20 Best Social Media Marketing Platforms in 2024

Companies need social media marketing platforms to establish an online presence, connect with their target audience, build brand awareness, drive website traffic, generate leads, and boost sales. These platforms offer a cost-effective and scalable way to engage with customers, gather valuable insights, and stay competitive in the digital age.

Factors to consider while choosing the software tool

• Content sharing and virality: Evaluate a platform's ease of sharing content and its potential for posts to go viral, increasing your reach.
• Audience engagement: Look for features that facilitate interactions, like comments, likes, and shares, to foster engagement with your audience.
• Sales and growth: Consider how the platform can support and reach sales quotas, such as ad targeting and e-commerce integration.
• Lead generation: Assess the platform's lead capture tools and their effectiveness in converting social media interactions into leads and customer retention.
• Analytics and reporting: Check for robust analytics to measure the performance of your campaigns and gather insights for optimization.
• Customer care and communication: Ensure the platform enables efficient customer support and communication through comments, messages, or chat features.
• Collaboration: Look for features that enable team members to collaborate on content creation and scheduling efficiently.

Using the above factors, here are the 20 top social media marketing platforms in 2023 based on extensive research and analysis, categorized on their shared strengths and unique selling propositions:

Social media marketing platforms for content sharing and virality

1. Hootsuite

Hootsuite is a leading social media management platform that offers a robust suite of tools to help businesses of all sizes elevate their online presence and marketing strategies. With a focus on SEO optimization, social media scheduling, content curation, in-depth analytics, and seamless team collaboration, Hootsuite empowers users to streamline their social media efforts, save time, and ultimately grow their bottom line.

Key features of Hootsuite are:

• Social media scheduling: Hootsuite streamlines social media scheduling by allowing users to create, manage, and bulk schedule content for multiple platforms with advanced features like queue scheduling and conditional scheduling.
• Content curation: The platform simplifies content curation through keyword and hashtag searches, enabling users to find and share relevant content from various sources, and offers tools for repurposing and customizing content for different platforms.
• SEO optimization: Hootsuite enhances social media content visibility with SEO optimization tools, assisting users in researching keywords, optimizing post titles and descriptions, and tracking social media SEO performance.
• In-depth analytics: This solution provides in-depth analytics, allowing users to monitor engagement, reach, impressions, and clicks, and generate custom reports to track specific campaign goals and objectives.
• Team Collaboration: Hootsuite facilitates seamless team collaboration by enabling task assignments, shared calendars, and content review processes, while ensuring account security through robust security and permission features.

Why it's the best: Hootsuite stands out thanks to its extensive integrations, providing a seamless experience across various platforms. Its user-friendly interface ensures intuitive navigation, while its comprehensive analytics empower businesses with actionable insights.

Pros: Hootsuite excels in multi-platform management, allowing businesses to efficiently oversee multiple social media channels. Additionally, its social listening feature enables real-time engagement, and the auto-scheduling functionality ensures content consistency.

Cons: In lower-tier plans, Hootsuite's reporting capabilities are somewhat limited, which might pose a challenge for businesses seeking in-depth data analysis.

Pricing structure: Hootsuite offers a free plan for basic social media management needs. For more comprehensive features, paid plans start at $99 per month, catering to businesses of varying sizes and requirements.

Case studies:

• Airbnb harnessed the power of Hootsuite to streamline social media management across 191 countries, enhancing their global online presence. 
• Marketo, a leader in marketing automation software, experienced a remarkable 103% increase in social media engagement after implementing Hootsuite into their digital marketing strategy.

Companies using: 

• General Electric
• Airbnb
• Sony
• Unilever
• Volkswagen

FinancesOnline.com rating: 5/5

2. Buffer

Buffer is a popular social media management tool that offers essential features tailored for streamlined digital marketing. It excels in social media scheduling, content analytics, and multimedia posting capabilities, enhancing your online presence.

Key features:

• Social media scheduling: Buffer's scheduling feature allows you to plan and queue posts for multiple social media platforms in advance, saving you time and effort. You can also schedule recurring posts to ensure consistent engagement with your audience.
• Content analytics: This solution’s analytics suite provides insights into your social media performance, tracking key metrics such as engagement, reach, and clicks. You can also generate custom reports to track specific goals and objectives.
• Multimedia posting: This platform supports multimedia posting, allowing you to share images, videos, and GIFs on your social media channels. You can also use Buffer to create and manage social media campaigns.

Why it's the best: Buffer is a user-friendly and affordable social media management tool that is perfect for businesses of all sizes. It offers a variety of features to help you streamline your social media efforts and achieve your marketing goals.

Pros: Buffer's strengths lie in its queue scheduling, Pablo image creator, and seamless integration of RSS feeds, providing efficient content management.

Cons: While Buffer offers fundamental features, it lacks in-depth engagement tools and detailed analytics, placing it behind some competitors in these aspects.

Pricing structure: Buffer provides a free plan for basic users, with paid options starting at just $6 per month, making it accessible for businesses of all sizes.

Case studies: 

• Buffer's impact is evident in a 74% increase in Twitter engagement showcased in their case study. 
• Shopify witnessed a remarkable 300% boost in social media traffic with Buffer for Business.

Companies using: 

• Microsoft
• Spotify
• Social Media Examiner
• Shopify
• HubSpot

FinancesOnline.com rating: 5/5

3. Sprout Social

Sprout Social is a comprehensive social media management platform that offers a wide range of features to help businesses of all sizes streamline their social media efforts and achieve their marketing goals.

Key features:

• Social media publishing: Sprout Social makes it easy to create, schedule, and publish social media posts to all of your social media profiles from a single platform. 
• Social media engagement: Sprout Social's social media engagement tools help you stay on top of your social media conversations and respond to messages and comments in a timely manner. 
• Social media monitoring: Sprout Social's social media monitoring tools help you track keywords, hashtags, and social media accounts to stay up-to-date on industry trends, track competitor activity, and engage with your target audience.
• Social media analytics: Sprout Social's social media analytics tools provide comprehensive insights into your social media performance. You can track key metrics such as engagement, reach, impressions, and clicks. 
• Social media collaboration: Sprout Social makes it easy to collaborate with your team members on social media marketing. You can assign tasks, create shared calendars, and review and approve content before it's published. 

Why it's the best: Sprout Social is the best social media management platform for businesses that need a comprehensive suite of tools to help them manage all aspects of their social media marketing. Sprout Social's social listening, social commerce, and employee advocacy tools are especially powerful and make it stand out from other social media management platforms.

Pros: Sprout Social stands out with its unified inbox, advanced reporting capabilities, social CRM functionalities, and seamless team collaboration.

Cons: While powerful, Sprout Social comes at a higher price point, with some advanced features incurring additional costs, making it more suitable for businesses with larger budgets.

Pricing structure: Sprout Social provides a free trial for users to explore its offerings. Paid plans start at $249 per user per month, ensuring access to their comprehensive features.

Case studies: 

• Beverly Hills Hotel improved its response times by an impressive 83%
• Evernote enhanced its social media engagement by 35% through Sprout Social’s tools.

Companies using: 

• American Express
• Unilever
• Spotify
• The Walt Disney Company
• Dell

FinancesOnline.com rating: 5/5

Social media marketing platforms audience engagement

4. Agorapulse

Agorapulse is a powerful social media management tool, offering features such as social media publishing, scheduling, monitoring, a social inbox, and CRM capabilities. It simplifies complex social media strategies for businesses, providing efficient solutions for content management and engagement.

Key features

• Social media publishing: Agorapulse allows users to schedule and publish social media posts to all of their social media profiles from a single platform. 
• Social media scheduling: Its social media scheduling tools allow users to schedule posts in advance, saving them time and effort. 
• Social media monitoring: The platform’s social media monitoring tools help users track keywords, hashtags, and social media accounts to stay up-to-date on industry trends, track competitor activity, and engage with their target audience.
• Social inbox: Agorapulse's social inbox allows users to manage all of their social media messages and interactions in one place. 
• CRM functionalities: Its CRM functionalities allow users to track and manage their social media relationships. 

Why it's the best: Agorapulse stands out due to its user-friendly interface, exceptional customer support, and a comprehensive suite of engagement tools. It ensures businesses can manage their social media activities efficiently, fostering meaningful interactions with their audience.

Pros: Agorapulse offers advantages such as social media queues for content management, robust competitor analysis tools, and collaboration features that enhance team productivity, making it a valuable asset for businesses.

Cons: Agorapulse has limitations in direct Instagram publishing and lacks integration with Pinterest, which might restrict its functionality for users heavily reliant on these platforms.

Pricing structure: Agorapulse provides a free trial for users to experience its capabilities. Paid plans start at $49 per month, ensuring businesses have access to its diverse range of features and tools.

Case studies: 

• Trello experienced a significant 200% improvement in social media engagement
• Hootsuite achieved a notable 59% increase in Twitter engagement.

Companies using: 

• Sony Music
• Nissan
• BBC
• National Geographic
• UNICEF

FinancesOnline.com rating: 5/5

5. Brandwatch (formerly Falcon.io)

Brandwatch, formerly Falcon.io, is an integrated social media management platform offering social media publishing, listening, analytics, and team collaboration tools. It's designed to streamline online presence, fostering engagement and interaction with the audience.

Key features: 

• Social media publishing: Brandwatch's social media publishing tools allow users to create, schedule, and publish social media posts to all of their social media profiles from a single platform.
• Social media listening: The platform’s social media listening tools help users track keywords, hashtags, and social media accounts to stay up-to-date on industry trends, track competitor activity, and engage with their target audience.
• Advanced analytics: Its advanced analytics tools provide comprehensive insights into your social media performance.
• Team collaboration: Brandwatch makes it easy to collaborate with your team members on social media marketing. 

Why it's the best: Brandwatch's strength lies in being an all-in-one solution for social media management, encompassing not only publishing and analytics but also content creation, providing businesses with a holistic approach to their online strategies.

Pros: Brandwatch boasts a visual calendar for intuitive scheduling, precise audience segmentation, and AI-powered insights, empowering businesses with data-driven decision-making capabilities.

Cons: While powerful, the Pricing structure might be a challenge for smaller businesses, and the platform's complexity might pose difficulties for beginners in the social media management arena.

Pricing structure: Brandwatch offers custom pricing tailored to individual business needs, ensuring businesses pay for the specific features and services they require.

Case studies: 

• Carlsberg achieved an impressive 129% increase in engagement
• Coca-Cola streamlined global social media management strategy

Companies using: 

• LEGO
• Adidas
• Novo Nordisk
• Carlsberg
• Coca-Cola

FinancesOnline.com rating: 4.1/5

6. Emplifi (formerly Socialbakers)

Emplifi is a cutting-edge social media management platform, specializing in social media analytics, content planning, audience insights, and competitive analysis. It empowers businesses with actionable data, enabling them to optimize their online presence and engagement strategies effectively.

Key features: 

• Social Media Analytics: The platform’s social media analytics tools provide comprehensive insights into your social media performance. You can track key metrics such as engagement, reach, impressions, and clicks.
• Comprehensive Content Planning: Emplifi's content planning tools help plan, create, and manage social media calendars, collaborate with team members on content, and track the performance of your content.
• In-Depth Audience Insights: Its audience insights tools help you understand your target audience better. 
• Competitive Analysis Tools: Emplifi's competitive analysis tools help you track the performance of your competitors on social media. 

Why it's the best: Emplifi's superiority is rooted in its AI-driven insights, providing businesses with invaluable data for informed, data-driven social media strategies. By offering insights derived from advanced algorithms, Emplifi enables businesses to make strategic decisions with confidence.

Pros: Emplifi allows benchmarking against competitors, offers content inspiration tools, and provides sentiment analysis features, empowering businesses to fine-tune their social media campaigns for optimal impact and engagement.

Cons: While powerful, Emplifi's advanced capabilities come at a cost, making it potentially expensive for small businesses. Additionally, its rich feature set may pose a learning curve for those new to the platform.

Pricing structure: Emplifi adopts a custom pricing model tailored to the specific needs and size of the business, ensuring that businesses pay for the services and features most relevant to their requirements.

Case studies:

• eBay's 25% improvement in social media performance
• Danone's remarkable 89% increase in organic reach

Companies using: 

• Samsung
• Danone
• National Geographic
• Nestle
• GE

FinancesOnline.com rating: N/A

Social media marketing platforms sales and growth

7. HubSpot

HubSpot is a comprehensive marketing and sales platform offering inbound marketing, CRM, social media management, lead generation, and analytics tools. It serves as an integrated solution designed to streamline marketing efforts and enhance customer engagement.

Key features: 

Inbound Marketing Techniques: HubSpot's inbound marketing tools and features help businesses attract, engage, and convert leads by creating valuable content and experiences that are relevant to their target audience.

CRM Functionalities: Its CRM platform helps businesses manage their customer relationships more effectively by providing them with a central place to store and track all of their customer data.

Social Media Management Tools: The platform’s social media management tools help businesses manage their social media presence more effectively by providing them with a central place to publish and manage their social media posts.

Lead Generation Capabilities: HubSpot's lead generation capabilities help businesses generate more leads from their website and other online channels by providing them with a variety of tools and features to capture leads and convert them into customers.

Detailed Analytics: Its analytics tools provide businesses with detailed insights into their marketing performance by tracking a variety of metrics, such as website traffic, lead generation, and sales conversion rates.

Why it's the best: HubSpot excels as an integrated marketing and sales platform, providing seamless social media tools within a larger marketing ecosystem. Its ability to nurture leads, automate marketing tasks, and offer a holistic approach to customer relationship management sets it apart in the digital marketing landscape.

Pros: HubSpot stands out as an all-in-one solution, offering lead nurturing capabilities and marketing automation features. Its intuitive interface and cohesive tools enable businesses to optimize their marketing strategies efficiently.

Cons: While powerful, HubSpot's advanced functionalities come at a higher price point, potentially posing a challenge for smaller businesses. Additionally, due to its extensive features, some users might require training to fully utilize its capabilities.

Pricing structure: HubSpot offers a free plan for basic users. Paid plans start at $50 per month, providing access to a wealth of advanced features tailored for businesses of varying sizes.

Case studies: 

• HubSpot's effectiveness is demonstrated through its own success, achieving a remarkable 38% increase in website traffic through social media. 
• Shopify also experienced significant growth, improving lead conversion by an impressive 72% 

Companies using: 

• SAP
• SurveyMonkey
• Yelp
• Trello
• Adobe

FinancesOnline.com rating: 4.6/5

8. Oktopost

Oktopost is a specialized B2B social media management platform, offering robust features such as content scheduling, employee advocacy tools, and in-depth analytics. It is tailored to meet the unique needs of businesses operating in the B2B sphere, providing targeted solutions for effective online marketing.

Key features: 

• Social media scheduling for B2B: Oktopost provides specialized tools for B2B social media management, such as the ability to schedule posts to multiple social media platforms at once, create custom posting schedules, and track the performance of social media posts.
• Employee advocacy: Oktopost enables employees to share their company's content on their own social media accounts, which can help to reach a wider audience and increase brand awareness.
• Detailed social media analytics: Oktopost provides detailed analytics on social media performance, including metrics such as engagement, reach, and impressions. This data can be used to optimize social media strategies and improve results.

Why it's the best: Oktopost stands out due to its concentrated focus on B2B marketing, offering lead tracking functionalities and specialized tools for employee advocacy. Its emphasis on the unique challenges of B2B interactions sets it apart in the social media management landscape.

Pros: Oktopost offers distinct advantages including lead attribution capabilities, empowering businesses to track the effectiveness of their social media efforts. Additionally, its employee advocacy tools and social listening features enhance engagement and interaction on digital platforms.

Cons: While tailored for B2B, Oktopost's support for non-B2B businesses might be limited. Moreover, its Pricing structure, which is quote-based, may not align with the budgets of smaller companies.

Pricing structure: Oktopost provides a free trial for users to explore its offerings. For detailed plans, the pricing is quote-based, ensuring businesses receive a tailored solution according to their specific requirements.

Case studies: Oktopost's impact is evident in Finastra's impressive generation of 8,000 leads in 10 months and Contentful's notable 70% increase in social media engagement, showcasing its effectiveness in driving business growth and audience engagement.

Companies using: Trusted by organizations such as Fujitsu, Contentful, Content Marketing Institute, Zerto, and Clarizen, Oktopost is relied upon by prominent businesses, underlining its efficacy in supporting the social media endeavors of industry leaders.

FinancesOnline.com rating: 5/5

9. AdEspresso

AdEspresso is a specialized platform focusing on Facebook and Instagram ad management, offering comprehensive tools for ad creation, optimization, and in-depth analytics. It caters specifically to businesses aiming to maximize their advertising efforts on these social media platforms.

Key features: 

• Specialized Facebook and Instagram ad management: Manage Facebook and Instagram ads from a single platform, with access to specialized tools and features for each platform.
• Ad creation: Create effective ads with AdEspresso's easy-to-use ad creation tools, including templates, pre-made text and image options, and advanced targeting options.
• Thorough optimization techniques: Optimize ad campaigns for performance using AdEspresso's advanced optimization techniques, such as split testing, automated bidding, and audience insights.
• Detailed analytics: Track ad performance with detailed analytics and reporting tools to identify areas for improvement and optimize strategies.

Why it's the best: AdEspresso excels in ad management, offering specialized functionalities such as A/B testing and ad optimization tools. Its focused approach ensures businesses have the necessary resources to fine-tune their advertising strategies, leading to more impactful and targeted campaigns.

Pros: AdEspresso provides robust A/B testing capabilities, enabling businesses to refine their ad strategies for optimal results. Its ad optimization tools and performance analytics offer valuable insights, empowering businesses to make data-driven decisions for their campaigns.

Cons: While powerful for Facebook and Instagram, AdEspresso is limited to these platforms, potentially posing a challenge for businesses looking to diversify their advertising efforts across various social media channels.

Pricing structure: AdEspresso offers a free trial for users to explore its features. Paid plans start at $49 per month, providing businesses with access to advanced ad management tools and analytics.

Case studies: 

• Pipedrive achieved remarkable 84% reduction in cost per conversion
• Hootsuite's experienced an impressive 75% improvement in ad ROI

Companies using

• Pipedrive
• Hubspot
• SEM Rush
• Blinkist
• DACHSER

FinancesOnline.com rating: N/A

Social media marketing platforms lead generation

10. Leadfeeder

Leadfeeder is an advanced tool that focuses on website visitor tracking and lead generation, seamlessly integrating with CRM tools. It specializes in identifying website visitors and potential leads originating from social media sources, enabling businesses to effectively engage with their online audience.

Key features: 

• Precise website visitor tracking: Identify website visitors with Leadfeeder's precise tracking technology, even if they don't fill out a form.
• Efficient lead generation tools: Generate leads more efficiently with Leadfeeder's lead generation tools, such as lead scoring and segmentation.
• Seamless integrations with CRM systems: Integrate Leadfeeder with your CRM system to streamline your lead nurturing process.

Why it's the best: Leadfeeder stands out for its ability to identify and track website visitors, particularly those sourced from social media channels. Its precise lead identification and seamless CRM integration provide businesses with actionable insights, enhancing their ability to convert leads into customers.

Pros: Leadfeeder excels in lead identification, ensuring businesses can pinpoint valuable leads for targeted engagement. Its seamless integration with CRM tools and other applications streamlines workflow, enhancing productivity and efficiency.

Cons: While powerful for lead identification, Leadfeeder's social media engagement features are relatively limited, primarily catering to B2B interactions. This specialization may not fully cover the needs of businesses seeking extensive social media engagement capabilities.

Pricing structure: Leadfeeder offers a free trial and a Free plan for basic users. Paid plans start at $139 per month, providing businesses with access to advanced lead tracking and integration features.

Case studies: Leadfeeder's impact is evident in Scoro's impressive 70% increase in website conversion and Relex Solutions' remarkable achievement of generating $600,000 in revenue from LinkedIn leads, underscoring its effectiveness in driving meaningful business outcomes.

Companies using: 

• Relex Solutions
• Scoro
• Zoho CRM
• Efectos Comerciales S.A.
• Symbio

FinancesOnline.com rating: 4.6/5

11. LinkedIn Sales Navigator

LinkedIn Sales Navigator is a powerful tool designed for B2B lead generation, offering specialized features for LinkedIn lead prospecting, seamless CRM integration, and effective team collaboration. It provides businesses with targeted tools to identify and engage potential leads within the professional LinkedIn network. The benefits of using LinkedIn Sales Navigator include enhanced B2B lead generation capabilities, streamlined lead prospecting, and seamless collaboration within your team, making it an invaluable asset for businesses seeking to optimize their outreach efforts on the platform.

Key features: 

• Precise LinkedIn lead prospecting: Identify and connect with relevant leads on LinkedIn using Sales Navigator's advanced search and filtering capabilities.
• Seamless integration with CRM systems: Sync Sales Navigator data with your CRM system to streamline your lead generation and nurturing process.
• Collaborative tools facilitating team efforts: Collaborate with your sales team more effectively using Sales Navigator's shared lead lists, team insights, and messaging tools.

Why it's the best: LinkedIn Sales Navigator stands out for its specialization in B2B lead generation on LinkedIn, providing businesses with a focused approach to identifying and engaging potential clients within the professional context. Its targeted lead search, seamless CRM integration, and InMail credits enhance its efficacy in fostering valuable business relationships.

Pros: LinkedIn Sales Navigator offers a targeted lead search functionality, allowing businesses to identify potential leads with precision. Its seamless integration with CRM systems streamlines data management, while InMail credits enable direct communication. These features empower businesses to maximize their LinkedIn outreach.

Cons: While highly effective within the LinkedIn ecosystem, LinkedIn Sales Navigator is limited to this platform, potentially limiting its utility for businesses operating primarily on other social media networks. It is tailored specifically for B2B interactions, making it less suitable for non-B2B businesses.

Pricing structure: LinkedIn Sales Navigator provides a free trial for businesses to explore its capabilities. Paid plans start at $64.99 per month, offering businesses access to advanced features for targeted B2B lead generation and networking.

Case studies: 

• KPMG's notable 35% improvement in lead generation
• Thermo Fisher Scientific's impressive 150% increase in LinkedIn connections

Companies using: 

• Netsuite
• KPMG
• Thermo Fisher Scientific
• SAP
• Blackfriars Insurance Brokers Ltd.

FinancesOnline.com rating: 4.5/5

12. Quuu Promote

Quuu Promote is a specialized platform focusing on content promotion across social media channels. It offers essential features such as content suggestions and precise audience targeting, enabling businesses to effectively promote their content and drive engagement on various social platforms.

Key features: 

• Content promotion on social media: Share your content across social media platforms with Quuu Promote's one-stop publishing tool.
• Curated content suggestions: Discover and share relevant content from other sources to keep your social media feeds fresh and engaging.
• Audience targeting tools: Reach your target audience with Quuu Promote's targeting options, such as interests, demographics, and location.

Why it's the best: Quuu Promote excels in driving content promotion and engagement on diverse social platforms. Its curated content suggestions ensure businesses have access to relevant and engaging content, while automated posting and audience targeting features optimize content visibility and impact.

Pros: Quuu Promote offers valuable content suggestions, providing businesses with a reservoir of relevant content to share with their audience. Its automated posting capabilities streamline content dissemination, and precise audience targeting ensures content reaches the right demographic, enhancing engagement and interaction.

Cons: Quuu Promote's focus is primarily on content promotion, which might not cover all aspects of comprehensive social media management. While it excels in its niche, businesses seeking a broader range of social media functionalities might find it limited in scope.

Pricing structure: Quuu Promote provides a free plan for users to explore its basic features. Paid plans start at $50 per month, offering businesses access to advanced content promotion tools and enhanced capabilities.

Case studies: 

• The Next Web's significant 30% increase in website traffic
• Kinsta's notable 40% boost in social media engagement

Companies using: 

• The Next Web
• Kinsta
• HubSpot
• Wistia
• Mention

FinancesOnline.com rating: N/A

Social media marketing platforms analytics and reporting

13. Sprinklr

Unified customer experience, 

Sprinklr is a robust social media management platform offering a comprehensive suite of features, including social media management, customer care, advanced analytics, and AI-driven insights. It provides businesses with the tools to effectively manage their social media presence, engage with customers, and gain valuable insights into their online performance.

Key features: 

• Social media management: Manage all of your social media accounts from a single platform, with tools for publishing, scheduling, and monitoring social media posts.
• Customer care functionalities: Engage with customers and resolve their issues on social media with Sprinklr's customer care tools, such as social listening and social inbox.
• Powerful analytics tools: Track and measure your social media performance with Sprinklr's analytics tools, including detailed reports and dashboards.
• AI-driven insights: Uncover actionable insights from your social media data with Sprinklr's AI-powered tools, such as sentiment analysis and trend identification.

Why it's the best: Sprinklr stands out for its comprehensive suite, providing businesses with an all-encompassing solution for social media management. Its advanced analytics and AI-driven insights offer valuable data, enabling businesses to make informed decisions and optimize their social media strategies effectively.

Pros: Sprinklr offers a unified customer experience, ensuring seamless interactions across various platforms. Its AI-driven insights provide businesses with deep understanding, while extensive integrations enhance functionality. These advantages enable businesses to create cohesive social media campaigns and bolster customer engagement.

Cons: Sprinklr's robust feature set, while powerful, may come at a higher cost, making it potentially expensive for small businesses. Additionally, due to its extensive capabilities, it might have a learning curve for users new to complex social media management tools.

Pricing structure: Sprinklr offers a free 90-day trial, allowing businesses to explore its features. The advanced plan is priced at $299 per seat/month. For tailored solutions based on business size and needs, Sprinklr provides quote-based pricing, ensuring businesses receive a customized package aligned with their requirements.

Case studies: 

• Microsoft improved customer response times by 35%
• Samsung streamlined social media management for global markets.

Companies using: 

• Autodesk France
• SAS
• DACOR
• Nasdaq
• Robert Bosch Tool Corp.

FinancesOnline.com rating: 4.1/5

14. Loomly

Loomly is a versatile brand success tool that combines social media scheduling, collaboration, and analytics. It empowers businesses to streamline their content planning process, ensuring a cohesive online presence.

Key features: 

• Brand success tool: Create and manage brand guidelines, track brand performance, and ensure brand consistency across all social media platforms.
• Social media scheduling capabilities: Schedule social media posts in advance, preview posts before publishing, and collaborate with team members on social media calendars.
• Robust collaboration tools: Assign tasks, review and approve content, and manage team permissions to streamline social media collaboration.
• Detailed analytics: Track social media performance with detailed analytics, including engagement, reach, and impressions.

Why it's the best: Loomly excels due to its user-friendly interface, simplifying content planning and ensuring real-time optimization suggestions. Its intuitive design and seamless collaboration features make it a top choice for businesses aiming to enhance their online visibility.

Pros: Loomly provides a visual content calendar for efficient planning, fostering team collaboration, and offering post-optimization recommendations. These features optimize content strategy, ensuring businesses deliver engaging and relevant content to their audience.

Cons: While Loomly offers a range of valuable features, its pricing might be relatively high for smaller businesses, potentially posing a challenge for budget-conscious organizations.

Pricing structure: Loomly offers a free trial for businesses to explore its features. Paid plans start at $26 per month, providing access to advanced tools and enhanced capabilities for businesses seeking to elevate their social media presence.

Case studies: 

• Swell Bottle increased engagement by 40% with Loomly
• Sephora improved click-through rates by 30%.

Companies using: 

• New Jersey Institute of Technology 
• Swell Bottle 
• Sephora 
• HomeAway 
• Fandango.

FinancesOnline.com rating: 4.6/5

15. Meltwater

Meltwater is a leading platform equipped with social media monitoring, media intelligence, sentiment analysis, and competitive tracking tools. It provides businesses with deep insights into their online presence, enabling data-driven decision-making.

Key features: 

• Social media monitoring: Track social media conversations and identify relevant mentions and trends.
• Media intelligence: Monitor news and media coverage to track brand mentions, industry trends, and competitor activity.
• Sentiment analysis: Analyze social media and media coverage to understand public sentiment towards your brand, industry, and competitors.
• Competitive tracking: Track competitor activity and performance across social media and media channels.

Why it's the best: Meltwater stands out for its exceptional media intelligence tools, offering comprehensive monitoring and in-depth analytics. By providing real-time insights and competitive analysis, Meltwater empowers businesses to stay ahead in their industry.

Pros: Meltwater excels in real-time monitoring, enabling businesses to stay updated with the latest online conversations. Its competitive analysis tools provide valuable benchmarks, while customizable dashboards offer tailored views of the data, enhancing user experience.

Cons: Its robust features, while powerful, come at a higher price point, making it better suited for larger enterprises with substantial budgets. Smaller businesses might find the Pricing structure challenging.

Pricing structure: Meltwater offers custom pricing tailored to individual business size and needs. By providing personalized quotes, Meltwater ensures that businesses receive a solution aligned with their specific requirements and budget constraints.

Case studies: 

• Meltwater helped Samsung gain real-time insights into brand mentions. 
• KFC improved social media sentiment analysis.

Companies using: 

• SEMI
• Samsung
• KFC
• Vodafone
• Twin Disc

FinancesOnline.com rating: 4.5/5

Social media marketing platforms customer care and communication

16. Zendesk

Zendesk is a comprehensive customer service platform that seamlessly integrates customer support, social media communication, ticketing, and knowledge base functionalities. It streamlines communication channels for efficient customer service.

Key features: 

• Customer support: Provide omnichannel customer support across email, phone, chat, and social media.
• Social media integration: Manage social media inquiries from a single platform and track customer interactions across all channels.
• Ticketing: Automate and streamline customer support workflows with a robust ticketing system.
• Knowledge base management: Create and manage a comprehensive knowledge base to empower customers to self-solve issues.

Why it's the best: Zendesk excels by integrating customer support and social media, enhancing communication efficiency. Its ability to provide multichannel support, automated ticketing, and a centralized knowledge base further elevates the customer service experience.

Pros: Zendesk offers multichannel support, allowing businesses to engage with customers across various platforms. Automated ticketing streamlines issue resolution, and the knowledge base empowers customers with self-help resources, fostering a proactive support environment.

Cons: While powerful, Zendesk's pricing might be on the higher side for some businesses, and beginners could face a learning curve when navigating its extensive features.

Pricing structure: Zendesk offers a free trial period, allowing businesses to explore its features. Paid plans start at $55 per agent per month, offering access to a robust set of tools designed to enhance customer support operations.

Case studies: 

• Shopify improved its customer support efficiency
• Zillow enhanced its social media customer care

Companies using:

• The North Face
• Shopify
• Zillow
• Airbnb
• Gremi Business Communication

FinancesOnline.com rating: 5/5

17. Intercom

Intercom is a leading customer communication platform equipped with features like customer messaging, chatbots, knowledge base management, and social media integration. It offers businesses real-time communication tools to engage customers across multiple channels.

Key features: 

• Customer messaging: Engage with customers in real-time across multiple channels, including email, chat, and in-app messaging.
• Chatbots: Automate customer interactions with AI-powered chatbots that can answer questions, resolve issues, and qualify leads.
• Knowledge base management: Create and manage a comprehensive knowledge base to empower customers to self-solve issues.
• Seamless social media integration: Manage social media inquiries from a single platform and track customer interactions across all channels.

Why it's the best: Intercom excels in delivering real-time customer communication, bridging the gap between businesses and their clients. Its live chat functionality, automated responses, and proactive engagement capabilities ensure businesses can provide immediate and tailored support.

Pros: Intercom offers live chat support, empowering businesses to engage with customers in real-time. Its automated responses streamline customer interactions, and proactive engagement tools enhance customer satisfaction by addressing their needs promptly.

Cons: While powerful, Intercom's pricing might pose challenges for small businesses, and there might be a learning curve involved, especially for those new to advanced customer communication platforms.

Pricing structure: Intercom offers a free trial period, allowing businesses to explore its features. Paid plans start at $49 per month, offering access to a suite of tools designed to enhance customer interactions and support.

Case studies: 

• Atlassian was able to improve customer support efficiency. 
• InVision increased user engagement with proactive chat.

Companies using: 

• Atlassian
• InVision
• Launch Academy
• Synata
• Magenta Solutions

FinancesOnline.com rating: 5/5

18. Freshdesk

Freshdesk is a versatile customer support platform encompassing Key features such as customer support, ticketing, knowledge base management, and seamless social media integration. It empowers businesses to provide comprehensive multichannel customer support solutions.

Key features:

• Customer support: Provide omnichannel customer support across email, phone, chat, and social media.
• Ticketing: Automate and streamline customer support workflows with a robust ticketing system.
• Knowledge base management: Create and manage a comprehensive knowledge base to empower customers to self-solve issues.
• Seamless integration with social media platforms: Manage social media inquiries from a single platform and track customer interactions across all channels.

Why it's the best: Freshdesk stands out by offering multichannel customer support, incorporating social media interactions seamlessly. Its ticketing system streamlines customer inquiries, automated responses enhance efficiency, and the knowledge base aids in providing instant and accurate information to customers.

Pros: Freshdesk's ticketing system optimizes customer support processes, ensuring organized management of customer inquiries. Automated responses enhance responsiveness, while the knowledge base facilitates quick access to relevant information, improving customer satisfaction.

Cons: Pricing might be a concern for smaller businesses, and while Freshdesk integrates social media, some advanced social media features might be limited compared to specialized platforms.

Pricing structure: Freshdesk provides a free trial period, allowing businesses to explore its functionalities. Paid plans start at $15 per agent per month, offering access to a comprehensive suite of tools designed to enhance customer support across various channels.

Case studies: 

• Freshdesk helped MakeMyTrip enhance customer support. 
• Goodreads improved user satisfaction with its knowledge base.

Companies using: 

• MakeMyTrip
• Goodreads
• Hyatt
• Cisco
• Toshiba

FinancesOnline.com rating: 5/5

Social media marketing platforms collaboration

19. Asana

Asana is a versatile project management platform renowned for its robust features, including project management, task tracking, team collaboration, and content planning tools. While its primary focus is project management, it also offers functionalities for social media content collaboration and planning.

Key features: 

Asana's core features encompass project management, task tracking, team collaboration, and content planning. These tools enable businesses to streamline project workflows, track tasks efficiently, collaborate seamlessly, and plan content effectively.

Why it's the best: Asana excels in providing a comprehensive project management solution, and while its primary purpose is project management, its adaptability allows for social media content collaboration and planning. Its task tracking capabilities, team collaboration features, and visual boards enhance productivity and organization.

Pros: Asana's strengths lie in its task tracking functionality, enabling teams to monitor project progress effectively. Its team collaboration features foster seamless communication and cooperation, while visual boards provide a clear overview of project status and tasks.

Cons: While Asana is adaptable for social media content planning, it may lack some specialized features required by marketing teams. Its primary focus on project management might limit its advanced social media functionalities.

Pricing structure: Asana offers a free plan for basic usage, allowing businesses to explore its features. Paid plans start at $10.99 per user per month, providing access to a more extensive set of tools tailored for businesses with specific project management needs.

Case studies: 

• Asana helped Vimeo improve project management. 
• NASA used Asana for task tracking.

Companies using: 

• Vimeo
• NASA
• AirAsia
• The New York Times
• TED

FinancesOnline.com rating: 4.8/5

Notion

Notion is a all in one workplace tool that especially helps content creators to organize their content pipeline and work together with their team with ease.

Key features of Notion:

Content Planning: Notion offers various features for content creators to plan their content effectively like calendars, Kanban boards, etc.

Content Creation: Notion offers collaborative environments which help content teams to work collaboratively share comments and get work done immediately without leaving the space.

Notion Templates: Notion offers a wide range of customizable templates tailored to the needs of social media content creators. These templates, from editorial calendars to content briefs to performance trackers, provide a solid foundation for organizing workflows and optimizing productivity.

Why it's the best: Notion's flexibility and adaptability allow users to tailor the platform to their specific workflows and preferences. Its seamless integration with other tools and platforms ensures a smooth content creation and distribution, while its robust collaboration features promote teamwork and efficiency.

Pros: Notion's intuitive interface and customizable templates make it easy for social media content creators to stay organized and productive. The platform's offline access and cross-device synchronization ensure users can work anytime, anywhere, without missing a beat.

Cons: While Notion offers many features, some users may need to work on its learning curve, especially when exploring advanced functionalities or designing custom workflows. Additionally, pricing plans may be prohibitive for individual users or small teams seeking basic functionality.

Pricing structure: Notion offers a free plan with limited features and paid plans starting at $8 per month per user for enhanced functionality and collaboration tools. Custom enterprise plans are also available for enterprise-level of organizations with specific requirements.

Case studies:

Buffer's distributed team built a digital headquarters in NotionDesign agency MetaLab keeps client work organized & collaborative

Companies using:

Figma

Capgemini

iTechmedia

Buffer

G2 rating: 4.7/5

20. Trello

KTrello is a highly visual and flexible project management platform designed for streamlined task management, team collaboration, and content planning. Its intuitive interface and customizable features make it a popular choice for organizing projects and collaborating with teams.

Key features: 

• Visual project management: Manage tasks and projects visually with Trello's task boards, kanban boards, and swimlane boards.
• Team collaboration tools: Collaborate with team members seamlessly with features such as task assignment, commenting, and file sharing.
• Content planning: Plan and organize content with customizable workflows and adaptable boards.

Why it's the best: Trello stands out due to its visual approach, making it exceptionally user-friendly for content planning and team collaboration. Its flexible boards and customizable workflows empower users to tailor the platform according to their specific project needs, enhancing overall efficiency.

Pros: Trello's user-friendly interface ensures easy navigation and task management. Visual boards provide a clear overview of projects, enhancing understanding and collaboration. The platform's customizable workflows allow businesses to adapt Trello to their unique requirements.

Cons: While Trello excels in general project management, it might lack some specialized features required for in-depth social media marketing. Its versatility may result in a lack of specific functionalities tailored for complex marketing needs.

Pricing structure: Trello offers a free plan for basic use, providing access to essential features. Paid plans start at $6 per user per month, unlocking advanced capabilities and additional team collaboration tools for businesses with specific project requirements.

Case studies: 

• Trello helped Adobe streamline project management. 
• Google used Trello for content planning.

Companies using: 

• NetSuite
• Acrelec
• Google
• Fender
• SEO, Inc.

FinancesOnline.com rating: 4.9/5

21. RecurPost

RecurPost stands out as a powerful social media management tool, known for its efficiency and user-friendliness. From a single dashboard, you can prepare content, interact with your audience, automate social media posting, work together with your team, and track results. The advanced content calendar makes it simple to review and control the posting schedule.

Why it’s the best: RecurPost has a user-friendly interface, flexible scheduling options, content categorization, and the ability to recycle evergreen content. Its analytics features enable users to track post performance, and it supports all popular social media platforms. 

Key Features:

1. Automated Recurring Posts: Enables scheduled updates on various social platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google My Business, helping businesses maintain a consistent online presence.

2. Social Inbox: Allows for managing interactions such as chats, mentions, and comments across different platforms from a single dashboard. This feature enhances customer engagement and allows for effective team collaboration and notification management.

3. Advanced Analytics and White-Label Reports: Offers in-depth analytics to track performance and engagement. A standout feature is its white-label reports, which can be branded with your company's logo, a functionality not present in some competitors like HootSuite.

4. Mobile App Utilization: The ability to post on Instagram and Facebook personal profiles through push notifications, a very prominent feature.

5. AI-based text and image creation: This feature automates the generation of engaging captions and hashtags, while also crafting visually appealing graphics tailored to user preferences for effortless social media content creation.

Pros:

Ease of Use: RecurPost is praised for its user-friendly interface, simplifying social media content organization for personal and client accounts.

Bulk Scheduling and Content Libraries: These features are highly valued for automating social media and efficiently managing seasonal or evergreen content.

Affordability: Attractive pricing, especially in comparison to competitors like HootSuite. RecurPost manages many profiles altogether at low costs. This makes RecurPost an affordable option with a broad range of features.

Cons:

Post Limitations: Some users find the post limit in the lower-tier plan insufficient, especially for smaller companies or individuals managing multiple accounts

Reconnection of Social Media Accounts: Users occasionally need to reconnect their social media accounts, although this is not seen as a major inconvenience

Pricing Structure:

- Starting Price: $25.00 per month.

- Free Trial: Available, allowing users to explore features before committing.

Case Studies:- RecurPost's Facebook group posting feature empowered a Florida based agency, securing a major deal.- Content Cuppa's revenue increased by 30%.

Companies Using:

• Google
• Ogilvy
• DNMC
• FinanceCorp
• Tradius

FinancesOnline.com rating: 4.7

Comparison Table

Final Thoughts

With a 1.2% global click-through rate, social media advertising and marketing remains a formidable option for marketers and organizations worldwide. The 20 best social media marketing platforms 2023 offer many features to help companies establish a strong online presence and effectively engage with their target audience.

However, it's essential to recognize that successfully navigating these social media marketing platforms requires more than just signing up and posting content. Marketing, particularly in the digital realm, has become increasingly complex and competitive. Marketers and organizations must understand the importance of effective communication and the power of crafting compelling narratives. 

Still, expert marketing knowledge and training are necessary to optimize the use of these platforms. Marketing strategies should be well-informed, data-driven, and adaptable to the ever-changing landscape of social media. 

Therefore, investing in ongoing education and staying updated with the latest trends and tools is crucial for communications majors and marketing professionals. Whether through formal courses, workshops, or continuous self-learning, honing your marketing skills will empower you to harness the full potential of these 20 social media marketing platforms and ultimately achieve your business objectives in the digital age. 

So, keep learning, keep adapting, and keep thriving in the world of social media marketing.