Tools

In social media, a 'tool' is defined as a platform, software, application, or feature that helps users, marketers, or businesses manage their social media accounts. This includes everything from maintaining a consistent posting schedule to creating visually engaging content. It also encompasses analyzing and monitoring not just the account's own content, but also the trends, conversations, and sentiments that swirl around the account's brand, such as mentions of the brand or the use of relevant keywords.

Most of the functionality provided by these tools can be grouped into a few large categories: account management, content creation, performance analysis, and conversation tracking. Within these categories are specific tasks, for which tools are provided to make the tasks easier, more efficient, or more effective. Extensions of interface, automation, and even conversation listening, are some of the ways in which tools help improve the social media presence that a brand can establish.

Even in an age of automated chatbots, great customer service is achieved by great communication, whether the communicator is a person or a (smart) bot. Most high-functioning social media tools have automation capabilities. Auto-replies, for example, might be used when account holders can't be online to engage with followers.

Listening tools gather and deliver much-needed intelligence to account holders. Having intelligence — insight to what is going on in the account holder's industry, space, or with competitors — is crucial to effective communication and a well-executed social media strategy. Hearing great things about your brand is nice.

Hearing what people are saying (good or bad) about it is much more important.