Getting a Handle on SMM Tools - Hootsuite

In Getting a Handle on Social Media Management Tools, I shared my search criteria for "one dashboard to manage them all". I also took a look at two systems: BuzzBundle and Viralheat. My search draws to an end with Hootsuite Pro.Perhaps Hootsuite had the unfair advantage in that I've dabbled with Hootsuite Free off and on for several months. I dropped it months ago because of the limitations of the free version (five accounts only, no reports, very limited scheduling).

For $8.99 USD/month, I levelled up to Hootsuite Pro. This gave me up to 100 social network accounts, the ability to schedule posts, adjust privacy settings, the ability to have a team of up to nine people collaborating in Hootsuite and access to some reports.

My Hootsuite Pro Experience So Far

The various social media streams can be split into different tabs. For instance, I have a tab labelled "Twitter". It contains news streams for both my Twitter feed as well as Maestro's. I also have streams set up for our favourite lists, @mentions and direct messages. I did something similar with our respective Youtube channels.

For Facebook, I have streams for my news feed, my main Wall, as well as the wall for my Writer page and Studio page. One thing that has made a huge difference is that I am able to create newstreams for the teaching and Virtual Choir closed groups I am a part of.

I also have news streams for my Flickr account and all of my blogs. That makes sharing from those channels simply a matter of going from one tab to the next. Cross-posting is as easy as typing the message and then clicking on all the social network profiles I want to disseminate the information through.

The only social sharing site that I haven't worked in yet is Soundcloud. Until I set up podcasts, I do not have an RSS feed to link to Hootsuite ( #addtowishlist ). I have been using Hootsuite Pro for approximately one week. Observations worth noting are:

1 - I'm no longer Pavlov's Facebook's Dog 

How much time did I waste looking at my phone for FB notifications? How many times in a day did I jump every time my phone beeped and/or blinked blue? I shudder to think of the number. Since switching to Hootsuite, I find that I don't race to my phone or log in nearly as much as I used to.

2 - I'm more active on the other social media networks

I actually am looking at Maestro's and my Twitter News lists more regularly. "We" are also sending and replying to tweets more regularly. Ditto for Google+ and Linked In.

3 - When I do log into Facebook, I have a purpose

When I'm logged into Hootsuite, it's mainly to share information. It's all business and with the way I have it set up, it's harder to deviate from my goal.

Now, when I log into Facebook, it's with the express purpose of catching up with family and friends or participating more fully in the discussion groups. I no longer log in (multiple times) to see "What's New?" and get distracted by memes, jokes, articles and videos.

4 - I'm not on the computer as much.

Between Hootsuite's mobile app and Facebook Messenger, I get the important messages or posts. Therefore, I don't need to race to the computer like a dog in search of a new treat. Also, since Hootsuite alerts me to those important posts, I don't need to race to the phone either. It's much easier for me to "step away from the smartphone" and enjoy the sunshine.

5 - The top tools have a good support system

Like Viralheat and BuzzBundle, Hootsuite's team is really quick to contact me and offer their help at the mere mention of their name (via Twitter) or e-mail.

Social Media Management Tools Half-Time Review

I set out on this journey to find the ideal SMM Tool with the desire to have all my social networking accounts under one roof. Cross-posting certainly makes it easier to send out my posts and other information to different social networks. The ability to schedule posts to go up 30 minutes after a scheduled blog post goes live gives the sense that Musespeak Studio is busy online 24/7.

Sure, Hootsuite's user interface isn't as pretty as Viralheat's but it's pleasing enough. For this entrepreneur, Hootsuite does meet all of my SMM Tool criteria.

The unexpected bonus was the huge time savings, which I can't quantify any other means other than the number of posts that will be going out. There are less distractions (and no Facebook ads) so I am managing my time better.

Next month, I will explore the analytics and reporting end of Hootsuite Pro.

Getting a Handle on Social Media Management Tools

It all started out with my smartphone. I overdid it with the apps, which I suspect was a contributing factor to it getting stuck in an endless restart loop this spring. After it was repaired, I knew I had to limit the number of apps running on it. The glitchy manga reader app had to go. Ditto for the metronome app that seemed to crash every now and again. Next on the hit-list was limiting the app size. Then, it was time to tackle the beast known as social media. Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Flickr, Soundclound, Linked In and Youtube: I know there are more out there, but these are the ones I use. It was important to have one dashboard and one mobile app to manage them all.

My criteria for social media management (SMM) tools was shorter than the one I had for my online scheduling system. I had 10 items to start with:

1. Facebook, Twitter, Linked In AND Google+, Youtube integration

2. Could handle multiple streams/sources: i.e., multiple accounts for a single social network

3. Is cheap ($15/month or less)

4. Has a logical user interface, i.e. attractive, easy to use, easy to navigate

5. Has a mobile app for Android

6. Has the ability to schedule posts and the ability to post the same item simultaneously to several social networks (cross-posting)

7. Can manage more than five streams/accounts/sources

8. Real-time monitoring

9. Reporting tools and analytics

10. Decent tech support

My initial Google search and review hunt came up with the following SMM tools for small business: Hootsuite, Sprout Social, Buffer, Viralheat and BuzzBundle.

A quick comparison of specifications took Sprout Social and Buffer out of the running. Although Sprout Social has a 30-day trial, the smallest package offered is the Standard at $39 US/month.

Buffer, on the other hand, isn't really an SMM tool. Rather it is a powerful tool to share information - posts you've read, or your own. I was contemplating using it to manage the blogs I subscribe to. However, it only has Facebook, Twitter and Linked In integration. SMM tools with Google's API is hard to find.

That left the remaining three.

BuzzBundle - Powerful Listening and Monitoring Capabilities, with a Couple of Snags

I really wanted BuzzBundle to work. A BuzzBundle video review I watched demonstrated its powerful listening and monitoring capabilities. You have the ability to monitor keywords used for SEO (in my case: "music lessons", "music and technology", "practice tips"). Once you've designated a few listening "spots" (e.g. discussion forms, Yahoo Answers, Wiki Answers), you are alerted when someone asks a question. You can hop in and join the conversation, share your information and be off to the next item.

The user interface was easy enough to use and my requests were responded to between 24 - 48 hours. Unfortunately, the free version is extremely limited: five accounts and you can't save your projects (each stream/profile and keyword search is a project). That's a huge time waster if you have to input your social network profiles and SEO keywords every single time you open the program.

I almost forked out the $199 one-time package. I liked the idea that it was a one-time fee. However, a bit more digging revealed that there is a monthly maintenance fee, which you start paying after six months.

There were other drawbacks for me: no mobile app, with no plans of offering one. BuzzBundle is a software download (versus an online application) and finally, there's no integration with Flickr and Soundcloud.

I didn't realize going in that software download versus online application would be a deal breaker, but it was. If I was only working off of one computer, then it wouldn't be so bad. However, I flit back and forth between my office computer, studio computer and netbook. Therefore, running an web-based social media management tool is ideal.

Viralheat - Slick Design, Sweet Package for Very Small Businesses

I really loved Viralheat's set-up. The layout is extremely smart - aesthetically pleasing and easy to navigate. The reports and analytics were what this part-time writer wanted. Like BuzzBundle, Viralheat has the capabilities to monitor topics or keywords.

Navigation was a snap and the cross-posting and publishing tools were just what I was looking for. Then, I hit a snag in my test run.

The Pro Package ($9.99 USD/month) is good up to 15 accounts.  If I only ran a music studio with a single blog, no problem. However, with multiple Twitter and Youtube accounts, two Facebook business pages, a Google+ page, Linked In, Soundcloud, Flickr and seven blogs - 15 is not enough. Unfortunately for me, the next level up (the "Premier") is $99/month. That brought the test run to a screeching halt.

And then there was one. Stay tuned for my HootSuite Pro experience, coming up next.