Easy  Social  Media  Management  with  Hootsuite    Hootsuite   is  the  largest  social  media   integration  and  management  platform  on  the  Internet.   It  has  sent  over  700  million  messages  to  date  and  has  over  3  million  registered  users.   It  manages  a  wide  range  of  social  media  platforms,  including  Facebook,  Twitter,  FourSquare,  Google+,  Mixi,  WordPress,  and  more.    Hootsuite’s  features  include:  

• Easy  view  of  all  your  contacts.  Hootsuite  will  display  their  follower  and  following  count,  as  well  as  their  Klout  score  all  in  one  screen.  

• Schedule  messages   to   be   sent   days   or  weeks   in   advance.   (This   is   one  of   the  best   features   of  Hootsuite!)  

• Create  a  wide  range  of  different  feeds  and  view  them  all  on  one  screen.  You  can  create  feeds  from  mentions,  retweets,  direct  messages,  and  more.  

• Share  your  Hootsuite  account  and  social  media  accounts  with  different  members  of  your  team.  This   makes   execution   of   a   complex   social   media   strategy   much   easier.   (Requires   paid  subscription.)  

Hootsuite  is  used  by  many  world-­‐class  organizations.  It’s  used  by  The  Gap,  Facebook’s  own  social  media  team,  the  South  by  Southwest  conference,  and  more.    Here’s  how  to  use  Hootsuite  to  manage  your  social  media.  

Step  1:  Sign  Up  

Go  to  Hootsuite.com.  Start  by  filling  in  the  signup  box  on  the  front  page.  

 

Step  2:  Add  a  Profile  

Add  a  profile.  To  add  a  Twitter  account,  click  “Add  a  Twitter  profile.”  

  Click  “Connect  with”  Twitter  to  create  the  connection.  You  can  also  choose  to  add  other  social  networks  from  the  list  on  the  left.    

  Hootsuite  needs  your  authorization  before  it  can  link  up  your  accounts.  

 

Step  3:  Browse  Your  Feeds  

To  browse  your  feeds,  select  the  social  media  account  from  the  top  subnavigation  bar.  

  The  various  feeds  associated  with  that  account  will  be  displayed.  You  can  drag  and  drop  these  feeds  in  any  order  you  like.  

 

Step  4:  Adding  a  Stream  

To  add  a  new  stream,  click  “Add  Stream”  in  the  upper  left  corner.  

  Then  choose  what  kind  of  stream  you  want  to  add.  

  The  new  stream  will  be  added  to  your  dashboard.  

Step  5:  Publishing  and  Scheduling  

To  access  the  publisher  screen,  click  “Publisher”  in  the  left  sidebar  menu.  Hover  over  any  symbol  on  the  left  to  make  the  menu  popup.  

  Click  “Compose  a  Message”  to  begin  scheduling  messages.  

  The  message  box  and  the  scheduler  will  pop  up.  Just  write  your  message  in  the  box,  then  choose  when  you  want  the  message  to  go  live.  

 

Step  6:  Analytics  and  Reports  

To  create  a  new  report,  click  “Analytics”  from  the  left  sidebar.  

  Once  you’re  in  the  reports  tab,  click  “Create  New  Report.”  

  Then  select   the   type  of   report   that   you  want   to  create.  Some  reports  are   free   to   create,  while  others  require  a  premium  account  (Pro  account:  $9.99/month).  

  You  can  then  brand  the  report  yourself,  so  that  your  name  and  your  company’s   logo  appears  on  top  of  the  report.  

 

Step  7:  Contacts  

To  access  your  contact  list,  click  “Contacts”  from  the  left  navigation  bar.  

  All  your  contacts  will  be  listed,  along  with  their  follower  count,  following  count,  and  Klout  score.  

  Now  you   know  how   to  use  Hootsuite   to   view  multiple   feeds,   schedule   posts   for   the   future,   generate  branded   reports,   and   browse   your   contact   list.   Hootsuite   is   free   for   the   most   part,   with   only   a   few  features  requiring  payment.  If  you’ve  never  tried  it  before,  why  not  give  it  a  shot?  

Overview  and  Current  Pricing  Levels    Hootsuite  is  a  social  media  promotion  and  management  tool  that  allows  you  to  manage  many  different  social  media  accounts  all  in  one  place.    Let’s  say  you  have  accounts  in  Twitter,  Facebook  and  LinkedIn.  You  run  a  growing  business  and  have  to  monitor   the   buzz   and   social   sphere   regularly.   Instead   of   having   to   log   into   each   network   separately,  Hootsuite  will  aggregate  all  your  feeds  for  you  in  one  place.    In  addition,  you  can  also  post  messages  to  all  these  different  social  networks  all  at  once.  You  can  even  schedule  to  be  posted  at  specific  times.    Here  are  some  of  the  main  features  of  Hootsuite,  as  well  as  details  on  its  pricing  structure.  Note:  These  prices  are  valid  as  of  September  2011,  prices  are  subject  to  change.   Monitor  Mentions    When   people   are   talking   about   your   brand,   service   or   product,   what   are   they   saying?   Are   they  recommending  it  or  complaining?    With   the   “monitor   mentions”   feature,   you   can   easily   see   who’s   talking   about   you   and   what   they’re  saying.  

  Update  Multiple  Networks    Hootsuite  allows  you  to  update  multiple  social  media  networks  all  at  the  same  time.  No  logging  in  and  out  or  managing  different  tabs.  The  whole  process  of  posting  to  five  different  social  networks  can  take  as  little  as  10  seconds.  

  Comprehensive  Mobile  App    Hootsuite   has   a   comprehensive   mobile   app   that   allows   you   to   view   streams   for   each   of   your   social  networks,  as  well  as  send  messages  while  on  the  go.  

  Customizable  Streams  and  Views    Want  to  view  a  stream  of   just  Facebook  photos?  You  can.  Want   to  view  just  a  stream  of  mentions  on  Twitter?  You  can.      Your  panels  and  views  are  fully  customizable.  You  can  add  streams  to  monitor  or  delete  streams  you’re  monitoring  with  the  click  of  a  button.  

  Schedule  Your  Messages    You  don’t  have   to  be  at   the  computer  every   time   you  want   to  send  a  message.   In   fact,  you  can  batch  upload  all  of  the  week  or  month’s  updates  all  at  once  with  the  scheduling  feature.  

  Track  Statistics  (Pro  Subscription)    Want   to   know   how  many   people   are   clicking   through   to   your   links?   Hootsuite   has   its   own   analytics  system  and  can  also  integrate  with  Google  Analytics.  

  Team  Member  and  Task  Collaboration  (Pro  +  $15  /  Member)    If   you   have   a   social   media   team   that   needs   to   work   together   on   product   launches   or   brand  management,  Hootsuite  can  support  that  with  its  team  tools.    

  Hootsuite  Pricing  Structure    Hootsuite  has  two  primarily  price  levels:  Free  and  pro.    The  free  version  gets  basic  analytics,  5  social  profiles,  two  RSS  feeds  and  has  to  view  advertisements.    The  pro  version  sees  no  ads,   can  connect   to  unlimited  social  media  accounts,  has  unlimited  RSS   feeds  and  a  much  higher  level  of  analytics.  

  Furthermore,   Hootsuite   also   has   an   enterprise   level   solution,   meant   for   large   businesses   with   large  brands  they  need  to  manage.   These  are  the  main  features  of  Hootsuite  and  its  prices.  Ready  to  get  started?    

How  to  Use  Hootsuite:    Reading  Updates,  Posting  &  Scheduling  Updates  and  More    Hootsuite  is  essentially  an  improved  way  of  viewing  and  posting  to  your  social  networks,  all  in  one  place.    Using   Hootsuite,   you   can   schedule  messages   to   be  posted   at   different   intervals.   That  means   that   you  don’t  have  to  spend  time  every  day  posting  messages  if  you  want  to  post  messages  every  day.  Just  set  it  up  once  and  Hootsuite  will  do  the  rest  of  the  work  for  you.    You  can  also  monitor  all   your  social  media  activity  from  one  place.  All   your  feeds,  customer  feedback,  responses  from  your  posts  and  so  on  can  be  monitored  in  one  place.    Here’s  a  more  in-­‐depth  look  at  to  use  Hootsuite.   Step  1:  Select  Your  Social  Media  Account    If  you  have  multiple  accounts  setup,  start  by  selecting  which  account  you  want  to  view.  

  Step  2:  Viewing  Streams    The   first   screen   you’ll   be   presented   with   is   your   streams   screen.   Each   panel   consists   of   a   different  stream  of  information.      In  Twitter,  your  Home  Feed  is  the  tweets  of  the  people  you’re  following.  You’ll  also  have  panels  of  direct  messages,  mentions  and  sent  tweets.    In  Facebook,  your  News  Feed  is  the  main  feed,  followed  by  a  photos  feed,  your  wall  posts  and  an  events  feed.    Each  social  network  has  a  few  different  kinds  of  streams.  

  Step  3:  Adding  a  Stream    Adding  streams  allows  you  to  customize  how  your  Hootsuite  dashboard  looks.  To  add  a  stream,  click  the  “+Add  Stream”  button  in  the  top  navigation  bar.  

  Then  select  which  social  network  you  want  to  add  a  stream  for.  Finally,  select  what  kind  of  stream  you  want  to  add  and  click  “Create  Stream.”  

  Step  4:  Posting  a  Message    To  post  a  message,  click  “Compose  Message.”  

  Type  your  message  in  the  expanded  message  box.  

  To  add  a  link  to  your  posting,  click  “Add  a  Link.”  

  To  schedule  your  message  to  be  sent  at  a  later  time,  click  the  scheduling  button.  

  A   scheduling   menu   box   will   appear.   Schedule   the   time   you   want   to   send   your   message   and   click  “Schedule.”  

  To  choose  which  profile(s)  to  send  your  message  out  to,  click  the  “Click  to  select  profile”  box.  

  Then  choose  one  or  more  profiles  that  you  want  to  send  your  messages  to.  

  Congratulations!   You   now   know   how   to   view   updates,   view   different   streams,   add   streams,   post  messages,  schedule  messages,  and  send  messages  to  multiple  social  media  accounts  at  once.  

Demonstration  of  the  Mobile  App    Hootsuite  has  a  mobile  app  that  allows  you  to  do  just  about  everything  you  can  do  in  the  online  version,  on  a  phone.  You  can  view  feeds,  post  messages,  schedule  messages,  and  even  set  up  new  social  media  accounts.    Here’s  how  to  use  the  Hootsuite  mobile  app.   Step  1:  Login    The  first  thing  you’ll  be  asked  to  do  upon  opening  the  app  is  to  sign  in.  

  Step  2:  Select  and  View  Feeds    The  first  thing  you’ll  see  upon  logging  in   is  the  feeds  screen.  You’ll  be  able  to  see  all  the  various  feeds  you’re  subscribed  to.  

  Click  a  specific  stream  to  view  its  posts.  

  Step  3:  Writing  and  Sending  Messages    To  send  a  message,  first  click  the  “compose”  button  in  the  upper  right  corner.  

  Write  your  message  in  the  box  that  pops  up.  

  To  choose  which  account(s)  to  send  the  message  to,  just  click  one  of  the  account  icons.  The  message  will  be  sent  to  all  accounts  that  have  a  check  mark.  

  To  access  more  options,  click  the  “More”  button.  

  In  this  menu,  you  can  schedule  the  post  for  a  future  time,  add  a  photo,  shrink  links,  add  a  location  and  more.  

  Step  4:  Adding  an  Account    If   you   want   to   view   streams   from   another   account   or   send   messages   to   another   account,   first   click  “Settings”  in  the  bottom  navigation  bar.  

  Click  “Social  Networks.”  

 

Then  click  “Add  Social  Networks.”  

  Choose  what  kind  of  account  you  want  to  add.  

  Finally,  give  Hootsuite  the  authorization  it  needs  to  connect  with  your  account.  

  That’s  how  to  view  messages  and  streams,  post  a  message,  schedule  a  message  and  add  a  social  media  account  all  using  the  Hootsuite  mobile  app.  

HootSuite  –  Adding  Social  Media  &  Usage    HootSuite  helps  to  manage  several  social  media  applications.  In  this  section  of  the  tutorial,  we  will  show  you   in  more  detail   how  to  add  and  manage  several   popular  programs  —   including  Facebook,  Twitter,  and  Linked  in.  

 

How  To  Add  Social  Networks    There  are  many  social  media  networks  that  can  be  added   in  HootSuite;  however,   in   the  free  addition,  you  are  only  allowed  to  add  5  accounts.  If  you  need  to  manage  more  than  five,  you  can  subscribe  to  the  paid  option,  which  is  very  reasonable.  In  this  tutorial,  we  will  be  adding  Facebook,  Twitter,  and  LinkedIn  to  HootSuite.    Step  1:  Log  Into  HootSuite      Create  your  account  and  log  in  at  www.hootsuite.com    Step  2:  Navigate  to  Add  Social  Media  

After   you   create   your  HootSuite   account,   you’ll   need   to   add   your   social  media   programs.   To  do   that,  navigate  to  the  social  networks  tab.  

Click  the  owl  in  the  top  left  of  your  screen  to  get  a  drop  down  menu.  Hover  over  the  “Settings  tab”  and  click  on  the  “Social  Networks”  tab  when  it  appears.  You  will  be  taken  to  a  new  popup.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step  3:  Choose  Social  Media  Networks  

On  the  settings  menu,  click  “Add  Social  Media  Network.”  

 

 

   

Step  4:  Add  Twitter  

Click   the   Twitter   button,   uncheck   any   options   you   don’t   want   to   include   and   click   the   “connect  with  Twitter  button  to  add  info  about  your  Twitter  account.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add  the  Twitter  user  name  or  associated  email  address  and  the  password.  Click  “allow.”  When  you’ve  added   the   account   successfully,   you  will   return   to   the   settings   screen.   The  new  account  will   be   listed  there.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step  5:  Add  Facebook  

Click  the  Facebook  button,  uncheck  any  options  you  don’t  want  to   include  and  click  the  “connect  with  Facebook  button  to  add  info  about  your  account.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add   the   Facebook   user   name  

or   associated   email   address   and   the   password.   Click   “allow.”   When   you’ve   added   the   account  successfully,  you  will  return  to  the  settings  screen.  The  new  account  will  be  listed  there.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Log  into  Facebook,  if  asked.  Click  “allow”  to  grant  HootSuite  specific  permissions.    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When  you  have  successfully  added  Facebook,  you  will  see  the  option  to  “like”  HootSuite.  Click  “finish”  after   you’ve   made   your   choice.   This   account   will   show   up   on   your   settings   page   under   the   title  Facebook.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step  6:  Add  LinkedIn  

Click   the   LinkedIn  button,  uncheck  any  options  you  don’t  want   to   include  and   click   the   “connect  with  LinkedIn  button  to  add  info  about  your  account.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sign  into  your  LinkedIn  account  and  allow  access  when  prompted.  

 

 

How  To  Tweet/Post  and  Schedule  

Step  7:  Add  a  Message  

At  the  top  of  your  screen,  next  to  the  owl,  you’ll  see  an  area  where  you  can  type  in  a  message.  Click   in  the  box  to  add  your  tweet.  The  box  will  expand  to  show  more  options.    

 

 

 

If  you  want  to  send  the  message  immediately  and  from  that  account  click  the  Send  Now  button.  

Step  8:  Schedule  a  Message  

If  you  have  more  than  one  account  or  network  where  you  would  like  the  message  to  appear,  select  the  accounts  at  the  right  by  clicking  on  each  account’s  photo  or  by  using  one  of  the  buttons  at  the  bottom.  A  green  checkmark  shows  on  the  images  that  you  have  chosen  to  include.  

Note:  When   including   Facebook,   you  have   a   total   of   420   characters   instead  of   the   140   in   the   Twitter  network.  You  may  want  to  post  to  Facebook  separately  to  include  more  info.  

 

 

 

 

 

Click  on  the  calendar  icon  to  schedule  your  message  to  post  at  a  later  time.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

When  you  click  the  icon,  a  calendar  with  dates  and  times  will  appear.  Select  the  day  and  time  you’d  like  to  post  the  message.  If  you’d  like  to  be  notified  when  the  scheduled  post  is  sent,  you  may  also  check  the  “Email  me”  box.  When  you’re  finished,  click  the  “Okay”  button,  next  to  the  Cancel  button.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Your   message   hasn’t   been   scheduled   yet.   Notice   that   the   “Send   Now”   button   has   changed   to  “Schedule.”  Click  the  schedule  button  to  complete  the  task.  

 

 

 

Now   that   you   know   how   to   add   social   media   networks,   add   messages,   and   schedule   messages   in  HootSuite,  there  is  no  reason  to  shy  away  from  social  media.  You  can  start  socializing  today!  

 

 

 

 

Social  Media  Management  —  Using  HootSuite    Social  networking  has  become  the  phenomenon  of  this  new  decade;  the  norm  in  an  online  world.  It  can  swallow   time,   create   addictions   and   add   to   the   phenomenon   of   information   overload   we're   all   so  familiar  with.    Yet  there's  no  denying  it's  a  powerful  —  even  necessary  —  part  of  marketing  online  today.  So  how  can  one  make  social  networking  work  without  being  subjected  to  its  universal  hazards?    Social  media  management  —  that's  how.    What  Is  Social  Media  Management?    Nowadays,  people  often  mean  "using  a  social  media  management  application"  —  but   it  can  also  mean  finding  other  ways  of  making  the  most  out  of  social  media  while  investing  minimal  time  and  effort.  We'll  be   taking   a   look   at   these   other   methods   shortly,   but   in   this   first   guide,   let's   get   acquainted   with  HootSuite,  one  of  the  most  versatile  social  media  management  applications.  Even  if  you  are  planning  to  outsource  your  social  media  management  (and  we'll  get  to  that  too),  using  HootSuite  will  allow  you  to  regularly   help   yourself   to   a   quick   overview  of  what   your   social  media  manager   or   company  has   been  doing  on  your  behalf  —  across  several  platforms.    HootSuite  allows  you  to  schedule  individual  or  multiple  updates  to  all  your  social  networks  in  one  action  via  desktop,  web  or  mobile…  then  track  your  results.      

   You   can   add   networks   such   as   Facebook,   Twitter   and   LinkedIn  —   the   "Big   Three."   The   free   account  allows   you  up   to   five   social   profiles.   It   also   provides   basic   social   analytics   and   allows   you   to   add   two  RSS/Atom  feeds.      If   your   business   relies   heavily   on   social   networking   and   you   know   you   need   more   than   five   linked  platforms,  upgrade  to  the  $9.99  monthly  plan,  which  gives  you:    

• Unlimited  social  profiles  • "Enhanced"  social  analytics  

• 1  free  team  member  • 1  free  report  • Google  Analytics  integration  • Facebook  insights  integration  • Unlimited  RSS  feeds  • No  promoted  Tweets  allowed    

Making  the  Most  of  HootSuite    The  real  power  of  HootSuite  lies  in  its  extra  features…    Did  you  know:    

• HootSuite  comes  with  basic,  built-­‐in  streams  • It  shows  "Mentions,"  "Direct  Messages,"  your  Sent  Tweets  (and  Pending  Tweets)  —  as  well  

as  your  Twitter  home  feed    You  can  also:    

1. Build  columns  of   information  by  using   the  "Streams"   tab   to  build  columns  of   information  from  your  feeds,  every  time  you  add  a  network.  

2. Follow   topics   and   trends   by   adding   streams   containing   keywords.   Use   the   same   form   as  hashtags:  E.G.  #keyword  

3. Monitor  your  keyword  as  it  trends,  in  real  time    Streams  allow  you  to  see  at  a  glance  what  is  going  on  across  all  your  feeds  and  networks  —  right  at  that  moment.    Adding  a  New  Stream    

 1. Whenever   you  want   to  add  a  new  stream,  simply  select   the  "+Add  Stream"  button   in   the  

top-­‐left  horizontal  menu  bar  on  your  dashboard.      

   2. When  you  click  on  "+Add  Stream",  a  pop  up  will  appear.      

Within   this   pop   up,   in   the   "Add   Stream"   column   on   the   left,   you   can   select   the   social  network  originating  the  feeds  you  want.      

In  the  section  on  the  right,  click  on  the  little  arrow  under  "Select  the  type  of  stream"  to  get  a  drop-­‐down  menu  —  from  which  you  can  select  the  exact  type  of  stream:  

 

   

 Using  "Search"  to  Find  New  Streams    

 3. You   can   find  new   streams   to   add   either   by   entering   your   hashtag   in   the   "Search"   box…or  

taking  a  look  at  promoted  or  popular  Trending  Topics1:    

1  Promoted  topics  will  be  absent  in  the  "Pro"  version  of  HootSuite.  

   

(When  you  find  a  Trend  you  like,  select  "Save  as  Stream".)    

TIP:  Drag  and  drop  to  place  your  favorite  streams  in  the  center  of  your  HootSuite  screen.    Quickly  Connecting  with  people  on  Twitter  via  HootSuite      

1. Click   on   the   User   Name   to   open   an   information   box   displaying   their   followers,   updates,  biography,  popularity  and  interaction  options.    

 2. You  can  also  quickly  Retweet,  Direct  Message,  Reply,  etc.,  by  hovering  over   the  message,  

which  brings  up  icons  for  those  functions  that  you  can  select:    

   

Using  HootSuite  Analytics    HootSuite  also  makes  it  easy  for  you  to  use  your  existing  Analytics  to  create  tracking  reports.  Just  select  "Analytics"  in  the  left-­‐hand  menu  sidebar,  and  select  your  preferred  Analytics  applications  or  programs  from  the  drop-­‐down  list.    You  can  track  your  results  from  your:    

• Ow.ly  shortened  URLs  • Google  Analytics  • Facebook  Insights  

 HootSuite  even  provides  handy  templates  for  all  types  of  reports:    

 

("Summaries"  is  a  particularly  handy  way  to  get  a  quick  overview  of  your  material's  effectiveness.)  

HootSuite  is  definitely  one  of  the  most  powerful  social  media  management  tools  available  to  you.    

Assignment:  

It's  important  to  put  what  you're  reading  into  practice  straight  away.  It  won't  take  long!  

1. Set  up  a  profile  on  HootSuite  2. Add  at  least  three  social  networks  you  use  (or  wish  to  use)  the  most  regularly  3. Post  a  message  across  your  networks  4. Pre-­‐schedule  three  posts  across  your  networks  5. Add  at  least  three  of  your  favorite  or  most  useful  streams  6. Remember  to  check  HootSuite  daily!  

   Interested   in   learning  more  about  Hootsuite?  Enroll   in  HootSuite  University.  Normally  $21/month   (for  Pro  users;  $30.99/month  for  free  level  users),  you  can  save  50%  using  this  coupon  code:  BACK2SCHOOL  (valid  through  Oct.  31,  2012).