How many of you just stick with one single social network? You could be a Twitter lover, Facebook addict, Google+ worshipper, Pinteresting pinner or so. But many of us are engaged in two or more social platforms either for personal use or business use. Don't forget that there are successful businesses out there even without social media presence. Well, I'm not gonna talk about social media usage for you here, but calling for people in multiple social networks. Now, let me ask ~ How many of you take your precious time to log in to each and every social network to post the exact update or message with your friends and followers each and every time?
Social Media vs Time Management
If you did, I'm not wondering at all. I did too. I mean, it's alright if you have time to spend on and get other stuff done too. However I will continue to do so, but only for my personal profiles as I go there when I can. The worst thing for me was posting out exact update on business pages related to my blog. There even I think it's just take few minutes or so, I get distracted sometimes. The thing about Social Media is you never know who much time you spend on it until you get to know yourself. But how to? You gotta think for a minute to take control of it else it will take control of you.
Social Media Management Tools
We have discussed about updating multiple social networks via Buffer. But you can't see what's going on your social profiles and interact with updates directly. There are many number of Social Media Management tools and here I'm gonna elaborate about a helpful tool to manage multiple social networks at once place - HootSuite. I've heard of it and used it long ago too. But didn't impress as there were no way to post on Google+ pages and I had to go myself to Google+ to post myself. But as I got to know that it supports Google+, I've started to dig more about it from the scratch.
Hello HootSuite!
HootSuite allows you to connect up to five social profiles in the FREE version and it includes Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn and few more. For each social network, you can monitor different streams at one page too. For example, if you have connected your Twitter account, you can view your home stream, mentions, direct messages and so at the same time without switching to different pages as you do on Twitter. It support not only personal profiles, but also business pages and groups too. However right now it's lack of access to Google+ personal profiles, and Pinterest due to public API limitations as they claim. But you can connect your Google+ business pages though. Personally, I'm mostly concentrate on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn brand pages and it suites my needs.
HootSuite is not about connecting and monitoring multiple social networks. You can interact with users and post messages on multiple networks at once. Isn't that we were talking about? When it comes to posting, HootSuite has convenient features for you not to feel lost in nowhere. You can use following options when you intend to post a new message.
● Schedule updates or messages (Manual or AutoSchedule)
● Attach images and files such as documents
● Mention location
● Customize privacy and sharing options
● Shorten URLs or links
Here's something interesting when it comes to scheduling your messages. HootSuite now offers AutoSchedule feature where it send out your message for optimal impact. In another words, it finds the best time to send your message for your friends or followers. It applies time slots for different networks too. Honestly I have no idea about the mechanism behind this technique but as I feel it's quite similar to Tweriod where it assess your analytics over time and decide best time based on user engagement. So, it may not work for you at first time as it goes with a general time. But you can give some time for HootSuite to read social engagement to decide what's best time for you.
HootSuite is not about connecting and monitoring multiple social networks. You can interact with users and post messages on multiple networks at once. Isn't that we were talking about? When it comes to posting, HootSuite has convenient features for you not to feel lost in nowhere. You can use following options when you intend to post a new message.
● Schedule updates or messages (Manual or AutoSchedule)
● Attach images and files such as documents
● Mention location
● Customize privacy and sharing options
● Shorten URLs or links
Here's something interesting when it comes to scheduling your messages. HootSuite now offers AutoSchedule feature where it send out your message for optimal impact. In another words, it finds the best time to send your message for your friends or followers. It applies time slots for different networks too. Honestly I have no idea about the mechanism behind this technique but as I feel it's quite similar to Tweriod where it assess your analytics over time and decide best time based on user engagement. So, it may not work for you at first time as it goes with a general time. But you can give some time for HootSuite to read social engagement to decide what's best time for you.
Third Party Apps
We already know that HootSuite supports popular social platforms, but it's not limited. It has much more to offer with the help of third party apps it holds. HootSuite has third party apps built by different developers to connect missing platforms to monitor and manage while being on HootSuite.
As we are here talking about FREE version of HootSuite, you can find free and popular third-party apps for platforms such as YouTube, WordPress, Tumblr, Instagram, Evernote, Scoop.it and more. As I'm using Get Satisfaction as my support community, I did a search there. Alas! It's available there and it made much more convenient to manage all in one place. All you need is to explore and install application relates to the platform you need to manage via HootSuite. I believe you will love that feature.
If you haven't try HootSuite lately, take some time to try and see if it helps you to manage your social networks easily and save your precious time. Obviously it's you choice to stick with it or not, but make sure you have made a better choice. Further you can go for paid plans if you want more. Let's get to know how make use of features avalable in HootSuite.
Before You Go:
You need to sign up for a new HootSuite account before you proceed to the steps below.
Steps:
1. Sign in to your HootSuite account.
2. Now hover your mouse pointer over the Launch Bar on left and click on your Account Name.
3. You will direct to Member section and click on Add a Social Network link under My Social Networks.
4. Now add your preferred social networks that you would like to monitor and manage via HootSuite.
Notes:
* You will ask to authorize when you connect your social profiles and free account allows up to 5 networks only.
* Remember to select exact profile, page or group you wanna manage via HootSuite when connecting social profiles.
* You will ask to authorize when you connect your social profiles and free account allows up to 5 networks only.
* Remember to select exact profile, page or group you wanna manage via HootSuite when connecting social profiles.
5. Once you done with connecting your social networks, click Submit button.
6. Now hover your mouse pointer over Launch Bar and click on Streams.
7. You will able to see tabs for each of your connected social profiles and navigate through tabs to view their streams such as home stream, private messages.
Note: On each tab you can add more available streams for relevant social profiles, set auto refresh time of streams and refresh stream manually using following buttons on the tabs.
Now you know how to monitor and interact with your social profiles via HootSuite. Let's take a look at how you can post messages or updates on multiples networks.
How to Post Updates on Social Profiles
ii. After constructing message, select your profiles, pages or groups you wanna post your update via Profile field.
iii. Now click on Send Message button at the end of Compose field if you wanna send it right now.
Instead, if you wanna schedule your message to post on a specific date or time, click on Schedule icon instead.
Now you will prompt to select a date and time to post using the calendar or by entering them.
After selecting a specific date and time to send the message or update, click Schedule button.
i. Click on Compose field on top left corner of the dashboard and construct your message by adding relevant links.
Instead of adding long URLs, you can shorten URLs and add to your message, especially if you wanna share updates on Twitter as tweets limited to 140 characters. Just place Long URL in the Link field in compose mode and click Shrink button.
Note: You can change the default URL shortener after clicking Advanced Options icon as indicated below.
Further you can add images or files to attach with, mention location and set up privacy options using the icons on the Compose field. Those options will work only for social networks support such information or content.
You can see schedule option up there too. But wait, will talk about it later as you are too early to use schedule option right now.
ii. After constructing message, select your profiles, pages or groups you wanna post your update via Profile field.
iii. Now click on Send Message button at the end of Compose field if you wanna send it right now.
Note: If you already in compose field, click you will see Send Now button instead.
Instead, if you wanna schedule your message to post on a specific date or time, click on Schedule icon instead.
Now you will prompt to select a date and time to post using the calendar or by entering them.
Note: You can turn on AutoSchedule option instead if you need HootSuite to determine the best time to post update on social networks.
After selecting a specific date and time to send the message or update, click Schedule button.
Note: You can view, edit or delete your scheduled updates at Publisher section.
More Information:
* On free account, you can access quick reports which reflect analytics for your shortened URLs - Ow.ly Summary Stats and Ow.ly Individual URL Stats. Navigate to Analytics section to access reports.
* You can manage your connected social networks at Member section.
* You can access HootSuite on the go by adding browser extensions or installing mobile app in your device. Grab Extensions or Mobile Apps.
* Not only social networks, but also you can add third-party apps for your HootSuite dashboard to monitor and interact if possible. Hover your mouse pointer over Launch Bar and click App Directory to explore third-part apps.
Enjoy :-)
