitations and they turned out great. I would recommend this app to anyone who needs a quick way to add design and pizzazz to their social media posts or print documents.

Miranda Kimble

9/26/2018 03:43:37 pm

Instagram is a great social media tool for my nail salon. It’s the perfect tool for promoting my business and I can easily show off my work through pictures and videos. Customers can review new art work and post the work that I’ve done and hashtag my salon. This brings in new clients and really branches out my business. Instagram does everything it says and more. I would recommend this tool to any growing business that wants to promote their brand.

Brand24 is the second tool that would be great for my business. Brand24 notifies you when someone mentions your brand on social media in a dashboard layout. This helps me see how my customers feel about my nail art and is a great way for me to engage with new ones. I can even monitor my competition and gain new cliental. Brand24 demonstrates everything it promoted, and I do recommend this to anyone that wants to keep up with their customers and local competitors.

Jackie Todd

9/27/2018 03:41:13 am

I have Found Followerwonk to be a handy tool, in the age of algorithms it is harder than ever to predict when traffic is at it’s peek. Guessing is not an option and Followerwonk helps take the guessing out when it come to timing. I would highly recommend this app especially to business trying to gain exposure. Posting on social media has many options to weed though with videos, stories, photos, clickables and plenty of colors and designs to choose from there are many decisions to be made and Followerwonk can help alleviate the decision of timing.
In an attempt to work smarter not harder Sendible is versatile with many platforms, options and a wide range of helpful information. It can be used to organize posts and help you include words that will help your posts be seen by more users on more platforms with less time spent. Though it does a great job in timing it appears to have some glitches occasionally. It seems as though it may not always fill in all information on all platforms as though the script to connect to each platform may not be exact. I would recommend using Sendible but as with any social media management tool you will want to go in and check your posts manually to ensure accuracy.
I know the assignment is for two tools but on a personal level I have only recently discovered wordswag and it is amazing and a lot of fun to “play around with”.

Sara Arafat

9/29/2018 11:32:07 am

The first tool I'm choosing is Instagram. I've had an instagram account since it first came out. Its purpose is to basically publish photos and videos to show the people you choose to show. I personally use it to market my music and post about upcoming shows so people can come out and see me play. Also, because I'm from Jordan and because I moved here one of the main ways of staying in touch and seeing how my friends back home are doing and what they're up to. I would recommend it because it's a free app, it's easy to use, and it is up to you whether you do or don't want your account to be public, so no one can see your posts unless you allow them to.

The second one I'm choosing is Facebook Audience Insights. Because I have a Facebook page where I share all my music posts and my upcoming events, I like using Facebook Audience Insights because it shows me what the demographic of people that check out my page is like. It helps me with future posts because it makes it easier for me to reach more people. I am not as familiar with it as I want to be. I have used it multiple times, but I feel like there's so much more to it that I do not know yet. I would recommend it because like I previously said, it helps a lot when you are trying to reach more people

Russell Carter link

9/30/2018 12:17:24 pm

The two social media tools I use are Instagram and Facebook. I use Instagram mostly to promote events and music from my company to my story. It is also very easy to cross post between the two platforms. I have Instagram accounts that are linked to Facebook pages and when I share post on both platforms, I've found the I get more engagement from Instagram. I would recommend Instagram and linking it to a page or profile on Facebook.

Megan Cooper

9/30/2018 04:35:58 pm

I currently work as a retail manager of local business and one of my primary tasks is to also manage our social media accounts. We opened the store in July, and I have had to work on growing our Instagram. I love using Instagram in my personal life because I have a growing passion for photography. I think it is an excellent way to showcase interesting images of products, and by adding hashtags, they become searchable. I knew upon reviewing this assignment I was going to delve into social media tools that will couple well with Instagram.
The first tool I started using is Planoly. I really liked the concept that I could plan out my social media posts and get an idea of the visual layout of my page. Since I don’t work seven days a week, this allows me to take the photos I need on a day I do work and then edit and post them on my days off. I highly recommend this to someone who is looking for an easy way to post to their account every day. I find it allows me more time to figure out the composition of my photos, take and schedule themed photos for gamedays or special events, and to factor in any upcoming releases.
The second tool I was interested to try is Repost. I have seen other brands and personal acquaintances use it. I began using it on my store account to repost photos customers have taken proudly wearing our products. Our customers feel great having their photo reposted by one of their favorite brands, thus helping the store because lifestyle posts are currently trending on social media. Customers want to see brands broadcast real people. Repost is easy because you simply login to Instagram, find an image you want to repost, click the three dots, and tap Copy Link or Copy Share URL. It is that simple. I highly recommend this feature; I’m not sure why it took us so long to get on board!

Summer Sulzer

9/30/2018 08:18:09 pm

The first tool I’m evaluating that I utilize by far the most is Instagram. Instagram is a photo and video visual sharing app that allows each user a profile and a news feed. Right now, I primarily use Instagram for self branding, promoting clothing and sunglasses companies that I’m ambassadors for, and sharing music to a certain group of my followers that request it. I’ve had a few clothing companies and other accessory businesses that are heavily involved with instagram reach out to me via the “direct messages” feature that app offers, asking me to help them market and promote their products in exchange for posting photos of the items they send me. Making me a “brand ambassador” and essentially promoter for their business. Not only do I benefit from receiving discounted or free products, I increase MY AND THEIR brand awareness with each post using hashtags, captions, and tags. Instagram is a huge marketing tool that I utilize every day and I wouldn’t have been given some really great opportunities if it weren’t for my involvement with the app. I would one hundred percent recommend the app to anyone for many reasons. First, why wouldn’t you want to be using the top social media platform for engagement? It gives you an easy and interesting way to visually keep up with what’s going on with the people, things, and places you’re interested in and choose to “follow”. It is functionable in that it is accessible both via mobile and internet making it easy to use when you’re on the go. It is visual in nature which makes it an easy platform to use for visual marketing.
The second social media tool I am evaluating is called Followerwonk. In hopes that my marketing for companies continues to go well on instagram, I’d eventually like to start building a follower base with twitter and other social media platforms with the goal to build a relevant and engaged community. Twitter is a powerful tool for any brand, and any tool I can use to manage it further is beneficial to me because building a strong following on twitter is crucial. It builds influence by creating conversations with customers, enabling them to directly engage with the people they wish to sell to. In doing so, I could use followerwonk to manage and understand who my audience is, when they are most likely to engage, and to find followers who have similar social profiles and influencers. A popular features is its analyze feature which tells you exactly when to post your most important updates for exposure. Another favorable feature is the “search bios’” tab where you can search by interest, keyword, or location. I would definitely recommend this app to anyone looking to help build their personal brand or that of their business due to how well of a job the app does managing so many different parts of your twitter.

JAQUA HAMBRICK

10/1/2018 11:27:11 am

The first tool I would want to learn and utilize more is Instagram. It is the “in” app with them extending video content it can transform into the new norm. I think the target audience is endless. With hastags and other branding short messages can go far. I use it now but I’m very basic. A tool like Kiksta stood out to me, As a graphic artist I really don’t have time to create messages from scratch kicksta will allow me to reach audience, with a schedule and images included. This seem perfect for me and I have downloaded the app. I am working on different messages to cover at least a 2-week time period. I would recommend this tool for anyone that may not able to develop a lot of time to images and other created outlets. As commented y cammi pham . it gives a real time engagement with your audience.

The second tool I would use is Foursixty , since I work with small business I would recommend this because social present is the new way to shop. I have not got to play with the app much but I have recommended to a friend is starting a wine business. So I have already recommended based upon the ecommerce visual feel it provides.

Megan Murphy

10/2/2018 12:27:19 pm

I like the idea of Moz's Fresh Web Explorer and Edgar.

I would use Moz's Fresh Web because it makes searching for your brand and your competition very easy. A big part of running a small business is making sure you are still being innovative and relevant. A good way to do that is to keep an eye on your competitors. I think this would be a good way to keep up on what is being said about your company or brand as well. Keep your finger on the pulse, so to speak.

I like the idea of Edgar because it takes the work and sometimes hassle out of having to schedule posts. As an entertainment manager and coach, most of my time-consuming work is just that! This makes keeping your audience/fans in touch and updated effortlessly. I think a lot of music industry professionals either use something similar or should get in the habit. Instead of you or your promoter sitting around posting updates about an album release or upcoming show, Edgar would post them for you in a fresh way. It doesn't just repeat the same info over and over, it creates new, fresh postings to keep your readers interested while still sharing the most important info!

Melissa Quillin-Grignon

10/3/2018 05:37:01 am

I really only use Facebook. I find it provides the easiest format for the most people to use. I would like to become ore comfortable with Instagram. The goal at my new employer is for me to take over social media. I have done many things for promoting fundraisers and helping rescue efforts , I definitely need to see what formats may prove useful in the long run.

Portia Sharp

10/3/2018 12:19:32 pm

The first Social Media tool I plan to use or learn more about to improve my business is Twitter. I want to use it to market my available homes that are on the market as well as market my real estate services. As far as I can tell Twitter allows you to post marketing content for your followers. As of right now I would recommend that others use twitter for marketing purposes as well. I may even check into having different handles for different niche markets.

The second platform I would like to learn more about is Planoly. I would like for it to help me keep up with posting on Instagram. with so many social sites, its hard to keep up. I am not happy about the pricing but I will try it for free then if I see fit I will upgrade. If you are having a hard time keeping up this automated system is recommended.

Robert Moore

10/4/2018 09:44:39 am

The first new social media tool that I wanted to learn more about was Tweeps Map. It is a tool to get in depth analytics from your twitter traffic, especially location. As an independent artist, I would like to tour to as many places as I can to perform my music, I could use this tool to help book shows with more traffic than others as to have more popular shows. Yes, the tool performs the function advertised. I ran it with my twitter was able to get some good results. I would recommend this social media tool because I think it could be useful for many types of entrepreneurs target their market.

The second social media tool I looked at was PopSocial. PopSocial a promotion and marketing app to help people build their brand and audience on Instagram. I would love to use this tool to get a larger Instagram following for my music group. Instagram is amazing tool for artists to reach fans. Yes, PopSocial has many successful brands and clients so they definitely provide the service they advertise but any promotion and marketing cannot be 100% guaranteed. PopSocial definitely seems like a useful tool for independent artists but since I don’t subscribe to plan I can recommend it to other people.

Muhammad Hamideh

10/6/2018 12:22:55 pm

The first tool that I would like to utilize is Instagram. The use of Instagram for me would be to inform people about a job opportunity that I can provide them. I do summer sales for a pest control company and have made enough to pay off my car, tuition, and many other things. In order for me to achieve success, others must first do it. Instagram definitely does what I need it to do. Because of everyone visiting it daily, I can spread the word easier. I would recommend this tool because of how effective it is to get your message out there.

The second tool that I would like to use is Twitter. Similar to Instagram, it is a very effective way to market my job opportunity. I can post statuses or direct message people to let them know what I am doing. Twitter effectively allows me spread my message and it is one of the best ways to do so. I would recommend this tool because just like instagram, it allows you to get your word out to people.

Kevin Hunter

10/7/2018 10:45:13 am

I like using Facebook messenger for staying in touch with clients and giving clients a single environment to communicate. Staying in touch with my clients and giving potential clients another form of making contact with my business is very important to me and Facebook is my main social media presence for my business. Messenger allows Facebook users to connect instantly from within Facebook and send/receive updates on orders etc… I would recommend Facebook messenger for anyone that wants to be in direct contact with their business clients with immediate feedback. The introduction of chatbots has expanded the abilities of messenger. According to adweek.com: “Messenger bots are autonomous digital messages that can answer questions, provide automated responses and be programmed with simple AI.” This will allow users to automate communications with customers.

The second tool that I would like to utilize more is blogging as a tool. I want to use a blog site like WordPress to write informative articles on subjects that would be beneficial to my core customers; homeowners who need remodeling and/or repairs on their homes. I think blogging is an excellent way to inform customers and build trust through showing your knowledge and expertise on a given subject. I would recommend blogging to any business owner who wants to inform customers about their specific knowledge and skillset and for an avenue of gathering info for an email marketing campaign. Plug in apps like Yoast, a SEO plug in for WordPress, can aid in marketing as well.

Jocelyn Milton

10/7/2018 04:53:33 pm

Wow I did not know all these social media tools exists face book and Instagram is all I know. The first social media tool I would use for my business would be Instagram. I have an eBay store with 420 clothes and shoes and Instagram is a place I can post pictures and show what is new and what was sold. Also, can create a link to my store.
The second social media tool is Foursixty I would be interested in exploring this tool because is seems to be geared for people who have e-commerce stores. With foursixty you can turn your Instagram content into shoppable gallery for your online store, emails, blogs.

Zarita Williams

10/7/2018 06:21:33 pm

The first tool I picked was Buzz Sumo. I picked this because it can tell me how content is being received across various social media sites at once. I can see how many engagements there were on Facebook and shares. I can look at what others have written and use what they have done as a template for my own articles. I going to use this tool for content that will drive people to my sites and my Facebook pages. It does do what is advertised. I like to see what is working for others rather than by trial and error, Which is very costly, if you were to run an ad that does not generate sales. I would recommend this tool for others so that they can have success with ads and articles that are related to what is being sold or marketed.

My, second tool is the Amimoto, for making videos. I would like to use videos for each page I have on Facebook to drive sales. I like these particular videos because you can use sound and words to get my items into the customer hands. If I were to use Facebook live alone I would only use the visual tool only. It does all what promised. I can use pictures to make my video unique and target a specific market. I would most definitely recommend this tool. Using videos allows the customer to hear as well as to see what is being recognized,

Tyler DiSiena

10/7/2018 07:19:38 pm

Tweet Maps -

I wanted to use this tool to advertise my music management company more efficiently. The artists that I work with have listeners and followers all over the world. This is a great tool to see where my artists music may do better. As a result I know where to run more ads.

Yes, this tool works great. The user is able to refine the search by Country, State, and cities. The user is able to know exactly where the followers are at.

I would definitely recommend this tool for someone looking to advertise more effectively. There are more features if you pay a monthly. However, I think the free version gets the Job done great. The benefit of the paid version allows the user to see which followers of theres live in a location.

Rival IQ -

Once again, I wanted to use this tool to compare my artists social media pages with other bands that would considered our competitors. This tool also lets the user export the information to a PDF with makes it really easy to share your findings with your team.

Yes, this tool works exactly as they say. You are able compare a various amount of things, such as, websites, instagrams, youtube channels, Twitters, and Google Accounts.

I would highly recommend this tool as well. There is a fee after a 14 day trial but it would be well worth it if you wanted to see how your competitors compare to you.

Ashley Sarmiento

10/7/2018 07:36:01 pm

My future goal is to open up a convenience store. As I searched through all 50 Social Media tools, I came to the conclusion that I would use Facebook and Facebook messenger.

The reasoning behind this is because a wide variety of people use Facebook. All ages and genders. This would be a great advantage for me to promote my store known. Also, I would prefer Facebook messenger because I would really enjoy to be able to talk to my future customers. As an owner, my biggest goal is to have great customer service skills. Having Facebook Messenger will help me accomplish this goal.

Tomaniqua Whitner

10/7/2018 08:48:59 pm

The social media tool I believe would be the most effective for me would be Instagram. Using Instagram would be a great way for me to promote my business to thousands of followers across the world. It will help give viewers a glimpse of who I am and what type of products I have to offer based off of how I brand myself. This can be done using pictures, videos, and hashtags. Depending on how you choose to manage it, Instagram can be a great marketing tool.
The Repost app is another great tool to help promte my brand. It gives others the opportunity to post your picture or video to their page, while including your name so viewers know where post originated from. This will give your post an opportunity to reach an even larger amount of people who may have not have any knowledge of who you are or what you are promoting. This app is great for allowing others to post your work while you still receive the credit.
Both of these apps are wonderful at what they were designed to do. For someone who is looking to promote their work to a vast amount of people these two apps come highly recommend.

Stephanie Ost

10/7/2018 08:56:57 pm

The first tool that I would really like to use and get to know more of is Instagram. In today's world Instagram is the best way to take and post photos of just about everything and to everyone. It is a great way to market a new product, resturant, travel, fashion ect. And it can be shared with just about anyone, anywhere and at anytime. I think it is a great tool to use especially in a major business trying to increase sales.
The second tool I would like to know and utilize better is Facebook messenger. I think that this is another amazing way to communicate and market to people via social media. It allows you to reach out to others who you may not be "friends" with, and promote or market to them. It's also a great way to be in touch with people who may or may not want to share their personal information.

Marcus W. Shinaul ,Jr link

10/9/2018 05:09:03 pm

I have used Linked In as a business site to promote my professional business I am a licensed Master Barber stylist and linked in gave me the platform needed to explore some of the information offered by other entrepreneurs such as myself , this allowed me to utilize some of their advise as thriving business owners and to also connect with possible business connections as well . I have also used for quite some time now Instagram as a media platform to post pictures of the services that I have given to past clients which helps give future business clients the opportunity to view my work from different times , and also gives that individual the opportunity to view my work environment as a professional business person , I would recommend that these two websites be given definite consideration they are in my opinion excellent ways to build your business as well as market your business and yourself and get definite positive feed back and make great future business connections , I also use my Instagram page to keep a track of new and up and coming styles and hair trends as well which helps me stay competitive in my day to day business affairs.

Melissa Paquin

10/10/2018 06:41:49 pm

I currently use Facebook and LinkedIn. I find that my Facebook account is mainly personal and family stuff, and I would like to challenge myself to make it more professional, but I am not sure if that is even possible.
I would like to learn about and utilize Animoto and Twitter. I would like to use Animoto to learn how to create videos for business, and also use it to share video slide shows of photos with my family and friends. I attempted to use it, but did not have many pics to select from on my computer, so while I was trying to download them from my phone, I tried to make a short video. It was not as easy as it said it was. I will put more effort into it and see what the outcome is. I am not sure if I would recommend it, but being an older student, some of these things don’t come as easy to me. So let’s just say that “the jury is still out’ on the recommendation.
Yes, I am probably one of the only people alive who has never used Twitter. I don’t know a lot about it, but want to learn more. My main goals would be to expand my network and share my personal goals and successes. I work full time and also do some jobs on the side – both for pay and volunteer positions. I feel that this would help me connect with others, and expand my horizons as a person. Based on what I have learned, I would recommend it to others. Let’s see where it take me!

Katelyn Foley

10/12/2018 08:58:50 pm

The first tool I want to utilize is Instagram. I like instagram because this is an app that just about everyone knows about and uses. This allows me to reach a large audience. When telling someone they should follow an instagram for my business it is super easy because most people already have an account and all they have to do is follow my page. It is super effective, because like the website says, it is simple and it is immediate. Which are two important factors to successfully market a business in my opinion. This is an app that I would definitely recommend because it is easy to use and is effective when it comes to reaching a wide audience.
The second tool I would utilize is Planoly. This tool would be extremely helpful because it allows you to plan and schedule your posts at any time. Because I would want to post multiple posts each day, this would be helpful in doing that and making sure my posts came out around the same time each day. I would recommend this to anyone running a business that want to post multiple times a day.

GW link

11/29/2022 12:47:38 pm

Those are good tools for writers.

Wastewater System Services link

10/1/2023 10:30:52 pm

This post really got me thinking! I love how you presented a unique perspective on the topic. It's always great to see different viewpoints being explored.

So Many Social Media Tools. Which ones are you trying and did they work?

Leave a Reply.

Archives

Categories