There are nearly 60 providers of English speaking paid marketing solutions for social media: these technology providers mainly focus their efforts on Facebook as it has the most advanced ads API, followed by Twitter, Youtube, Pintrest, SU, Tumbler et el. If we look outside the English speaking world there are many many more sites and technology providers, but for now lets focus on the 60 or so (set out at the end of this blog)

Lets get on with thinking about social and the technology to make it pay.

Before your company embarks on social media marketing, questions should be asked:

  • In what ways will our business benefit from social media?
  • Do we have the appetite for social development?
  • Is our culture open to change and development?

Once you have decided you will get value from Social media and that your company has the appetite and culture to understand and take advantage of all the information social media can provide then you are well on the way to decide which tools to use (using the Facebook or Twitter or even the Pintrest interface will not be the best use of your resource)

Round two of questions:

  • Do we have a social media strategy in place – or will we need social media consulting services?
  • Do we have a social media staff in place that can handle the new software or will there be a need for training?
  • If so, who among them is best qualified to evaluate a platform or is there a place we can go to get advice on tools?

The next big topic to cover is the types of tools you need:

  • Conversational?
  • Customer service?
  • Marketing?
  • Content?
  • Video?

The you need to think about structure and KPI’s:

  • Do we have an organizational plan to integrate the use of software into our social media strategy? If not, who will create the plan?
  • How will we define success?
  • Can we absorb the additional cost of the Software and still meet our business objectives?
  • How will we benchmark success?

Once you have asked all these questions you’ll end up needing to think about the practical steps involved in grasping social media and making it work for your business and this means thinking about tools.

Non Marketing tools – analytics, video, content

Umzuzu Infergy ListenLogic Coosto Buddy/ Salesforce Cloud marketing/ Radionsix Vitrue Nmincite Bazaar voice Bottomline analytics Extole 8thbridge This moment social bakers Shift.com/ Graph Effect Peerindex sysomos Tracx so-dash Brandwatch Simply measured Page lever Edgerank Bime Engaagor engage sciences Radiumone http://www.shoutanalytics.com/ Synthesio Conversocial 1000 heads uberview Brandchats Alterian/ SPL Vocus Chatterbox Trackur Awareness inc Argyle Social Sentiment Metrics Demand Media Lithium Mutual Mind Spreadfast Beevole Sproutsocial Viral heat hootsuite Cyfe Follower Wonk Facebook insights Agorapulse Wildfire Klout Social Bro Reachi Crowdbooster Twitalyzer Edgerank Checker Topsy You Tube’s Audience Reach Tweet Reach TwentyFeet Twitter Counter Social Mention Social Pointer How Sociable Mentionmap TweetBeep TwitterGrader WhoUNfollowedme Qwitter Kred Social Seek Minilytics booshaka Adobe

Marketing tools – paid, content

Company Glow Radium One – UK Extole Alchemy Social Kenshoo/ social – UK Ad Parlour Blinq This Moment inc Marin Upcast/ ispy acquisio 77Agency Syncapse – clickable efrontier – Adobe adlens nanigans spruce media Optimal Rocketer ampush Bidalgo Taykey hurra.com citizen net ad:dynamo Kinetic social esearchvision ybrant voxsup unified Social admixed social code social clicks searchforce Qwaya social moov Nanigans Involved Media ignitionone compass labs Clickable bright Whistle adtz adsonwall AdSage Adotomi salesforce/ buy buddy shoutlet Jainrain/ Jump gigya Opus Social Adaptly