Whenever I am asked about managing social media and scheduling tools I will always recommend Hootsuite; quickly adding that it looks complicated but it really isn’t before stating that you just need to go to the paper aeroplane and the rest is super simple.

However, just to confirm how simple Hootsuite is as a social media management tool I have put together this quick guide to using Hootsuite for your business.

Setting Up Hootsuite

To set up your account you need to the owl (top left) and click on add account then put in passwords and usernames for the accounts you want included in the program.

Now go to the paper aeroplane (publisher) down the left hand side;

Where To Post

If you would like to post one update to Twitter and Linkedin (for example) then go to the top left and it says ‘Send To’ click on the icons for Twitter and Linkedin to publish on those accounts.

What To Post

Now go to ‘compose your message’ and start typing, at the bottom of the box you will see the character limit so you can make sure you don’t go over the character limits of the social media platforms.

Include A Link

If you are linking back to a website, blog, etc then put the link in ‘add a link’ and it will shrink the link and insert it into your post – this means you will not use up too many of your characters in the character limit.

Add An Image

Social media posts with images are seen and engaged with more so click on the paperclip (attach media) and stick a picture on too.

Schedule It

Click on the calendar icon and chose a date and time for the post to go live and then click the blue schedule button and it will go live on the chosen social media platform, it will then show up below so you can work on one post (minimum) per day on each social media account and fill in any empty spaces.

That really is the basics of Hootsuite and how simple it can be to schedule your social media posts; however if you would like Hootsuite Training or help with social media management then just shout – we’ll be only too happy to help.