Do you have multiple social media accounts and feel like you could be more organized? Still trying to get your head around Twitter? Does it seem like a bunch of noise? Hootsuite (hootsuite.com) could be your answer.
A browser-based social media management platform, Hootsuite allows users to keep track of multiple accounts and multiple conversations on various social media sites, including Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+ Pages, Foursquare, WordPress, etc. Best of all, there is a fairly robust free version that meets many users’ needs.
You can link your social media accounts in Hootsuite in order to better manage them. For each account, you can make multiple “streams,” which monitor different types of information. These streams could include messages directly sent to you, mentions of your brand, customers, competitors or trending topics such as the recent Olympics. Creating a stream for “VIPs” also is a great way to not miss important posts by other users who you follow (your home feed on Twitter or News Feed on Facebook).
You can make lists of users on Twitter and Google+ via the contacts feature. These lists canhelp you organize different users you would like to keep track of or engage with, such as tire dealers and manufacturers, the press, and important customers. You can easily re-tweet or share information across your social media platforms in a matter of seconds.
You also can organize your Hootsuite lists by topic. For instance, if you’re a tire dealer, maybe you want to track Tweets by tire manufacturers, industry organizations or your competitors.
Hootsuite also allows you to schedule social media posts on multiple social media sites for times when you may be not able to post, such as weekends or holidays. Scheduling posts also can ensure that you do not forget about events you want to promote through social media such as new product launches or special offers.
Hootsuite offers some good analytics options, but most of them are for subscription users (starting at $10 per month). You can monitor links shortened by Hootsuite (ow.ly URL) and see how many users clicked on them and on which days they clicked, as well as the geography of users who clicked on your links. Hootsuite also offers Facebook analytics and Google Analytics integration.
If you are interested in learning more about Hootsuite, I suggest viewing this tutorial: How To Use Hootsuite For Business Tutorial.
You can also find more advanced training at Hootsuite University, a separate subscription service that offers various courses.
I cannot imagine managing social media marketing for our various clients without Hootsuite. We do use other management tools, such as Sysomos (www.sysomos.com) and Radian6 (www.radian6.com), but for a quick and inexpensive way to keep social media streamlined, Hootsuite works great. Check it out!
Christine Taylor is vice president of social media marketing for JTMarCom,a Nashville-based marketing agency that helps companies with online reputation management and integration of social media into their traditional marketing programs. With a combined 35 years of experience in the tire industry, the agency places a special emphasis on working with tire and automotive aftermarket companies. Follow Christine on Facebook and Twitter (@chrisgtaylor). She can also be reached at 615-714-5469.
