If you need to know all the best social media marketing resources, one place to look is on the internet. Social media marketers list their favorite online tools and resources so that others can learn what they do. Check your favorite search engines for answers to your query.
You want to learn about best social media marketing resources? I’ve compiled a list of what I consider the ultimate social media marketing resources. These are the most helpful blogs, podcasts, books, courses, software’s and tools for social media marketing. What I love most about these resources is they cover really specific details of the most common aspects of social media. You’ll have all your bases covered after reading through this list.
Keeping Up With the Industry
Even if you’re an experienced social media maven, you’ll want to keep up with the latest industry news, trends, and updates. That’s right: No longer will that new Facebook cover photo size sneak up unannounced. Here are blogs, videos, and podcasts we encourage marketers to check out regularly.
- Social Media Examiner: The first stop on our list is “the world’s biggest social media marketing resource” — a news publication and blog that covers everything you need to know about social media.
- Social Media Today: Another popular one-stop destination, this website publishes deep dives into the latest tools and hottest trends.
- Gary Vaynerchuck’s Blog: Peek into the brain of the social guru himself. Gary Vee’s blog not only contains valuable insights into the what of social media, but also the why and the how. Not a fan of reading? You’re in luck because he repurposes his content into videos and podcasts.
- Neil Patel’s Blog: Get another perspective on social media’s newest ideas, courtesy of marketing thought leader Neil Patel.
Mastering the Platforms
Each social media platform is its unique beast to conquer. Here are some nifty guides to supercharge your marketing efforts for each platform, complete with information on recommended posting times, frequencies, and formats:
- Instagram: There’s much more to the platform than filtered, Insta-worthy photos — and The Performance Advertiser’s Guide to Instagram has the deets. Grow your brand’s presence on this highly popular social platform with the Instagram Stories and Instagram Advertising Strategy guides.
- Facebook: Learn the basics of Facebook marketing from Hubspot’s hour-long course or Facebook’s own marketing guide. Once you’ve mastered the basics, here’s a comprehensive list of more resources to bookmark.
- Twitter: Twitter is all about snarky, controversial, and real-time interactions. Hootsuite has a complete guide on how you can become a sparkling conversationalist on the platform. Pair that with HubSpot’s actionable guide on building a Twitter following from scratch, and you’re well on your way to going viral.
- TikTok: To connect with your Gen Z audiences, TikTok is the platform of choice. Because of its novelty (and the slight possibility of being mocked by cool, outspoken youngsters), it may feel intimidating. You’re not alone: many marketers are still experimenting with the platform, too. To get started, check out this TikTok marketing guide for beginners.
Creating Stunning Content
Tools like Photoshop and Premiere Pro are no longer the gatekeepers of social media content creation. These alternatives will save you precious time and resources.
- BuzzSumo: If your creative juices are running dry, gain content inspiration with BuzzSumo, a discovery platform that allows marketers to identify high-performing or widely-shared content, trending influencers, and popular topics. The site provides rich data to inform your content creation process and ultimately keep it relevant and fresh.
- Google Trends: Wondering what topics people are searching for? Google Trends is useful for discovering what people are interested in and creating relevant content.
- Canva: Whether you’re more comfortable with Paint or Adobe Illustrator, think of Canva as a useful tool for easy and fast designs. Make a catchy social media graphic in minutes with their simple-to-use drag-and-drop features and ready-to-go templates.
- Animoto: The video version of Canva, Animoto will help you create a professional video in mere minutes.
- Unsplash: Visuals are a must-have for social media marketing. When your iPhone photography won’t cut it, head over to Unsplash for free, high-quality stock imagery. Other similar websites include Pixabay, Gratisography, or Picjumbo. For those lucky marketers with a budget, you’ve got 123RF or Shutterstock for stock photos, videos, and even graphics, too.
- ResizeImage.net: Don’t let Youtube’s super narrow banner size stump you. This website can help you resize or crop images in seconds.
- Headline Analyzer: Social media copywriting isn’t easy. The goal is to stay clear of clickbait but remain snappy. Harness the power of technology by plugging your drafts into this website, which will analyze how readable and clickable each piece of content is.
- Grammarly: Compose beautiful social media prose by having Grammarly proofread everything you write. Catch those pesky typos and run-on sentences by simply downloading the browser extension.
For more social media resources to create dazzling content:
Types of Content in Content Marketing
Let’s go over the popular types of content in content marketing, the common mistakes marketers make with them, and how to avoid the pitfalls. Continue Reading
Turning Followers Into Fans
Social media marketers know that replying to comments, monitoring competitors, and posting new content — on half a dozen social platforms is time-consuming. These interactive tools will help you reclaim your workday by managing social media management and analysis processes.
- HootSuite: Every social media marketing expert talks about how consistent interaction with customers is crucial to building loyalty. Yet, no marketer wants to spend their whole weekend replying to customer service messages on Facebook. Luckily, there is a solution: Hootsuite. Not only is it a scheduling tool, but it also allows marketers to manage all their social media accounts efficiently. You can create posts, reply to messages, and queue upcoming content — all on one dashboard.
- Sprout Social: It’s easy to measure LinkedIn impressions, review Instagram likes, and evaluate Twitter engagement, but a challenge to analyze the full picture of your social marketing efforts. Sprout Social is an analytics tool that can help you track and analyze all your accounts’ performance in one place.
- FollowerWonk: This nifty tool by Moz will help you learn more about any account’s followers — from when they’re most active to where they’re located — including those of your competitors. (No, not creepy in the context of social media marketing.)
Social Media Marketing Tools
TweetDeck – A scheduling tool is a must for any social media marketer. Ensuring you don’t go silent on weekends, that you can cover all time zones, and generally making the planning and structure of your day easier.
BuzzSumo – Discover the most shared content around a particular topic or from a particular site.
FollowerWonk – A free tool by Moz that will give you a breakdown of any account’s followers. Who are your followers? Where are they located? When do they tweet?
Google Analytics – Discover which social sites are sending traffic to your website.
Google Alerts – Receive an email alert anytime your search term is mentioned. You can keep an eye out for any mentions of your brand online.
Google Trends – Discover the frequency with which people search for any term in Google. Useful for understanding trending topics in your industry to create relevant content.
Headline Analyzer – Analyze your headline to make it as click-worthy as possible. Useful for both blogging and social media posts.
Conclusion:
There are lots of resources and tools you can use to learn about social media. You can also learn from the success and failures of other businesses and be inspired by their practices and tools. As a student, you might not have all the resources you need. But there are still ways to get the know-how, information and ideas you need to succeed in social media marketing.