What is our primary use case?
My main use case for HootSuite is scheduling social media posts across various social media platforms.
In the past we've had campaigns for various things, but I use HootSuite because it's really nice to upload an image and copy for a social media post, so then you can have it post to places such as X, LinkedIn, and Facebook. It's a seamless way to get posts synchronized and easy to get multiple platforms posted at one time.
I also use it for tracking analytics as well, seeing clicks, reposts, and other engagement metrics. My main use cases are doing that and sharing posts across multiple platforms.
What is most valuable?
The best features HootSuite offers in my experience are that it's very easy to upload an image and copy and it's very easy to share that across multiple platforms seamlessly. This saves a ton of time. I found it better than using the HubSpot social media feature. To me, it's a huge time saver.
It cuts the time in half. I have noticed an increase in engagement and a reduction in the time spent managing social media, as it has cut down the time managing social media by at least 50%. The analytics would have been the same if we had posted ourselves on the platforms or on HootSuite. It's mainly a huge time saver.
What needs improvement?
HootSuite is very seamless. I'm sure there might be more functionality that HootSuite offers, but I've only used it for basic social media posting. I can't really think of anything to improve on.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using HootSuite for four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I don't know how HootSuite's scalability is, as we only use it for a small team, so we haven't had the need to scale. But for what we use it for, it's been great.
How are customer service and support?
I haven't had to use customer support before, so I'm not sure.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have previously used HubSpot social media in the past, and I found it easier to get everything uploaded and scheduled on HootSuite.
What was our ROI?
I have seen a return on investment, as I would say fewer employees are needed because one person can schedule out as far in advance as desired. I'm not sure about monetary return, but as I mentioned a couple of times, definitely the time savings. By cutting social media management in half, it allows us to do other things. The time saver is really the biggest return.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing was good. I thought it was affordable and reasonable.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Before choosing HootSuite, I did not evaluate other options.
What other advice do I have?
I don't use it for reporting; it's mainly for analytics. You're able to get a dashboard of analytics from posts. If you post on LinkedIn, Facebook, or X, you're able to see everything all in one spot so you can track and see which posts are doing well on the various platforms. HootSuite is an easy way to get social media posts out. You're able to upload and schedule posts in the future, which saves time. Instead of daily or weekly looking at posts, you can schedule out a month in advance. It allows for the continuity of having the same post across various platforms.
My advice to others looking into using HootSuite is to try out their free plan first. If you're already using platforms such as HubSpot or Octopost to schedule your social media posts, I would definitely look into it and give it a try.
I give HootSuite a rating of nine out of ten. It's the best social media scheduler that I've ever used. I give it a nine and not a ten because a ten is the perfect product and I don't really think there are many perfect products.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner