Samaan Mikhael, a well-known technology expert discussed the key digital marketing tools required to manage all social media accounts in one place at a virtual session held at the 39^th Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) that concluded yesterday at Expo Centre Sharjah.

The session titled ‘Automation Tools’ was hosted by the Social Media Station on the virtual ‘Sharjah Reads’ platform. During the SIBF session, Samaan Mikhael also discussed the top tools required to automate some of the tasks for social media marketing in a bid to support brands with well-developed options.

The technology expert pointed out that each of the promising social media platforms have a unique user base and environment which necessitates the need for different approaches to intensify relationships between marketers and customers, build up the brand, increase sales, and drive onsite traffic. Developing a unique strategy for each platform would help to cement efficiency, save time, and facilitate assessment of results.

Mikhael discussed the most popular social media scheduling tool known as ‘buffer’ that allows users to manage multiple social media files and profiles simultaneously. He added that it offers both free and paid options. The free option allows the user to manage three accounts and schedule 10posts and tweets at the same time, linking Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn together. On the other hand, the paid plan allows users to link many accounts and add 100 posts in addition to increasing engagement between users and providing access to key analysis.

Other tools discussed at the session included ‘TweetDeck’, Twitter’s free tool that can monitor messages and tweets, as well as ‘Hootsuite’, which offers the same options. Mikhael also discussed the several online marketing mechanisms that provide audiences with personal messages including smart phone marketing that makes use of special apps which offer multiple options. This, he said, had boosted the popularity of smart phones as the best and most popular device for online shopping.

Mikhael emphasised thatthe inclusive nature of social media platforms that offer the best user experience for as many people as possible, should be capitalised to enhance marketing campaigns. He pointed out that it is crucial to develop a plan for the assessment and improvement of results, and to monitor errors, deficiencies, and points of weaknesses. He also emphasised the importance of getting acquainted with the interests of social media users in the marketing field to offer more customised experiences.