Social media marketing platforms are popular, but are they really worth the extra expense?
More than 90 percent of American businesses now have at least some kind of social media presence. More entrepreneurs are realizing the importance (and near necessity) of maintaining an active social media presence, and they’re investing in platforms that automate, schedule, and analyze their work to make sure they’re doing things correctly. But are these sometimes-expensive platforms really worth the investment?
The Costs
Depending on the platform, you might pay a few dollars a month to a few hundred dollars per license per month. More complex platforms usually come with higher prices. However, there’s not a direct correlation between price and utility, and some platforms offer the same functionality for more or less money. Make sure you shop around before deciding.
The Benefits
There are some significant benefits to having a social media marketing platform. Being able to schedule posts, even when you aren’t logged in, is essential. If you have multiple team members, automating your responses and delegating tasks is also important. While not necessary (unless for larger operations), you can save several man-hours here. It’s also important to have some kind of analytics and reporting software in place, though you can pull much of this data from the social media platforms themselves, along with Google Analytics; therefore, investing in a third-party analytics platform isn’t strictly necessary.
The Bottom Line
Social media marketing management platforms can be effective, and are, in some ways, necessary. However, you don’t need to pay hundreds of dollars a month to get the benefits. Shop around for the most cost-effective platforms you can find, and don’t pay for more than what you truly need.
