After bursting onto the scene in 2023, it’s clear AI technologies are here to stay. But with innovation moving at a breakneck pace, it can be difficult for marketing professionals to keep up.
AI technologies have promise in the marketing industry, particularly when it comes to social media. In fact, the global market for AI in marketing is projected to reach $93.5 billion by 2027; that's a compound annual growth rate of 26.8% between 2020 and 2027 - just for marketing! By blending advanced AI tools for social media with the reach and scale of social media platforms, brands have the potential to create breakthrough campaigns that deliver tangible results.
Selecting the right tools for the job is important. But what’s equally important is how you wield these tools to drive social growth for your brand. Today, we’re exploring both of those topics, breaking down the best AI tools for social media and explaining how you can use them to fuel success.
Top Social Media AI Tools for 2024
Here are four of the most popular social media AI tools. For each, we highlight how you can use the tool, its key features, pros, cons, and pricing.
1. Best Tool for Turning One Post Into Several: Flick
Flick is a central hub for editing and refining social media content. The platform generates new post ideas, creates captions and scripts, and even helps you repurpose existing content into new marketing collateral. Flick offers several plans starting from around $18/mo., with a free seven-day trial for new users.
Pros:
- Flick provides an end-to-end experience, allowing users to create, edit, and schedule posts across several platforms
- The platform is renowned for its ease of use, with a simple interface that’s easy for new users to learn
Cons:
- Some AI features remain in Beta mode, and reviewers mention that Flick sometimes presents irrelevant content ideas
2. Best AI Text Generator: Jasper
There’s no shortage of AI tools marketers can use to generate copy. Our pick is Jasper, a generative AI platform designed primarily for marketing teams. Jasper learns your business strategy, brand voice, and product positioning to produce content that’s the perfect fit for your strategy. It’s a unique AI social media post generator that delivers on-brand messaging every time. JasperAI starts from $39/mo. per user, with professional and business plans available.
Pros:
- 50+ pre-built templates for popular use cases, such as social media captions and headlines
- Easily generate social posts in your desired brand voice
Cons:
- Complex user interface
- New users may need software training
3. Best AI Tool for Audience Insights: Sprout Social
Sprout Social is an all-in-one social media platform. The platform’s built-in AI tools analyze audience behaviors to help users elevate their social media content, identify optimal posting times, and discover new insights. Sprout Social is a more sophisticated tool for social media professionals, with plans starting at $249/mo.
Pros:
- Range of features covering everything from social listening to content scheduling and publishing
- Offers users simple, actionable insights to improve performance
Cons:
- Designed for experienced social media professionals and may be overly complex for some marketers
- High monthly cost
4. Best AI Scheduling Tool: Buffer
Buffer’s AI assistant helps you create everything from short, snappy text-based posts for X to video-based content for TikTok or Instagram – all from the same prompt. Buffer’s AI assistant comes free with all Buffer plans. There’s a free option for those just starting out, with more feature-heavy paid plans starting at $6/mo.
Pros:
- Quickly schedule posts across multiple social media platforms
- Straightforward setup process and easy-to-use platform
- All content shared using Buffer can be tracked using custom URLs
Cons:
- Pricing increases significantly for brands with several social media channels
- Doesn't support all types of social posts, which can limit its usability
How to Choose the Right Social Media AI Tool for Your Business
The marketplace for AI social media tools is constantly evolving, and promising new tools are constantly emerging. To make sure you select the best social media AI tools for your business, keep the following factors in mind when evaluating tools:
- Integration with Existing Workflows: Your team likely isn’t new to social media – you’ve been doing it for a long time, and successfully at that. Look for tools that complement and level up your existing workflows.
- Use Cases: Don’t force a square peg into a round hole. Make sure that you have clear use cases for a new AI social media tool before you pull the trigger on a purchase.
- Integrations: Successful social media strategies leverage multiple tools for success. Take care to ensure that the AI tools you choose integrate with your existing tools. Pro tip: use a platform like Zapier to set up automation between different tools.
It can be easy to fall into the trap of analysis paralysis. Fortunately, many of these tools offer free trials. Take a few for a spin and see what works best for your team. Every team works differently, and it’s important you find tools that fit with the way you operate.
4 Ways to Use AI Tools for Social Media
Many of the social media tools your team currently uses are already leveraging AI – and have been for years. If you’ve ever created a targeted ad or chosen a suggested posting time on a social media scheduling tool, AI powered those experiences.
But in our new era of social media AI, businesses are increasingly adopting generative AI tools: a new category of AI technologies that can generate new content. Here are four different ways your business can start using generative AI tools for social media:
- Generate New Content: From creating social media captions to generating images and even videos, AI social media post generators can turn simple prompts into eye-catching content that moves the needle for your brand.
- Automating Routine Tasks: Your marketing team has higher and better uses of their time than working on tasks like formatting social media posts. Use AI technologies to automate this work and free your team up to work on more creative endeavors that energize and excite them.
- Repurposing Content Across Platforms: AI social media content tools make it easy to tailor your content to different platforms. Whether it’s a more formal post for LinkedIn, video or image-led content for Instagram, or short, snappy copy for X, these tools help you deliver the perfect message for each platform.
- Brainstorming Content Ideas: Many social media AI tools have the ability to function as on-demand marketing strategists, helping you think up new ideas, generate content calendars, and experiment with different creative angles.
Supercharge Your Marketing with Social Media AI Tools
As marketers, it’s our role to continuously innovate new ways to grow the reach and reputation of our brands. The new wave of AI social media content marketing tools presents an unbelievable opportunity to enhance the relevance and effectiveness of social media marketing. Fortune favors the bold, and marketers who master these tools today will be extremely well-placed for the future.
Get in touch if your brand needs guidance creating and executing digital marketing strategies that leverage AI technologies. We take a digital-first approach that harnesses the latest and greatest technologies to activate and accelerate growth.
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