Get a Handle on Social Media
The world is abuzz about social media. Many people are hesitant to get on board because of the learning curve and time commitment. And for those who’ve jumped on the bandwagon it can become a distraction from more tangible day-to-day business activities.
It IS important to consider your return on investment with social media — in this case, time. That’s why HootSuite is one of my favourite social media tools.
I have a couple of different Twitter accounts, for different aspects of my business. If I use Twitter straight up, I have to login to each account separately which quickly becomes overwhelming. With HootSuite, I can login to all accounts with a single username and password. Not only does it save me time, I can watch what is going on with all accounts at the same time, see where there is cross-over happening AND cross-pollinate my accounts as appropriate.
HootSuite also has the ability to automate posts between Twitter, FaceBook, and Linked In, and you can track your Follows, Friends, and Links all at once. This alone is worth the trouble of setting up, as you can post to all three at once.
My favourite feature by far, however, is the ability to schedule posts. I like to post quotes, thought-provoking links, and event notices, but don’t have time to go into Twitter 20 times a day to do so. HootSuite allows me to schedule posts for later in the day or later in the week, as my schedule requires. I can still post in-the-moment comments, while ensuring that I don’t miss any deadlines.
