If you are a social media manager or running a social media agency, you need to have the right tools to manage your business.
In fact, there are a lot of online apps that will make running your business easier through automation.
Having a good set of tools will give you structure, organization and consistency in the way you create and post content, interact with clients and manage your monthly tasks.
I also created a video that explains the most important tools you need as a social media manager below.
So let’s get straight into the types of tools you need.
Also please note, these are tools that I’ve also used in my own social media management business which I highly recommend. I am an affiliate for these apps and may earn commissions when you click on the links I share in this article and on my website.
Invoicing and CRM Tool - Dubsado
In order to accept payment from clients, you need a good invoicing tool. This type of tools should also allow you to send contract agreements to clients who can electronically sign them.
A good tool that I use in my own business is Dubsado. It allows you to send proposals, invoices, contracts and also manage the client onboarding process.
Dubsado gives you the ability to automate onboarding and follow ups. And client onboarding is really crucial to the success of your business.
Once your client has submitted payment for the first month of working with you, they will automatically receive a welcome and confirmation email with a list of the next steps and anything you need from them to start managing their social media accounts.
Dubsado allows you to completely automate this entire process with their canned email templates and client funnel.
I love the fact that you can send your clients a link to your proposal and even customize it with your own branding.
Here’s a screenshot of one of my proposals:
Dubsado makes it really simple to sell your services and manage your clients. If you sign up through my link you can get a free trial to test out the app. Click here for the free Dubsado trial.
Project Management Tool - Notion
For project management, working with my own team and creating content calendars, I use a tool called Notion.
Notion allows you to collaborate with others on projects, create due dates for your tasks, create spreadsheets, store information and just stay organized.
I created my own content calendar in notion which I use with my team to plan, organize and schedule content for social media, blogs, podcasts and other platforms.
Here’s a screenshot example of one of my dashboards:
I love the fact that I can color code the status of each social media post and assign a publishing date. This makes it easy for me and my team to create a workflow that is easy to follow so that we can get client work done each month.
You can try Notion for FREE by using this link
Social Media Scheduling Tool - Later
Another important tool you’ll need to run your business is a tool that allows you to pre-schedule social media posts ahead of time.
I use a tool called Later which allows me to batch and schedule content for months in advanced. This saves me a lot of time because I don’t have to manually post each month for clients.
I also like the fact that Later allows you to manage multiple client social media accounts. And if you decide to hire a virtual assistant to help you with client work, you can give them access to Later without them having to see the client’s login or passwords. This gives you an extra layer of security in protecting your clients accounts.
You can schedule images and video like Tik Toks and Reels for Instagram and Facebook. CLICK HERE for a free 14 day trial of Later.
Website and Calendar Management
I use Squarespace for both my website and to manage my schedule. You don’t have to even be a good web designer to create a website in Squarespace because they have templates that are easy to customize.
When you open a Squarespace account it also comes with their scheduling tool that allows you to setup appointments with clients and sync this with your calendar.
Once you learn how to use Squarespace you can even create websites for your clients, setup a blog and manage the blog easily.
CLICK HERE for a free 14 day trial of Squarespace.
Email Newsletters - Convertkit
I also help my clients with managing their newsletters. In the past, I’ve actually wrote monthly newsletters and helped them grow their email list.
A tool that I highly recommend for newsletters and email funnels is Converkit. It is an easy to use tool that also allows you to create lead magnets and landing pages.
CLICK HERE for a FREE trial of Converkit.
SEO Keyword Research Tool
A really important tool you will need is an SEO keyword research tool. With platforms like Tik Tok, Pinterest and Youtube using search engine optimization and keywords, knowing which phrases to use in your captions will really help you.
I use SEM Rush for my keyword research. This is especially helpful for blogging and website content so that you site get’s found in the search engines.
What I also like about the tool is that if you offer website design and SEO, you can do site audits and provide your clients with a report.
The ability to send monthly website traffic reports to your clients can really help with creating trust and visibility around the value that you provide for your clients.
CLICK HERE for a FREE trial of SEM Rush
Other Resources
I also made a video that explains a few other tools that you can use to run your business. You can watch it here for the full list of tools to run your social media management business.
