Are you inundated with news feeds and status updates? HootSuite is a social network manager that allows you to create customizable views across all your related social networks. You can use HootSuite to post to multiple accounts, manage tweets, and more. If you run a business, HootSuite can help you understand your social media marketing. HootSuite can be run in just a few clicks, and the days when you're drowning in a sea of information are over.
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Part 1 of 2: Setting Up HootSuite for Personal Use
Step 1. Create an account
You can create an account using a Twitter, Facebook, or Google account, or you can create an account using a separate email address. Creating a personal account on HootSuite is free.
Step 2. Add your network
HootSuite allows you to add all your social networks to a single account, which allows you to easily view all updates and news in one window. To do this, you must be logged in with each network you wish to connect to. Connections are made through the login system of each company concerned; HootSuite does not accept or store your passwords..
- When you first create an account, you will be asked which social network you want to add. You can add and remove other networks later by clicking the "+Add Social Network" button on your HootSuite dashboard.
- HootSuite has built-in support for Twitter, Facebook, Google+ Pages, LinkedIn, foursquare, WordPress, and Mixi. You can add support for other networks through the app.
- If you have multiple accounts in one service, you can add all of them to a single HootSuite account.
Step 3. Add streams
You can click the "+Add Stream" button at the top of the dashboard, or use the "Add a stream" tool that opens to the right of your current stream.
Select the social network, then add the news feed you want to monitor. This could be a News Feed from Facebook, someone you follow on Twitter, or just about another aspect of the Social Network that you want to track
Step 4. Create multiple tabs
Click the "+" button at the top of your dashboard next to an existing tab. This tab allows you to organize and collect related streams in one place. You can have a "Work" tab, a "Personal" tab, and even a "Kardashian" tab. It's all up to you and how you want to organize your information.
Each tab can have streams from each of your connected networks
Step 5. Send the message
The bar at the top of the HootSuite dashboard is your messaging tool. Use the drop-down menu on the left to select the social network you want to use to send the message. You can post to your social networks as much as you want in one post.
Step 6. Write your message in the "Compose" box
You can send whatever you want and can even include links, images and location tags. When your message is ready, click the "Send Now" button to send to all of your selected networks.
- Keep in mind that Twitter limits the maximum to 140 characters.
- You can schedule your post for the next date by clicking on the calendar icon.
Part 2 of 2: Using Hootsuite to Boost Business Marketing
Step 1. Sign up for a professional or corporate account
To gain access to the more powerful marketing tools on Hootsuite, your company must sign up for the Pro or Enterprise plan. Most small businesses will fit into the Pro plan; while Enterprise is for large companies with large social media divisions.
Step 2. Track your name in Searches
When you add a stream, you can create a Search stream. Enter a search term, and HootSuite will display all the most recent results for that Search. This allows you to track your product or brand and see what people are saying about it.
You can search via Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. Be sure to take advantage of all of this to see how your brand is being tracked across all major social networks
Step 3. Schedule a post
One of the most powerful tools in HootSuite is its ability to schedule and send messages to some or all of your social networks at the same time. You can send the same message to your Facebook timeline, Twitter account, and Google+ page, all with one click.
You can set a message to send at a later date by clicking the calendar button in the Compose window. This allows you to set when you want the message to be sent. This tool is especially useful for creating posts in time zones when you may not have active employees, or for automating marketing campaigns
Step 4. Communicate directly with customers
You can create feeds that are delivered to your private messages for your Facebook Pages and Google+ Pages, as well as track your Twitter DMs. Use this stream to stay informed about customer inquiries.
Step 5. Track your campaigns with analytical tools
HootSuite provides several reporting tools that allow your company to track its performance on social networks. You can track Likes, mentions, traffic changes, link activity and much more. Click the Analytics button in the left menu to start generating the report.
- There are several ready-made templates that you can choose from, or you can create your own report.
- When creating your own report, you can choose from a list of modules. Some of them are free to use for everyone, some require at least a Pro account, and some are locked to the Enterprise tier only.
- To track link activity, you should use the Ow.ly URL shortener. This allows HootSuite to track the number of people who clicked on it.
Step 6. Manage your social media team
HootSuite contains tools that allow you to assign stream team members and specific tasks within the program. You can ask someone to post a news feed on your Twitter, or you can assign a custom message to specific people on the team for a personal response. Managing a team can result in a much more efficient social media campaign.
Step 7. Target your message with the Geo targeting tool
If you use an Enterprise account, you can target specific regions and languages for your posts. This allows you to tailor your marketing to customers who need the message.
