Does this sound like you?
‘I have a Facebook and Twitter account because I understand that every business should have a presence on social media.
‘Even if I want to share the same post across several platforms, I end up logging into each individual account to add content. I don’t plan my posts in advance - I either post when I remember or there is something I just have to share. This means my activity is sporadic and always in real time.
‘Monitoring activity is something that happens when I have a few spare minutes. I have no idea which of my posts are popular and know very little about my followers.
‘I often miss out on seeing what my competitors are doing because I do not have the time to monitor every post and identify content of interest.
‘To be honest, I do question how useful social media is to my business.’
The above comments are based on real life conversations I have had over the last month with several sole traders and managers of medium-sized not for profit organisations.
Managing your social media effectively can be overwhelming but after listening to their challenges, I was pleased to be able to pass on a little knowledge to make the process easier.
Introducing Hootsuite
I have been using Hootsuite to manage social media accounts for both myself and clients for some years now.
Hootsuite is a social media management tool which allows you to schedule content and add posts to your various accounts including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.
All accounts can be managed from your Hootsuite dashboard which you can customise. This enables you to monitor activity of interest both quickly and easy.
How much does Hootsuite cost?
Hootsuite does offer a free plan. The main features enable you to:
As you advance, you may wish to upgrade to one of the four premium plans offered by Hootsuite. Prices start at £16 per month but you can try before you buy with a free 30-day trial.
Other social media management tools
Hootsuite works for me but there are other tools out there which are equally as good. This article by Forbes Agency Council discusses the merits of 15 social media management tools that can help your business thrive.
I’d love to hear which platform you choose and how much easier it makes managing your social media.
Julie
hello@essentialpublicrelations.co.uk