Have you ever scrolled through your social media feeds and wondered how brands manage to post such polished content across multiple platforms? Enter Hootsuite – the social media management platform trusted by over 18 million users worldwide.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore everything you need to know about What is Hootsuite in 2024 – from its key features to tips for getting the most out of this powerful tool. Whether you’re a social media manager, small business owner, or marketing professional, read on to become a Hootsuite pro!
A Quick Overview: What is Hootsuite?
Hootsuite is a social media management platform that helps brands and organizations manage their social profiles and campaigns across multiple networks like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and more – all from one centralized dashboard.
The Vancouver-based company was founded in 2008 by Ryan Holmes and has grown into one of the most widely used social media tools, with over 18 million users globally.
With Hootsuite, you can:
- Schedule and publish content across multiple social networks
- Collaborate with team members
- Monitor keywords and hashtags
- Manage social campaigns
- Track performance with analytics
- Engage with audiences
- And much more!
Now, let’s explore some of Hootsuite’s key features and functionalities in more detail.
Key Features and Benefits of Using Hootsuite
Streamline Social Media Management
The main benefit of Hootsuite is that it enables users to manage multiple social media accounts and campaigns from one centralized dashboard.
For instance, you can schedule posts and updates across networks like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, and more. It saves tons of time compared to switching between different platforms and their native scheduling tools.
With Hootsuite, you get:
- A universal content calendar to plan and schedule posts in advance
- Bulk uploading and
- scheduling options to manage high volumes of content
- Ability to collaborate with team members and assign posting privileges
- RSS feed integration to auto-publish blog content to social media
No more hopping between apps to manage your social presence!
Enhance Brand Monitoring
Hootsuite offers robust tools to monitor brand mentions and relevant conversations across social networks.
You can:
- Track keywords, hashtags, handles, etc., to monitor brand awareness
- Set up custom streams to follow industry news and trends
- Monitor messages and comments to respond to audience needs in real-time
- Receive notifications when your brand, product, or handle is mentioned
Monitoring tools like these enable you to listen to your audience, respond quickly, and capitalize on opportunities – leading to better customer engagement.
Measure Performance with Analytics
The platform provides users with in-depth analytics to track the performance of social media efforts.
Hootsuite Analytics offer:
- Customizable dashboards to visualize important social data
- Metrics across networks like reach, engagement, clicks, follows, shares, etc.
- Campaign tracking to measure ROI
- Options to export reports
These insights can help you identify best practices and optimize your social media strategy over time.
Extend Reach with Social Advertising
In addition to organic social media management, Hootsuite also enables paid social advertising across networks like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
You can:
Create, manage, and optimize paid ad campaigns
- Leverage targeting options to reach your ideal audience
- Set budgets and schedules for ads
- Track campaign analytics to measure ROI
Social advertising through Hootsuite helps amplify your reach and drive real business results.
Enhance Team Collaboration
Hootsuite makes it easy for multiple team members to collaborate on social media initiatives.
You can:
- Create team accounts with customized permissions
- Assign posting privileges to trusted contributors
- Moderate content through multi-step approvals
- Share calendars, streams, and tasks across the team
Robust collaboration features to ensure consistency, security, and productivity across your social media team.
Integrate with Other Tools
Hootsuite offers 200+ integrations with marketing, sales, and support tools through their App Directory.
You can connect Hootsuite with:
- Social listening tools like Sprout Social and Meltwater
- CRM software like Salesforce and HubSpot
- Analytics platforms like Google Analytics and Sprout Social
- Ad platforms like Facebook Ads and AdEspresso
- And more!
Integrations help expand the capabilities of Hootsuite and streamline your entire marketing workflow.
Now that we’ve covered the key features let’s discuss how Hootsuite can benefit your business.
Who Can Benefit from Using Hootsuite?
Hootsuite is designed to help all types and sizes of organizations manage social media more efficiently. Here are some examples of who can benefit:
Small Businesses
For solopreneurs, startups, and small business owners, Hootsuite enables managing multiple networks without growing your team. The platform empowers small teams to punch above their weight on social media.
Marketing & Social Media Teams
For marketers managing multiple social profiles, Hootsuite brings all workflows into one platform. It enhances consistency, collaboration, and productivity across social media teams.
Agencies
Digital marketing agencies that manage social channels for multiple clients can centralize workflows with Hootsuite. Client permissions, content approvals, and reporting can be streamlined.
Large Enterprises
Large companies with global teams and matrices of stakeholders can use Hootsuite to collaborate securely. Social can be managed locally or regionally while maintaining brand consistency.
Non-Profits & NGOs
Charities, non-profits, and NGOs can use Hootsuite to rally supporters, share their mission, and engage new audiences across social media.
Government Agencies
Public sector organizations can inform and engage citizens through social media with Hootsuite. Workflows can be managed securely across departments and locations.
So, in summary – all types of organizations can optimize social media management with Hootsuite. The platform scales to your needs.
Next, let’s explore the different plans and pricing options available.
Hootsuite Plans and Pricing
Hootsuite offers plans based on your team size, features needed, and level of support required:
Free Plan
- Manage up to 3 social profiles
- Basic analytics and monitoring
- Limited scheduling and engagement
Professional
- $49/month billed annually
- Manage unlimited profiles
- Advanced analytics and reporting
- Content library and scheduling
- Basic team collaboration
Business
- $599/month billed annually
- Enterprise-level analytics
- Advanced monitoring and engagement
- Enhanced collaboration tools
- Social advertising management
- Premium integrations
Enterprise
- Custom pricing
- Dedicated account management
- Robust security, privacy, and compliance
- Single sign-on integration
- Premium support and training
They also offer free trials and customized demos for bigger teams and needs.
Overall, Hootsuite is designed to be scalable for organizations of any size. There are plans to fit different budgets and requirements.
Next, let’s go over some tips for getting the most value from Hootsuite.
Tips for Using Hootsuite Effectively
Here are some best practices to help you maximize Hootsuite:
- Start with a strategy: Set goals, target audience, and metrics before diving into tactics. Know what you want to achieve.
- Audit your profiles: Conduct an audit of all your existing social profiles before consolidating in Hootsuite.
- Customize your dashboard: Tailor your Hootsuite dashboard by adding important streams, timely analytics, calendars, etc.
- Schedule content: Use the bulk scheduling and calendar tools to plan content well in advance.
- Collaborate and assign roles: Divide responsibilities across your team to streamline workflows.
- Monitor proactively: Set up streams and notifications to monitor important brand mentions and discussions.
- Use integrations: Connect Hootsuite to other tools you use, like CRM, analytics, etc., to create an ecosystem.
- Leverage advertising: Use Hootsuite’s ad management capabilities to amplify organic reach and results.
- Analyze and optimize: Consume analytics regularly and use insights to improve performance.
By following best practices like these, you can get the most value from your Hootsuite investment.
Frequently Asked Questions:
How is Hootsuite different from other social media management tools?
Hootsuite pioneered the social media management space. Key differentiators include its unified dashboard, robust monitoring, strong analytics, and enterprise-grade security.
What type of support does Hootsuite offer?
All paid Hootsuite plans come with email support and access to a knowledge base. Higher-tier plans provide additional live chat, phone support, and a dedicated account manager.
Does Hootsuite have a mobile app?
Yes, Hootsuite offers mobile apps for iOS and Android to manage your social media on-the-go.
Get Started with Hootsuite Today!
Ready to consolidate your social media management workloads and maximize your impact? With capabilities to streamline workflows, enhance collaboration, provide valuable insights, and extend reach, Hootsuite is a smart investment for organizations of all sizes.
Sign up for a free 30-day trial today and experience the benefits firsthand. Hootsuite also offers customized demos and training to help you make the most of the platform.
Over 18 million users worldwide trust Hootsuite to drive business results through social media. Join them and take your social media game to the next level!
