If you were relying on MassPlanner to schedule and manage your social media accounts, you’re probably scrambling for an alternative now that the platform has shut down. The good news is there are plenty of powerful social media management tools to choose from in 2024.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore the top five MassPlanner alternatives and how they compare so you can find the right fit for your business.
Contents
Why Do Businesses Need Social Media Management Tools?
With 4.55 billion social media users worldwide in 2022 according to Hootsuite, platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter are essential for reaching customers.
However, the volume of content needed to sustain an active presence across multiple accounts is impractical to handle manually. This is where social media management tools come in.
Tools like MassPlanner save time and optimize impact by automating posting, allowing collaboration across teams, and providing invaluable analytics into what content resonates best.
According to Sprout Social, 97% of marketers say social media is important for their business, underscoring the value of dedicated management platforms.
The right tool tailors scheduling around audience habits, recycles evergreen content, surfaces key insights, and frees up time for high-level social strategy.
Let‘s look at five leading alternatives to MassPlanner‘s extensive features and capabilities.
1. Hootsuite
With over 5 million users, Hootsuite is likely the most widely adopted social media management tool. Here‘s an overview of the platform‘s key strengths:
Scheduling and Posting
Hootsuite‘s scheduler allows you to easily plan content across multiple networks then post instantly or on autopilot. Bulk upload capabilities save time.
Account Management
Manage unlimited accounts and team members, send notes, and restrict permissions for secure collaboration. Hootsuite also supports easy client management.
Analytics
Hootsuite‘s analytics dashboards and reporting provide the insights you need to engage your audience and demonstrate ROI. Customize reports to suit your business.
Monitoring and Listening
Stay on top of brand mentions, trends, and competitor activity with Hootsuite‘s social listening and monitoring capabilities across massive data sets.
Audience Targeting
Laser target posting to reach your ideal audience based on factors like geolocation, interests, gender, and more to boost relevance.
Pricing
Hootsuite offers a free plan for up to 3 accounts. Paid plans start at $29 per month for 10 accounts up to $599 per month for unlimited accounts. Enterprise options are also available.
Hootsuite is ideal for small to large businesses looking for an extremely robust and full-featured social media toolkit. The vast account capabilities and sophisticated analytics make it worth the higher pricing for big brands managing global initiatives and large teams.
2. Sprout Social
Sprout Social takes a highly specialized approach to social media management with advanced features tailored to brands with high engagement needs across large audiences.
Collaboration and Workflows
Sprout optimizes team efficiency with role-based permissions, integrated collaboration tools, and CRM workflows to streamline execution.
Deep Analytics
Dive into sophisticated audience and engagement analytics far beyond vanity metrics. Custom reporting provides actionable insights.
Social Listening
Monitor millions of data points across digital sources to identify brand mentions, trends, sentiment, competitive activity, and more.
24/7 Social Customer Care
Manage every conversation across social channels from one unified inbox. Respond quickly and efficiently.
Account Security
Enterprise-grade security, access controls, and data encryption keep social accounts protected.
Pricing
Sprout Social starts at $99 per month for up to 5 social profiles. Custom quotes are available for larger organizations.
With advanced features for large brands, Sprout Social justifies premium pricing for organizations that need robust analytics and collaboration supporting expansive social programs.
Get Started with Sprout Social
3. Buffer
Known for its user-friendly interface, Buffer focuses on simplifying scheduling, engagement, and analysis for mid-sized brands.
Scheduling
Easily plan and schedule unlimited updates across accounts right from your browser or mobile app. Buffer optimizes timing.
Analyzing Performance
Buffer’s intuitive analytics make it easy to see what content works best and when your audience is most engaged.
Real-time Interaction
Reply, like, and engage with your audience across accounts without leaving Buffer’s real-time feed.
Browser Extensions
Quickly share web content to your queue without interrupting your workflow using Buffer’s browser tools.
Collaboration
Invite team members for seamless collaboration. Buffer also allows you to manage team members and clients from one place.
Pricing
Buffer offers a free plan for up to 3 accounts. Paid plans start at $15 per month or $99 per year for up to 8 connected accounts and custom analytics.
Buffer hits the sweet spot between advanced functionality and simplicity. The affordable plans and easy-to-use interface make it perfect for lean teams looking to streamline their social process.
4. Sendible
Sendible stands out as a social media management platform built for the needs of digital marketing agencies and brands selling directly through social channels.
Agency Management
Manage team members along with multiple brands and clients while carefully restricting access for security and privacy.
Posting and Scheduling
Flexible scheduling options with review and approval workflows for maintaining brand consistency across distributed teams.
In-Depth Reporting
Customized reporting suitable for client reports and presentations. Demonstrate the value of your social efforts.
Chat Tools
Manage all chats with customers and prospects across social channels in one unified inbox for quick response.
Instagram and Shopping
Specialized tools for shoppable Instagram posts, customer service via IG messaging, and UGC content aggregation.
Pricing
Sendible starts at $29 per month for 1 user. Paid plans scale up based on number of accounts, collaborators, and features.
Sendible offers the collaboration features, customizable analytics, chat tools, and security needed for agencies managing extensive social initiatives across distributed teams and clients.
5. Agorapulse
Agorapulse distinguishes itself by putting community management and engagement at the core of its social media management capabilities.
Community Management
Stay tuned into audience conversations, respond quickly, resolve issues transparently, and build authentic connections.
Monitoring and Reporting
Agorapulse makes it easy to monitor brand mentions and analyze performance to inform engagement strategies.
Scheduling and Publishing
Plan, schedule, publish, and repeat your content across accounts. Keep momentum going with auto-recycled evergreen posts.
Collaboration
Collaborate across teams with features like approval workflows and assignable message lists tailored for community managers.
Audience Segmentation
Target content precisely to reach the right people at the right time based on demographics, interests, location, and more.
Pricing
Plans start at $49 per month for 5 social profiles. Custom enterprise options are also available.
With community management at its core, Agorapulse is ideal for brands looking to deeply engage audiences across social channels as part of their strategy.
Key Takeaways
Here are some of the key points on MassPlanner alternatives:
- Social media management tools are essential for executing effective and efficient social strategies at scale. Relying on manual scheduling and engagement is ineffective.
- Alternatives like Hootsuite cater to large enterprises, while Buffer hits the sweet spot for lean teams. Evaluate features against company size and needs.
- Opt for tools like Sprout Social or Sendible for advanced analytics and collaboration supporting expansive social initiatives.
- Prioritize community engagement and management? Agorapulse delivers specialized tools to help deepen audience relationships.
- Most leading platforms offer free trials. Take advantage of these to evaluate the interface, features, and analytics before committing.
- Considering both breadth of capabilities and depth of specialization will ensure you find the ideal alternative as a MassPlanner replacement.
The Bottom Line
Losing access to a trusted social media tool like MassPlanner can be disruptive. The good news is that today‘s leading platforms like Hootsuite, Sprout Social, Buffer, and Agorapulse offer similar features and benefits with more sophisticated capabilities.
Take time to evaluate your team‘s needs, volume of accounts, requirements for analytics and reporting, and audience engagement goals. With the above overview of the top MassPlanner alternative options, you have a blueprint for finding the best new platform for your social media activities.
