If you want to use social media platforms effectively, there are loads of tools out there to help you do so. It can be bewildering knowing which apps to choose for your particular requirement, be it managing Twitterfollowers, Facebook posts, or updating LinkedIn.
There is one social media tool which I rely on day-in-day-out and which I would really be lost without and that is:
Hootsuite
This is just so awesome – if you haven’t tried it, you must!! Unless you’re managing lots of accounts the free version is likely to do all that you need and more!
You can manage your Twitter contacts, including adding to lists, following and unfollowing. You can do this both by clicking on a user’s name or by going into the contacts listing. Both options show you the user’sKlout score and following at a glance, which is really useful.
You can set up ‘streams’ which display the results of keyword searches or # searches at a glance. The search functions are quite sophisticated, allowing for numerous +/- options. You can also use streams to display the tweets issued by tweeps in your lists. You can either use lists you have set up in Twitter, or start new ones.
So, the use of streams can really help you focus on the Twitter users you want to be engaging with – all you have to do is work out the appropriate keywords or lists!
And in terms of getting tweets put there, you can easily write them in advance and schedule them – the new ‘publisher’ view lets you see all your scheduled work at a glance!
Not only that, but you can also add your Facebook personal profile, Facebook Pages, LinkedIn and WordPress into Hootsuite so you can update all these platforms through one dashboard. This makes life so much more efficient and streamlined, it’s a gift! (Obviously, you’d need to go in to your Pages and tweets regularly in order to chat, respond and engage, but it’s reassuring to know that some great content is being posted for you while you’re busy doing something else!)
There are too many other features to mention – you need to get in there and try it if you haven’t… but I must just mention the Analytics side too! Not only can you track clicks on links you’ve posted, you can custom-make your own reports, tailored to focus on your social media strategy!
Hootsuite just has so much to offer, I wouldn’t be without it! Do you agree?