Feeling overwhelmed managing your social media presence?
Hootsuite promises to be your one-stop shop for scheduling, monitoring, and analyzing your social media efforts.
But does it live up to the hype?
In this review, we’ll dive deep into the Hootsuite’s features, pricing, & user experience, helping you to decide if it’s the right tool for streamline your social media strategy.
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What is Hootsuite?
Think of Hootsuite as your social media command center.
It’s a tool that lets you control multiple social media accounts from one place.
You can schedule posts, see what people are saying about you, and even check how well your posts are doing.
If you’re juggling a bunch of social media accounts, Hootsuite helps you stay organized and save time.
It’s like having a personal assistant for your social media, and that’s why you’ll find tons of positive Hootsuite reviews online.
If you’re serious about managing your social media accounts effectively.
Especially if you have multiple social media accounts, Hootsuite is the one of the most very popular social media management tools out there.
Who Created Hootsuite?
It started back in 2008 when Ryan Holmes was struggling to manage social media posts for his own company.
He realized there was no easy way to handle multiple social media platforms at once.
So, he and his team created Hootsuite.
Their vision was simple: make social media management easier for everyone.
They wanted to create a tool that would let people schedule posts, monitor conversations, and understand how their social media platform efforts were paying off, all in one place.
And that’s exactly what Hootsuite has become today.
Top benefits of Hootsuite
- Centralized social media dashboard: See everything in one place. Hootsuite gives you a central hub to manage all your social media channels. No more jumping between different apps!
- Effortless scheduling: Plan your content calendar in advance and schedule posts to go out at the perfect time, even across various social media accounts. Save yourself a ton of time!
- Real-time conversation tracking: Monitor what people are saying about your brand across the social network. Respond to comments and messages quickly to stay engaged with your audience.
- Data-driven insights: Use Hootsuite analytics to see how your social media efforts are performing. Track metrics like engagement, reach, and website clicks to understand what’s working and what’s not and improve your digital marketing strategy.
- Team collaboration: Assign different social media permissions and access to various team members. Perfect for agencies or businesses with multiple people managing social media.
- Content curation: Easily way to find & share relevant content from across the web to keep your social media feeds fresh and engaging.
- Social listening: Stay on top of industry trends and conversations with powerful social listening tools.
- Competitor analysis: Keep an eye on what your competitors are doing on social media.
- Customizable reports: Create detailed reports to share your good social media performance with your team or clients.
- Integrations: Connect Hootsuite with other tools you use, like Slack, Canva, and more.
While Hootsuite offers a powerful suite of features, it’s always a good idea to explore Hootsuite alternatives to ensure you’re choosing the best fit for your needs.
Best Features of Hootsuite
Hootsuite is packed with features that make managing your social media accounts easier & more effective.
Let’s check out some of its best features:
1. Publish & Schedule
Imagine planning your social media posts like you plan your meals for the week.
That’s what Hootsuite’s Publish & Schedule feature lets you do.
You could create your posts ahead of time, set the dates and times you want them to go live, and let Hootsuite take care of the rest. It’s like having your own social media calendar.
2. Social Media Analytics
Want to know how your posts are performing?
Hootsuite’s analytics feature gives you the scoop. You’ll see which posts are getting the most likes, shares, and comments.
This helps you to understand what your audience likes so you can create more content they’ll enjoy.
3. AI Content Creation
Need a little inspiration for your next post?
Hootsuite’s AI Content Creation tool can help. It uses artificial intelligence to suggest captions, hashtags, and even images based on your topic. It’s like having a creative partner to brainstorm with.
4. Engagement Tools
Social media is all about conversations.
Hootsuite’s engagement tools let you manage those conversations easily.
You can reply to comments, answer messages, and even track mentions of your brand in one place. It’s like having a social media inbox that keeps everything organized.
5. Social Advertising
Want to reach more people with your posts?
Hootsuite lets you create & manage social media ads directly from the platform.
You could target specific audiences, set budgets, and track results.
It’s like having your own ad agency built into your social media management tool.
These are just a few of the features that make Hootsuite a powerful tool for managing your social accounts.
With its easy-to-use interface and comprehensive features, Hootsuite can help you take your social media marketing to the next level.
6. Social Media AI Assistant
Hootsuite offers an AI assistant to help you with your social media tasks.
This great tool can help you write captions and suggest hashtags for your scheduled posts.
It even gives you ideas for new content and helps you publish content faster.
This feature makes it easier for social media teams to create engaging content.
7. Social Listening Tool
Wondering what people are saying about your brand?
Hootsuite’s social listening tool lets you track mentions and conversations across multiple social networks.
You can see customer feedback in real-time.
This helps you protect your reputation and find opportunities to join in.
8. Employee Advocacy
Hootsuite lets you turn your employees into brand advocates.
With an employee advocacy platform, you can share approved content with your team.
They can then share this on their own social platforms.
This helps you extend your reach and save money on advertising.
9. Advertising Dashboard
Hootsuite also makes social advertising simple.
You can manage your paid ads and organic posts from one dashboard.
You can see how your ads are performing and even boost top-performing posts to reach more people.
It helps small businesses get more from their ad spend.
Pricing
Plan Name | Price |
Standard | $99/per month |
Advanced | $249/per month |
Enterprise Suite Custom | Custom Pricing |
Pros and Cons
Before making a decision, it’s important to weigh the good and the bad.
Let’s take a quick look at what Hootsuite does well and where it could improve.
Pros
Cons
Alternatives of Hootsuite
Hootsuite is a powerful tool, but it’s not the only one on the market.
There are many other excellent social media management platforms, each with its own strengths.
It’s smart to consider these alternatives to find the best fit for your specific needs.
- Sprout Social: A great all-in-one platform known for its powerful social analytics, reporting, and customer service. It’s often seen as a premium alternative for larger teams and agencies.
- Buffer: This tool is well-loved for its clean and user-friendly interface. It’s an excellent choice for individuals and small businesses who prioritize simple scheduling and ease of use.
- Later: A visual-first platform that’s particularly strong for Instagram and other platforms where visuals are key. It’s perfect for content creators and brands that focus on aesthetics.
- Agorapulse: A top competitor that stands out with its unified social inbox. If you need to manage conversations and engage with your audience effectively, this is a strong option.
- SocialPilot: A very affordable option with a wide range of features, making it a great value for small businesses and agencies on a budget.
- Sendible: Designed with agencies in mind, this tool offers features like client dashboards and white-label reports, making it easy to manage multiple brands.
- Zoho Social: A good choice for businesses already using the Zoho suite, as it integrates seamlessly with other Zoho products.
- Metricool: A versatile tool that combines social media management with digital marketing analytics, offering a comprehensive view of your online presence.
- Loomly: This platform focuses on content creation and collaboration, with features like post ideas and optimization tips that help teams work together more effectively.
- Sprinklr: A comprehensive enterprise-level platform with a vast array of features for large corporations that need advanced social listening and customer experience management.
- Content Studio: This tool excels at content discovery and curation, helping you find and share relevant content to keep your feeds fresh.
- Heropost: A good option for freelancers and small teams, offering a user-friendly interface and a focus on AI content generation.
- Planable: Known for its highly visual calendar and collaboration features, this is a top choice for teams that need a streamlined, visual approach to content planning and approval.
Hootsuite Compared
- Hootsuite vs Sprout Social: It’s standout feature is its robust project management and in-depth analytics for large teams.
- Hootsuite vs Metricool: It’s standout feature is its focus on a more user-friendly interface and team collaboration.
- Hootsuite vs SocialPilot: It’s standout feature is its comprehensive scheduling and valuable features for multi-location brands and agencies.
- Hootsuite vs Sendible: It’s standout feature is its agency-focused design with custom dashboards and white-label reporting.
- Hootsuite vs Content Studio: It’s standout feature is its powerful content discovery and curation tools for creators.
- Hootsuite vs Heropost: It’s standout feature is its AI writing assistant and ability to create branded short links.
- Hootsuite vs Agorapulse: It’s standout feature is its unified social inbox and transparent, user-friendly approach to customer support.
- Hootsuite vs Zoho Social: It’s standout feature is its SmartQ predictions for optimal scheduling and a highly user-friendly interface.
- Hootsuite vs Buffer: It’s standout feature is its simplicity and ease of use, making it ideal for small businesses.
- Hootsuite vs Sprinklr: It’s standout feature is its advanced social listening and deeper customer engagement capabilities for enterprises.
- Hootsuite vs Later: It’s standout feature is its visual-first approach, especially for Instagram, with its visual planner and Linkin.bio.
- Hootsuite vs Loomly: It’s standout feature is its daily post inspiration and a streamlined, collaborative content approval workflow.
- Hootsuite vs Blaze: It’s standout feature is its AI-first approach, specializing in creating high-quality AI images and content.
- Hootsuite vs Planable: It’s standout feature is its focus on intuitive collaboration and an in-depth, visual content planning process.
Personal Experience with Hootsuite
My team and I have been using Hootsuite for over a year now, and it’s been a game-changer for our social media management.
We used to juggle multiple platforms and logins, which was a real headache.
Hootsuite brought everything under one roof, making our lives so much easier.
Here are some of the ways Hootsuite has helped us:
- Streamlined scheduling: We plan our social media content weeks in advance, and Hootsuite automatically posts it at the optimal times.
- Boosted engagement: We monitor conversations and respond to comments and messages quickly, right from the Hootsuite dashboard.
- Tracked our progress: The analytics feature helps us see what’s working and what’s not so we can refine our strategy.
- Improved collaboration: Our team members can easily access and manage social accounts without stepping on each other’s toes.
Overall, Hootsuite has helped us save time, stay organized, and get better results from our social media efforts.
It’s become an essential tool for our team.
Final Thoughts
Hootsuite is a powerful platform that simplifies social media management.
It works by bringing all your social channels into one place. This helps you save time and get more done.
The key features, like bulk scheduling and advanced analytics, are very robust.
It’s a great tool for a busy Hootsuite team.
However, it can be expensive. And some Hootsuite alternatives might be a better fit for small businesses.
Hootsuite stands out for its features and support, but it’s important to weigh the cost.
Ready to see if Hootsuite is right for you? Create a Hootsuite account today and explore its key features!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use Hootsuite for free?
Yes, Hootsuite offers a limited free plan. It lets you manage up to 3 social media accounts & schedule up to 30 posts in advance. However, if you need more features or manage more accounts, you’ll need to upgrade to a paid plan.
Is Hootsuite easy to learn?
Hootsuite has a learning curve, especially if you’re new to social media management tools. However, they offer plenty of resources like tutorials and webinars to help you get started.
Can I schedule Instagram Reels and Stories with Hootsuite?
Yes, you can schedule Instagram Reels and Stories with Hootsuite. However, you’ll need to have a Hootsuite Professional plan or higher to access this feature.
Does Hootsuite offer social listening?
Yes, Hootsuite offers social listening features in its higher-tier plans. You can track mentions of your brand, keywords, or competitors across various social media platforms.
Can I manage my team’s social media workflow with Hootsuite?
Absolutely! Hootsuite has robust team collaboration features. You can assign tasks, set permissions, and review content before it’s published, all within the platform.