What You Should Know About Social Media Software Before You Buy

Most small businesses cannot afford to have a full time employee handle their social media. Even if they do, there’s software that can do a lot of the heavy lifting. Social Media Software can save you hours of work if used properly. From scheduling content to publish, to auto-responders and content analytics, these products are great…in theory. The problem is some of these tools are buggy, the analytics can be bogus and the boilerplate contract terms can make it a money pit.

I’ve seen firms waste over a half-million dollars on software that was meant to streamline their social media publishing process. There are industries that require more compliance and legal hoops than others. Typically, you cannot publish a simple tweet if it’s a medical company or a financial institution there needs to be proper record-keeping and failsafes put in place. This is where social media marketing software product become a godsend. It can also track the ad-spend, engagement, and comments; all housed under one shiny looking dashboard. An added bonus: they allow you to export reports of all your data and it’s shaped into a snazzy looking deck. When I worked in-house for corporations, this was like Christmas morning, I wouldn’t have to spend hours turning excel sheets into PowerPoint decks. However, I started to see some inconsistencies with the data. What I uncovered was pretty egregious. The data one of these software companies were providing was flat-out fraudulent. It was the pseudo-math they used to inflate their numbers. In this article, I’ll give you 3 easy steps to use to evaluate these services so you don’t get fleeced.

Get Their Definitions In Writing

Most of the account executives I’ve worked with over the years have been pleasant. I think the majority of people out there don’t start their day with a deceitful edge. But it’s best to ensure everyone is on the same page. Especially when you’re opening your wallet to them.

The problem I found was the way these companies were defining and calculating their social media metrics (i.e. impressions, reach, etc). In one instance the software would calculate our ad-impression count by measuring the impressions of the people engaging with our tweets. This inflated the numbers brilliantly. At first, I patted myself on the back for making such beautiful content but then quickly realized, it couldn’t of been that good. It wasn’t. The numbers were wrong.

This is why you need the account executive to provide written definitions and how they are calculated. Don’t rely on what they tell you during their pitch. The good news is, depending on your budget size, the account executives will speak with their engineers to update their product to your specs.

Ask For a Trial Period

Most social media software companies are willing to offer a free trial period of their product, granted you may have some limitations but those can be lifted for usually a small deposit fee. 

The company website may have been dynamic and easy to use but these products seldom are. Let whoever will be using this software get a feel for it before committing.

Truncate The Training Period 

I’ve been through hours of training on multiple social media software programs. It took everything in my power to stay awake. Parts of the training, usually the first 30-minute walkthrough, are good but the rest can be figured out as you go. Training is usually baked into the boilerplate contract. I recommend removing it. I watched one firm blow $50,000 from missing a tiny clause about recurring training.

Social Media Marketing Software, when used right, can truly take your company’s content to the next level. I use it for the clients I work with and for myself. Be sure to review that contract and don’t take any of their data for granted. It’s likely they’ve cherry-picked data just to get the sale. If you’re entirely new to the world of social media marketing software, start out with Hootsuite or Buffer, they’re the dominant players in the market. I've included a couple of resources below that have reviewed dozens of social media marketing software products.

Following these few steps will save you thousands of dollars and allow you to use these software solutions effectively. When you speak to your account executives to get your definitions in writing, ask for a bespoke trial period (may vary based on spend), and truncate the training period. Once your business is set up on a software platform you'll never want to go back.

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RESOURCES:

Reviews by customers weighing pros and cons: fitsmallbusiness.com

Quick Reference for capabilities / pricing: clutch.co

Large Database of Social Media Software with pricing / capabilities: sourceforge.net

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Maisano Marketing helps brands tell their story through original content creation. We focus on the real objectives of the client. Elevate your brand here: www.maisano.marketing