Item: Hootsuite
Rating: 10
Author: Rob Liddell

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

I lead a unit on our campus that is focused on both enhancing the career readiness of our diverse student population and identifying external partners (i.e., business and civic communities) for mutually beneficial outcomes. Adding value to this nexus requires robust communication and Hootsuite contributes significantly to our ability to engage with our intended audiences. The functionality of the product is intuitive, and the ease in scheduling posts/content has proven to be a lifesaver. I'd recommend Hootsuite to a wide range of professionals, members of defined communities, and those interested in thoughtfully adding value to the conversations they care most about joining.

Pros and Cons

Linking desperate social media channels.
Bank of available images to drive the point home or at least anchor it.
Scheduling content in advance to find your intended audience at their peak times.

Viewing multiple channels between comfortable, standard, and compact is helpful; perhaps a fourth category might provide users a "preferred" middle step.

Return on Investment

Content engagement has been enhanced with a more thoughtful strategy.
Time and effort is invested and saved not spent.
Repositioning brand messages within a noisy, crowded environment.

Alternatives Considered

A colleague recommended that I look at Hootsuite as an invaluable extension of our social media engagement strategy. When I began this role and sparked a renewed focus on marketing and communication, I encouraged the use of Hootsuite. My colleagues have enjoyed using the platform, and we are very satisfied with the way Hootsuite enables our work to go forward.

Support Rating

We haven't had any functional needs or inoperability that we've needed to escalate to Hootsuite support. The notes and messages from the support team are paced well and focused on our optimal use of the product.

Key Insights

Do you think Hootsuite delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Hootsuite's feature set?

Yes

Did Hootsuite live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of Hootsuite go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Hootsuite again?

Yes

Likelihood to Recommend

Coordinating content, events, and information to a diverse audience is a strength of the platform Differentiating between social media platforms in terms of system requirements and image guidelines is a second strength Some media can be difficult to manipulate, especially when the image or media is external (novice creatives will be guided through the best treatments).

Glad to use Hootsuite to engage with internal and external audiences within Higher Education.

Software Version

Overall Satisfaction with Hootsuite