14 Free Social Media Management Tools: This is How to Avoid Spamming

By: | November 4, 2017 | Tags: , , , |

Use these 14 Free Social Media Management Tools and avoid looking like a spammer

Thank goodness for these 14 free social media management tools.

I would tell you how many times in my three years of blogging, I’ve been labeled a spammer, but I try to forget the unpleasant.

The details of my most recent experience having the dreaded label thrust upon me are recounted at Virily.

Experts maintain that blogging is 20% writing and 80% promotion.

If you want to promote your blog posts multiple times without being called a spammer, you need to smarten up your social media strategy.

Bloggers often write for little or no compensation. To be at the receiving end of a “spammer” label can be the height of demoralizing. The label is certainly demeaning.

Where IS it okay to promote multiple times so you are not perceived as being a pushy spammer?

This post will explain how you can promote multiple times without seeming spammy at Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram. Instagram doesn’t even allow you to use free social media schedulers to promote, but this post will explain how you can nonetheless.

Consider these comments:

When I first started using social media, I struggled with promoting my content more than once. I thought it would be considered spamming. ~ Susan Velez

Sharing multiple time, in the beginning, I thought that it will be a mere exhibitionism… Unless we tell about our product or resources to others, how will others know? ~ Philip Verghese Ariel

Twitter

UPDATE: Just Retweet, recommended in this section, is no longer operational.

Consider these comments:

Hi Janice, love your tips on how often to share especially on Twitter. Many people don’t realize once is not enough there! ~ Lisa P. Sicard

How many times a day should you promote on Twitter?

10 times a day.

People say if you only tweet your blog post links on Twitter once, it’s like whispering in a concert. No one will hear you. Multiple retweets are needed.

Blogger Julie Syl Kalungi recommends in addition to your newest promotion, you should tweet 10 of your old articles per day!

Twitter experts Todd and Leah Rae say to post multiple times using different social media scheduling tools every 69 minutes!

Free Social Media Management Tools you can use to promote multiple times on Twitter:

  • SocialChamp
  • Buffer
  • Hootsuite
  • IFTTT
  • Just Retweet
  • Triberr
  • DrumUp
  • Missinglettr
  • Revive Old Posts Plugin
  • Social Oomph
  • Social Jukebox
  • StatusBrew
  • TweetDeck

TweetDeck is one of the free social media management tools

TweetDeck will help you schedule tweets for free.

Do you need all 12? Yes! The more you schedule your tweets for promotion on Twitter, the increased chance of blog traffic.

Buffer will only allow you 10 free tweets a day. If you use the other tools as well, you can schedule more than 10 for free in the course of a day.

Strategies

  • Kalungi offers important advice. The most successful bloggers promote other bloggers. In addition to scheduling your own tweets, Julie recommends scheduling other bloggers’ retweets in your social media schedulers.
  • How many hashtags should you put in your Twitter promotions? People say 2-3. Use any more than that and your content won’t look natural.

Pinterest

Since Pinterest’s algorithm change several years ago, bloggers have reported a decrease in blog traffic coming from Pinterest.

It stands to reason that in order to boost your probability of blog traffic, you need more images in your blog posts. These can include screenshots.

How many images should you have in each blog post? 

Three.

In addition to having multiple graphics in each of your blog posts, you should have multiple boards that represent your blog or brand.

An important tip: If you want to boost your exposure on Pinterest, belong to community Pinterest boards. (Note: this blog has a community Pinterest board for subscribers of Mostly Blogging.)

Free Social Media Management Tools you can use to promote multiple times on Pinterest:

  • Ahalogy
  • IFTTT
  • Viralwoot

Strategies:

  • Like with Twitter, you should support other bloggers. You do this on Pinterest when you repin other pinners’ pins.
  • How many hashtags should you use on Pinterest? In 2017, experts say zero. Today, Pinterest is trying to become more of a search engine than a social media site. People don’t use hashtags in search engines.

Facebook

Earlier this year, I published a list of 18 Facebook groups I joined. Since that March publication, I’ve joined even more Facebook groups.

You can promote multiple times on Facebook by promoting in multiple Facebook groups.

How many times a day can you promote to Facebook groups?

Not every Facebook group allows you to promote even as little as once a day. Many only allow once a week. You need to read the rules before you join ask to join the group. Not following the rules are grounds for expulsion from the group.

As long as you’re allowed, promote to as many groups as time allows. However, note the number of members in the group. The more members, the greater the chance that your promotions will be seen and your blog traffic will increase.

In addition to promoting to Facebook groups, you can make multiple postings to your Facebook page. Every blog or business should have a Facebook page so you can promote your blog without appearing spammy to your Facebook friends.

You can engage your fans by posting information about your blog, giveaways, posts, discounts… You might even promote other people’s content on your Facebook page if your fans would find it interesting.

Free Social Media Management Tools you can use to post to your Facebook wall or page:

  • Buffer
  • Hootsuite
  • IFTTT
  • Missinglettr
  • Revive Old Posts Plugin

Strategy

How many hashtags should you use on Facebook? Experts say zero. Apparently, using hashtags can actually turn Facebook users off and dissuade them from sharing your content.

Instagram

How many times a day should you promote on Instagram?

4 times a day.

Instagram by the numbers

How many hashtags can you use in each Instagram post?

Instagram allows 30 hashtags.

How many should you use?

I know a very successful Instagrammer who uses all 30 in each post.

However, I heard if you don’t want to be considered spammy, you should only use between 5 and 7.

Agorapulse claims 6 to 8 hashtags is ideal. They caution: You should never have more than 10 hashtags per Instagram post. They agree with my understanding that more than 8 will be considered spammy.

They conducted research which reveals including hashtags in your Instagram posts could boost your Instagram engagement by 70%!

Note: Make sure your hashtags are relevant to your content.

Free Social Media Management Tools you can use to post to your Instagram feed:

None

However, these free tools will send you reminders to post on Instagram:

  • Buffer
  • Hootsuite

Wrapping Up: Free Social Media Management Tools

  • Ahalogy
  • Buffer
  • Hootsuite
  • IFTTT
  • Just Retweet
  • Triberr
  • DrumUp
  • Missinglettr
  • Revive Old Posts Plugin
  • Social Jukebox
  • Social Oomph
  • StatusBrew
  • TweetDeck
  • Viralwoot

Conclusion

In closing, do you really need all these tools and a multitude of social media sites?

Yes, if you don’t want to be considered a pushy spammer by putting all your eggs in one basket.

The Beatles once sang a song that discussed how “Maxwell’s silver hammer came down upon his head.” If you don’t want the dreaded label of “spammer” to come down upon your reputation, you should use these free social media management tools.

Another benefit exists if you use these tools. In addition to avoiding the “spammer” label, you’ll have more opportunities to interact with your followers.

Please share so other bloggers learn about these free tools and how they can avoid being labeled a spammer.

Readers, I look forward to your answers in the comment section. Did I leave any out? Are there any additional free social media management tools you can recommend?

Related

How to Get Noticed Online Without Looking Like A Spammer Part I

How to Get Noticed Online Without Looking Like A Spammer Part II

For Further Reading

  1. M. L. Kappa

    Very useful as usual, Janice – now all I need is to actually do some of this! Sigh… One question – I just read an article that now Pinterest is actually encouraging people to use hashtags. What do you think? And how?- no idea.

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Marina,
      Thanks for the compliment and for commenting on my post. I would love to see the article. Feel free to post the link here. The last I read was that Pinterest will give you decreased visibility with hashtags since they want to be more of a search engine now.
      Janice

        • Janice Wald

          Hi Marina,
          I don’t know why you have to fill in the details again. It should be in the memory. Can you choose “auto fill?” If it continues to be a problem, let me know, and I’ll tell my tech helper.
          I read the article. Thanks for the link. It seems as of late summer, Pinterest is back to hashtags! Cool! However, the article tells people not to go to the trouble of adding hashtags to old posts since Pinterest likes to show newer posts. Thanks for the information!
          Janice

          • Anil Agarwal

            Hi Janice,

            A huge fan of Buffer here.

            I’ve been using their tool since their inception and loving it. It’s the easiest way to manage your social media posts.

            Buffer also allows users to find the best times to post on social media to get more exposure.

            Tried HootSuite as well, it’s a great tool if you’ve a team and manage your multiple social media accounts at one place.

            Thanks for sharing the list and I’ll give some of them a try soon.

            Keep rocking Janice.

          • Janice Wald

            Hi Anil,
            I love Buffer too. I did not know Hootsuite was good for a team. Thanks for letting us know.
            Janice

  2. Wendy Anne Darling

    A wonderful bunch of ideas! I’ll be slowly incorporating as many as I can!

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Wendy,
      Thanks so much for your compliments, your comments, and for sharing my post on Facebook. Have fun using the tools.
      Janice

  3. Chery Schmidt

    Hey Janice! What an interesting article! Yikes! I do need to up my postings on all accounts! Looks like I am only doing half of what you suggest! I am Book Marking this page to come back to when I get more time! I do need to start incorporating some of these tools you mention here.
    Thanks for sharing..
    Chery :))

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Chery,
      I’m glad I could expose you to some new tools. Thanks for writing to tell me.
      Janice

  4. Sharon T McLaughlin MD FACS

    Thanks for the information. I know I do not post to social media as much as I should.

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Sharon,
      I am trying to use Buffer to receive reminders to post more to Instagram. So far, it’s working! Thanks for writing me.
      Janice

  5. Lisa Sicard

    Hi Janice, Oh yes, I still struggle with promoting myself – I know I don’t do it enough. It’s that fear of appearing spammy.

    I love the Buffer and use their program so I can fill it up as often as I want. I also use SMhack, and Elokenz. 1 other great tool is ViralContentBee.

    How do you use IFTTT for Pinterest? You have my curiosity on this one!

    Thanks for sharing all these valuable tips Janice and for the mention here too 🙂 Have a great rest of the weekend.

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Lisa,
      How I use IFTTT to make connections between my blog post articles and all the social media sites including Pinterest are explained here:
      https://www.mostlyblogging.com/ifttt/

      What is SMhack and Elokenz? Are they free tools?
      I also like Viral Content Bee

      It was my pleasure to link to you.
      Janice

  6. Edward Thorpe

    Hi Janice,
    Spam, or useful promotion? Or, can’t we have it both ways? That’s really the question, and this post does a credible job of sorting out those gray area.

    I read your account about your Quora spam accusation on Virily. Thought it typical for that, otherwise useful, social platform.

    The thing that stands out is how each social site has its unique mindset towards posting. Quora, for example, seems overburdened with people with who are card carrying pc rabble rousers. Yet, its potential is too great to ignore.

    The tools & information in this post go a long way for understanding the differences between the social sites you’ve picked. Good job, and thanks,
    Edward

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Edward,
      I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to respond to you until today.
      Thanks for visitng me over at Virily.
      I have never heard Quora described like that. I find your comment interesting. May I ask why you say that? 1. I’d like to blog about Quora again. 2. Your answer may change my perspective about the site which I try to spend a lot of time on. Thanks!
      Janice

  7. Navin Rao

    Managing Social Media Accounts if one of the most challenging parts of the blogger’s life. As it is time-consuming. And sharing needs to be done at the proper time. I have used plenty of tools.

    HootSuite and Buffer are definitely are the most ones, but there are some more tools which have the extreme potential to do the job accurately. In fact, which includes some more advanced features as well. SMHack and Sendible are few of them.

    I loved the list Janice, Probably I need to try Triberr once more time.

    Navin

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Navin,
      I’m a huge fan of Triberr although lately, I’m forgetting to go.
      What are SMHack and Sendible? Are they free tools?
      Thanks for answering my questions and for your comments.
      Janice

  8. Taiwo Emayosanlomo

    Hi Janice,
    I found this post very helpful. For now, I use hootsuite to make my Facebook and Twitter posting easier.
    All that you shared here are great ideas for internet marketers.
    Thanks for sharing.

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Taiwo,
      I actually put this on Twitter with the hashtag #InternetMarketing after reading your comment. Thanks for the inspiration. I think I’ll do that on Instagram also! Thanks for the inspiration.
      Janice

  9. Elise Cohen Ho

    I have tried out several tools and at the moment my favorites are SmarterQueue and ViralTag. I definitely think that we need to spread the love (ie not put all the eggs in one basket.)

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Elise,
      What is Smarter Queue? I don’t think Viral Tag is free. Is it? Thanks for commenting.
      Janice

  10. gillthomas

    I reverence the Buffer and use their application accurately i’m able to hold busy it taking place as regularly as I agonized sensation. I furthermore use SMhack, and Elokenz. 1 new enjoyable tool is ViralContentBee.How acquire you operate IFTTT for Pinterest? you have my interest concerning speaking this one.

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Gill,
      1. I’m sorry I didn’t reply sooner. Your comment ended up in the spam folder.
      2. You asked how to use IFTTT to connect your blog and Pinterest. The instructions are in this article. I blogged about it: https://www.mostlyblogging.com/ifttt/
      3. Are SMHack and Elokenz free?
      4. I will have to go back to using ViralContentBee more. Thanks for the inspiration and comments.
      Janice

  11. Natalie A

    Nice information! It’s nice to see your opinion on spamming & what is okay to do or not to do. I think I need to go catch up on some of your tips now. I’ll be coming back here to read this again.

    • Janice Wald

      Thank you for bookmarking Natalie and for commenting on my post today. I am glad you found the information valuable.
      Janice

  12. Alisha Henderson

    Hi Buddy,

    The information you have provided is very useful for newbies that are going to work in online marketing techniques. I have used Hootsuite for rescheduling my website’s social posts. I will try to use another tools also that you have mentioned in this post.

    thanx for sharing

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Alisha,
      I used to use Hootsuite but now I’m a Buffer fan. I use it for both Twitter and Instagram.
      Janice

  13. Antoine Aarts

    Hey Janice,

    Great Post Buddy!!!!!!

    You are absolutely correct, the things you have mentioned in starting of the post are true. Its very difficult to promote your blog posts without using any of the above tools and this leads to spamming. Earlier I was dealing with Hootsuite but now it would try buffer. Thanks for providing such an informative article even I would like to use the tools u have mentioned in your post. Keep Posting!!!!

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Antoine,
      My pleasure. I definitely recommend Buffer. Let me know what you think of it. I’m using it now for Instagram as well as Twitter.
      Janice

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  17. Best AMP WordPress Plugins

    Thanks for sharing the wonderful article regarding social media tools. I have 5 years of experience in digital marketing, but few of the tools I don’t know which you have mentioned. Definitely, I will try these tools for my blog promotion.

      • Latest Social Media Tips

        Hi Janice Wald,

        Thanks for your reply.

        I used many tools like Hootsuite but right now I’m using “Blog2Social” WordPress Plugin to share easily on my social profiles. Just by one click, I can share it on 10 social profiles in the free version. In the premium version, we can go for more pages.

        Thanks,
        Jack.

        • Janice Wald

          Thanks for answering my question. I try to avoid using more plugins since they slow down my site and speed has been an issue for me.
          Janice

  18. jonathan bennett

    Hi Janice

    Have you ever tried https://meetedgar.com/ – its sounds great in principle, reposting your evergreen content for you but as I can’t see a free trial version I’ve been hesitant to give it a go?

    Ta Jon

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Jonathan,
      Thanks for writing.
      I heard Meet Edgar is very effective and very expensive, so I stayed away. I’m a solopreneur. No budget for expensive tools.
      Janice

  19. Johnny Myers

    Hi there do you accept a placement or content submission? If so, may I know your rate and last price?

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