The three best platforms for juggling all of your station’s social media accounts

Staff Writer

Having an online presence is more important than ever for radio stations and newsrooms alike, especially when it comes to social media.

Not only are platforms such as Facebook and Twitter the first place listeners search for the latest information regarding your station, but it is also the place where you have the opportunity to engage in conversation with your current listeners and potential new ones.

We know the thought of managing multiple social media accounts may seem a little overwhelming, so, we’ve put together a guide for the top three platforms you could utilise to make the juggling act a little easier, and ensure you get the most out of all of your social media channels.

#3 Buffer

Buffer is the first place many people start when it comes to researching social media management platforms. It’s minimalistic in its appearance, yet can save you time and energy – especially when you have a lot of posts to put out across the course of the day.

It’s a simple and easy way to schedule posts, and track the performance of your content. All you have to do is set a posting schedule and then add your posts to the queue. There’s also a handy browser extension available, which means you can save something to share for later, no matter when or where you find it.

Extra features include a Browser Extension, RSS Feed, Social Analytics, Pablo Image Creator, Mobile Apps, Social Media Calendar, Video & GIF Uploader.

Downside: No monitoring tools for mentions, searches and hashtags, so you’ll have to monitor these using another platform or natively.

#2 Hootsuite

If responding in real-time is what you’re interested in, Hootsuite may be more up your alley. Hootsuite’s real-time analytics let you spot trends as they develop, and drill down for insights on how your social content is performing.

You also have the ability to set up custom streams of social content, so you can keep track of mentions of your station and on-air personalities all in the one place.

Too many chefs in the kitchen can create a disaster when it comes to social media management, and Hootsuite helps climate the risk by allowing or restricting access to message approval functionality – meaning that you’ll avoid sending the wrong tweet to the wrong person.

There are different pricing packages including Professional, Team and Enterprise.

Downside: Costs can mount up when you need to add more team members.

#1 Social News Desk

If securing your Social Media Accounts is a big priority, which it should be, and you’re ready to take your social media to the next level, this is where Social News Desk comes in.

Its products have been built and designed with broadcasters and publishers in mind.

The Social News Desk license model is unique in that there are no additional charges as you increase users or Pages. Instead, fees are set on a per-station or per-property basis. Plus, SND is the only social media management tool with built-in best practice recommendations and a staff of social-news experts. As an SND client, you’re matched with one for 1 on 1 support.

These are people who have all been in your footsteps before, so they get it.

As with Hootsuite and Buffer there are ‘Add Ons’ which make Social News Desk very appealing, for example:

SND Campaigns – if you’re looking to monetise your social media, you’ll love SND Campaigns. It will keep track of Branded Content posts with detailed reports, automatically generated for you, making it ideal for those working with national advertisers and agencies. Create one campaign and then launch it across multiple properties in your group instantly. Promote your sponsor on social media and SND Campaigns will keep track of the results with real-time reports that automatically track more than 25 insights.

SND On Air – Video, video, video! That’s where all good content starts these days. SND On Air allows you to easily capture content from Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to build curated playlists which  can then be displayed on an in-studio monitor or go straight to air as a full screen.. For those wanting to think outside the square – SND On Air is fully integrated with Facebook Page Polls which allows you to run a poll on your Facebook Page and then display the results in real time. Why not display social content in your reception lobby or on a giant TV at your next Outside Broadcast. It’s another way to engage your audience.

You can also style the look of your playlist in seconds with custom templates, layouts, fonts and your own custom backgrounds.


This article is presented in partnership with Social News Desk.

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