Small business owners know they can’t ignore social media anymore – especially if they focus on business to customer relationships (B2C). Social monitoring became a required part of business the minute Twitter gained a foothold and the moment businesses flocked to Facebook. And it doesn’t get any easier. Now there’s Pinterest, Klout and more…not to mention the half dozen formidable apps and tools designed to help you get the most out of Twitter alone.

And then there’s brand management. One unhappy customer now has access to a public platform, equivalent in impact as if he or she arrived at the doorstep of every existing and potential client to spread their discontent. This level of accessibility has made it an imperative for small business owners to monitor social activity with the precision of military maneuvers.

There’s one problem. Traditional routes at performing these now very basic marketing tasks do take up a lot of time. Furthermore, many small business owners don’t know social media/brand management best practices or how to go about them. They also tend to lack an experienced team member (and don’t have the budget to hire a marketing guru). They shy away from social media platforms for two reasons: fees and expertise. No small business owner already overwhelmed with their own workload wants to take on learning a new tool – nor do they want to pay what they consider a hefty price tag for it.

Enter Sendible. Sendible does a lot of what other social media management tools do, but without the bells and whistles of larger platforms, like Engage121. Sendible focuses on four key features, including…

Keeping It Simple – The platform grants users access to multiple social media networks/blogs through one platform.

Managing Your Brand – Sendible helps you keep on top of what’s going on by keeping a watchful eye on mention of you or your brand across the social web.

Making Sense of Social Marketing – One of the biggest grievances business owners have against social media is the limited ability to track a return on investment (ROI). Sendible eases that frustration by allowing users to discover new customers and grow their followings.

Measuring Your Success – The same social ROI frustration is felt across content marketing. Business owners don’t want to feel like their blog posts are sucked into the social vacuum. They want to know who’s seen it, when and if it merits a viral lifespan. Sendible lets you know how effective your piece has been.

For the smart pocket pinching executive wary of a poor economy in an election year, you can test drive the platform for 30 days. If interested, you’ll be pleased to know it’s incredibly affordable. A sole marketer will pay a just-under $30/month price tag (with an option for a smaller plan for just under $10/month). The “marketer” plan however gets you social media management, message scheduler, access to reports, web monitor and contact management tools. Businesses interested in Sendible can opt in for just under $70/month. Larger firms can choose between even more dynamic features, though their budget should range between $300 and $700.

Note that all plans allow you to have access to a certain number of services. The $9.99 plan lets you have 15 services, the “marketer” plan gives you 30, while the “business” plan gets you 80. A “service” under Sendible is just their way of describing a social platform like Twitter or Facebook, but also includes tools designed for them.

Sendible is also suitable for smaller boutique marketing firms’ campaign management needs. The application for smaller firms is also reflected in the type of platforms you can connect with. They include the basics mentioned above, plus all popular blog platforms, foursquare, Linkedin and Instapaper – plus their popular sub pages.