Hootsuite Extensions

Hello Everybody,

In this post I will be covering Hootsuite Extensions: Hootlet and Hootfeed.

Hooklet let's users easily share stuff you find on the web without leaving the page you are currently on.

It also shows relevant tweets when you're searching the web.

You can download Hootlet from Hootlet.com. Chrome works best with Hootlet, remember to reload your browser after you have installed it. To add to other browsers you can drag Hootlet from your Hootsuite dashboard to your bookmarks bar on your browser.

Use Hootlet to quickly have things listed to multiple networks. It will automatically pre-shorten the link of the page you are on and add it's page title in your compose message box. Don't like the title of the page? Select other text from the page and it will add that instead. You then can edit or add your message in the compose message box and select which networks you would like to post to. You then can schedule the messages to post later or let auto-scheduling decide when to post for you. To view, edit or delete any upcoming posts go to the publisher option on your Hootsuite homepage sidebar. It simplifies social sharing by providing context for your searches, based off of keywords, locations or businesses. You can edit any of Hootlet's settings in the extensions option on your Hootsuite homepage.

The next extension we will be going over is Hootfeed.

Hootfeed enhances your engagement at conferences. It is customizable and good for real time updates. You can download Hootfeed from hootsuite.com/hootfeed. In order to set up your Hootfeed all you need to include is your email and the hashtag you want to track.

You can also preview what your feed is going to look like in the layout options. You can customize it by adding your business's logo and change the colors of certain aspects of your feed. Hootfeed is great for tracking reactions for amplification and allows more interaction with your audience.

Until next time,
Caitlin Campbell

Introduction to Engagement

Hello Everybody,

Considering my last post was on the short side, I decided to follow it up with another Hootsuite post, this time introducing us to social media engagement.

Publishing posts is easy, all you need to do is to click on the compose message that is featured at the top of your Hootsuite home page.

Once you click on the box, it will expand showing you different icons that allow you to do different options with your message such as attach file, schedule, or add a link.

After you have written your message and customized it how you want, you can select which social media accounts you want this message to appear on. All of your connected accounts are listed in a box to the right of your message box. You can select the star icon on an account to make it a favorite or select the pin icon to make the account a default, so whatever message you compose it will already automatically include that account.

If you have multiple accounts it will most likely help having the media accounts which you frequently post from favorited, so that when viewing your list instead of going through all your accounts, all you have to do is select favorites. And you will only be shown the accounts that you had starred.

When being to engage your customers it is important to remember that making customers feel appreciated is a key to engagement. This why you'll want to monitor people's comments and engage with other users. Remind them that you're not just an abstract concept, but rather a business made up of people.

In order to engage people on Facebook, you click on the comment button on a post in your streams. For LinkedIn you click on comments on company updates or group discussions, same goes for Google+. For Twitter, hover over the Tweet and then hit the reply arrow. When doing this be sure to include Twitter handles when replying. And remember all of these are public and everyone can see it, so think before you post.

It is also important to retweet positive tweets that users have said about your company. Selecting yes lets you simply retweet the message in its entirety to your Twitter account. But if you click on edit instead, this allows you to add a comment to the retweet, which can be used for expressing thanks. You can also send direct messages through Twitter in order to offer promotions or such to individual users.

In order to attach images or files to messages, click on the paperclip icon located in the compose message box. You need a Twitter account to host the image, but this does not mean the image will be posted to that Twitter account. Images can only be 5 megabytes per photo.

Hootsuite has its very own link shorterners, also located in the compose message box. Simply type or paste in your link and click shrink. And you can add advanced URL tracking, analytics are important to assess your effectiveness. 

You can also schedule messages by clicking the calendar icon in the compose message box. You can make sure your accounts post at optimal times, even if you can't. Autoschedule quickly schedules content at optimal times for you. This can easily be turned on and off through it's toggle button. The publisher option on your side navigation bar, allows you to review all scheduled upcoming messages.

For Instagram publishing you can set up Hootsuite to give you notifications as to when to publish your Instagram post. You can use the scheduling tool in order to create the whole post ahead of time. When the time comes to post, you'll receive a push notification on your phone through your Hootsuite mobile app. This will show you your pre-written post and once you've reviewed it and you're ready, you can post it to your Instagram account.

Hootsuite also provides campaigns. Finding effective, budget-friendly tools is a challenge for most businesses, Hootsuite can help though. You can use campaigns to drive leads and increase engagement with your viewers. You can create a campaign through Hootsuite by clicking the campaigns option on the left side navigation bar. You can customize the page to your particular business needs. Keep in mind, does the prize you're offering justify the level of detail you are asking for? Add start and end dates. It might be a good idea to include a count down in order to encourage entries by creating a sense of urgency. Its also a good rule of thumb to let people cast one entry per day. It will keep dedicated fans coming back without overwhelming the campaign.

Until next time,

Caitlin Campbell

Exploring Hootsuite's App Directory

Hello Everybody,

This post is going to talk about Hootsuite's App Directory.

Hootsuite's app directory allows users to purchase and install apps that can be used to elevate your social media activities. This includes apps such as Gmail, Youtube, Instagram and over 100 more.

In order to access your app directory click on the puzzle piece icon that is shown in your left side navigation bar.

Apps are listed with ratings, reviews and short descriptions of the the app. Once you find an app that you would like to install, click on the install app button.

Once you do that you can pick the stream that you would like to add this app to.

And there you have it. You know how to navigate and use Hootsuite's App Directory.

Until next time,
Caitlin Campbell

Introduction to Social Listening

Hello Everybody

This post is going to cover Hootsuite's Introduction to Social Listening.

Hootsuite makes it easy to monitor keywords and search streams. You do this by adding streams. Search streams allow you to monitor a specific keyword and search queries. You can have 3 keywords for one stream. For Tiwtter streams you first select a Twitter profile to associate with this stream. Keywords can be phrases ("phrase) or hashtags (#phrase). This can be helpful in case someone doesn't use your official business hashtag or they spell your name differently, but you still want to see what people are saying.

You can also use Twitter lists to filter through social media noise. Lists allow you to monitor specific accounts. A private list is available to only you, which can be good for say a list of your competitors. You can also put your lists into groups. You can use Hootsuite to help you monitor your business's Instagram also. You can set up search streams around location and different hashtags. You can utilize this to comment and like people who support your brand.

Hootsuite also has more advanced streams. This is what they look like for each individual social media outlet.

Until next time,

Caitlin Campbell

Intro To Hootsuite Mobile

Hello Everybody,

Online keeps going even when people leave their desks. Hootsuite works on IOS and Android. Streams are grouped under you tabs on the home screen. You can use the red sign in order to delete streams and you can reorder by dragging and dropping. When viewing a social message you can, visit link, reply, re-tweet and favorite. More options are available such as reply all, email, tweet, and translate. Your profile includes besides your user handle is their timeline, mentions favorite and lists. Contacts show who you follow and who follows you. In preferences you can change your fonts. You can manage your social media content and conversations on the go. Respond to messages, review stats, and grow your audience. You can configure for the best personal experience.

Publishing messages via Hootsuite mobile App is easy. You just tap the upper right hand icon in order to compose. Then you can select which profiles you want to post to. While typing your message you can hit the location pin to include geo-tags. Hit the shrink icon when you are including a link, so as to not take up so many characters. Tap the camera button in order to snap a quick picture and include in your post. You can either publish immediately or schedule. And you can track your stats while connecting on the go.

Until next time,

Caitlin Campbell

Setting Up Your Dashboard

Hello Everyone,

Since last week we finished our text book on social media, I will be now writing about Hootsuite University. If you want to know what Hootsuite is from one of my previous posts, click here. This post will be addressing section 100 of Hootsuite University, Setting Up Your Dashboard.

The first part of setting up your dashboard is by adding your social media accounts into Hootsuite. In order to do this you go to stream, then add, then log into your account. Once logged in you'll never need to add that account again. Also you can add multiple accounts from the same network, for example, for Facebook you can add personal accounts and pages.

Next you add tabs. This is the easiest way to organize, its like a filing cabinet. You can organize it anyway that makes sense to you, by clients, competitors, whatever floats your boat. You hit the + sign to add a tab and enter a name. Then drag and drop that tab into any order that you prefer. In order to change the name you simply double click the tab.

Next you add streams. Use streams to organize how you monitor incoming content. These show as columns under each tab. You can have up to 10 different streams. You can have multiple accounts and streams all under one tab.

Last is navigating your user profile. Your member overview page is your central hub. It has your profile, your organization and all your accounts. You can click on your profile to edit your account info, like for example if one of your passwords for your social media changes. You can explore details of your teams, members and social networks.

Until next time,
Caitlin Campbell