Social media management is no walk in the park. Juggling different platforms, dealing with complex workflows, and meeting rising expectations — that is a lot. To top it off, the content you post needs to be appropriate.
In today's crowded social media landscape, standing out isn't an option; it's a prerequisite. Anything less than remarkable is simply background noise. Your content must be great and delivered with impeccable timing and unwavering consistency.
To cover the endless list of tasks and produce excellent content, you need all the help you can get. Thankfully, tons of social media automation tools can help maximize your efforts and ensure your business thrives in this competitive landscape.
We've compiled a list of the 13 best social media automation tools that lighten the workload and improve your operation's overall efficiency. Let's jump right in.
What is Social Media Automation?
Social media automation uses software and web applications to automate aspects of content creation, posting, and social sharing processes. When it comes to social media management, several steps need to be taken. While creation requires human intervention, steps like ideation and posting can easily be carried out in the background through automation tools.
Benefits of Social Media Automation
One automation app is like a 24/7 assistant that operates around the clock without rest, posts consistently, and never runs out of creative ideas. Some of the benefits of social media are listed below.
- Time Savings: With automated scheduling and posting, you save time that can be redirected towards more strategic aspects of your social media strategy.
- Creative Freedom: By handling routine tasks, automation allows you the freedom to focus on creating compelling content and refining your overall social media strategy.
- Data-Driven Decisions: Automation tools provide valuable insights and analytics, empowering you to make informed decisions based on the performance of your social media efforts.
- Engagement Monitoring: Automation tools can track mentions, comments, and direct messages in real time, allowing for prompt responses and active engagement with your audience.
- Scalability: As your social media presence grows, automation facilitates scalability by handling increased posting frequency and engagement without a proportional increase in manual effort.
What Can You Automate In Social Media Marketing?
Transforming an idea into a customer-engaging social media post that builds impact and adds to your funnel is a multistep journey, and most of the steps can be fully or semi-automated. For example, Highperformr helps you in the ideation, creation, and scheduling of your posts within minutes so that you can maximize your impact with minimum effort. Let's understand how it is done.
- Idea Generation: Ideas are born from brainstorming, leaning into industry trends, and reading customer feedback. You can also get inspiration from Highperformr's prompt library and idea machine, which studies your behavior and curates an idea list that can be tapped into at any moment.
- Content Creation: Automation tools help write content, design graphics, and suggest captivating captions. Tools like Highperformr even generate content using predefined templates.
- Strategic Scheduling and Publishing: Highperformr takes charge of scheduling posts at peak times to ensure a steady and consistent presence.
- Precise Audience Targeting: Automation refines the process of identifying and targeting specific audience segments based on demographics, behaviors, and interests.
Common Mistakes When Automating Social Media Marketing
Social media automation is incredibly beneficial, given you avoid mistakes that can ruin your online presence. Things such as having an over-dependence on automation tools can create an impersonal brand image. You should also steer clear of low-quality automation tools and invest in reliable, quality tools that ensure a smooth and practical automated social media marketing approach. Prioritizing the right automation tools over quick fixes is foundational for a successful and sustainable social media marketing strategy.
The 13 Must-Have Social Media Automation Tools in 2024
A stellar social media automation software combines a user-friendly interface, multi-platform compatibility, flexibility, and security. Here are some that top the list and turn your social media management into a well-oiled machine with seamless automation.
1. Highperformr
Best for content scheduling, ideation, and content creation
Highperformr puts your online growth on cruise control with cutting-edge automation solutions and content creation tools. Developed with creators and busy entrepreneurs in mind, Highperformr lets you schedule a month's content in a single hour without compromising on quality, tone of voice, or audience engagement.
Features:
- Content scheduling for various platforms
- Analytics and metrics overview
- Content calendar and consistency tracker
Pros:
- Easy-to-use interface
- More than 50 free tools
- Beginner-friendly tool
2. SocialBee
Best for categorized scheduling
SocialBee enables you to create engaging posts effortlessly, strategically schedule them, and analyze their performance — all in a few clicks. Its intuitive platform streamlines the process of crafting interesting posts, strategically scheduling them across multiple platforms, and providing insightful analytics for performance evaluation.
SocialBee facilitates efficient collaboration, audience targeting, and real-time monitoring, making it a versatile solution for managing online presence seamlessly.
Features:
- Sectioned scheduling for each content type
- Customized posts for multiple social media profiles
- Unlimited post variations for different platforms and time slots
- Bulk editor for social posts
Pros:
- Pause and edit schedule content
- Put your top-performing posts on auto-share
Cons:
- Not available on mobile
- Lags in the content calendar
- Lacks a social box feature
3. Buffer
Best for collaboration and task assignment
Buffer is a standout collaboration tool that enables easy coordination with your entire team. Its smart automation feature allows you to create social media campaigns from scratch and publish them within the software, saving you hours.
Buffer's functionality allows for conversation assignment and visibility into team access and keeps the entire team on the same page.
Features:
- Cross-posting on different platforms
- Simple calendar view
- Integration with nearly every social media platform
Pros:
- Beginner-friendly interface
- Easy customization of individual and bulk posts
- Community interaction
Cons:
- On the expensive side
- Lack of media library or content creation tools
4. Buzzsumo
Best for performance analysis and keyword discovery
BuzzSumo is a time-saving asset for discovering industry-specific keywords and hashtags. The tool also offers competitor analysis and marketing strategies with each social media post.
A simple search on BuzzSumo brings out the most popular content on any given topic, with the added convenience of filtering results based on location or duration. The platform also offers access to analytics for all social media platforms, making it usable for high-level automation.
Features:
- Content library
- Performance analysis
- Real-time alerts
Pros:
- Identification of the most popular content for each keyword
- Influencer outreach and community building
- Topic discovery for each niche
Cons:
- Not beginner-friendly
- Does not work with most platforms
5. Hootsuite
Best for inbox consolidation and direct contact
Hootsuite, one of the most recognized social media automation tools, is best suited for marketing agencies and large enterprises with its advanced features. Compatible with numerous social media platforms, it offers the ability to monitor multiple accounts simultaneously, providing real-time updates for all your brands.
This platform enables content customization for various social media channels and simultaneously supports bulk scheduling of nearly 350 posts. Additionally, Hootsuite allows for the saving of quick replies, facilitating prompt engagement with customers.
Features:
- Multi-account feed
- Flexible scheduling
- Consolidated inbox across all channels
- Timeline view
Pros:
- Multi-platform customization of one post
- Extensive metric reporting
- Easy-to-use interface and functionality
Cons:
- Unaffordable to most small businesses and creators
- Not cost-effective because of added charges for each automation
Discover Hootsuite alternatives for small business.
6. Sprout Social
Best for metrics, reporting, and competitive analysis
Sprout Social puts all your ducks in a row by managing messages and notifications and streamlining tasks to save time. Task organization and assignment to team members are the key features of this dynamic software. Users can also run ads on select social media platforms with seamless integration within the app.
Features:
- Campaign monitoring across all platforms
- Smart inbox to capture and process brand mentions
- Engagement analysis and link tracking
Pros:
- User-friendly interface
- Intuitive publishing calendar
- Multi-channel reporting capabilities
Cons:
- Inadequate features for Instagram and LinkedIn
- Limited integration with social media platforms
7. SocialPilot
Best for scheduling and automation
Boasting a range of features such as scheduling, content curation, calendar management, analytics, and client management, SocialPilot provides a comprehensive social media automation solution. Integration of multiple social media accounts simultaneously is a seamless process with this tool.
Features:
- Content dashboard
- Content history
- Multi-platform integration
Pros:
- Media integration with Dropbox, Box, and Google Drive
- Functional browser extension
- Multiple workflows for automating social media posts
Cons:
- Lack of Facebook integration and Instagram analytics
- A limited number of profiles and ad accounts
8. Sendible
Best for brand monitoring and content recommendation
Sendible is another remarkable social media automation tool that streamlines the management of your social media accounts effortlessly. This tool lets you initiate one-by-one campaign schedules for various accounts, giving you control over their release directly from your dashboard. It enables content customization for different platforms and permits scheduling for the desired duration.
Features:
- Social scheduling for hundreds of posts across all platforms
- Content recommendation and prompt generation
- Brand monitoring and social listening
Pros:
- Best scheduler for multi-platform posting
- Consolidated inbox for integrated customer support
- Content queue
Cons:
- Lack of intuitive calendar
- On the expensive side
9. Agorapulse
Best for CRM automations
For those searching for a comprehensive CRM with social media integration, Agorapulse is the ideal choice. The tool offers multiple options for your content calendar and allows bulk content uploads, queuing, scheduling, and rescheduling of posts. The cream of the app is the social inbox that efficiently captures every conversation and presents analytics reports for customer interaction.
Features:
- Tailored social media posts
- Auto-repost of top-performing tweets
- Flexible moderation rules for Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
- CRM functionality for managing followers
Pros:
- A built-in CRM
- Metric report generation for each platform
- Content labeling for convenient retrieval and analysis.
Cons:
- Complicated interface
- Limited integration with external applications
- Limited functionality
10. CoSchedule
Best for WordPress Integration
Whether you're a solo entrepreneur or part of a marketing enterprise, CoSchedule is accessible to all. Seamlessly integrating with WordPress, it facilitates content publishing across your social media platforms.
The tool provides a comprehensive content report to assess the effectiveness of your social media campaigns, prioritizing content and social media performance. Additionally, CoSchedule allows you to reschedule your top-performing content.
Features:
- Centralized calendar and dashboard
- Multiple calendars
- CoSchedule plugin for WordPress
- Templates for social media post creation
Pros:
- Read-only calendar for content
- WordPress integration
- Implementation of approval procedures
Cons:
- Sluggish performance with extensive data
- A common occurrence of publishing errors
- Requirement of manual template changes
11. Brandwatch
Best for automation and analytics
Brandwatch is your tool if you're looking to swiftly adapt your brand to social media and generate quick understanding and engagement with customers through its social suite.
This tool enables you to anticipate demand, monitor your brand, generate compelling content, and engage with customers seamlessly. Leveraging world-class AI, Brandwatch excels at identifying trends ahead of the curve, empowering you to make informed and intelligent decisions.
Features:
- Customizable query builder
- Custom dashboards
- TikTok support
- Amazing analytical tools
Pros:
- Social listening
- Provides in-depth insights
- Calendar integration
Cons:
- Products and services can be confusing
- Support for multi-channel posts is inadequate
- Not particularly user-friendly
12. HubSpot
Best for tracking ads and automating workflows
HubSpot needs to have a place in our list of automation tools for its comprehensive set of features and tools. At its core is the CRM, a free offering that serves as the foundation for effective brand management.
Seamless integration with HubSpot's marketing tools enhances decision-making and provides a holistic view of your posts and brand strategies. This combination empowers users to navigate the intricacies of customer relationship management while making data-driven choices for a more impactful online presence.
Features:
- Multi-funnel list segmentation
- Email automation
- Ad tracking
Pros:
- Free to use CRM
- Comprehensive analytics
- Beginner-friendly interface
Cons:
- On the expensive side
- Lack of flexibility
- Lots of add-on charges
13. MeetEdgar
Best for monitoring engagement
MeetEdgar distinguishes itself from other social media automation tools with its distinctive scheduling services and enhanced features. Notably, it saves published content in your MeetEdgar library for future use and supports numerous popular social sites.
Features:
- Unlimited library of evergreen content
- Engagement monitoring for all social media platforms in one place
- World-class customer support
- Automatic repurposing and republishing
Pros:
- Posting queue for scheduling posts
- Category-based detailed scheduling
- Superior customer service
Cons:
- Limited and static features
- Inability to shuffle queued posts
- Lack of in-depth analysis
Final Words
Social media automation isn't a luxury but a necessity. But figuring out which app or tool best suits you can be tiresome. This list simplifies the selection process for you.
If you're interested in leveling up your online game and making social media feel like a breeze instead of a chore, consider Highperformr.
Highperformr is automation at its finest. Become the captain of your social ship without lifting a finger with its scheduling feature and free content creation tools.
