Emily Kanter 
For many, the holiday season is a time to reflect on the past year and acknowledge what we are thankful for. The Maven Communications team is grateful to work with a roster of amazing clients who allow us to help them achieve their business goals. So, in keeping with the spirit, we asked our team at Maven to share some of the PR and social media tools they are thankful for this year.
Veronica Mikitka Reed: Talkwalker Alerts
- Talkwalker refers to themselves as the “free and better alternative to Google Alerts” and I agree. While Google Alerts is a popular way to monitor for direct mentions, I’ve always found Talkwalker to be a better option. For several years, I had both alerts and I’ve found that with Talkwalker I can better tailor the keywords and the results come in faster, sometimes by 6-9 hours.
Emily Kanter: Meltwater
- This year (and always at the end of the year) I am thankful for Meltwater, a global leader in media intelligence software. Leveraging Meltwater’s data and reporting capabilities allows Maven to conduct live monitoring, along with customized bi-weekly and quarterly reports to see what messages are moving the needle for our clients.
Emily White: The Rise and Ultimately Fall of Threads
- This year I am thankful for the slow (or completely stagnant) launch of Instagram Threads. I’m always hesitant for clients to join new social media platforms until we get a better understanding of how the platform will perform in the long-term and how it’s embraced, and ultimately accepted by users. The rise and ultimately fall of Threads was a good reminder that although social media is quickly evolving, brands don’t need to make quick decisions or jump on every new trend to be successful and relevant. It’s better to be strategic and make thoughtful decisions based on the goals of your individual organization, brand guidelines and overarching social media strategy.
Amanda Piccirilli-Hall: Canva and LinkedIn
- Canva is an amazing design tool that allows us to create sharp looking graphics that tie into PR strategies, press releases, social announcements, or newsletters – it’s very user friendly.
- I am also thankful for LinkedIn. The ability to highlight PR wins for clients and promote them personally is a testament to the work Maven does and allows us to celebrate all of our clients’ victories with them.
Tom McParland: X (Formerly Twitter)
- For all its problems, I still see X (formerly Twitter) as an excellent resource for following, and even connecting with, influential journalists. It’s a great way pick up on nuances within their beats, and the hashtag #journorequests has helped me discover relevant reporters for my clients.
Joey Niedziejko: Sprout Social
- I’m thankful for Sprout Social, a social media management tool. It allows me to manage multiple social media accounts at once, schedule social media posts ahead of time and makes social media reporting a breeze.
Carly Bianco: Sprout Social
- I’m also thankful for Sprout Social. The platform itself is user-friendly and simple to use for scheduling and basic reporting purposes. It also notifies users of account disconnections and other potential social issues in an efficient way. Without Sprout, I’d be posting daily on native platforms – which we all know isn’t the most efficient use of time.
Abby Stryker: Excel and Sprout Social
- Part of my role at Maven is supporting our clients through social media management. We use two tools that make planning and posting easier: Excel and Sprout Social. Excel allows me to lay out the day-to-day posts, including captions and graphics to be used. Once the assets are created, I use Sprout Social to schedule the posts, which is especially useful during time off and holidays where I can schedule ahead of time.
We hope some of the above mentioned tools and insights will help manage your day-to-day tasks more efficiently. What are some of the tools you are thankful for? Let us know.
Posted In Digital Strategy & Social Media, Public Relations