When it comes to social media marketing, maintaining your presence on the right platforms can be an uphill battle without the right equipment. Highly regarded among the best tools in the social media marketing space is Hootsuite. Certainly, you have heard of it!
Hootsuite has been around for a while now. With a user base that extends to millions, it has helped businesses and enterprises all over expand their social media reach. But does that mean it is a good fit for your business?
Don’t fret! You have come to the right place. This comprehensive, unbiased review will walk you through everything Hootsuite offers and everything it does not. Even better, it will help you answer the first question that popped into your head – is Hootsuite worth it?
What is Hootsuite?
Hootsuite is an all-in-one social media marketing tool that allows individuals and businesses to manage and schedule content across multiple social media platforms. It offers a range of features and capabilities that make it easier to manage social media profiles, track engagement, and analyze social media performance. And guess what, you can do all of it from a single, user-friendly dashboard!
Starting out, Hootsuite mainly offered support for Twitter. But having come a long way, it has added support for pretty much everything – from Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram to Pinterest and WhatsApp.
1. Social Media Scheduling
Hootsuite's social media scheduling feature is a key component of the platform's social media management capabilities. It allows users to plan and schedule social media posts across multiple platforms in advance, saving time and streamlining the content creation process.
The scheduling feature is incredibly user-friendly and straightforward. To schedule a post, simply compose your message or upload your content, select the social media platforms you want to post on, choose the date and time you want the post to go live, and then click 'schedule'.
2. Hootsuite Streams
Hootsuite Streams offers real-time monitoring of all your social media accounts. It comes equipped with a customizable dashboard that displays multiple streams of social media activity in one place, making it easier to manage and respond to incoming messages and notifications.
The Streams feature also allows you to filter and search your social media activity, making it easier to find specific messages or conversations.
3. Hootsuite Analytics
Now what good does any marketing tool do without any analytics capabilities? Hootsuite Analytics offers key insights into your social media performance such as KPIs, engagement rates, etc.
This feature includes a range of customizable reports that display data on engagement, follower growth, reach, and more. You can choose from pre-built templates or create your own custom reports, selecting the metrics that matter most to your business.
Hootsuite Analytics really shines in its ability to track engagement rates across multiple social media platforms. You can track metrics such as likes, shares, comments, and click-through rates, enabling you to see which content is resonating with your audience and which is not. Also, this feature gives you a competitive edge by comparing your social media performance against your competitors.
4. In-app Integrations
App integrations broaden the scope of any tool and enhance its effectiveness. Hootsuite’s vast app directory offers 150+ in-app integrations including Google My Business, MailChimp, HubSpot, LinkedIn, Shopify, Zendesk, Slack, and more.
These third-party app integrations add another friendly layer to user comfort. For example, you can use Canva, a popular graphic design tool, to create custom social media images and upload them directly to your social media accounts without leaving the Hootsuite platform. Easy and time-saving, just like that!
5. Social Media Advertising
You can create and manage social media advertising campaigns directly from within the Hootsuite platform. This is a handy feature that allows you to target specific demographics, interests, and behaviors, optimize your ad campaigns, and track the performance, all in one place.
Of course, there is advertising support for all major social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. One of the key benefits of Hootsuite is the optimization of ad campaigns for maximum ROI. You can track key metrics such as click-through rates, conversion rates, and cost per click, and use this data to adjust your campaigns in real time for better performance. Not just that. There are also advanced targeting options available, such as lookalike audiences and custom audiences.
6. Team Collaboration
Any business thrives on team collaboration. Hootsuite’s collaboration feature ensures everyone on the team is on the same page. It allows for collaborative editing and insights from team members before publishing for consistency with brand standards.
Additionally, Hootsuite displays the name of the post author, which provides easy reference when working on posts. The platform also offers simple editing, creation, and duplication of drafts, ultimately saving time in crafting social media campaigns.
7. Pricing
The tool offers four pricing plans – Professional, Team, Business, and Enterprise. The Professional plan starts at $49 a month. The Team and Business plans cost $179 and $739 a month respectively.
Hootsuite’s Enterprise plan is a customizable option for businesses with custom needs. This one does not have a set price and can be purchased via a request.
What is disappointing about Hootsuite’s pricing is that the plans are also limited in features not just the number of users per account, which is usually not the case with other social media marketing tools.
8. Limitations
It’s good to have all the above features but let’s take a look at where you are likely to take a hit if you choose Hootsuite. One of the limitations of Hootsuite is its limited customization options. Users cannot create custom reports or dashboard layouts, which may not meet the needs of some users.
Another consideration is the pricing. For businesses with multiple accounts or many users, the cost of Hootsuite can quickly add up, making it a less attractive option for smaller businesses or individuals on a budget.
Moreover, Hootsuite analytics can be limited in comparison to other analytics tools. This can be a disadvantage for businesses that require more comprehensive insights into their social media performance.
Finally, customer support is a dart in the dark. While some users have reported excellent support responses, others have reported long wait times and unhelpful support.
So, Is Hootsuite Worth Your Money?
Certainly, Hootsuite makes social media marketing a cakewalk. It is one of the most popular options. But if you are a large business or enterprise running expensive social media campaigns, this platform can be expensive and sort of limited.
Even for individuals and small-scale businesses, there are cheaper options available such as SocialPilot, Sprout, Buffer, etc. But at the end of the day, the choice is individual. And the best way to figure it out is to start with Hootsuite’s 30-day trial and see if there is a need for an upgrade.