This executive briefing on how organizations can best leverage the HootSuite social media platform was prepared by Kaitlyn Fickle while an MBA student in the College of Business at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, Louisiana.
Overview
Businesses today are always searching for the next innovative tool to provide effective marketing or outstanding customer service. What if there was a social media platform that allowed them to do both? HootSuite takes social media marketing and management to a new level. It helps companies and organizations manage their social media accounts all from one single dashboard. With HootSuite companies will be able to push the envelope in their future social media management endeavors via the platform’s many features and tools available to users.
The Platform in Brief
HootSuite is a social media platform that allows users to post their entries to several social media platforms at one time (Mora, 2013). In addition, HootSuite also admits you to customize and schedule your social media posts in advance (Son, 2014). These features can benefit any business, whether they have a full-time social media management consultant or are a small business being marketed by their owner.
Ryan Holmes launched HootSuite in 2008 through a digital services agent, Invoke Media (Wilding, 2011). HootSuite’s original name was BrightKit and the site only integrated with Twitter. After a year, Holmes offered a $500 prize for renaming the platform. The contest received over 100,000 users’ contest submissions (Chaney, 2014). The winning name was HootSuite. HootSuite has a reach of over 175 countries around the world and the site has over 8 million users (Son, 2014). Currently 18,463 sites are linking with HootSuite online such as amazon.com, yahoo.com, and linkedin.com.
HootSuite’s headquarters is located in Vancouver, Canada (Son, 2014). At this time there are two headquarters locations. The second location, which was name HQ2, opened in 2014. Over 400 people are employed by HootSuite. The company has a total of nine acquisitions and established its funding through their ten investors including Fidelity Investments, Silicon Valley Bank, Geoff Entress, Hearst Ventures, Leo Group LLC, Millennium Technology Value Partners, OMERS Ventures, Accel Partners, Blumberg Capital, and Insight Venture Partners (Porter, 2014). Between their ten investors, Hootsuite has received over $284 Million in funding (Porter, 2014).
The Platform in Operation
HootSuite has over 8 million users (Chaney, 2014). Through this platform, users are capable of scheduling and integrating their posts on several different platforms at once. A few of the social media platforms that can link with HootSuite include LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Google+ (Anderson, 2012). Since this site is not the average social media platform, several big names are using HootSuite for social media management. Some companies that are taking advantage of these capabilities are Levi’s, Ebay, Sony Music, Oakley, and Siemens (Porter, 2014). In addition to these major names, Hootsuite is used by small or large businesses that need to be more efficient with their social media posts.
Although the site’s original purpose is to be used by others for efficient customer service and social media management, HootSuite’s brand uses the site as well for branding and customer service (Akhtar, 2014). There is a staff of twenty HootSuite employees who focus on monitoring and solving customers’ complaints and educating the users of HootSuite. HootSuite has created a help handle on Twitter, @Hootsuite_Help, which is said to be the quickest way to interact with the company (Akhtar, 2014). Customers who tweet the help handle are expected to have a response within 30 minutes. By using their own platform to manage their brand, HootSuite is able to keep an eye on its brand name while also making sure that the platform is working properly for its users (Akhtar, 2014).
The Platform’s Pros and Cons
Like any other social media platform, HootSuite has its pros and its cons. Some of the positives that Hootsuite brings to the table include HootSuite App access, Insights data, and the ability to schedule posts in advance. A major plus for businesses about this platform is HootSuite having an app. HootSuite’s app is available for iPhones, Androids, and Tablets which is more user friendly (Anderson, 2012). The Hootsuite application is free and allows users to send messages, monitor communication, schedule messages, receive notifications, click through statistics reports, and much more (Anderson, 2012). Having an app allows HootSuite to be more accessible than just on a computer screen. Another advantage that not many know of is HootSuite’s Insights data. This feature lets users track and analyze the data for their posts (Anderson, 2012). In addition to the HootSuite Insights data, accounts can also be linked to other social media analytics sites such as Google Analytics and Facebook Insights to keep all of the company’s analytics in one place (Anderson, 2012). This feature helps users see the progress of their social media management. The major advantage that HootSuite is known for is allowing users to plan ahead with their social media management by scheduling posts and linking multiple social media platforms (Chaney, 2014). For a busy business owner who is also in charge of the company’s marketing, this can really come in handy to keep posts organized and scheduled (Harris, 2014).
On the contrary, while automatic messages can be a convenient thing for companies it may not always be the best strategy. Automatic messages may cause a loss of relationship between the brand and its followers, so if used it should only be in moderation (Anderson, 2013). Another setback with HootSuite is that it’s not always free to use. While there is a basic version of the site that is free, the features are limited. In order to fully take advantage of the site’s capabilities you will be paying a monthly fee (Anderson, 2013). Finally, while posting on multiple platforms at once can be useful and get attention, it also can take away from the personality aspect of the company (Anderson, 2013).
Although there are both pros and cons with this social media platform, the author believes that the pros significantly outweigh the cons (Harris, 2014). While automatic messages can take away from the personality of the business on social media, if it is used in moderate it can save a social media manager some time (Chaney, 2014). Also, even though HootSuite can end up incurring some costs, there is a free option available that has less options but this provides companies and option to give things a trial run.
Analysis
Based on the information gathered, the author believes that HootSuite will be a social media management platform that is used for years to come. While paying for social media management is not ideal, it is sometimes necessary to get the results that a company is looking for. Small businesses and major corporations alike could benefit from the aspects of HootSuite. Social media management as a whole has become more about engagement and strategy as time has passed. In order to stay competitive, companies will need to stay up to date with the latest trends. HootSuite offers a program called HootSuite University that helps users get educated on social media management so they are using the platform effectively (Allton, 2013). With HootSuite, companies have the ability to plan ahead and see their results all in one place.
This social media platform has only been around since 2008, which leaves a lot of time for growth. Some growth that has already occurred for the platform happened in January of 2014 when HootSuite purchased an analytics site, UberVU (Miller, 2014). By purchasing this site, HootSuite will gain analytical information for users that it was previously lacking (Miller, 2014). If HootSuite continues to make smart long-term decisions to improve their platform, they will continue to be successful.
References
Akhtar, O. (2014, August 19). An inside look at Hootsuites social customer service operation. Retrieved February 2, 2015, from http://www.thehubcomms.com/an-inside-look-at-hootsuites-social-customer-service-operation/article/366999/
Allton, M. (2013, November 4). How to Hone Your Social Media Skills Using HootSuite University. Retrieved February 4, 2015, from http://www.thesocialmediahat.com/article/how-hone-your-social-media-skills-using-hootsuite-university
Anderson, I. (2012, January 5). 7 Reasons why you should NOT use Hootsuite. Retrieved February 2, 2015, from http://iag.me/socialmedia/reviews/7-reasons-not-to-use-hootsuite/
Anderson, I. (2013, January 3). 7 Reasons Why You SHOULD Use Hootsuite. Retrieved February 2, 2015, from http://iag.me/socialmedia/reviews/7-reasons-why-you-should-use-hootsuite/
Chaney, P. (2014, December 30). Pros, Cons of Hootsuite for Social Media Management. Retrieved February 2, 2015, from http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/78085-Pros-Cons-of-Hootsuite-for-Social-Media-Management
Harris, V. (2013, November 12). Pros and Cons of Using Hootsuite. Retrieved February 2, 2015, from https://getthat4u.wordpress.com/2013/11/12/pros-and-cons-of-using-hootsuite/
Holmes, R. (2015, January 1). Enhance Your Social Media Management Today. Retrieved February 2, 2015, from http://signup.hootsuite.com/pro-ent-na-english-r3/?mkwid=szAdCixmq_dc&pcrid=41338740454&pkw=hootsuite.com&pmt=e&gclid=CJH3muOqxMMCFQqPaQodE6MAUA
Miller, R. (2014, January 29). Hootsuite turns to analytics with uberVU purchase. Retrieved February 4, 2015, from http://www.fiercecontentmanagement.com/story/hootsuite-turns-analytics-ubervu-purchase/2014-01-29
Mora, A. (2013, August 19). Pros and cons of HootSuite — The Engagement Blog - HiSocial. Retrieved February 2, 2015, from http://www.hisocial.com/eng/blog/pros-and-cons-of-hootsuite/
Porter, M. (2014, January 1). Hootsuite. Retrieved February 3, 2015, from https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/hootsuite
Son, L. (2014, April 14). 2 Pros and Cons of HootSuite. Retrieved February 2, 2015, from http://www.thesocialfirm.com/blog/social-media/2-pros-and-cons-of-hootsuite
Wilding, R. (2011, April 7). Pros and Cons of Social Media Dashboards Threadsy, HootSuite, & MediaFunnel. Retrieved February 2, 2015, from http://www.socialtechnologyreview.com/articles/pros-and-cons-social-media-dashboards-threadsy-hootsuite-mediafunnel
Businesses today are always searching for the next innovative tool to provide effective marketing or outstanding customer service. What if there was a social media platform that allowed them to do both? HootSuite takes social media marketing and management to a new level. It helps companies and organizations manage their social media accounts all from one single dashboard. With HootSuite companies will be able to push the envelope in their future social media management endeavors via the platform’s many features and tools available to users.
The Platform in Brief
HootSuite is a social media platform that allows users to post their entries to several social media platforms at one time (Mora, 2013). In addition, HootSuite also admits you to customize and schedule your social media posts in advance (Son, 2014). These features can benefit any business, whether they have a full-time social media management consultant or are a small business being marketed by their owner.
Ryan Holmes launched HootSuite in 2008 through a digital services agent, Invoke Media (Wilding, 2011). HootSuite’s original name was BrightKit and the site only integrated with Twitter. After a year, Holmes offered a $500 prize for renaming the platform. The contest received over 100,000 users’ contest submissions (Chaney, 2014). The winning name was HootSuite. HootSuite has a reach of over 175 countries around the world and the site has over 8 million users (Son, 2014). Currently 18,463 sites are linking with HootSuite online such as amazon.com, yahoo.com, and linkedin.com.
HootSuite’s headquarters is located in Vancouver, Canada (Son, 2014). At this time there are two headquarters locations. The second location, which was name HQ2, opened in 2014. Over 400 people are employed by HootSuite. The company has a total of nine acquisitions and established its funding through their ten investors including Fidelity Investments, Silicon Valley Bank, Geoff Entress, Hearst Ventures, Leo Group LLC, Millennium Technology Value Partners, OMERS Ventures, Accel Partners, Blumberg Capital, and Insight Venture Partners (Porter, 2014). Between their ten investors, Hootsuite has received over $284 Million in funding (Porter, 2014).
The Platform in Operation
HootSuite has over 8 million users (Chaney, 2014). Through this platform, users are capable of scheduling and integrating their posts on several different platforms at once. A few of the social media platforms that can link with HootSuite include LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Google+ (Anderson, 2012). Since this site is not the average social media platform, several big names are using HootSuite for social media management. Some companies that are taking advantage of these capabilities are Levi’s, Ebay, Sony Music, Oakley, and Siemens (Porter, 2014). In addition to these major names, Hootsuite is used by small or large businesses that need to be more efficient with their social media posts.
Although the site’s original purpose is to be used by others for efficient customer service and social media management, HootSuite’s brand uses the site as well for branding and customer service (Akhtar, 2014). There is a staff of twenty HootSuite employees who focus on monitoring and solving customers’ complaints and educating the users of HootSuite. HootSuite has created a help handle on Twitter, @Hootsuite_Help, which is said to be the quickest way to interact with the company (Akhtar, 2014). Customers who tweet the help handle are expected to have a response within 30 minutes. By using their own platform to manage their brand, HootSuite is able to keep an eye on its brand name while also making sure that the platform is working properly for its users (Akhtar, 2014).
The Platform’s Pros and Cons
Like any other social media platform, HootSuite has its pros and its cons. Some of the positives that Hootsuite brings to the table include HootSuite App access, Insights data, and the ability to schedule posts in advance. A major plus for businesses about this platform is HootSuite having an app. HootSuite’s app is available for iPhones, Androids, and Tablets which is more user friendly (Anderson, 2012). The Hootsuite application is free and allows users to send messages, monitor communication, schedule messages, receive notifications, click through statistics reports, and much more (Anderson, 2012). Having an app allows HootSuite to be more accessible than just on a computer screen. Another advantage that not many know of is HootSuite’s Insights data. This feature lets users track and analyze the data for their posts (Anderson, 2012). In addition to the HootSuite Insights data, accounts can also be linked to other social media analytics sites such as Google Analytics and Facebook Insights to keep all of the company’s analytics in one place (Anderson, 2012). This feature helps users see the progress of their social media management. The major advantage that HootSuite is known for is allowing users to plan ahead with their social media management by scheduling posts and linking multiple social media platforms (Chaney, 2014). For a busy business owner who is also in charge of the company’s marketing, this can really come in handy to keep posts organized and scheduled (Harris, 2014).
On the contrary, while automatic messages can be a convenient thing for companies it may not always be the best strategy. Automatic messages may cause a loss of relationship between the brand and its followers, so if used it should only be in moderation (Anderson, 2013). Another setback with HootSuite is that it’s not always free to use. While there is a basic version of the site that is free, the features are limited. In order to fully take advantage of the site’s capabilities you will be paying a monthly fee (Anderson, 2013). Finally, while posting on multiple platforms at once can be useful and get attention, it also can take away from the personality aspect of the company (Anderson, 2013).
Although there are both pros and cons with this social media platform, the author believes that the pros significantly outweigh the cons (Harris, 2014). While automatic messages can take away from the personality of the business on social media, if it is used in moderate it can save a social media manager some time (Chaney, 2014). Also, even though HootSuite can end up incurring some costs, there is a free option available that has less options but this provides companies and option to give things a trial run.
Analysis
Based on the information gathered, the author believes that HootSuite will be a social media management platform that is used for years to come. While paying for social media management is not ideal, it is sometimes necessary to get the results that a company is looking for. Small businesses and major corporations alike could benefit from the aspects of HootSuite. Social media management as a whole has become more about engagement and strategy as time has passed. In order to stay competitive, companies will need to stay up to date with the latest trends. HootSuite offers a program called HootSuite University that helps users get educated on social media management so they are using the platform effectively (Allton, 2013). With HootSuite, companies have the ability to plan ahead and see their results all in one place.
This social media platform has only been around since 2008, which leaves a lot of time for growth. Some growth that has already occurred for the platform happened in January of 2014 when HootSuite purchased an analytics site, UberVU (Miller, 2014). By purchasing this site, HootSuite will gain analytical information for users that it was previously lacking (Miller, 2014). If HootSuite continues to make smart long-term decisions to improve their platform, they will continue to be successful.
References
Akhtar, O. (2014, August 19). An inside look at Hootsuites social customer service operation. Retrieved February 2, 2015, from http://www.thehubcomms.com/an-inside-look-at-hootsuites-social-customer-service-operation/article/366999/
Allton, M. (2013, November 4). How to Hone Your Social Media Skills Using HootSuite University. Retrieved February 4, 2015, from http://www.thesocialmediahat.com/article/how-hone-your-social-media-skills-using-hootsuite-university
Anderson, I. (2012, January 5). 7 Reasons why you should NOT use Hootsuite. Retrieved February 2, 2015, from http://iag.me/socialmedia/reviews/7-reasons-not-to-use-hootsuite/
Anderson, I. (2013, January 3). 7 Reasons Why You SHOULD Use Hootsuite. Retrieved February 2, 2015, from http://iag.me/socialmedia/reviews/7-reasons-why-you-should-use-hootsuite/
Chaney, P. (2014, December 30). Pros, Cons of Hootsuite for Social Media Management. Retrieved February 2, 2015, from http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/78085-Pros-Cons-of-Hootsuite-for-Social-Media-Management
Harris, V. (2013, November 12). Pros and Cons of Using Hootsuite. Retrieved February 2, 2015, from https://getthat4u.wordpress.com/2013/11/12/pros-and-cons-of-using-hootsuite/
Holmes, R. (2015, January 1). Enhance Your Social Media Management Today. Retrieved February 2, 2015, from http://signup.hootsuite.com/pro-ent-na-english-r3/?mkwid=szAdCixmq_dc&pcrid=41338740454&pkw=hootsuite.com&pmt=e&gclid=CJH3muOqxMMCFQqPaQodE6MAUA
Miller, R. (2014, January 29). Hootsuite turns to analytics with uberVU purchase. Retrieved February 4, 2015, from http://www.fiercecontentmanagement.com/story/hootsuite-turns-analytics-ubervu-purchase/2014-01-29
Mora, A. (2013, August 19). Pros and cons of HootSuite — The Engagement Blog - HiSocial. Retrieved February 2, 2015, from http://www.hisocial.com/eng/blog/pros-and-cons-of-hootsuite/
Porter, M. (2014, January 1). Hootsuite. Retrieved February 3, 2015, from https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/hootsuite
Son, L. (2014, April 14). 2 Pros and Cons of HootSuite. Retrieved February 2, 2015, from http://www.thesocialfirm.com/blog/social-media/2-pros-and-cons-of-hootsuite
Wilding, R. (2011, April 7). Pros and Cons of Social Media Dashboards Threadsy, HootSuite, & MediaFunnel. Retrieved February 2, 2015, from http://www.socialtechnologyreview.com/articles/pros-and-cons-social-media-dashboards-threadsy-hootsuite-mediafunnel
Contact Information
To contact the author of this article, “What You Need to Know About HootSuite: An Executive Roadmap for Social Media Success,” please email the author at [email protected].
To contact the author of this article, “What You Need to Know About HootSuite: An Executive Roadmap for Social Media Success,” please email the author at [email protected].
The mission of the College of Business at Southeastern Louisiana University is to provide educational experiences for personal, professional and intellectual growth, enable the creation and sharing of knowledge to enhance learning and to advance the practice of business, and engage communities through service to positively impact their future. The Accounting and Business programs in the College of Business are accredited by the AACSB International.
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