Social Media Marketing for Business

You may not know, but Nissen Media is just one person. Me. Stephanie Nissen. It’s a lot to do for one person managing not only my own social media presence but dozens of profiles for clients in varying industries. But, I’m not overwhelmed. I have a system in place that let’s me get my work done and is still a lot of fun! That’s why I got into this business, it’s just FUN!

To streamline my business I’ve tried out lots of different tools on my laptop and on mobile. Even now, I’m trying out new software, tools, and systems to make myself even more efficient. Without further ado, here are the top 8 tools I absolutely couldn’t run my business without:

1. Sprout Social

As a social media manager, I need social media software that’s powerful. That’s what Sprout Social is for my business. POWERFUL. I schedule my posts to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+ as well develop reports, monitor hashtags and search terms, analyze social media referrals to with a Google Analytics tie-in, and do so much more. I’m a convert from Hootsuite actually. Nothing against Hootsuite, but it just didn’t do enough for me. Not to mention that Sprout Social is so slick. I absolutely love the design and interface.

2. Freshbooks

I just discovered Freshbooks through a Social Media Managers group on Facebook and it came highly recommended. And now here I am recommending it myself! Freshbooks is an invoicing and expense reporting software (with a mobile app too) that streamlines all of my accounting. My clients get their own login details, I can customize everything, and it’s highly efficient. I used to do invoicing by hand in excel, not anymore!

3. Canva

Oh Canva, God bless you. This graphic design tool is INCREDIBLE. It has pre-sized graphics for every major network. Plus some bonus templates including:

• Blog Graphics

• Kindle Covers

• Email Headers

• Posters

• Business Cards

• Album Covers

• And even a few more!

Plus the design templates are clean, modern, and wildly popular. A lot of the elements for design are Free but even the paid elements are only $1 a piece. I make images nearly everyday in Canva. It’s a must.

4. Evernote

Note taking whether it’s for a webinar or conference, checklists for daily and weekly to-dos and collecting business cards has never been so simple. I can keep it all in Evernote that syncs between my phone, iPad, and laptop. In truth, I use Evernote for more than just business – it’s great for personal use too. I keep my house to-dos on it as well as quick grocery lists and gift lists (I have a running list of gift ideas for family and friends so I don’t forget my awesome ideas)!

5. Facebook Pages Manager

Facebook’s Page Manager app gets a bad review from a lot of people but I find it invaluable. I can share posts, make quick edits, and respond quickly to new conversations on my posts. I like being able to respond quickly and see what’s happening on all my client’s pages throughout the day. I login multiple times a day and it’s one of the first apps I check each morning.

6. Word Swag

No social media user is complete with a graphic design tool to use on the fly. Word Swag is less than $5 and I can create amazing graphics with text overlays, a watermark, use my photos, or use any of the template backgrounds they supply. The font combinations always look clean and it fits perfectly to Instagram.

7. Heyo

If you want to make mobile, web, or Facebook campaigns such as contests, sweepstakes, or landing pages, Heyo is the one of the best tools to use. It’s amazingly user-friendly and uses a design system that uses no coding! I have a background in web development and I have come to despise coding. So glad tools like Heyo exist. Plus – I just ran a hugely successful Heyo campaign through the Nissen Media Facebook page and doubled my email subscribers in just 3 days. Woo!

8. Feedly

There are millions of blogs online. Yes, millions, I counted. 😉 With Feedly I can get updates in one space from all of my favorite blogs and news sources. Each one can be put into a category with specific tags so I can use one Feedly account to find shareable content for all of my clients. Feedly even integrates with Sprout Social so I can schedule even easier. Thank you Feedly!

Honestly, I have lots of tools and apps that I go to daily, weekly, and some only monthly but that are a vital part of my business. For any social media manager, Internet marketer, networking guru, and small business owner who wants to leverage social media, check out these tools.

Have you tried these tools? How’d it go? What’s your favorite tool that I don’t have listed?

Meet Stephanie Nissen

Stephanie wears many hats at her company Nissen Media, LLC including social media manager, blogger, copywriter, speaker, and social media coach. She’s passionate about small businesses, social media marketing, and way too competitive at board games. Follow her @StephNissen_.