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For a franchise business owner, building a strong social media presence is essential for attracting and retaining customers. The good news? With the right franchise social media management tools, you can easily plan, create, and schedule content - no social media expertise required - leaving you more time to focus on running a great business.
As a franchise business owner, you’re spinning a thousand plates. From hiring great staff to ensuring a high level of customer service, you’ve got plenty of tasks to be juggling as a local franchise business.
But, one of the most important parts of your marketing strategy needs to be this: getting your social media marketing right to attract your ideal customers at scale.
Even if you’re not a social media marketing pro, you can still share high-impact content to your franchise brand’s social media accounts. All it takes is having the right social media management tools in place to make planning, creating and scheduling posts a breeze.
In this article, we’re sharing Sked’s top picks for the best social media management tools for franchises in 2024. Whether you’re running one location or a whole network, these tools are here to raise your social media game and drive real results.
Types of social media marketing tools for franchise brands
Franchise brands have unique social media challenges, managing multiple accounts and staying on top of customer feedback, all while maintaining consistent messaging across locations.
To stand out, you need social media management tools that help with posting and scheduling, along with social listening and monitoring tools to engage with customer feedback and industry trends. Graphic design and visual tools are another essential for creating content that will get you noticed.
Social media management tools
An all-in-one social media management platform is a must for the complex needs of a franchise. They combine scheduling, analytics, and audience engagement features, making it easier for you to manage multiple accounts while keeping your brand consistent. With everything in one place, you can focus on connecting with customers and driving the results you want to see.
The main features of social media management software and tools include:
- Composing posts by curating and uploading videos, imagery and assets and crafting captions
- Suggesting hashtags, location tags and best posting times
- Allowing you to easily repost and repurpose content across different social channels
- Letting you schedule posts ahead of time and batch your content creation process
- Giving you a preview of your social media grid ahead of publishing
This tool is a must for franchise owners as you’ll be managing multiple social profiles at once. Rather than posting content in the moment, these social media tools allow you to plan, create and schedule social media posts in advance using in-built content calendars.
Plus, if you need to get your content approved by your franchisor or head office, you can allow them to review and edit posts prior to publishing within these tools.
Social media listening tools
Want to understand how your customers and the general public feel about your franchise business? You need to sign up for a powerful social media listening tool.
In a nutshell, these platforms tune into conversations about your brand online and on social media to give you an idea of how your brand is received by customers.
They capture the sentiment social media users have towards your brand, help you analyze social media campaigns quickly and easily and can help you find gaps or opportunities in your industry (before they become trending topics).
Social media monitoring tools
In a similar vein, social media monitoring tools allow you to review conversations about your brand at scale. Rather than having to check the social inboxes and notification tabs of each social media profile, you can read and respond to all engagements through a single inbox.
These tools are one of the best ways to provide timely customer support on social media.
Plus, you can set up filters for words, phrases to branded keywords to speed up your response times and jump onto important conversations quickly.
Social media analytics tools
Data and analytics are the foundation of every great social media marketing strategy. So, having a social media analytics tool will give you more in-depth insights into how your franchise brand is performing on social media.
Whether you’re measuring Facebook impressions, retweets, Instagram Reels engagements or anything in between, these analytics tools can give you the metrics and analytics reporting you need to make data-driven decisions.
Graphic and visual design tools
The other important category of social media tools is this: platforms that help you design, produce and create visual content.
From easy-to-use graphic design software to video editing tools, these platforms allow you to create thumb-stopping, branded content for your franchise business on social media.
Our picks for 2024’s best social media management tools for franchises
- Sked Social. The best all-in-one social media management tool for franchises.
- Buffer. The best social media management tool for franchise brands with smaller social budgets.
- Hootsuite. A popular social media management platform for franchise brands on text-focused channels like Facebook and LinkedIn.
- Sprout Social. A strong but pricier choice for franchise brands that require social listening functionality.
Other social media management platforms to consider
Additional tools for franchise social media managers
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Why settle for a lackluster social media management tool when you could be using Sked Social? With unlimited collaborator access, streamlined approvals and advanced auto-post technology that lets you schedule to all major platforms, Sked Social offers everything you need.
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1. Sked Social
Obviously, we’re a tad biased, but we reckon Sked Social is the ultimate social media management tool for franchises and multi-location brands.
From Instagram to Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn and even Google Business Profile. Sked Social allows you to create, schedule and analyse all of your social media content.
Sked lets you manage multiple accounts from one dashboard, giving you everything you need to plan your social media calendar, collaborate and review posts, tag products, people and locations and get your content posted on auto-pilot.
Sked’s built-in photo editing and Instagram automation capabilities make it easy to produce and share high-quality content, especially when you want to get it out fast. Plus, the platform offers a customizable link-in-bio tool to drive traffic to multiple locations.
Sked Social is designed to handle the complexities of managing multiple accounts across locations, making it ideal for franchises.. Its centralized dashboard makes it easy to maintain consistent branding while assigning roles for easy collaboration. The branded approvals portal centralizes communication between managers, local teams, and corporate offices, making it a perfect fit for multi-location businesses.
Best for
Sked Social is the best all-in-one social media management tool for franchises, offering the perfect mix of content planning, collaboration, and analytics. It’s ideal for brands that need to manage multiple accounts across various locations while ensuring consistent messaging and efficient workflows.
Cost
Sked’s Essentials plan starts at $59/month, or $199/month for the Professional plan. Contact Sked to book a demo for Enterprise pricing.
2. Buffer
For a powerful all-in-one social media management tool, Buffer is a great tool to consider. This platform allows you to analyse, publish, engage and more.
Integrating with all the major social media platforms, Buffers lets business owners schedule content, measure performance in a few clicks and even engage with customers in record time.
Buffer’s engagement tools make it a powerful social media monitoring tool that can help your franchise business build a loyal following.
You can easily reply to comments from your desktop, prioritise important conversations (based on machine learning that picks up the sentiment of conversation) and use hotkeys and smart emojis to reply in seconds.
Buffer is a great choice for franchises that prioritize simplicity and affordability. While its scheduling and publishing tools are intuitive, it lacks more advanced collaboration features and in-depth analytics that larger, multi-location brands may need. However, its cost-effective pricing and ease of use make it ideal for smaller franchises with straightforward social media needs.
Learn more about how Buffer compares to Sked Social in our detailed Hootsuite vs Buffer vs Sked Social review!
Best for
Buffer is best for small franchises or businesses with limited budgets looking for a simple, affordable way to manage social media.
Cost
Buffer’s free plan allows 3 social accounts. The Essentials plan starts at $6/month, Team at $12/month, and Agency plans starting at $100/month.
3. Hootsuite
Another tool that lets your franchise business easily manage all your social media marketing is Hootsuite. Designed to help you save hours in your week, this social media management tool helps you produce quality content, grow your social following and see what is and isn’t working.
From social listening features to in-depth analytics, Hootsuite is another all-in-one tool that can take care of your social media marketing from post planning to monitoring campaign performance.
Hootsuite is a solid choice for franchises that need to manage multiple social accounts across platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook. Its team collaboration tools and real-time social listening features are helpful for multi-location brands. However, its higher pricing and limited Instagram functionality may not suit franchises heavily focused on visual platforms.
Learn more about how Hootsuite compares to Sked Social in our detailed Hootsuite vs. Sked Social review and explore our breakdown of Hootsuite alternatives.
Best for
Hootsuite is best for medium to large franchises prioritizing text-heavy platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook, especially those needing tools for collaboration, monitoring, and managing multiple accounts.
Cost
Hootsuite’s pricing starts at $99/month for the Professional plan (1 user), $249/month for the Team plan (3 users), and custom pricing for the Enterprise plan.
4. Sprout Social
If you’re looking for a comprehensive social media management tool, it’s worth checking out Sprout Social. This tool covers everything from social listening to engagement and publishing along with offering a stack of analytics tools to explore.
With coverage across Facebook to Pinterest to Instagram and tonnes of different pricing plans to consider, Sprout Social can be a great platform for franchise brands.
Sprout Social’s broad compatibility with platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok makes it a strong option for franchises managing a variety of social channels. Its AI-powered social listening tools and advanced reporting are great for tracking customer sentiment and optimizing campaigns across locations. However, the high cost per user and limited accounts on lower-tier plans might be restrictive for smaller or budget-conscious franchises.
Get the rundown on alternatives to Sprout Social and see how it compares to Sked in our Sprout Social vs. Sked Social review!
Best for
Sprout Social is best for large franchises or multi-location brands that prioritize customer insights and social listening, and are willing to invest in higher cost premium features.
Cost
Sprout’s pricing starts at $199/month per seat for the Standard plan, $299/month for the Professional plan, $399/month for Advanced and custom pricing for Enterprise.
5. Zoho Social
Zoho Social specializes in combining social media management with CRM integration, making it a standout choice for franchises focused on customer relationships. With tools for scheduling, monitoring, and lead tracking, franchises can use Zoho Social to maintain consistent branding while tracking engagement and revenue across multiple locations.
One of Zoho Social’s key advantages is its collaboration-friendly design, with features like role assignment, permissions, and a centralized dashboard that make teamwork easier. It also integrates with Canva, allowing franchises to create and edit visuals directly within the platform.
This is a solid choice for franchises wanting a centralized platform to integrate social media management with customer relationship tracking. Its seamless integration with Zoho CRM allows businesses to generate and track leads across platforms like Instagram and Facebook. However, its limited Instagram analytics and less intuitive tools for visual content may be challenging for franchises focused heavily on visual marketing.
Best for
Zoho Social is best for franchises that prioritize data-driven marketing and customer relationship management. It’s ideal for multi-location brands that need advanced tools for tracking social media-driven revenue.
Cost
Zoho’s pricing starts at $15/month for a Standard plan, up to $200/month for the Agency plan.
6. Agorapulse
Agorapulse is a budget-friendly social media management platform tailored for smaller to mid-sized teams. For franchises, its standout features, like a unified social inbox and built-in CRM, simplify managing customer interactions across multiple locations, making it a practical option for those seeking a straightforward, user-friendly tool.
Agorapulse excels in centralizing customer engagement with its Inbox Zero tool, perfect for franchises managing high volumes of comments and messages across multiple platforms. Its built-in CRM enhances audience insights, and unlimited reporting ensures franchise teams can track performance without worrying about additional costs.
Agorapulse’s weakness is a lack of advanced visual content planning tools and in-depth analytics, which may limit its appeal for franchises focused on data-driven strategies or highly visual platforms like Instagram. Additionally, its per-user pricing structure can become costly for larger franchise teams managing multiple accounts.
Best for
Agorapulse is ideal for small to mid-sized franchises needing an affordable, user-friendly solution focused on managing social interactions and content publishing.
Cost
Agorapulse has a free plan for 3 profiles, and ranges from the Standard plan at $49/month to the Advanced plan at $119/month.
7. Iconosquare
Iconosquare is another feature-paced social media analytics tool with tonnes of helpful functionality for franchises. With a range of features like in-depth analytics and scheduling tools, it’s perfect for multi-location brands looking to maintain consistency.
This platform offers integrations with Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter and delivers time-saving reporting and analytics to help you make data-driven decisions.
From assessing your best posting times to providing a detailed split of your organic vs. paid analytics, Iconosquare will help you focus your efforts on content that will drive results for your brand.
Iconosquare’s Instagram-first approach is helpful for franchises focusing on detailed analytics, such as tag and mention tracking, hashtag analysis, and competitor insights. However, its lack of advanced scheduling, automation, and team collaboration tools makes it less suitable for multi-location brands managing multiple accounts.
Best for
Iconosquare is best for franchises that prioritize Instagram analytics and social listening. It’s ideal for brands looking to track mentions, hashtags, and competitors to refine their Instagram strategy but may not suit franchises needing robust scheduling or collaboration tools.
Cost
Iconosquare offers 3 main package, from $49/month for Single, $79/ month for Teams, and custom tailored pricing for bigger agencies.
8. Later
Later is a visually-focused social media management platform tailored for franchises that prioritize content on platforms like Instagram and Pinterest. Its drag-and-drop content calendar and inbuilt Linkin.bio tool make it ideal for creating and managing visually engaging campaigns with ease.
Later’s image-first design is perfect for franchises aiming to engage audiences on visual-heavy platforms. Features like the drag-and-drop calendar and Linkin.bio tool help create and schedule impactful content while driving traffic and conversions, so it’s ideal for franchises looking to showcase their products or services visually.
Later does lack the advanced analytics and solid multi-platform support of some competitors, making it less suitable for franchises requiring deep reporting or management across diverse social networks. Additionally, its limited collaboration tools may not meet the needs of larger franchise teams coordinating content across locations.
Best for
Later is best for small to mid-sized franchises with a heavy focus on Instagram and Pinterest. It’s an excellent choice for visually-driven brands that want a simple, affordable tool for content scheduling, planning, and converting posts into website traffic.
Cost
Later offers a free plan, and paid plans range from the $15/month Starter to $80/month Advanced plan (6 social sets and users per month).
9. Canva
For all things graphic design, you can’t look past the design tool, Canva. With templates for absolutely everything, Canva is the ultimate web-based program to help you bring your franchise brand to life through graphic design.
Within this platform, you can upload your brand’s logo, fonts, colours and craft a range of customisable templates to use across every social media platform.
It’s also the ultimate tool for collaboration, with team folders, real-time collaboration and in-built comments to help you go from idea to execution in minutes (not months). Plus, Canva offers stacks of high-quality stock imagery and video footage to get your assets whipped up quicker than ever before.
Best for
Canva is purely a design platform, best for franchises needing an easy to use, versatile graphic design tool to create on-brand visuals across all locations.
Cost
Canva offers a pretty comprehensive free plan, with Canva Pro starting at $15/month. Canva Teams starts at $10/month per person (minimum 3) with custom pricing for Enterprise.
10. Lightroom
Looking for the ultimate photo editing tool? Look no further than Lightroom by Adobe, a market-leading platform that is perfect for franchise businesses wanting to level up their visual content on social media.
Whether you work on desktop or mobile, the Lightroom mobile app seamlessly integrates across all devices (including both android and iOS). Plus, it’s a platform that offers both step-by-step instructions to help you nail the basics as well as advanced features to cater to editing pros. Best of all, you can pair this program up with your other Adobe subscriptions to lower your pricing plan.
Best for
Lightroom is best for franchises looking to enhance their social media visuals with beginner-friendly, professional-grade photo editing.
Cost
Lightroom starts at $10/month, with the ability to bundle with other Adobe subscriptions for lower pricing.
11. Unfold
Ready to stand out on social media? You need to hit download on Unfold by Squarespace, an incredible graphic design app that allows you easily create beautiful social content.
With a focus on Instagram content, Unfold offers hundreds of sleek templates to bring your Instagram Stories, Reels or feed posts to life. This design tool also offers stacks of filters and effects to give a branded look to your photography in a few taps.
Plus you can even plan your Instagram grid in advance and create a bio site for your link in bio. If you’re ready to take your franchise branding to the next level, you need to try Unfold.
Best for
Unfold is best for franchises wanting a polished, cohesive Instagram presence and tools like grid planning and link-in-bio customization.
Cost
Unfold offers a free plan, with Unfold Plus at $2.99/month and Unfold Pro at $12.99/month.
12. BuzzSumo
Want to use influencer marketing to grow your reach and brand awareness on social media channels? Make sure to explore BuzzSumo, a powerful content marketing platform with incredible influencer marketing tools.
This tool lets you look past vanity metrics to uncover truly influential leaders who can move the need for your franchise location. Plus, you’ll score detailed metrics on potential influencer partners, including retweets and other social media analytics.
Best for
BuzzSumo is best for large franchises with a higher budget, who are focused on content marketing and competitor analysis.
Cost
BuzzSumo’s pricing starts at $199/month for Content Creation, $299/month PR & Comms, $499/month for Suite and $999/month for Enterprise.
13. Unsplash
Want polished and professional photography, but don’t have the time or budget to invest in a professional shoot? Stock imagery library, Unsplash is the next best thing.
This site is filled with thousands of royalty-free images you can download and customise to suit your social media and digital marketing needs. The best bit? This photography doesn’t look like stock imagery to help you deeply engage and connect with your customers on social media.
Best for
Unsplash is best for franchises needing high-quality, royalty-free images to elevate their social media and digital marketing.
Cost
Unsplash is free with a charge per photo, or offers the Unsplash+ subscription at $12/month.
14. .Animoto
Video content is a winning content format on social media, and there’s no better way to produce bite-sized content at scale than with Animoto.
This incredible video maker tool gives you the tools to bring professional videos to life. With drag and drop features and the ability to customise every element to align with your franchise’s branding, Animoto is a brilliant and cost-effective way to harness video marketing for your business.
Best for
Animoto is best for franchises looking to create professional-quality video content quickly and affordably. Its drag-and-drop features and customizable templates make it easy to produce branded, engaging videos at scale.
Cost
Animoto offers a great free plan, with paid plans starting at $9/month for Basic, $19/month Professional and $45/month for Professional Plus.
5. Klear
Another must-try influencer marketing platform is Klear (now accessed through Meltwater), a tool that allows your brand to build trust through influencers (not Facebook ads).
In one easy-to-use platform, your franchise location can discover the most relevant influencers in your local area, analyse who has the strongest engagement and manage these relationships using a handy in-built CRM.
Plus you can even measure the success of your partnerships using their beautiful reporting software.
Best for
Klear is best for franchises focused on building trust and engagement through local influencer marketing. It’s ideal for discovering relevant influencers, managing relationships with its in-built CRM, and analyzing partnership success with intuitive reporting tools.
Cost
Contact Klear for a demo or for a pricing quote.
16. Keyhole
Last, but certainly not least, is an epic social listening and analytics tool. Keyhole is a user-friendly tool that allows your franchise business to monitor what people are saying about your brand in real-time and generate brand and competitor reports with ease.
Not only can you listen across multiple social media networks but you can measure campaigns and trending topics to help inform and refresh your social media strategy.
Best for
Keyhole is best for franchises focused on social media analytics and real-time data, competitor analysis, and influencer tracking without the need for broader content management features.
Cost
Keyhole offers campaign-based pricing starting at $100 per campaign.
Conclusion
Managing social media for a franchise comes with unique challenges, from maintaining consistent branding to juggling different audiences across multiple locations. By choosing tools that really fit your franchise’s specific needs -whether it’s social listening, influencer partnerships, or managing multiple accounts - you’ll be better equipped to engage your audience and grow your business.
The right platform will save you time, keep your messaging on point, and help you stand out in a competitive market, ensuring your franchise thrives both online and offline.
Ready to take your franchise’s social media to the next level?
Book a demo with Sked today and see how our platform can help you simplify your workflow and create impactful content across all your locations.