Best Social Media Management Tools for Political Campaigns

Social media management tools are essential for scaling up your political campaign and reaching a broader number of voters and supporters. In this guide, we’ll lay out our favorite social media management platforms for political campaigns in 2024.

But first, we’ll cover the main purpose and benefits of using a social media management tool in the first place — plus what you should keep in mind as you choose the right platform for your campaign.

About Social Media Management Platforms

Social media management platforms are tools that help people, businesses, and organizations keep their social media accounts organized and active, all in one place. For political campaigns, these tools can be essential for managing multiple social media media accounts across various platforms.

Many social media management tools let you post and schedule content, reply to comments, and conduct social listening, all without jumping from app to app. Most platforms also include analytics and insights, letting you and your campaign team easily see what’s working on social media and what could use more work. Some tools also let you create and manage targeted ads across social media.

Overall, the goal of using a social media management platform is to make your campaign’s social media strategy more efficient, effortless, and effective.

Benefits of Using a Social Media Management Tool

Consider the following benefits of investing in a social media management tool:

• Centralize your social media strategy with one command center for all your accounts and platforms.

• Track and reply to comments, mentions, and messages across your accounts, so voters and volunteers’ questions and feedback never go unseen.

• Reduce the amount of time your campaign team has to spend on your social media strategy, without decreasing your impact.

• Get access to valuable data about how your content is performing, who is engaging with your accounts, and more.

• Monitor potential issues and be ready to respond to any crises that come up, maintaining your campaign’s public image without missing a beat.

Questions to Ask About Social Media Management Tools

There are a variety of social media management tools available, and each comes with its own advantages and disadvantages. Ask yourself the following questions as you decide which social media management platform will best serve your campaign:

• Does the tool offer the features you’re most interested in adding to your social media strategy?

• How easy is the tool to use? If you have campaign staff or volunteers contributing to your social media accounts, how easily will they be able to pick up the tool and use it to make a difference?

• Does the tool integrate with all the social media platforms you’re currently using?

• How robust are the tool’s scheduling and automation features?

• Does the tool offer the analytics and data to meet your needs as you scale up your social media strategy?

• How easily can the tool integrate with the other platforms already in your campaign toolkit?

• How does the tool’s pricing compare to other options? How does its pricing line up with your campaign budget?

• What resources are available for customer support and training?

Top 5 Social Media Management Tools for Political Campaigns in 2024

What is the best social media management platform for politics and campaigning? There’s no one-size-fits-all solution, so it’s important to consider the pros and cons of each tool. We’ll go through five options that suit a range of campaign budgets, plus a completely free option that’s especially tailored for independent, nonpartisan, and third-party candidates.

Here are our top picks for the best social media management tools for campaigns:

#1: Hootsuite

Hootsuite is an easy-to-use platform that lets you gather data and decision-making from across your social media channels into one centralized location. 

Platforms Covered: 

Instagram, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn, Pinterest, TikTok

Main Features:

• Design, schedule, and publish content all in one place. Use Canva templates and AI capabilities to create graphics, captions, and hashtags.

• Handle all your messages and comments in one unified social media inbox. Auto-responders and chatbox integrations can also streamline your process.

• Use analytics to compare your content’s performance with other creators and industry standards. Hootsuite’s analytics also let you know when is the best time to post content for your audience.

• Monitor keywords, mentions, and hashtags with social listening tools, so you can stay on top of the conversation and latest trends.

Pricing:

Pricing begins at $99 per month, with access for one user and up to 10 social accounts. Hootsuite offers a free 30-day trial, as well as a collection of free tools that let you get started generating captions and diving into social media SEO.

#2: Buffer

Buffer is one of the most affordable social media management platforms, with flexible access to meet your campaign’s specific needs.

Platforms Covered:

Instagram, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn, Pinterest, TikTok, Mastodon, Google Business Profiles

Main Features:

• Create social content easily, with help from the Buffer AI Assistant, storage space for your ideas, and the ability to import content directly from Canva.

• Schedule, publish, and queue content, including videos.

• View key metrics, including post analytics, audience demographics, and machine learning insights.

• Get alerts for important comments and open questions, powered by machine learning.

• Integrate Buffer with 30+ third-party apps, including Zapier, Mailchimp, Quuu, and more.

• Get access to a 24/7 help center to answer your questions and keep your social strategy moving forward.

Pricing:

Buffer has a free tier that provides access for one user and up to three social channels. Paid tiers start at $6 monthly per channel, with access for one user.

#3: Sprout Social

Ranked as the best software product of 2024 by G2, Sprout Social is an all-in-one social media management platform with a compelling track record and a comprehensive suite of tools.

Platforms Covered:

Instagram, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn, Pinterest, TikTok

Main Features:

• Schedule, publish, and queue social content with ease. Use AI Assist to quickly generate captions and content.

• Build a social content calendar.

• Monitor and respond to messages with an all-in-one social inbox. This tool lets you access messages from Instagram, Facebook, X, WhatsApp, TikTok, and LinkedIn all in one place.

• Keep track of past interactions with voters and volunteers through Sprout’s social customer relationship management (CRM) tools.

• Access multi-level reporting, and improve social listening by monitoring profiles, locations, and keywords.

• Boost Facebook posts through paid promotion tools.

Pricing:

Pricing begins at $249 per month, with one seat and access for up to five social accounts. Sprout Social offers a free 30-day trial.

#4: HubSpot

Known for far more than just social media marketing, HubSpot offers social media management software as part of the professional tier of its Marketing Hub suite.

Platforms Covered:

Instagram, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn

Main Features:

• Create and publish social media campaigns with the help of HubSpot’s AI-powered social post generator. Connect a blog for automatic sharing when new content is published.

• Monitor keywords in the context of your contact list.

• Analyze data on social performance across platforms, campaigns, and publishing times.

• Tag social media marketing content and assets so you can easily see social media’s part in your larger marketing strategy.

• Integrate HubSpot with other tools in your toolkit, including Sprout Social, Quuu, Oktopost, and more.

Pricing:

The professional tier of HubSpot’s Marketing Hub, which includes social media management, starts at $800 per month. A free demo is available.

#5: ActiveCampaign

ActiveCampaign’s Facebook Custom Audiences tool is designed to help campaigns increase the effectiveness of advertising on Facebook, with targeting and automations.

Platforms Covered:

Facebook

Main Features:

• Use targeting to grow your audience on Facebook and connect with more people who care about your campaign.

• Set up automations based on user behaviors, such as visits to your website, email engagement, personal interests, and geographic location, so you’ll always show the right ads to the right people.

• Access free templates for Facebook giveaways, ad writing, and social media calendars.

Pricing:

Facebook Custom Audiences is included in the Plus tier of ActiveCampaign’s services, which starts at $49 per month. A free trial is available.

Bonus: Free Social Media Tools for Independent Campaigns

Want to get started leveling up your campaign’s social media strategy, without having to enter your credit card information? 

At GoodParty.org, we’re building a movement and free tech to support independent candidates across the United States. Our free campaign tools include an AI-powered social content generator, designed to let you decrease the amount of time spent writing captions and increase the amount of time spent connecting one-on-one with voters. 

The AI Campaign Manager is free for independent, nonpartisan, and third-party candidates running for office across the country. Our suite of tools also includes AI-powered tools to build your content marketing strategy beyond social media, voter data insights, live support from campaign experts, and more.

Click here to sign up for your free demo of the AI Campaign Manager. Or explore our collection of case studies about independent candidates who have used GoodParty.org’s tools to help them win their elections across the nation.