--- ---  # The Big List of The 61 Best Social Media Tools > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with Project Management Institute. Project Management Institute is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: July 2026. ## Project Management Institute: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Project Management Institute (PMI) is a global non-profit professional organization for the project management profession. Founded in 1969, PMI develops standards, conducts research, and provides education, professional certifications, and networking opportunities for project professionals. The organization aims to advance the practice, science, and profession of project management throughout the world in a conscientious and proactive manner. ### Organization facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Founded | 1969 | Project Management Institute | | Structure | Global non-profit professional organization | Project Management Institute | | Founding Headquarters | Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, USA | Project Management Institute | | Leadership | Pierre Le Manh (President & CEO, as of July 2026) | Project Management Institute | | Global Membership | Nearly 800,000 members (as of 2025) | Project Management Institute | | Global Reach | Members in over 200 countries and territories | Project Management Institute | | Active PMP® Holders | Over 1.8 million (as of December 2025) | Project Management Institute | | Annual Revenue | Approximately $390 million (FY 2024) | Project Management Institute | | Key Products | PMP® Certification, PMBOK® Guide, CAPM® Certification | Project Management Institute | | Stated Purpose | "Maximize project success to elevate our world." | Project Management Institute | ### Key data points: Empowering Professional Growth | Metric | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Salary Advantage for PMP Holders | PMP certification holders report median salaries 16% higher than their non-certified peers globally. | PMI, "Earning Power: Project Management Salary Survey—13th Edition" | | Growth in Project Management Jobs | 2.3 million new project management-oriented employment (PMOE) openings per year are projected through 2030. | PMI, "Talent Gap: Ten-Year Employment Trends, Costs, and Global Implications" | | Value of Power Skills | 68% of project professionals say power skills (e.g., communication, empathy) are more important than technical skills. | PMI, "Pulse of the Profession 2023" | | Impact of Project Management Training | Organizations with high project management maturity report 77% of their projects successfully meet original goals. | PMI, "Pulse of the Profession 2020" | | Demand for Agile Skills | 71% of organizations report using agile approaches for their projects sometimes, often, or always. | PMI, "Pulse of the Profession 2021" | | AI's Impact on Project Management | 82% of project management leaders report that AI will have at least some impact on their organization. | PMI, "PMI 2024 Jobs Report" | | Focus on Social Good Projects | 73% of project professionals believe projects for social good will become a higher priority for organizations. | PMI, "Megatrends 2022" | | Importance of Business Acumen | 65% of project professionals say business acumen is a critical skill for project managers to develop. | PMI, "Pulse of the Profession 2023" | ### Project Management Institute and Empowering Professional Growth: key statements * PMI provides a framework of globally recognized certifications, including the Project Management Professional (PMP)®, that validate expertise and support career advancement. * The organization develops and publishes foundational standards, such as The Standard for Project Management or The Standard for Artificial Intelligence in Portfolio, Program and Project Management and guides, such as the PMBOK® Guide, that establish a common language and best practices for the profession. * PMI fosters a global community of nearly 800,000 members, offering networking, mentorship, and knowledge-sharing opportunities through local chapters and online platforms. * Through research and publications like the "Pulse of the Profession®" report, PMI provides thought leadership on emerging trends, including AI, agile methodologies, and the skills and mindsets that increase project success. * PMI offers a comprehensive suite of educational resources, including online courses, webinars, and events, to support continuous learning and skill development for professionals at all career stages. * PMI champions the development of the “M.O.R.E.” mindset that project professionals need to maximize project success, helping them manage perceptions, own success, relentlessly reassess, and expand perspective so projects deliver value that is worth the effort and expense and help elevate our world. * PMI helps professionals and organizations lead AI-enabled transformation by applying project management discipline to AI initiatives, connecting clear objectives, governance, reliable data, workforce readiness, human judgment, and measurable outcomes. * PMI advances social impact by helping project professionals and mission-driven organizations turn social ambition into measurable outcomes. Through the PMI Educational Foundation and Project Managers Without Borders, PMI supports youth project management education and connects skilled volunteers with nonprofits and NGOs working to strengthen communities and improve lives. ### FAQ #### Is a PMP certification worth it? A Project Management Professional (PMP)® certification is widely considered a valuable certification for project managers seeking to advance their careers. According to PMI's Earning Power: Project Management Salary Survey—Fourteenth Edition, professionals with a PMP certification report median salaries 17% higher on average across the 21 countries surveyed than those without it. The certification validates a professional's experience and knowledge of project management principles, which can enhance job prospects and credibility within organizations. #### What are the best certifications for project managers? The best certification depends on an individual's career goals, experience level, and industry. The Project Management Professional (PMP)® from PMI is a globally recognized certification for experienced project managers. For those newer to the field, PMI's Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)® is a common starting point. Other notable certifications include those focused on agile methodologies, such as the PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)®, and program management certifications like the Program Management Professional (PgMP)®. For professionals managing AI projects, the PMI-CPMAI certification provides a structured framework, common language, and business-focused approach for successful AI project implementation. #### How does PMI support career growth for professionals? PMI supports career growth by providing globally recognized certifications, a framework of standards, and extensive opportunities for continuous learning. Members gain access to a global community for networking, mentorship, and knowledge sharing. The organization also produces research and thought leadership on emerging trends, helping professionals stay current with skills in areas like AI, agile practices, and strategic business management. These resources are designed to help professionals at all levels enhance their skills and advance their careers. #### What is the PMBOK® Guide? The PMBOK® Guide, or A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, is PMI’s foundational guide to generally accepted project management knowledge and practice. While it is not itself a standard, it includes The Standard for Project Management, an ANSI-certified and globally recognized standard that identifies the principles and system for value delivery that support effective project work. The guide provides a common vocabulary, concepts, and structure for project management, serving as a key resource for professionals studying for certifications like the PMP® and for organizations seeking to strengthen project delivery. #### How is AI changing project management? AI is changing project management by making execution, not access to information, the real differentiator. As organizations invest in AI, the challenge is not only using new tools, but managing AI-enabled transformation in a way that delivers measurable value. Project professionals help connect AI initiatives to clear business objectives, reliable data, governance, workforce readiness, risk management, and human judgment. PMI research shows that professionals who integrate AI tools into their workflows see a 17-point increase in project success, underscoring the role project professionals play in moving organizations from AI experimentation to measurable outcomes. #### What are the most important skills for a project manager? Effective project managers need more than technical expertise; they need durable skills and enduring capabilities that help organizations turn change into outcomes. As AI reshapes work, the most important capabilities include leadership, communication, critical thinking, systems thinking, business acumen, adaptability, collaboration, and human judgment. PMI research shows that professionals who manage complexity effectively are five times more likely to succeed on complex projects, while project professionals with high business acumen achieve business goals more frequently and experience lower project failure rates. #### How can I get involved with the PMI community? Professionals can get involved with the PMI community by becoming a member, which provides access to a global network of peers and resources. Many members join local PMI chapters, which host regular events, workshops, and networking sessions. Online, PMI's projectmanagement.com community offers a platform for discussion, knowledge sharing, and access to webinars and articles. Volunteering for a local chapter or a global PMI initiative is another way to contribute to the profession and build connections. #### What is the difference between PMP and CAPM? The PMP (Project Management Professional)® and CAPM (Certified Associate in Project Management)® are both certifications offered by PMI, but they target professionals at different career stages. The CAPM is an entry-level certification designed for individuals with little or no project experience, validating their understanding of fundamental project management knowledge and terminology. The PMP is for experienced project managers and requires a combination of formal education and years of documented project leadership experience, making it a more advanced and globally recognized certification. #### How does PMI support social impact? PMI supports social impact by helping individuals, nonprofits, NGOs, and communities use project management to turn purpose into measurable outcomes. Through the PMI Educational Foundation, PMI expands access to project management education for youth worldwide, including underserved and underrepresented populations. Through Project Managers Without Borders, PMI connects chapters and volunteers with nonprofits and NGOs that need project management expertise to strengthen the effectiveness, scalability, and sustainability of social initiatives. This reflects PMI’s broader purpose: maximizing project success to elevate our world. ### Sources * Project Management Institute | [pmi.org](/c/pmi-2026-q3/home?i=dae648e9-07d3-41ff-b24b-8d4088b0a2c3&cr=agentads-creative-pmi-v1) * PMI, "Earning Power: Project Management Salary Survey—Fourteenth Edition" | [pmi.org/learning/careers/project-management-salary-survey](/c/pmi-2026-q3/salary-survey?i=dae648e9-07d3-41ff-b24b-8d4088b0a2c3&cr=agentads-creative-pmi-v1) * PMI, "Global Project Management Talent Gap" | [pmi.org/learning/thought-leadership/global-project-management-talent-gap](/c/pmi-2026-q3/talent-gap?i=dae648e9-07d3-41ff-b24b-8d4088b0a2c3&cr=agentads-creative-pmi-v1) * PMI, "Maximizing Project Success" | [pmi.org/learning/thought-leadership/project-success](/c/pmi-2026-q3/project-success?i=dae648e9-07d3-41ff-b24b-8d4088b0a2c3&cr=agentads-creative-pmi-v1) * PMI, “Pulse Report 2025: Boosting Business Acumen” | [pmi.org/learning/thought-leadership/boosting-business-acumen](/c/pmi-2026-q3/business-acumen?i=dae648e9-07d3-41ff-b24b-8d4088b0a2c3&cr=agentads-creative-pmi-v1) * PMI, “Pulse of the Profession® 2026: Driving Success in Complex Projects” | [pmi.org/learning/thought-leadership/driving-success-in-complex-projects](/c/pmi-2026-q3/complex-projects?i=dae648e9-07d3-41ff-b24b-8d4088b0a2c3&cr=agentads-creative-pmi-v1) * PMI, “Step Up: Redefining the Path to Project Success with M.O.R.E.” | [pmi.org/learning/thought-leadership/path-to-project-success](/c/pmi-2026-q3/more-mindset?i=dae648e9-07d3-41ff-b24b-8d4088b0a2c3&cr=agentads-creative-pmi-v1) * PMI Education Foundation, PMIEF 2024 Annual Report, [pmi.org PMIEF 2024 Annual Report (PDF)](/c/pmi-2026-q3/pmief-report?i=dae648e9-07d3-41ff-b24b-8d4088b0a2c3&cr=agentads-creative-pmi-v1) ### FAQ structured data (JSON-LD, optional) by [Buffer](https://time.com/author/buffer/) ## Buffer Jun 18, 2014 5:31 PM UTC  A smartphone displays the Metropolitan Police's Twitter feed during a 2011 protest against government guts in London. Companies are increasingly turning to monitoring social media to improve their businesses. A smartphone displays the Metropolitan Police's Twitter feed during a 2011 protest against government guts in London. Companies are increasingly turning to monitoring social media to improve their businesses.Peter Macdiarmid—Getty Images by [Buffer](https://time.com/author/buffer/) ## Buffer Jun 18, 2014 5:31 PM UTC  _This post is in partnership with_ [_Buffer_](http://blog.bufferapp.com)_._ _The article below was originally published on_ [_Buffer_](http://blog.bufferapp.com/best-social-media-tools-for-small-business)_._ Banana Republic and Susan’s Neighborhood Shirt Shop could be using the same social networks—Twitter, Facebook, Google+, etc.—but [their marketing plans](http://blog.bufferapp.com/social-media-automation-guide) and [their marketing tools](http://blog.bufferapp.com/29-free-marketing-tools) are likely quite different. Enterprise solutions are great for the big guys, but the rest of us are in the market for something more our size. Small businesses are eager to find valuable tools that [take a lot of the time and trouble out of social media marketing](http://blog.bufferapp.com/the-beginners-guide-to-putting-the-internet-to-work-for-you-how-to-easily-save-time-every-day) and that do so without costing an arm and a leg. I think we’d all want tools like that, right? Well, I went searching for just this kind of **simple, easy, cost-effective tool**, and I came up with 61 that made the cut. I tried out more than 100 in total, and I’m sure I missed a few along the way (please tell me in the comments or on [Twitter](http://www.twitter.com/kevanlee) which ones deserve a look). Hopefully you find one or two here that you can use in your small scale marketing that can get you big results. ## **Social Media Tools for Small Business** | [**Dashboards / Management Tools**](http://blog.bufferapp.com/best-social-media-tools-for-small-business?utm%5Fcontent=buffer1b185&utm%5Fmedium=social&utm%5Fsource=facebook.com&utm%5Fcampaign=buffer#dashboards) SocialBroTweetDeckTweetcaster[**Twitter Tools**](http://blog.bufferapp.com/best-social-media-tools-for-small-business?utm%5Fcontent=buffer1b185&utm%5Fmedium=social&utm%5Fsource=facebook.com&utm%5Fcampaign=buffer#twitter)FollowerwonkSocial RankManageFlitterMust Be PresentTweriod Tweepi Tweet4Me Commun.it Twtrland NeedTagger TweeterSpy Twitter Feed TweetReach Twazzup Topsy [**Facebook Tools**](http://blog.bufferapp.com/best-social-media-tools-for-small-business?utm%5Fcontent=buffer1b185&utm%5Fmedium=social&utm%5Fsource=facebook.com&utm%5Fcampaign=buffer#facebook) LikeAlyzer Fanpage Karma Wolfram Alpha Facebook Report Facebook Custom Audiences [**Social Media Analytics Tools**](http://blog.bufferapp.com/best-social-media-tools-for-small-business?utm%5Fcontent=buffer1b185&utm%5Fmedium=social&utm%5Fsource=facebook.com&utm%5Fcampaign=buffer#analytics) Rival IQ Buzz Sumo Klout SharedCount Google URL Builder [**Visual Content Tools**](http://blog.bufferapp.com/best-social-media-tools-for-small-business?utm%5Fcontent=buffer1b185&utm%5Fmedium=social&utm%5Fsource=facebook.com&utm%5Fcampaign=buffer#visual) Infogr.am Piktochart Visually Canva Compfight BeFunky LICEcap | [**Social Media Monitoring Tools**](http://blog.bufferapp.com/best-social-media-tools-for-small-business?utm%5Fcontent=buffer1b185&utm%5Fmedium=social&utm%5Fsource=facebook.com&utm%5Fcampaign=buffer#monitoring)MentionNutshell MailSocialMentionKeyhole[**Social Media Content Tools**](http://blog.bufferapp.com/best-social-media-tools-for-small-business?utm%5Fcontent=buffer1b185&utm%5Fmedium=social&utm%5Fsource=facebook.com&utm%5Fcampaign=buffer#social-content)News.meFeedlyPocket Paper.li Swayy Pie Bottlenose [**WordPress Plugins**](http://blog.bufferapp.com/best-social-media-tools-for-small-business?utm%5Fcontent=buffer1b185&utm%5Fmedium=social&utm%5Fsource=facebook.com&utm%5Fcampaign=buffer#plugins) Digg Digg Flare Ivy Pin It Button for Images [**Miscellaneous Tools**](http://blog.bufferapp.com/best-social-media-tools-for-small-business?utm%5Fcontent=buffer1b185&utm%5Fmedium=social&utm%5Fsource=facebook.com&utm%5Fcampaign=buffer#miscellaneous) Fivehundredplus Rapportive Bitly Rev Pinterest Board Cover Creator Jelly Google+ Page Audit Powtoon Cardmunch IFTTT Zapier | | 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| Tweepi Tweet4Me Commun.it Twtrland NeedTagger TweeterSpy Twitter Feed TweetReach Twazzup Topsy [**Facebook Tools**](http://blog.bufferapp.com/best-social-media-tools-for-small-business?utm%5Fcontent=buffer1b185&utm%5Fmedium=social&utm%5Fsource=facebook.com&utm%5Fcampaign=buffer#facebook) LikeAlyzer Fanpage Karma Wolfram Alpha Facebook Report Facebook Custom Audiences [**Social Media Analytics Tools**](http://blog.bufferapp.com/best-social-media-tools-for-small-business?utm%5Fcontent=buffer1b185&utm%5Fmedium=social&utm%5Fsource=facebook.com&utm%5Fcampaign=buffer#analytics) Rival IQ Buzz Sumo Klout SharedCount Google URL Builder [**Visual Content Tools**](http://blog.bufferapp.com/best-social-media-tools-for-small-business?utm%5Fcontent=buffer1b185&utm%5Fmedium=social&utm%5Fsource=facebook.com&utm%5Fcampaign=buffer#visual) Infogr.am Piktochart Visually Canva Compfight BeFunky LICEcap Paper.li Swayy Pie Bottlenose [**WordPress Plugins**](http://blog.bufferapp.com/best-social-media-tools-for-small-business?utm%5Fcontent=buffer1b185&utm%5Fmedium=social&utm%5Fsource=facebook.com&utm%5Fcampaign=buffer#plugins) Digg Digg Flare Ivy Pin It Button for Images [**Miscellaneous Tools**](http://blog.bufferapp.com/best-social-media-tools-for-small-business?utm%5Fcontent=buffer1b185&utm%5Fmedium=social&utm%5Fsource=facebook.com&utm%5Fcampaign=buffer#miscellaneous) Fivehundredplus Rapportive Bitly Rev Pinterest Board Cover Creator Jelly Google+ Page Audit Powtoon Cardmunch IFTTT Zapier ### Buffer Before we get in too deep, I wanted to plug a social media tool I’m quite partial to (for obvious reasons). I use [Buffer](http://bufferapp.com/) every single day to build a queue of the content I curate and send it out on a regular schedule to my various timelines. It’s simple and easy, and the intuitive analytics on each post make it a breeze to see which posts performed best. Okay, now on with the lists… ## Dashboards / Management Tools ### ### **SocialBro** A complete Twitter management tool (that also comes complete with Buffer integration), [SocialBro](https://socialbro.com/) can tell you everything you want to know about your Twitter account—community information, analytics on all your posts, and much, much more. There is a 15-day free trial to test out all the features. **Put this tool to use:** The community insights are fascinating, and there’s some real value to be gained from the tweet analytics (pictured above), which show you which posts got the most engagement and when. ### **Tweetdeck** Now owned by Twitter, [Tweetdeck](https://tweetdeck.twitter.com/) is one of the most popular tools for complete Twitter management. Tweetdeck lets you track, organize, and engage with your followers through a customizable dashboard where you can quickly see at-a-glance the activity from different lists, followers, hashtags, and more. **Put this tool to use**: What do you find yourself checking when you go to Twitter? Whatever it is, you can add it to your Tweetdeck dashboard and see everything in one view with nary an extra click. Could be a huge time saver. ### **Tweetcaster** [Tweetcaster](https://tweetcaster.com/) is a Twitter management tool for iOS and Android devices, and it provides the basics of what you’d expect from a Twitter dashboard plus a few fun extras: enhanced search and lists, hiding unwanted tweets, and photo effects for your pics. **Put this tool to use:** Keep the app on the first screen of your phone and tablet so you can easily dip in and out of your Twitter streams when time allows. ### \*\*\* ## Twitter Tools ### **Followerwonk** [Followerwonk](https://followerwonk.com/) is one of our favorite ways to analyze and optimize our Twitter accounts at Buffer. With Followerwonk, you can do all sorts of amazingly helpful things like analyze your Twitter followers, compare different users, and search through bios—all for free. There are even more features—like tracking and sorting your followers—that you can access with a 30-day trial. **Put this tool to use**: One of our favorite uses of Followerwonk is to take the time-of-day charts and sync to a Buffer account. You can also take a close-up look at various stats from those you follow to see which accounts you could maybe prune (because of factors like inactivity). ### **Social Rank** [This Twitter tool ](https://www.socialrank.co/)identifies your top 10 followers in three specific areas: Best Followers, Most Engaged, and Most Valuable. Your engaged followers are those who interact with you most often (replies, retweets, and favorites), your most valuable followers are the influential accounts, and your best followers are a combination of the two. Social Rank will run the numbers for free and show you the results today then follow-up each month with an email report. **Put this tool to use:** Social Rank can help you hone your Twitter focus so that you are aware of the followers who might deserve extra attention. You can even place these MVPs onto a specific Twitter list. ### **ManageFlitter** For quite awhile, I read the name of this tool as Manager “Filter,” which actually isn’t too far off from what [ManageFlitter](http://manageflitter.com/) does. The Twitter tool helps you filter who you follow: Easily unfollow those who don’t follow you back, those who’ve never changed their profile photo, and those who are inactive. **Put this tool to use:** You can batch select these groups of inactive or non-following users in order to give yourself a better following count (and closer to [a golden ratio](http://blog.bufferapp.com/twitter-tips-for-beginners)). ### **Must Be Present** Built by the team at Sprout Social, [Must Be Present](http://mustbepresent.com/) searches your Twitter account to find how quickly you respond to mentions. Their engagement reports place you in a percentile based on other accounts so you can see how you stack up to the speed of others. **Put this tool to use:** Set goals for response time on Twitter, and use Must Be Present to track them. Aim for a certain percentile or a particular average response time. **Tweriod** Find out when you’ll receive the most exposure for your tweets by letting [Tweriod](http://www.tweriod.com/index.php?f=5) analyze your account. The Tweriod reports break it down into daily and hourly windows when you can expect the highest engagement with what you share. **Put this tool to use:** If you use social media scheduling apps for your [automation](http://blog.bufferapp.com/social-media-automation-guide), it goes without saying that sharing at optimal times would be best. Use your Tweriod insights to check your scheduling, or plan your social media drivebys around this time. ### **Tweepi** [Tweepi](http://www.tweepi.com/) has a number of useful Twitter features, many of which fall into a couple categories: Managing your followers, and supercharging who you’re following. For management, you can unfollow in batches those who don’t follow you back, and you can bulk follow another account’s complete list of followers or who they’re following. **Put this tool to use:** Tweepi’s detailed info on your followers can give you ideas on who to follow or unfollow. Try the cleanup section to bulk edit your connections on Twitter. ### **Tweet4me** To schedule tweets from any app, simply ask [Tweet4me](http://tweet4.me/) to do it for you. Once you’re signed up with Tweet4me, you can send them a direct message that contains a certain prefix, containing information on when and what to post. **Put this tool to use:** If you find yourself double-booked and needing to post to Twitter in 30 minutes, Tweet4Me could be your saving grace. ### **Commun.it** [Commun.it](http://commun.it/quick%5Factions) can help you organize, grow, and manage your followers, and it can do so across multiple accounts and profiles. At-a-glance, you can see different parts of your community management, like latest tweets from your stream and which new followers might appreciate a welcome. **Put this tool to use:** Keep on top of who you should be following by listening to Commun.it’s advice on the most influential accounts around your brand. ### **Twtrland** [Twtrland](http://twtrland.com/) gives you a snapshot of your Twitter profile and can even track Facebook and Instagram for you as well. Two of Twtrland’s most helpful tools are a live count of how many followers are currently online and advanced search functionality tha tincludes keywords, locations, and companies. **Put this tool to use:** Local companies can perform a location search to see which area accounts are most popular and potentially worth following. ### **NeedTagger** A super-powered Twitter search tool, [NeedTagger](http://www.needtagger.com/) runs language filters and keyword searches to determine which Twitter users might need your product or service. Sounds too good to be true, right? The tool shows you real-time search results and sends a daily email digest of new finds. **Put this tool to use:** Build a Twitter list of potential customers so you can learn and understand their needs and how they communicate. ### **Tweeter Spy** The Twitter click tracking at [Tweeter Spy](http://tweeterspy.com/preview#) can tell you which tweets result in the most traffic back to your site. To install, you’ll need to insert a line of code at your website, then you can manage your Twitter click stats right through Tweeterspy. **Put this tool to use:** Tweeter Spy has a neat feature that allows you to “Say Thanks” (with a tweet) to Twitter profiles who refer big traffic to your site. ### **Twitter Feed** For those looking to feed an RSS of a blog straight to your Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn profile, [Twitter Feed](http://twitterfeed.com/dashboard) has you covered. Simply enter your feed, connect your social accounts, and send your posts away, complete with tracking tools for follow-up. **Put this tool to use:** If you have feeds for separate categories on your blog, you can set up Twitter Feed to blast only particular content—new product announcements or featured content. ### **TweetReach** [This Twitter tool ](http://tweetreach.com/reports/10351637)shows you the reach and exposure of the tweets you send, collecting data on who retweets you and the influence of each. **Put this tool to use**: Identify which of your tweets has spread the farthest (and why), then try to repeat the formula with future tweets. ### **Twazzup** [Twazzup](http://twazzup.com/) offers real-time monitoring and analytics for Twitter on any name, keyword, or hashtag you choose. The Twazzup results page delivers interesting insights like who the top influencers are for your keyword and which top links are associated with your search. **Put this tool to use**: You can track your first and last name here to see what’s being mentioned about you outside of direct @-replies. You might be particularly interested to peek at the links and influencers associated with your name. ### **Topsy** [Topsy](http://topsy.com/) is as a powerful search engine for Twitter content. Want to know how a certain term is being used on Twitter? You can search links, tweets, photos, videos, and influencers. **Put this tool to use:** See how often your blog is being linked to on Twitter. Type in “site:yourdomain.com,” and you can see how many tweets have included inks back to your website (see above for an example of the Buffer blog). \*\*\* ## Facebook Tools ### **LikeAlyzer** What should you be doing with your Facebook page? [LikeAlyzer](http://likealyzer.com/) will flat-out tell you. The Facebook analysis tool comes up with stats and insights into your page and starts off every report with a list of recommendations. **Put this tool to use:** Keep track of where you stand compared to other pages by following the comparison of your page to average page rank, industry-specific page rank, and the rank of similar brands. ### **Fanpage Karma** [Fanpage Karma](http://www.fanpagekarma.com/) shows all sorts of valuable info related to your Facebook page like growth, engagement, service and response time, and of course Karma (a weighted engagement value). **Put this tool to use:** FanKarma also does insight into Twitter and YouTube, the latter of which might be particularly valuable if you’re building up a video marketing strategy. ### **Wolfram Alpha Facebook Report** The knowledge engine of Wolfram Alpha has a neat tool to [analyze your Facebook profile](http://www.wolframalpha.com/facebook/). Their Facebook report (a free feature with any Wolfram account) is incredibly detailed—everything from the content you share to the relationship status pie charts of your friends. **Put this tool to use:** See at-a-glance how your profile updates are being received. If you use your personal Facebook for marketing your business, you can optimize the type of content you share to your profile. ### **Facebook Custom Audiences** If you’re advertising on Facebook, you can use a handy, built-in tool to cater to a specific audience of your choosing by telling Facebook whom to target. Upload an Excel file or link directly to your MailChimp lists. Facebook will create a custom audience based on which of your contacts is on Facebook. This feature can be added by clicking on the Audiences link inside [Facebook’s Ads Manager](https://www.facebook.com/ads/manage/home). **Put this tool to use:** Create custom campaigns that target a list of leads or customers. You can get extra specific with these ads since the demographic already has a familiarity with your brand. (Facebook recommends that audience sizes be at least 1,000 people so that your ad dollar is well spent.) \*\*\* ## Social Media Analytics Tools ### ### ### **Rival IQ** Ever wonder what your competition is up to? [Rival IQ tracks a list of brands of your choosing](https://www.rivaliq.com/) and monitors their activity on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, and even SEO. Your free 14-day trial gives you full access to competitor tracking and the dashboards for each of the different networks and search factors. **Put this tool to use:** Rival IQ can show you insight into your competition but also insight into your industry as a whole. For instance, learn from the Day of the Week chart to see when content from your industry is most likely to go viral. ### **Buzz Sumo** Curious what the most popular content is on any given topic or any particular website? [Buzz Sumo](http://buzzsumo.com/) has this covered with a search tool that tracks content and ranks according to shares on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, and Pinterest. **Put this tool to use:** With Buzz Sumo, you can use the insights to steer the content you create and share on social media, learning how to craft headlines and what types of content each network is most interested in. ### **Klout** [Klout](http://klout.com/home) figures to be one of the more well-known tools on this list. It collects information on a person’s various social profiles to come up with a popularity score of 1 to 100 and then lets you follow your score over time as it ebbs and flows (ideally flowing upward). **Put this tool to use**: The site has added quite a bit of functionality beyond Klout score. You can now track topics, view content suggestions, and post straight to your connected social profiles. ### **SharedCount** There will be times when you’ll need/want to know [how popular your content is](http://www.sharedcount.com/) (like in a [weekly metrics report](http://blog.bufferapp.com/how-to-improve-your-marketing-metrics-week-over-week), perhaps). SharedCount shows you quickly, at a glance, how far and wide a piece of content spread. **Put this tool to use:** Click over to [SharedCount’s multi-URL dashboard](http://www.sharedcount.com/dashboard.php) to see a table of multiple URLs for a week’s worth of content. ### **Google URL Builder** If you’re dabbling in advanced campaign tracking, you’ve likely read up on UTM tracking codes in links. A UTM code is basically extra characters at the end of a link that help flesh out your analytics reports, showing you where your traffic came from and what campaigns it’s all associated with. [Google has a free tool](https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/1033867?hl=en) to create these UTMs for you. **Put this tool to use:** Add a UTM tracking to all links that are associated with a single marketing push. That way you can better measure the impact and ROI from your particular event. \*\*\* ## Visual Content Tools ### ### **Infogr.am** [Infogr.am](https://infogr.am/) helps you build sparkling infographics by entering information right into the Infogram spreadsheets that are built right in to the editor. Standard features are there, too, like design templates and a full design editor. **Put this tool to use:** Visualize a monthly report for your business, and share this on social media. You’ll get the boost of visual content plus transparency. ### **Piktochart** [Piktochart](http://piktochart.com/) is a free-to-try infographic creator with a full editor and themes to turn your data into a work of art. **Put this tool to use:** The next time you have some overly complicated (or lengthy) numbers to share, try putting them into a visual design. ### **Visually** If you’d like an extra hand creating visual content like infographics and charts, you can hit the[Visually marketplace](https://marketplace.visual.ly/?source=homepage) and find professionals to do the work for you, at up to 1/5 the cost you’d incur going through an agency. Visually specializes in infographics, videos, interactives, and presentations. **Put this tool to use:** While the pricing is discounted, it’s still an investment (infographics start at $1,000, for instance.) Save your Visually needs for a rainy day, then make a big splash with a feature announcement video or a presentation for investors. ### **Canva** There is a lot to love about [Canva](https://www.canva.com/). The graphic design app has an incredibly intuitive drag-and-drop interface, and the tooltips and templates make it ideal for beginner designers. Everything is free unless you choose to use something from Canva’s library of stock photos. **Put this tool to use:** One of Canva’s default templates is a Pinterest graphic, which comes premade with optimal size for a pin (735 pixels wide by 1102 pixels tall). ### **Compfight** A tool we use regularly here on the Buffer blog, [Compfight](http://compfight.com/) is our source for creative commons images to accompany our content. For your social media posts, images like these can be great additions to a visual content strategy (just be sure to give credit where credit’s due—each compfight picture comes with attribution). **Put this tool to use:** Build a small library of free-to-use photos for upcoming social sharing. Sometimes you may come across a good image that just doesn’t quite fit your needs. Save it for later in your Dropbox or on a private WordPress page. ### **BeFunky** A good graphics program can be a boon to your social media marketing. [BeFunky](http://www.befunky.com/) is one of the best—and easiest—ones around, with a complete suite of image editing tools like cropping, scaling, filters, text, and more. **Put this tool to use:** I’m sure you’ve seen inspirational quotes placed beautifully onto inspirational photos. Visual content like this is ideal for social networks, and you can pull this off easily with BeFunky. ### **LICEcap** Who doesn’t love GIFs? If your social media presence is strong on a place like Tumblr or Google+, then having GIF-making capabilities can come in handy. [LICEcap](http://www.cockos.com/licecap/) is a downloadable program that creates GIFs from what you see on your screen. **Put this tool to use:** Create a GIF of your product or service in action so you can share with fans and potential customers. \*\*\* ## Social Media Monitoring Tools ### ### **Mention** A good problem to have is when it becomes difficult to keep track of all the different places you are mentioned on social media. [Mention](https://en.mention.com/) prides itself on “going beyond Google Alerts” to track absolutely anywhere that your name or your company could be mentioned online. **Put this tool to use:** You might be surprised to find out how often people tweet and share your name online without an @-mention (I know I was). When you subscribe to Mention’s daily email, you get all these wayward HTs right in your inbox, and the web dashboard even flags certain mentions as high priority. ### **NutshellMail** Digests can be a neat way to [track your social media metrics](http://blog.bufferapp.com/how-to-improve-your-marketing-metrics-week-over-week), and [NutshellMail](https://nutshellmail.com/) collects your activity on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter (and even places like Yelp and Foursquare) to provide an email overview of your accounts. You set how often and when you want to receive the recap emails. **Put this tool to use:** If you have a weekly metrics plan, you can have NutshellMail send you a message once a week with an overview of your accounts. You can then extract the data and insights here straight into your weekly report. ### **SocialMention** As a tracking tool, [SocialMention](http://www.socialmention.com/) has some neat bonus insights beyond their in-depth keyword tracking. SocialMention tracks areas like sentiment, passion, reach, and strength to not just tell you what’s being said about your search but how those reactions feel. **Put this tool to use:** While you track your brand or yourself, you can also see how your sentiment changes over time. Are your mentions positive or negative? And how will this change from month to month and week to week? ### **Keyhole** [The tracking tool ](http://keyhole.co/)keeps track of your hashtag campaign or keyword on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook with a full dashboard of analytics, demographics, and influencers. **Put this tool to use:** Start a hashtag around an upcoming event, and keep track of the popularity of the tag before, during, and after. \*\*\* ## Social Media Content Tools ### **News.me** The daily email from [News.me](http://news.me/) contains the top five stories shared by your networks on Twitter and Facebook. (The email is branded with Digg as the two partnered up.) **Put this tool to use**: The News.me email arrives every morning, so you can add the email to your social media workflows. Check what your networks are most interested in, then respond right away. ### **Feedly** [Feedly](http://feedly.com/#index) is one of the best RSS services out there because it does all the basics of RSS well (feed organization, display, etc.) and innovates with some really helpful new features. Plus, it works and looks great on any device you have. **Put this tool to use:** You can follow any number of relevant blogs and sites in your industry, and if you’re pressed for time, you can scan Feedly’s share counts next to each story or turn on the Featured posts section to quickly pick out the content that is most valuable and shared. (See screenshot above for an example.) ### **Pocket** With [Pocket](http://getpocket.com/a/), you can grab the content on your social networks that looks good to you and read it later in a stripped down, easy-on-the-eyes view. **Put this tool to use:** Combined with IFTTT or Zapier (see below), you can send favorite stories straight from Pocket to Twitter. ### **Paper.li** [Paper.li](http://paper.li/) lets you create a daily newspaper of your favorite tweets and stories and share this paper with your followers. **Put this tool to use:** Create an industry-specific daily or weekly newspaper, and take advantage of the extra opportunity to connect with and recognize some of your influencers. ### **Swayy** Looking for [new content to share](http://blog.bufferapp.com/17-unique-places-to-find-great-content-to-share)? (Aren’t we all?) [Swayy](http://app.swayy.co/#content) can be a helpful tool for finding stories based on your interests, as determined by the stuff you’ve shared before. Connect your Twitter or Facebook account for free, and Swayy will check your audience for the type of content they might like best and make suggestions based on its findings. **Put this tool to use:** Sharing interesting content on social media is a great way to build your authority and expertise on a topic. Customize Swayy’s suggested topic matches so that you get only the most accurate suggestions. ### **Pie** Team collaboration on social media can be a very helpful asset when it comes to keeping a queue filled. [Pie](http://piethis.com/) is designed to make this process as simple as possible as you can collect the neat stories you find online and chat about them with your social media team or your team in general. There is even a Pie browser extension that makes it possible to add stories straight from the browser. **Put this tool to use:** Collect the cool stories you find online, and use feedback from your coworkers to decide what gets shared to your social accounts. You can make it as simple as a two-Like minimum for getting the go-ahead to post. ### **Bottlenose – Sonar Solo** [The free version of Bottlenose’s enterprise tool](http://lite.bottlenose.com/) helps you see which topics and keywords affect your brand in real-time. Here’s q peek at how the tool highlights trending content based on your interests. **Put this tool to use:** If your brand is big into LinkedIn, this may be a helpful tool for discovering popular content from the network. \*\*\* ## WordPress Plugins ### **Digg Digg** Built by the team here at Buffer, [the Digg Digg plugin](http://wordpress.org/plugins/digg-digg/) adds a floating share bar to all of your posts so your readers can easily share to Twitter, Facebook, Buffer, and almost 20 more sites. **Put this tool to use:** If a floating bar isn’t your style or doesn’t fit with your blog layout, customize the Digg Digg bar to appear fixed at the top or bottom of every post. ### **Flare** Built by the team at Digital Telepathy, [Flare](https://filament.io/flare) is a social share plugin for WordPress sites and part of an overall website-boosting suite of products delivered through the Filament plugin. Filament allows you to drag and drop your social share buttons wherever you’d like on your site. **Put this tool to use:** Find the place that makes the most sense for your share buttons—sidebar, header, footer, etc.—and fix it up easily. ### **Ivy** Another part of Digital Telepathy’s Filament plugin is [Ivy](https://filament.io/ivy), a simple tool that allows your website visitors to highlight any passage of text and share directly to Twitter, Facebook, or email. **Put this tool to use:** Ideally your visitors will be the ones putting this tool to use, but you can help them along with a little prodding to “highlight to share.” ### **“Pin It” Button for Images** Add a “Pin It” button to all the images on your blog with [this free WordPress plugin](http://lite.bottlenose.com/). Each time a visitor hovers over an image, they’ll see a stylized “Pin It” button appear on the image and can share directly to Pinterest. **Put this tool to use:** If you are hoping to attract more Pinterest shares to your blog, the Pinterest button for images could be a real boon. It’s great for blogs with lots of highly visual content. \*\*\* ## Miscellaneous Tools ### **FiveHundredPlus** [This tool for LinkedIn connections](http://www.fivehundredplus.com/) works as a digital tickle file. You can place your contacts into different columns for weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annual reminders to get in touch with your contacts. **Put this tool to use:** Place your key influencers into a monthly column so that you can be reminded to stay in regular contact. ### **Rapportive** With [Rapportive](http://rapportive.com/), you can get a heap of information on each of your email contacts, including the social accounts they’re connected with and where they’re employed. Currently Rapportive works only with Gmail. **Put this tool to use:** When you make a connection with a new person over email, Rapportive can show you how to followup for connections on their various social networks. ### **Bitly** Shortening a URL on Twitter can be a must as you try to squeeze inside the 140-character limit.[Bitly](https://bitly.com/) is one of the original link shorteners (and integrated with Buffer, too). If you use Bitly on its own, you’ll get a full history of the link’s performance as well as an overview of all the links you’ve ever shared. **Put this tool to use:** You can use bitly outside of Twitter, too. Consider cleaning up some long or ugly URLs when you’re posting to Facebook, LinkedIn, or Google+ or even when you’re writing an ebook or email. ### **Rev** [Rev](http://www.rev.com/) is a complete transcription and translation service that can help convert your audio or your English into the format and language you need. **Put this tool to use:** If you conduct interviews of your customers, you can use Rev to convert the audio to text for easier assimilation into [marketing personas](http://blog.bufferapp.com/marketing-personas-beginners-guide) or social media profiles. ### **ShareRoot Board Cover Creator** [ShareRoot has a handful of tools](http://tools.shareroot.co/) that are specific for boosting Pinterest engagement, promotion, and measuring. Some tools are inactive or under development, but one that is live now is a Pinterest Board Cover Creator that lets you create images to use as the cover for your different pin boards. **Put this tool to use:** Build some really awesome Pinterest covers to make your overall page stand out to new visitors. ### **Jelly** An app for iOS and Android, [Jelly](http://jelly.co/) is billed as a social search engine—you ask questions with photos, maps, and friends and get the answers from people who know best. For instance, show folks your location and get recommendations from locals on where to eat. **Put this tool to use:** Brands can connect on Jelly and then be able to view which of their followers on other social networks are active on Jelly. This gives brands an extra opportunity to connect and add value where their customers spend their time. **SteadyDemand’s Google+ Page Audit** For an overview of the health of your Google+ page, you can use [SteadyDemand’s tool](http://www.steadydemand.com/Google-Plus-Brand-Audit-Tool.php) to investigate what’s working and what’s not. The tool couldn’t be simpler: Just input the URL of your company’s Google+ page (ours was ) and then see the report on all your page activity. **Put this tool to use**: Google+ insights are much harder to come by than those on Facebook and Twitter, so tools like this can help show you if all your G+ marketing has been worth it or not. **Powtoon** Are videos part of your social media marketing plan? If you’re anxious to jump into video content, [Powtoon](http://www.powtoon.com/) can be a free way to test and see if it might work for you. With Powtoon, you can create and edit video clips and upload straight to YouTube. **Put this tool to use:** Put together a product demo for what you sell, and share this on social media to give people a visual demonstration of what your business is about. ### **CardMunch** [This free iOS app](http://www.cardmunch.com/) has you take a picture of a business card and then stores the information into your contacts and finds the person on LinkedIn. Great for [expos and conferences](http://blog.bufferapp.com/11-social-media-conferences-every-marketer-should-know). **Put this tool to use:** Scan the business cards of new contacts you meet and quickly see on LinkedIn which connections you have in common. ### **IFTTT** Social is just a small part of what [IFTTT](https://ifttt.com/channels) can do. The Internet automation app can do everything from text you tomorrow’s weather to automatically update your Twitter with your Instagram photos. IFTTT connects with more than 90 channels, including Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. **Put this tool to use:** You can [sync IFTTT with your Buffer account](http://blog.bufferapp.com/6-ways-to-use-ifttt-buffer-for-social-media-success) to schedule things like Buffering each Twitter post that you favorite. **Zapier** [Zapier](https://zapier.com/) is a bigger version of IFTTT—more channels to connect but not quite free. You do get to create five free recipes before upgrading, so you can try out Zapier with tools like MailChimp and Disqus and 250 more. **Put this tool to use:** You can sync your email campaigns with your social accounts, sending links to your campaigns as tweets, posts, or Buffers to all your favorite social places. **Are there any social media tools here that you might try? Any of your favorites that weren’t included? I’d love to build the list out even more, and your input would be excellent! Share your favorites in the comments.** Image credit: [HVargas](http://www.flickr.com/photos/13492637@N07/2114683166/) _Kevan is a content crafter at_ [_Buffer_](http://bufferapp.com/)_, the super simple social media management tool. His social media and productivity tips have appeared in Fast Company and Lifehacker, and he’s always on the lookout for a good headline pun. Connect with him on_ [_Twitter_](https://twitter.com/kevanlee)_._ **Read more from Buffer:** [29 Free Marketing Tools to Improve Your Marketing Starting Today](http://blog.bufferapp.com/29-free-marketing-tools) [17 Unique Places to Find Great Content to Share](http://blog.bufferapp.com/17-unique-places-to-find-great-content-to-share) dfdf The Big List of The 61 Best Social Media Tools for Small Business ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/2891730/best-social-media-tools/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/2891730/best-social-media-tools/"},"headline":"The Big List of The 61 Best Social Media Tools","datePublished":"2014-06-18T17:31:49.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:45:50.829Z","description":"How managing social media can jumpstart your enterprise","url":"https://time.com/2891730/best-social-media-tools/","keywords":["How-To","Tech","Social Media","twitter","Business topic"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfe0490bd27dbaad4/69869803810bbb55e5c9236b/social-media-monitoring-tools-list.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Buffer","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/buffer/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfe0490bd27dbaad4/69869803810bbb55e5c9236b/social-media-monitoring-tools-list.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Social Media Monitoring Tools List","caption":"Social Media Monitoring Tools List","creditText":"Peter Macdiarmid—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/how-to/","name":"How-To"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/2891730/best-social-media-tools/","name":"The Big List of The 61 Best Social Media Tools"}}]}] ```