My day job consists of marketing, social media, and content strategy for several different companies. With all of the Twitter updates, LinkedIn posting, and Facebook sharing it can be difficult to keep it all together and running smooth. That’s why I love HootSuite and wanted to share it with you. (Nope, I’m not getting compensated for this. Just wanted to share one of my favorite sites for Technology Friday.)
HootSuite is great because it allows you to see multiple social media networks in one location, schedule posts in advance, comment on LinkedIn groups, and set up very specific searches in Twitter. It helps manage all of the noise out there and cuts down my social media work significantly.
Signing up is super simple and it’s free for 5 media accounts. Just go to http://hootsuite.com and enter your information. Once you have an account you will need to link up your social media profiles. Currently I have my Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn accounts connected.
Now comes the fun stuff! I can see everything in one place. No need to have several windows open in my browser or jump from site to site. It’s all here in the tabs at the top!
Then there’s the scheduling! For the online rent collection business, I like to post industry articles that my customers (or potential customers) might find helpful. HootSuite makes this easy by letting me schedule a full week’s worth of posts on Monday. What used to take me at least 30 minutes a day, now only takes me an hour one time per week. Sweet!
I also like that I can comment on LinkedIn groups. Although truth be told I’m a little cheap so I’m not taking full advantage of this feature. To take full advantage, I could add all of the different groups I want to be a part of. I could then post articles and comment on other’s posts all from HootSuite as well. However, each LinkedIn group is considered a network and I have already reached my limit of 5. I guess this tip is a “do as I say not as I do” piece of advice.
Finally, the other thing I really love about HootSuite is the ability to filter the information really well. They offer great search capabilities and you can set up countless searches in different streams. Looking for people with DIY questions? Set up a search with the term “DIY” and a question mark. Want to know when someone has a bad experience in an industry so you can offer them your service to make it better. Set up a search for the industry term with a sad emoticon. Super cool, right?
This last tip is one that I am constantly tweaking. I am still trying to strike the perfect balance, but I am getting closer.
I’d love to hear what you think about HootSuite. If you use it already, what do you love or hate about it? If it’s totally new to you, do you think a service like this would be helpful?
Also, as I continue to write more technology posts what other things can I help with? What drives you crazy in this constantly changing technology world that you’d like help figuring out?