Item: Hootsuite
Rating: 9
Author: Verified User

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

HootSuite Free is just being used by me, as I am the head of social media, to schedule social media posts throughout the day/ sometimes week. It helps me manage my time because I juggle a lot of other tasks as well. I'm also the administrative assistant here and other duties, such as invoicing, AR, etc. are more time-sensitive and require immediate attention, thus, being able to schedule the social media posts when I have time is incredibly convenient.

Pros and Cons

I've never once had a post not send or send in an incorrect format. Incredibly reliable.
Editing is very easy, which is a HUGE plus because sometimes I find other content I'd rather share earlier than a post already scheduled and Hootsuite Free makes it easy to just go back and change the time.
I like how, with Twitter handles, it recognizes ones you've used before.

I've had a lot of issues with linking Google+ to HootSuite. I don't know if that's only included with the paid subscription or what but It is kind of inconvenient not being able to schedule those posts as well.
I really don't have any other issues with HootSuite Free.

Users and Roles

1 - It's just me. So, social media and admin. I'm the only person who handles the social media for the most part, unless I am out of the office or swamped with other duties and cannot give it my full attention.

Return on Investment

Well, because I can give my full attention to social media and schedule everything at once, I have time to look for better content or wait until our blogs go up / schedule old ones to send every so often, which directly leads to more traffic to our site.

Alternatives Considered

I do use Buffer because, again, Hootsuite Free has given me issues with scheduling Google+ and I don't have the time to troubleshoot when I can just use another resource to do it. The content suggestion range is narrow, which is unfortunate, but the fact that it obviously allows me to schedule my own is convenient. It's solely more convenient for the Google+ factor for me, everything else I prefer HootSuite Free.

Likelihood to Recommend

Again, since my only issues with HootSuite Free have been with Google+, if Google+ is a huge priority within your social media strategy and you have other things to do during the day, I'd obviously recommend something else where you can schedule posts effectively. I just have to make a mental note everyday to handle G+ at certain times, which is inconvenient, but for other platforms it's awesome.

Almost does it all!

Software Version

Overall Satisfaction with Hootsuite Free