Item: Hootsuite
Rating: 10
Author: Mark Jennings IV

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

I utilize Hootsuite as a social media management platform. I am the main user on the platform that has created a training course around the platform itself.

Some areas that Hootsuite helps to improve are analytics, scheduling, and inbox management. Firstly, Hootsuite has an in-depth analytics capability for social media platforms. This tool helps me understand which KPI's are most important for our organization. These reports are useful for the Executive level as well to see the ROI for social media. Secondly, the scheduling aspect helps to cut down on time it takes to post to multiple channels. Lastly, the inbox management makes it easy to tag certain messages with importance or topics to address specific messages at a timely manner.

Pros and Cons

Scheduling of content. The ease of use for Hootsuite's planner abilities is top of the industry. It is simple and effective in posting content to different channels and accounts.
Analytics are superior on Hootsuite. Their custom reports allow you to view very specific KPI's that you can adjust for each channel or account. The reports are also exportable to be used for others in the company.
Inbox management. The inbox manager is superior to any in the industry. Hootsuite allows you to tag certain phrases or keywords to better filter messages based on importance or topic.

TikTok is an area for improvement as it's newer to Hootsuite. It would be beneficial to be able to link non-business profiles on TikTok to Hootsuite as many businesses use personal accounts to access TikTok's expansive music library.
Hootsuite does have room to improve the analytics capabilities. There could be more ways to customize each aspect of their reports. There isn't much manipulation of data in each type of data set.
Simplicity is an area of improvement for Hootsuite. The streams are one example of an area that is super cluttered and difficult to view. Their platform could really use an aesthetic overhaul to make things look more pleasing.

Return on Investment

Hootsuite has positively improved our overall engagement of our accounts. We went from an average of a 5% engagement rate across all accounts to a 12% engagement.
Hootsuite has positively improved our ability to target certain demographics on social media advertising through their analytics. We have seen CTR increase of 2% which is impressive for our industry.

Usability

Hootsuite is basic at its core, but there are areas for improvement. There definitely needs to be more simplicity and some modernization of it. The Streams aspect is incredibly busy and can look very daunting when there are multiple accounts in one stream. I do believe though, that Hootsuite is a rather simple platform to learn and understand. From a year ago, when I began using Hootsuite, I feel that I have mastered each aspect of the platform with ease.

Social Media Impact

Hootsuite makes it very easy to schedule content across multiple accounts and channels. The ease of use is something that made this platform an immediate yes for our company. We have more time to focus on engaging with the audience through comments and DM's than we did previously. We also have created a better strategy by closely tracking performance of content on Hootsuite. The "recommended time to post" feature on Hootsuite analyzes your account for when your followers are most active and this saves a lot of time on when to schedule content.

Alternatives Considered

Meltwater

Hootsuite's ability to post to all the channels we need is far above what Meltwater offered. Hootsuite also goes above and beyond in the category of analytics too. Hootsuite's custom report is far more detailed and easily digestible than Meltwater's. I would say that Hootsuite is at the top of the list for content management software compared to those I've used previously.

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

Other Software Used

Meltwater, Entrata

Likelihood to Recommend

For all social media professionals managing at least 5 accounts this is a great tool. The ability to schedule content across all accounts and channels will save any social media professional hours of work. As well, the analytics are in depth enough to give you a great overview of how well the accounts are performing.

If you are someone who doesn't create and post the content yourself, it isn't necessary for this instance. You can get analytics in the Instagram app, and the inbox management, streams, and scheduling won't be as beneficial for you.

Hootsuite - The Biggest Name in Content Management

Software Version

Overall Satisfaction with Hootsuite