There’s no doubt that with all the options out there for social media that it can get pretty overwhelming. Between tweets, Facebook updates, fan pages and more, jumping in head first is not easy.

Avoid the clutter and get organized!

With so many social media tools out there, it’s hard to figure out which one is best for you. So, once you have figured out where social media fits with your marketing strategy, take a peek at some tools that can help you stay organized.

Working with non-profits, message consistency is a main focus. So, we look at tools like Tweetdeck. This tool is a program that you download to have an increased social media experience.

So, instead of visiting sites like Twitter and Facebook in separate windows, Tweetdeck allows you to keep track of all or your accounts in one area. You can also keep a track of trends on Twitter, update Facebook and MySpace, follow topics in real-time with saved searches and have groups to organize the people and organizations you follow. It also has an iPhone app, so you can take it anywhere and make an update!

Working in radio, giving news updates and song trivia is something the station wanted to maket. So, we took a peek at Hootsuite. This tool assists in managing multiple Twitter accounts, but also gives the opportunity to insert RSS feeds, schedule future tweets and has a Ping.fm integration. This means that you can update all your social networks in one update!

Ping.fm is a service that allows you to update from almost anywhere to social networking sites, from phone, instant message to email, you can update via Ping.fm. This free service also gives you the option to update at your convenience. This is beneficial if you have employees that are more comfortable using email, or need to send updates from a mobile phone.

These are just a few of the tools that are focused on making your everyday interactions easier, more efficient and effective. Many of these mentioned have tutorial videos to help you get started. This is incredibly helpful for training sinceit’s important to understand the options that you have before you choose your organizational tool.

Here are some great questions to answer before you pick out the tools to manage your social media efforts:

1. What is my social media focus according to my marketing strategy?

2. Are there multiple accounts for my business/non-profit?

3. Who will be managing the accounts?

4. Is the account manager typically in the office, or do they need mobile access?

5. Do I have RSS feeds that I would like to connect?

Once you answer the basic questions, it’s easier to make the choice. The great thing is that these tools are free! So, if you change your mind, or your strategy, you can try a new one on for size.

What tools are you using to monitor/organize your social media efforts?

Kristina is based in the Twin Cities and eats and breathes social media. Her love for technology’s influence on culture can be found here.

Tags: social media tools, twitter tools