Planning a content schedule that works for you is a task within itself but finding the right tools to help you manage and physically plan that content can be increasingly difficult for those who don’t have hours a week to dedicate to content management. Thankfully, there are a variety of social media calendars and tools available online to assist you in that regard.
The Most Popular Social Media Calendars and Tools
When it comes down to picking the right content management and planning system for you and your business, there are now a variety of options available. All of these systems may have similar goals or systems, they have their own unique mechanics that target certain crowds. Though it may seem like content management systems are one-size-fits-all, they are all unique, and choosing one should require a careful decision. Some of the most popular social media management calendars tools available include:
Google Drive
Google Drive is possibly one of the most well-known and free content management systems available to businesses. Google Drive includes Google Calendar, which is great for scheduling content or planning out posting days, Google Sheets, which also allows you to schedule content and keep track of whether or not it was posted, and Google Docs, where the content can directly be created and linked to, making posting a lot simpler. Additionally, Google Docs is very user-friendly and allows you and your team to easily collaborate on any and all content.
Trello
Trello is a creative content tool characterized by its wonderful and visually-appealing layout. Typically, Trello is a team management tool as opposed to a social media content management tool, however, you can schedule content postings on its convenient calendar and even color-code any posts to differentiate their purpose. You can also assign content or other tasks to your other team members using Trello’s assignment cards. This is an ideal system for those who retain more visual information as opposed to verbal or written information. Trello services begin at $5 per month.
Evernote
Evernote is a content planning and management tool that helps businesses streamline their content ideas in an easy and user-friendly way. This application is meant for note-taking and sharing among members of your team, allowing you to monitor all parts of your social media content and any campaigns. You can also look up logs on an hourly, daily, monthly, or yearly basis. The base plan of this service is free but personalization begins at $7.99 per month.
ClearVoice
Clearvoice is a task management tool that can be used to create, edit, and clear content for posting. This is great for businesses who need assistance creating content as ClearVoice allows you to connect with freelance professionals to assist with content creation. You can remain organized on your dashboard and track your projects. In order for you to get an estimate on price, you will have to contact the ClearVoice team directly so that they can price you with the services that you need and not additional services that you don’t need or won’t use.
Hootsuite
Hootsuite is a publishing content calendar that allows for seamless collaboration. When using Hootsuite, you can cross collaborate with your coworkers and create innovative and relevant campaigns for your business. One bonus of this service is that you don’t need to be logged into your account in order for you to curate content. This service begins at $49 per month and offers first-time users a 14-day free trial to test out all of the services.
Loomly
Loomly is an all-in-one content management service. They provide easily collaborative services that allow multiple members of your team to leave comments, make edits, and suggest certain content ideas. Depending on the size of your company and how many people need to manage the content, you may need to purchase a sizable plan. A base plan for this service is $26 every month while adding any more than 2 contributors can cost more money monthly. This is a great service for those who need help creating content as it has a system that can suggest content ideas from time to time.
SocialPilot
SocialPilot is fantastic for those who want an in-depth look at their planned out content. It is incredibly easy for those using SocialPilot to schedule and reschedule content if needed. There are also amazing visual features to help separate content. You can utilize pictures, gifs, and other visual additives to help your content stand out from the other content in your industry. SocialPilot begins at $22.50 per month for one active user but also offers competitive plans for teams of larger sizes.
StoryChief
StoryChief is ideal for those who want simple B2B (business-to-business) content solutions. Not only does StoryChief allow you to schedule posts, campaigns, and stories, but it also allows you to track the progress of all ongoing projects. You can even create separate calendars for separate projects if you would like. StoryChief gives you a comprehensive oversight of all of your content. Plans start as low as $20 per month.
MeetEdgar
MeetEdgar is a content creation, posting, and management system that utilizes algorithms to help promote and suggest content for your business. If you are in need of content creation or help creating the perfect content for your business, MeetEdgar can help write posts for you. It may also suggest content that you may want to promote or repost. MeetEdgar plans begin at $19 per month.
Sendible
Sendible is a content posting and management system that allows users to track key terms relating to their industries to allow them to remain relevant in their fields. In addition, Sendible allows you to post content on a variety of websites and blogging platforms including but not limited to:
- Youtube
- Tumblr
- Google My Business
- WordPress
This system is very reliant on narrative storytelling to help boost your business’s online reputation. For many businesses, this works out wonderfully, but this service is not meant for any and all businesses. Plans for Sendible begin at $29 per month.
Sprout Social
Sprout Social is an ideal choice for those who may need assistance posting their content and deciding which times are the best for their audience. This platform utilizes a tool that tracks your audience’s viewing data and figures out the best times to post every day so that more of your audience can see it. This is great for those who may not know when they should be posting as they can simply input the content and the program will do the rest. The base plan for this costs $89 per month.
The Benefits of Utilizing Content Planning Tools
Utilizing social media calendars and other content planning tools is incredibly lucrative for businesses. It allows you to plan content days, weeks, and months in advance so that you’re not rushing to create it last-minute. It also allows you to take advantage of certain holidays and create catered posts for your targeted audience. In short, planning content in advance takes the stress off of you and allows you to focus more on your business instead of stressing over what content to post and when to post it.
Contact Us
If you need help planning and managing your business’s content, contact the experts at NOVA Advertising. We are a digital marketing agency that helps businesses improve their online presence by creating memorable content that will drive traffic to your website. You can call us at 703-855-9641 or contact us directly on our website here. We look forward to seeing how we can help grow your business.