In the modern era, social media is no longer an option, it’s an essential part of business marketing strategy. With over 4.7 billion people using social media platforms everyday, it is the best way to boost your sales, increase your leads, build brand awareness and engage (in real-time) with your audience, but we all know that the competition is fierce.

While there are a lot of great tools to help manage your social media presence, if you don’t have the expertise in-house your business is inevitably going to struggle. For those who need it, social media management services can provide peace of mind. They essentially plan your strategy, execute consistently, and engage your audience in a way that will improve your bottomline and establish your company's authority all in one fell swoop – provided you find the best social media management services for your needs.

Every business is different though, so we did the research to identify the best social media services and tools on the market to help you knock out the competition – or at least stay on top of it. If you're in a hurry you can use our free cost comparison tool to find the best social media management services within your budget, other read on below for our Tech.co best picks.

1. Lyfe Marketing

Lyfe Marketing is one of the highest-rated social media management services on the market. Based in Atlanta, GA, this all-in-one service specializes in helping small to medium-sized businesses make an impact on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and LinkedIn. Once of the things we liked most about Lyfe was their focus on driving brand awareness. They dedicate their time to increasing followers, building relationships through meaningful engagement, and increasing website exposure with added traffic – all of which are vital when you're growing your business.

In comparison to some other providers, Lyfe Marketing primarily deals with social media management, but also offers pay-per-click and SEO marketing, web design, and social media advertising. When we compared their service to other providers we felt that their level of offering was very strong, and gave us confidence that they had the resources to manage accounts, as well as the option to branch out in the future if a company grows. Every business is different though, and your business' needs may be different depending on your social channels. If they are, a free personalized quote may be your best bet.

2. Boostability

Boostability is a great choice for small businesses specifically looking to scale. They provide full-service SEO (search engine optimization packages) packages with industry specialists and customer success managers who can help increase brand awareness, develop authority and deliver quality campaigns on multiple platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

What sets Boostability apart is its industry knowledge and global reach. Their white-label approach means that they not only advise, but can create content for your platforms specifically designed to help increase your brand visibility. As a brand they also offer an impressive selection of analytical and reporting tools that will help you understand exactly what social media management is doing for your business – and, that's the kind of visibility we like. Still, if you're comfortable with your SEO strategy or already have your own in-house team, a free personalized quote could help you find something more suitable.

3. Hibu

Focusing exclusively on Meta (Facebook and Instagram) for your social media efforts isn't a terrible idea as a business, especially considering its multi-channel platform has more than a few billion daily users. With the right strategy, you can reach a massive target audience with few resources, little energy, and on a budget. This is where Hibu comes in handy.

With targeted ads, optimized business pages, and tangible data, Hibu is designed to help businesses maximize their social presence, and what we liked the most was is that it helps deliver reach on all of its platforms; Instagram, Facebook Market, Facebook Messenger and the ever-growing Facebook news feed. With one-on-one consulting available, businesses are able to tailor their vision for social media, ensuring its competitive and won't get lost in the shuffle.

While it doesn't cover as many social media channels as Lyfe Marketing, Hibu does offer their social media services as part of a full digital marketing package, so if you opt for this company you'll get search marketing, SEO and more in addition to Instagram and Facebook campaigns.

4. SociallyIn

While a jack-of-all-trades agency might be right for some companies, there's no shame in wanting a social media management service that only focuses on social media. With SociallyIn, you'll get the expertise you can find only on teams exclusively paying attention to platforms like TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snap, Pinterest and LinkedIn, which is a huge advantage for businesses looking to boost and build their social presence.

They're tapped into all the latest trends like influencer marketing, and can really improve your strategy with the right conversions, and the right tools. Their approach is very tailored, and that's definitely something that businesses should be looking for if they are interested in quality social media management services.

At Tech.co we'd always recommend businesses get a free, tailored social media management quote to help weigh up the competition, but we were pretty impressed with SociallyIn. By researching your industry and developing campaigns based on that research, SociallyIn produces results that you can see on your bottomline as well as in your brand authority. They'll also help you set goals so that the future of your social media presence doesn't collapse along the way, and that's more important than anything.

5. Bad Rhino Inc

Bad Rhino Inc isn't as bad as it sounds – in fact, it's got a very good rep. Based in Philadelphia, this brand offers a full digital marketing service, covering paid ads, paid search, web design, content marketing, and of course social media management. What we liked most about their services is that they focus on measurable results and customized social media solutions. So, why is that important? Well, Every business is different. The more tailored your approach, the better you'll be at catering to your user-base and individual business needs.

With data-focused strategies and expert storytelling, Bad Rhino takes a more informal approach to getting your name out in the world via social media. They make sure you're involved in the process, so their expertise will be informed by your knowledge about the company. With Bad Rhino Inc, you'll be able to make an impact on multiple platforms like TikTok,  Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter,  receive monthly reports, and build credibility through User Generated Content (UGC), Influencer marketing and paid social.

Why is Social Media Management Important?

Conducting business on social media has become more than just an added benefit to your bottomline; it's now a necessity for businesses looking to stay competitive. People from all walks of life have become using platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to inform purchasing decisions like never before.

How you engage with your audience matters. 78% of people are more willing to buy from a brand with a social media presence – with 77% willing to choose a brand over a competitor following a positive experience on social media.

Outside of these convincing statistics, social media management really can make a huge difference for your company. In addition to providing an open funnel for customers to communicate with you, social media gives you a way to increase brand awareness, improve brand image, launch new products faster, and even publicize sales and giveaways. In so many words, social media can be whatever you need it to be, as long as you have the knowledge and resources to pull it off.

Benefits of Social Media Management Services for Small Business

Running your company's social media might seem like an easy task to handle on your own, but understanding the algorithm, targeting, metrics, scheduling posts, managing ads, pulling reports and responding to your every comment can take its toll on even the best of us.

Social media management services can provide expertise, committed resources, industry know-how and the network of content creators needed to create meaningful stories, build engaging campaigns, and foster relationships between your company and your growing followers.

If you have the resource, social media management tools could help you save a time and energy when it comes to platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, but without the training, you could end up making mistakes that could tank the reputation of your business.

Do It Yourself: Social Media Management Tools

While social media management services are most likely the best way to have a big impact on your online presence, many of them can be quite expensive. If you're looking for a more affordable “do-it-yourself” social media management strategy, there are several tools available that allow you to improve your efforts without costing you a bundle.

Social media management tools are designed to put the control in your hands, offering features like scheduled posts, reporting analytics, and even content suggestions to give you an edge. Take a look at some of the tools available below to get started on your new social strategy.

The 10 Best Social Media Management Software

1. Best overall: Hootsuite
2. Best for customer service: Sprout Social
3. Best for listening tools: Sendible
4. Best for large businesses: Hubspot
5. Best for TikTok and SnapChat: Loomly
6. Best value for money: Zoho Social
7. Best for teams: Coschedule
8. Best for small business marketing: Constant Contact
9. Best for flexible pricing: Buffer
10. Best for Facebook Ads: Sendinblue

Buffer

Buffer isn't the best social media management tool but it does offer great integrations and good value for money. Its platform is intuitive, offers an impressive set of features, and a robust free plan that businesses can trial. In comparison to other providers, Buffer is built for small to medium sized businesses to schedule posts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn, giving you the power to really improve your strategy. It's not ideal for enterprise-level businesses, as you might be able to guess from the smaller price tag, but it has more than enough to get you started on the right foot.

CoSchedule

CoSchedule is more than just a great social media management tool. While it allows you to schedule posts in advance on all the major platforms, it will also integrate with your WordPress blog, becoming a full-on collaboration tool for your entire site, rather than just your social strategy. Plus, it offers impressive marketing tools in higher tiers, so you can seek out new customers in more ways than one. Unfortunately, there's no free plan, but you can take advantage of the 14-day free trial before you buy.

Social Media Management Services Pricing

Cost is one of the most important factors when it comes to deciding whether or not social media management is right for you. The right service will be able to save you time and energy, but if the cost is too high, what's the point? That's why understanding the price of social media management services is integral in making your decision.

The most significant aspect of pricing when it comes to social media management services is which platform you're looking to focus on. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, Pinterest, LinkedIn and pretty much every other social media platform will come with a different price tag, so make sure you know which platforms you're interested in before you make a decision.

Likewise, social media management services come with a wide range of features, that can greatly affect the cost. If you're just looking for a company that can schedule posts and respond to comments, the price will be on the lower side. However, if you're looking for a service that will take care of everything, including your social media strategy, you might end up spending a little extra.

Get a Social Media Management Service Quote Today

Deciding which social media management service will make the biggest impact for your company isn't easy, but when you're equipped with the right information, you'll be confident in your decision.

While the services we list are purely based on our own research and considerations, it's important that whatever service you decide on is tailored to your needs. The best way to do this to get a free, personalised quote. Our team will help you navigate the buying decision, and ensure you find the right service for your needs.

Our Methodology

In order to choose the best social media management software for this article our research team at Tech.co did their own independent testing, comparing each product and providers on this list side-by-side. After testing, they then rank each provider based on a standard rating system from one to five, with the highest score being five out of five stars.

These are the core categories we considered when ranking social media marketing software:

• Integrations. We consider which social media platforms management software can connect with, and whether they enable ecommerce, email marketing and helpdesk integration.
• Features. We rank each platform based on their planning, publishing and engagement features, as well as their organisation features, listening features, reporting functionality and analytics.
• Value for money. We evaluate whether a social media management tool provides true value for money by comparing the price of a product or service to the value of what they receive.
• Help and support. We rate social media management tools based on which customer support options are available to users, giving preference to programs with the most inclusivity, variety and number of options.

Frequently Asked Questions

Written by:

Jade Artry Writer

Jade Artry is the Content Manager for Tech.co. She has 13+ years experience in the digital marketing industry, covering a wealth of topics including travel, cyber security, social media, email marketing, business and emerging technologies. She's worked with brands including the Red Cross, Kayak, Virgin Atlantic and British Airways, and now uses her digital expertise to advise on the best tools to help grow your business.