Choose the best free social media software for your business
With all of the freemium social media software out there, you’ve got a ton of options to sift through.
Because of that, it’s easy for the decision-making process to get confusing and overwhelming. And you may start to wonder exactly what you should be looking for as you make your choice.
To help you out, I’m going go over 5 features you need to have.
And by the time you’re done reading this post, you’ll be well-equipped to pick the right software for your business.
1. Easy social network integration
Let’s face it – you shouldn’t feel like you need to hire a technical support team just to connect your social profiles to your social media software.
If it takes more than a few seconds to figure out, that’s a sign that the software probably isn’t going to be easy to use in the long run.
So, when you’re trying out new software, consider whether or not it’s easy to integrate your social profiles.
When you use MavSocial, you can simply click “Add Account” next to the social network you want to add.
Once you click, you’ll see a small window pop up so you can grant MavSocial permission to post to your account.
And that’s all there is to it. Quick and painless, right?
2. A digital content library
With certain free social media software, you can’t save your media and reuse it. You have to store all of your photos and videos elsewhere.
That can become a problem when you’re trying to get your social media scheduling done quickly. You may find yourself spending lots of time trying to find what you need.
If that’s a hassle you don’t want to deal with, make sure the software you choose allows you to store and manage your media all in one place.
With MavSocial, you can access your social media content library right from your dashboard.
That’s right – no more digging through endless folders on your computer.
Everything is right there, ready for you to use whenever you need it. And that means you can save some serious time while you’re scheduling your social media posts.
3. Free stock photos
Tweets with images receive 150% more retweets than tweets without images, and Facebook posts with images see 2.3X more engagement than those without images.
With that information in mind, it’s easy to understand why access to free stock photos is such an appealing feature.
You want to use images to drive engagement without spending hours searching for the perfect pictures on lots of different websites.
Using MavSocial, you can search for free stock images from within your account.
Here’s an example of a free image that shows up when you put “blogger” in the search engine:
You can also look for paid images if you can’t quite find what you need in the free selection. So, no matter what your social media post is about, the perfect picture is just a couple clicks away.
4. Free support
Before you choose which free social media software is right for you, take a look at how they support their users.
Do they limit their support to paying customers only?
If so, consider exploring other options. After all, the last thing you want is to feel like you can’t get the help you need when you need it.
5. The ability to schedule multiple posts per day
The whole reason you want free social media software is to schedule several posts in advance, right?
Of course.
So when you’re shopping around for the best software, find something that will allow you to schedule as many posts as you need to.
Your ideal number of posts per day will depend on multiple factors, like your social media strategy and the size of your following.
Do some research to determine what kind of posting frequency is going to work best for you. This Forbes article is a great place to start.
And remember – it’s okay to experiment and learn as you grow. Don’t be afraid to try out different posting schedules until you find the sweet spot for your business.
Once you’ve chosen the perfect social media software for your business, you may start to wonder:
Should you stick with free social media software or invest in a paid plan?
You can do a lot with free software.
But eventually, you may find that your social media presence has grown to the point where you need even more functionality.
That’s when you should consider the return you could get on your investment in paid social media software.
Ask yourself:
How much time and/or money could I save by upgrading?
Once you feel confident that you’ll get a good return on your investment, it’s a good idea to go ahead and take the leap.
Keep in mind that it’s fine to start small and work your way up.
You might start out with free social media scheduling software now and end up investing in a full arsenal of social media tools by the end of the year.
Don’t overspend, but do take action when the time is right for your business.
Because you don’t want to become overshadowed by a competitor who wasn’t afraid to invest in expanding their social media presence.