Quick Start Guide for Hootsuite

In two of my previous "Social Media Marketing" blog posts I wrote about Hootsuite. I gave a background of what Hootsuite is and how it can make life easier for someone. I then briefly blogged about how to set up a Hootsuite account. In this blog post I am going to further write about Hootsuite, and I am going to give you steps that will help you successfully manage your social networks in the Hootsuite dashboard.

1. Create a Hootsuite account
To create a Hootsuite account, click the following link: https://hootsuite.com/ and then click Sign Up in the top right corner of the page. You should then click the "Get Started" button and  select the plan that best fits your needs. Lastly, you will be requested to enter your information and follow the prompts to connect social networks, add streams, and send messages.

2. Add social networks
Adding your social profiles will allow you to publish and schedule content, and monitor engagement all from your Hootsuite dashboard. Hootsuite allows you to add up to three social networks to manage on your account. To add social networks to your dashboard, click "Streams" from the launch menu, and then click "Add Social Network". When you click "Add Social Network" it will give you a list to select from to add your social networks. So, pick which your networks that you want to connect and you will be ready to manage your dashboard.

3. Set up tabs and streams
Now that you have finished adding your social networks to your dashboard, you can set up streams for each network so you can monitor content. Each social network has its own unique stream type. Tabs will help you organize your steams into groups.

4. Publish messages
If you want to engage your audience and gain more followers, you should definitely think about setting a schedule to post messages regularly. Hootsuite will save you time because you will be able to post a single message to multiple networks at once. To post a message, click "Compose Message", enter your message in the compose box, and then click "Send Now".

5. Install Apps
To install any apps you may want or need, select the App Directory from the launch menu. You will then need to click "Install App" next to the app, and then click "Finish" to install it.

6. Download Hootlet
Installing Hootlet will allows you to quickly share content to your social networks from anywhere on the web. Learn more about Hootlet by clicking the following link: https://help.hootsuite.com/hc/en-us/articles/204585060-Share-content-with-Hootlet 

7. Download Hootsuite mobile
If you want to manage social media on a smart phone, you can download the Hootsuite mobile apps for android and apple. These can be downloaded from your device's app store.