Best Social Media Automation Tools for Startups

March 15, 2021

Karl Hughes

4 min read

tools

TL;DR: Social media automation tools help startups maintain consistent social presence without daily manual posting. Top recommendations:

Buffer – Best for multi-platform scheduling with analytics
Zapier – Most versatile for custom automation workflows
Hootsuite – Comprehensive management with content discovery

These tools automate posting schedules, suggest content, and track performance across multiple platforms. Most offer free tiers for startups testing social strategies.

Social media can be a time-consuming and mentally tasking chore. Many small business owners just skip social media, but after spending years posting consistently on my personal social media accounts, I can tell you that it can work and it doesn’t take as much time as you think.

Why Use Social Media?

Social media is a great way to drive traffic once you build a following, but for many small businesses, the question is, “how do you build a following?”

Step one is to consistently post relevant content on social media. It may take months or years to build up a significant following, but once you do, social media can be as powerful as an email marketing list for driving traffic to your blog or website.

Not only will your followers see updates, most social networks have an amplification formula where popular public posts will be shared to an even broader audience. The only way to eventually make something go viral is to make sure people hear about it, and social media is a great place to start.

Social media also helps you rank higher in search engines. While it’s a bit indirect, these social signals build authority for your site and help attract backlinks which raise your website’s profile.

All that said, you don’t want your social media channels to be boring, spammy, or annoying. You want them filled with regularly published, interesting, relevant, and fresh content. This is where social media automation tools can help.

Social Media Automation Tools

By automating your social media efforts, you can queue up posts for the month ahead, get suggestions for new stories to post, or keep an eye on what your fans or followers are saying. The tools below help with one or all of those things, so if you’re getting started on social media, I highly recommend making your life easier by automating parts of it.

Zapier ($0) – Zapier can do much more than just social media – it’s a complete automation solution for non-developers. Link accounts, automatically post from RSS feeds, or set up complex filters with Zapier.

Buffer ($0) – Buffer is great for scheduling posts on multiple social platforms or accounts. Plus, it gives you analytics about which of your posts have done the best.

Delay for Reddit ($0) – An easy to use tool to target subreddits, optimize post timing and schedule your posts to reach more Redditors.

Planable ($49) – Planable, the most visual platform to transform your creative ideas into social media posts, brainstorm right in the platform, get feedback, make sure the post is approved by your teammates and schedule the posts directly to social media.

ContentStudio ($15) – ContentStudio helps you quickly find new content for your blog or social media channels and then automatically share it every day on your schedule. It also has a free plan that allows you to get started without a credit card.

Coschedule ReQueue ($40) – Requeue works much like Buffer, but it continues recycling updates after the first share, allowing you to sit back and know that your social channels are full of content.

Download the Trello Content Calendar Template.

F5Bot ($0) – A free service that emails you when your selected keywords are mentioned on Reddit, Hacker News, or Lobsters. Use it to monitor your brand, your projects, or just topics that you’re interested in.

Hootsuite ($0) – Much like Tweetdeck, Hootsuite helps you manage multiple Twitter accounts, but Hootsuite takes it further. You can also schedule posts to other social networks, find new content automatically, and track your posts’ performance.

Social Share Preview ($0) – Preview your site, landing page, or blog posts on social media before publishing them.

Hubspot ($0) – As part of Hubspot’s marketing platform, you get a social media management tool.

OneUp ($7.99) – OneUp will republish your top performing evergreen content to get more out of each post.

Ritekit ($12) – My favorite social media automation tool because it will enhance your posts with hashtags, images, and mentions.

Sprout Social ($99) – At $99/month, Sprout Social may be a bit pricey for some early-stage startups, but it is one of the most powerful social media management and automation platforms available.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is social media automation and how does it work?

Social media automation uses software tools to schedule, publish, and manage social media content across multiple platforms without manual posting. These tools connect to your social accounts via APIs, allowing you to create content in advance, set publishing schedules, and monitor performance from centralized dashboards. Automation handles repetitive tasks like posting at optimal times, cross-posting to multiple networks, and recycling evergreen content.

Which free social media automation tools are best for startups?

Buffer, Zapier, TweetDeck, and Hootsuite offer robust free tiers ideal for startups. Buffer allows three social accounts with ten scheduled posts each and provides basic analytics. Zapier connects your apps to create custom automation workflows. TweetDeck excels for managing multiple Twitter accounts. Hootsuite's free plan supports three accounts with 30 scheduled posts and includes content discovery features.

Can social media automation hurt engagement rates?

Automation itself doesn't hurt engagement if used properly. The key is balancing scheduled content with genuine real-time interaction. Avoid purely promotional automated posts, maintain authentic voice in scheduled content, and dedicate time for manual engagement like responding to comments and joining conversations. Tools with analytics help identify what resonates, allowing you to optimize automated content for better engagement.

How much time can social media automation save startups?

Effective automation typically saves 10-20 hours monthly by eliminating daily manual posting across multiple platforms. Tools like Buffer and Hootsuite allow batching content creation into focused sessions, then distributing posts throughout the month. Content discovery features in platforms like ContentStudio further reduce time spent finding relevant articles to share. The exact time saved depends on how many platforms you manage and posting frequency.

What's the difference between social media automation and social media management?

Social media automation focuses specifically on scheduling and publishing content automatically, while social media management encompasses broader activities including strategy development, community engagement, analytics, customer service, and campaign execution. Most comprehensive platforms like Hootsuite and Sprout Social offer both automation features and full management capabilities, whereas tools like Buffer focus primarily on automation.

Do social media automation tools work with all social platforms?

Coverage varies by tool. Buffer, Hootsuite, and Sprout Social support major platforms including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Pinterest. Platform-specific tools like TweetDeck (Twitter-only) and Delay for Reddit focus on single networks. Check specific tool documentation for platform compatibility, as social networks occasionally change API access affecting automation capabilities.

How does social media automation improve SEO?

While social signals aren't direct ranking factors, automation helps SEO indirectly by maintaining consistent content distribution that builds brand authority, attracts backlinks, and drives referral traffic. Regular social activity increases content visibility, leading to more shares and links from other sites. Automated sharing of blog content ensures your articles reach audiences who might reference and link to them, strengthening your overall domain authority.