In many ways, social media allows a business to get the word out about itself easier than ever before. As the format has developed however, audiences have become more fragmented and specialized, causing companies to search for ways to quickly and easily reach their customers. Fortunately, app developers have seized upon this and created several programs to serve this need.

While social media sites like Facebook and Twitter have their own apps, developers have created many others that can provide more specific services while working within those sites. Read on to learn about 7 awesome apps to help your social media marketing efforts.

Guest post by Simon Phillips

1. Flipboard – Gathering content from around the Web, Flipboard acts as a social magazine. Users can decide the sources from which content will be collected. It also allows businesses to connect their social media sites to the app, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Tumblr and Google+, so they can be shared easily with others. Content can be found, shared and managed all within the app.

2. Plume – For some businesses, one Twitter account just isn’t enough. Plume is similar to TweetDeck but allows a user to manage multiple Twitter accounts at the same time. It also has a drop down menu that can be used to shorten links being posted into Twitter. Hashtags can also be automatically added to posts. Plume also allows postings to be made to Facebook and Google+.

3. Postling –This free app allows a user to monitor all of the major social media sites at once without having to switch between other apps. Statuses can be updated and blogs can be posted from it. Keywords can also be monitored.

4. Google Currents – Another app to help gather content for a social media site, Google Currents provides easy navigation through breaking news stories and those produced by special publishing editions. Stories can be saved to be read later and posted to the company’s social media site.

5. Hootsuite – A popular option to manage several different social media accounts, Hootsuite allows users to send and schedule updates, track stats and set up columns that can monitor the most important keywords and hash tags being used.

6. Google + – Designed for easy chatting and sharing, Google + has been created as a competitor to Facebook. Photos can be shared directly to an event folder for friends to see, a What’s Hot stream shows what’s important at the moment and the Nearby stream allows users to see what is being discussed by people near them.

7. Vine – Sharing pictures is fine, but video is better. Through Vine, users can create short, looping videos and upload and share them with friends and followers for free. Trending posts can be tracked and nearby people can be found to follow.

Social media has become a big part of nearly every company’s marketing plan, and app developers are helping by creating programs to meet specific needs. These can draw in new consumers, spread the company’s message and allow interaction with current customers.

This article has been contributed by Simon Phillips of Touch Logic Ltd, a company specialising in mobile marketing.

Photo credit: Josh Bancroft