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I manage the social media on behalf of a number of Originblu’s clients, for whom we have WordPress for blogs, Facebook pages and Twitter accounts. Sharing and engaging with the social media followers on each of the various platforms is a part of my work that I thrive on, but the logistics can be quite daunting as engagement means just that – regular posting of updates, and timeous response to comments and feedback. To keep on top of it may mean having to log on to each platform more than once a day, multiplied by the number of clients! Needless to say, it didn’t take very long before the tedium of this long-winded process drove me to Google in search of a more practical way of managing social media and…BINGO! I discovered HootSuite!
HootSuite is not only for those who manage social media on behalf of many clients though. Even if you only have social media accounts for your own small business, I would assume that you’d have a blog, Facebook page, and perhaps a Twitter account as well (depending on your medium of choice). If so, you too would have discovered that taking care of your brand management on a daily basis is a time-consuming business.
HootSuite is a social media management system for managing multiple social media accounts. The systems’ user interface takes the form of a dashboard, and is designed to support social network integrations. HootSuite is commonly used to manage online brands and to submit messages to the Twitter microblogging service.
HootSuite, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways…
Multi-networks
Save your time – and your sanity. With the HootSuite dashboard you can monitor and post to multiple social networks, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Foursquare, Mixi, MySpace, Ping.fm and WordPress! Additional integrations are available via HootSuite’s App Directory, and includes support for Tumblr, Trendspottr, Constant Contact, Digg, Flikr, Get Satisfaction, InboxQ an YouTube. Quite something! Their main competitors include TweetDeck and Seesmic.
Customised Analytics
Monitor your social media success. On HootSuite you can custom-create reports from over 30 different report modules to share with clients and colleagues. This allows you to track brand sentiment, follower growth and include Facebook insights an Google analytics – all without leaving the dashboard.
Team Collaboration
HootSuite allows you to have multiple contributors to your social profiles without sharing passwords. Assign messages for follow-up, and track responses. From help-desk to marketing, engage audiences at every level of your organisation.
Schedule Messages
This is sheer genius – draft and schedule your messages to send at a time when your audience is most likely to be online, or plan your posts in advance. With HootSuite Pro and Enterprise plans, you can batch-schedule up to 50 unique messages at one time!
Hootsuite tips and handy tools
Once you’ve signed up to HootSuite, you’ll receive updates via email every two days sharing tips on how to make the most of this easy-to-use application. For the fundis, HootSuite has an accredited Learning Program at HootSuite University, so you can also train to become a Certified HootSuite Professional.
On the move
You can “HootSuite” wherever you go, as it is an online system. Get the dashboard for your Smartphone – free of charge – and you’ll be able to monitor and message no matter where you are!
While I am still in the fledgling stages of learning and discovering all that HootSuite has to offer – and there’s plenty – I am excited about how much easier the process of social media management has become for me. Plus, HootSuite is no doubt an evolving system, so watch this space – as I delve deeper, I’ll keep you in the know!
