Being present on social media has become an imperative, especially for brands in the travel industry.
However, we know that’s easier said than done. Social media management can be quite demanding when it comes to execution. Done well, it requires a lot of effort, on a daily basis.
Fortunately, there are many time-saving, social media management tools out there, which can really help you. So today, we want to share a list of our go-to tools, which we recommend and personally use for our brands.
Social Media Management Tools: Scheduling
Choosing a scheduling tool is one of the first things you should do after you have created your social media accounts.
Not only will they save you a lot of time, they will also help you with the visual planning of your content, especially on visual channels like Instagram.
Planoly
We use Planoly, and we love it because you can save hashtag groups, schedule the first comment, and get great insights into analytics and more.
It’s very easy to use. The auto-post option works flawlessly. Once you have scheduled your posts, the only thing you should focus on is engaging with your audience.
The free version will cover you completely if you have only one account per platform. If you want to add more you would need to upgrade to some of the paid plans.
Later
If Planoly doesn’t sound like a good fit for you, another tool we recommend checking it out is Later. They also have a free plan if you have only one account per platform. However, many useful features, like hashtag recommendations, are available only to paid plans.
Creator Studio
Instagram scheduling used to be a real challenge, but it is now possible to schedule in advance. Facebook’s own Creator Studio is now also a great option if you need to schedule for your Instagram and Facebook. It’s free and you can schedule your posts for both platforms.
Tailwind
When it comes to Pinterest, Planoly has recently added the paid option to schedule pins. But Tailwind is our absolute favourite. We have partnered up with them to give you a one month for free, so you have enough time to test and get completely familiar with the tool and make a decision if it’s a good option for you. Just click here to get started!
Social Media Management Tools: Design
Nothing can replace the work of a good graphic designer.
However, we know it’s not always possible to have professionally designed material – especially if you have to be very careful with your budget.
That’s why we recommend checking out Canva, an easy-to-use online designing tool that can be very useful for email newsletters and social media purposes.
It has thousands of templates available that you can easily modify. You can use Canva completely for free, and even though there is a pro version that you can pay and upgrade to, a free account is more than enough to cover you for all those small designing tasks that you need to DIY.
Many people are now getting the best of both worlds by asking a graphic designer to create Canva templates for them. This way, you can easily edit the content whenever you want, but have the professional touch of custom graphics, to really match your brand. Let us know if you would like help with this.
Social Media Management Tools: Photo Editing Apps
When it comes to content, consistency is key and it applies to all areas – including the way your photos are edited.
Whether you go with bright and airy or a dark and moody style, make sure you stick to it.
If you hire a professional photographer or a content creator, then you don’t have to worry about this. But if you are taking your own photos, we recommend these three apps to edit photos so they have a consistent look and feel.
Don’t be afraid, you don’t need to be a professional photographer to use them.
Lightroom Mobile
Lightroom for mobile is a free app that can save you a lot of time because you can easily apply presets and tweak them if needed.
There are many presets available online, for free or to purchase from many photographers. You just need to find the one that fits your style and use them.
Don’t mix different styles, try to pick 3-5 presets and use them only. If you have some experience with editing and you are familiar with the Lightroom for desktop, you can create your own presets or edit the photos the way you want it by adjusting the exposure, contrasts, white balance, colours and other aspects – the same way you would do in Lightroom for Desktop.
You might want to avoid doing this until you’ve learned a little about the basics of photo editing, however. Otherwise, it can feel too intimidating and complicated, and you can easily overedit your photos.
Snapseed
If Lightroom is not your cup of tea, or you don’t want to invest in presets, then the second option is to use Snapseed.
The paid version gives you access to more filters, but if you ask us, the free version has more than enough already.
Similarly to Lightroom, you can adjust the filters that you apply, and there is a wide range of tools to help you edit your photos.
VSCO
VSCO is another app used by many photographers, bloggers – and anyone who publishes frequently on social media platforms.
It offers a wide range of filters that suit different styles, so you’re sure to find suitable ones here. The paid versions offer you access to a larger collection of filters.
Imagery
Good imagery is a must for every aspect of your business and we highly recommend investing in a professional photo shoot. This will give you a foundation of original photos that you can reuse and build on.
But we know that hiring a photographer is not always possible. Luckily there are many stock photos websites where you can find amazing images that you can use for both social media and email marketing campaigns.
A stock photo website that we warmly recommend is Unsplash.
It offers a large gallery of photos, that is constantly growing. Amazingly, all photos are free to download and use.
Most of the photos you find here are taken by young and aspiring photographers. Even though you don’t have to credit them when using photos, we encourage you to thank them and give support back by simply tagging them on the photo or giving credit at the end of the caption.
Content Calendar
Lastly, you need a calendar to plan and stay organised with your posts across all of the social media platforms that you use. Don’t worry, we have you covered!
We have created a content calendar, especially for travel businesses. It is designed to help you with planning, organising and, finally, executing an effective social media strategy.
You can use it for both email marketing and social media marketing.
It’s easy to use and it covers the entire year. If needed, you can easily tweak and customise it to suit your purposes a little better.
Download FREE Content Calendar
We hope that these social media management tools will help you with managing your social media accounts.
If you have some questions leave it as a comment or book a free consultation call and we can chat about how we can help you more!
Other related articles from our blog:
List of tools to help you set up Email Marketing
How to create a Customer Persona for your Travel Business
The psychology of colours in branding
Hotel Content Ideas to help you earn five-star reviews
Stay safe and healthy,
Until next time,
