Summer 2023 Social Media Management Platform Review

From time to time, we do a deep dive and a comparison of social media platforms and tools, but it’s been a while and a lot has changed so we’re back!

We know that staying up-to-date with all the social media platforms and tools out there can feel overwhelming, but when it’s in your wheelhouse like it is ours, it’s simple. This blog offers an uncomplicated overview of our top social media management tools, their features and functionality, and more.

Even if you have no intention of switching up your tool, having an awareness of options helps keep your perspective open — especially if you need to make a change in the future.

These requirements are focused on small-to-medium-sized businesses or brands that are seeking a robust, thoughtful, but economical way to manage their social media with one person or even a small team. Here are the basic requirements:

3. Customer support / response management

While these are the non-negotiables, we decided to cover some additional features that your team might find valuable within this review, too.

The use of social media for businesses is overflowing with opportunity — and the importance of having a tool that’s reliable, ever-evolving, and easy to use is paramount to the success of your workflow and social media presence.

We reviewed the following four well-known and trusted social media management tools. They fit our top six requirements, with varying levels of features and quality:

 and gets you all the basics in the list above plus a few handy features such as profiles, keywords, location monitoring, group, profile, and post-level reporting, paid social tools, CRM tools, and more. At VIA, we’ve used the Professional Plan with a few more features and have found that it’s reliable and easy to use, but the reporting isn’t advanced for the price — however, if you use it in tandem with other tools, you’ll find it more useful.

Sprout doesn’t have a “grid-view” feature for platforms like Instagram which has become increasingly important over the years for brands that want to curate an aesthetically pleasing feed, or have a specific order of content they need to stick to. This plan only includes one user and five profiles, so if your business has over five profiles and needs to set up a workflow, you’ll need to upgrade to a different plan or consider a different tool.


✅ 5 profiles, 1 user, response management, TikTok, Google My Business, basic reporting features

❌ Team workflows, advanced reporting features, grid view

 offers quite a bit. We recently presented one of our long-time clients with several social media tools and this one fits their needs best for their budget and needs. They even added one additional user for an extra $10/month — allowing VIA to manage from one login, and their team to approve and comment on content with the other. We’ve set up a nice workflow with our client, have helped them save time monthly, and allow them to manage two brands for a good price.

Let’s get into the features of this plan! You get team workflows, calendar notes with the ability to “assign”, IG grid view, social listening, and posting to 10 profiles.

This platform isn’t as user-friendly as Sprout. There are a lot of buttons everywhere so if you aren’t tech-savvy or don’t have someone to teach you about all of these features and which are most important to your needs, it might not be the best option. They currently don’t include TikTok which is a big con for a lot of businesses.


✅ 10 profiles, 1 user, response management, grid view, basic reporting, calendar notes

❌ TikTok, not the best UI /  UX, advanced reporting

They have three more plans for your consideration 

Hootsuite is highly esteemed for its social media management tool that boasts a robust set of features and plugins, at a pretty standard price. Their 

grants three users access to manage, schedule, post, and analyze data on up to 20 social profiles. Hootsuite's reporting features are a bit more advanced than some of the others mentioned in this blog — with the capability to measure against two competitors, create customizable reports, and more.

On the downside, Hootsuite has countless features and buttons that can be confusing to navigate, and even redundant for some social media marketers.

✅ 20 profiles, 3 users, response management, TikTok, team workflows, reporting features, grid view

❌ Lots of features and buttons that can be difficult to use 

Find a plan that fits your business or brand needs 

Loomly is similar to Agorapulse and even HeyOrca (which we aren’t covering in this blog), in many aspects. Our team at VIA hasn’t spent a ton of time on Loomly, but we’re no strangers to this tool. Their most basic plan starts at only $26/month, but we’re going to explore Loomly’s 

 since it meets the requirements we’ve outlined above. For 

, this plan gets 14 users access to 35 social accounts, team workflows, response management, and some pretty standard reporting for the price.

Loomly isn’t as competitive of an option as some of the others in our review, but it’s a decent option that meets the basic requirements.

✅ 5 profiles, 14 users, response management, TikTok, basic reporting

❌ Not the best UI/UX, advanced reporting

Overall, Hootsuite offers the best mix of features for the requirements listed above, and the best set of optional plugins, all for the best price in the market.

Sprout Social is a close second, but its higher cost, lack of extensibility, and lower-quality reporting make it second best.

Agorapulse and Loomly are solid options if you or your team are looking to spend less money on a social media management tool and aren’t in need of a ton of features and reporting capabilities.

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One of the definitions of  ‘strategic’ in the Merriam-Webster dictionary is 

“of great importance within an integrated whole or to a planned effect.”

When you think about a social media strategy, what comes to mind? Do you think there’s little ROI? Do you wonder how your business can go viral on TikTok? What’s the most impactful way to tell your story? Do you wonder how it fits into your business goals? A winning campaign and an online presence that makes users want to convert and advocate for your brand are only possible with a plan.

In short, a social media strategy is a piece of the puzzle in bringing your business goals and objectives to fruition. In today’s digital world, the question isn’t about if your business should be on social media — the question you should ask yourself is 

Social media may not be your primary driver of conversions, but it should be a part of your overall business strategy as social media poses unique opportunities that other forms of marketing don’t. It allows your business more visibility, networking opportunities, and can allow you to direct visitors to your website. Beyond that, the use of social media is growing and changing, and in such a competitive and oversaturated space, marketers and business owners have to consistently show the value of their offerings in relevant ways.

In January 2023, 

 released the following social media statistics:

4 billion people across the world use social media

Over 75% of the world’s population 13+ use social media

93% of internet users are social media users

Social media has become an integral part of most of our lives — people of all ages, from all walks of life, and parts of the world. Consumer behavior is changing more rapidly than ever, and

 many never interact with brands, products, and employees face-to-face, and instead rely solely on social media and websites 

for information, to build rapport, decide if they want to purchase a product or service.

Influencers and everyday people are sweeping the internet with brand and product reviews, and consumers no longer have to churn through four pages of Google reviews to get the scoop. Folks create and share

) interactions with a brand or product on TikTok, Instagram reels, Facebook and Instagram Stories, Reddit, and many other platforms. 

Not having negative reviews isn't enough when your competitors have built a network of loyal customers. 

The time to re-evaluate and build a meaningful social media presence is now, and our 

Social media strategy entails many moving parts, all of which are always evolving and changing over time. Before we get into those, remember that a strong social media strategy is consistent, integrated, and thoughtfully planned.

Use the following to guide the creation of your social media strategy.

Let’s start here because without clear goals or an objective in mind, you’re left without the key piece: strategy. The first step is outlining the result you want to achieve. Are you looking to build awareness of your brand? Do you want to establish yourself as a thought leader? Clearly define your objectives before anything else.

A tip to keep in mind when outlining your objective(s) is to keep them aspirational but achievable. You might consider starting with an objective for the first 3-6 months of your new or revised social media strategy, allowing you to measure your performance and make adjustments later.

The marketing funnel is a promising place to start.

This is a big one and a key piece to a larger conversation. You must figure out how your 

 and brand story will be expressed on social media.

. Social media KPIs might include impressions, click-through rate (CTR), video views, website traffic, and conversions.

This step requires you to analyze your current customers and conduct industry and market research. Tools like Google Analytics can help you uncover audience demographics, website entrances, most-viewed content, and more, to help you define your audience.

Your business probably has several audiences, but are all of them on social media?

You should assume that almost every step in developing a social media strategy warrants research. By 

conducting an industry and competitive analysis

, you can get a deeper understanding of what your competitors are doing and what your audience needs. Stay up-to-date on the latest social media trends (subscribe to free resources like 

), discover helpful existing or emerging tools, and more.

Depending on what product or service your business offers, it might not be lucrative to be on every social media platform.

LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional networking platform, probably isn’t fitting for a local clothing boutique, but TikTok or Instagram might be where their ideal customers and competitors are.

Content types go beyond images, blogs, and videos. They also come in the form of reviews, emails, user-generated content, case studies, PR, podcasts, webinars, and more. Consider which content types support your objective, product/tool, and audience needs.

Also, stay tuned into trending content and popular content types when planning and creating.

Money definitely talks when it comes to social media.

If you’re ready to pay to play, even if you don’t have a big budget, but you’re unsure of how to get the most out of it, consider partnering with marketers who do. Our strategy team is no strangers to planning and executing successful social media campaigns.

At VIA, we believe you must foster connections with clients and followers, and that looks like being personable and proactive.

If followers aren’t chatting with a bot, then be human. Be solution-oriented and engage with people in your business via DMs, a post, etc. Suggest quicker ways they can contact your business in the future, offer your business email, and more. Consumers and customers don’t want to feel like a transaction, but at the same time, they’re looking for an easy and intuitive shopping experience.

Refer back to your KPIs, get ready to roll your sleeves up, and dig into the world of Google Analytics, Data Studio Dashboard, Google Trends, and any other tools you’re using to measure performance.

Revisit your strategy to make adjustments that align with your goals.

There’s a lot that goes into social media marketing. If you or your business needs help creating a social media strategy, building one from scratch, or if you’re having difficulty getting your team started with the foundational pieces to build an impactful social media presence — your friends at VIA are around to help you reach your goals.

If you’ve been upping your strategy with our 

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marketplace for this century. But how do you cut through the noise and find the audiences that want to hear you, and want to become your customer? Beyond that,

 holding onto an interested customer can seem difficult. With our experienced staff trained in the latest-and-greatest digital marketing audience targeting tools and development techniques, we can not only help you develop but help you greatly expand your audience of interested consumers.

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