Using Hootsuite's New Suggestions Feature
DIY Sprocket Solutions
Hootsuite recently launched a new feature they are referring to as "Suggestions". This new feature gives users the ability to get a weeks worth of content suggestions tailored to each specific social media account that users have tied in to their Hootsuite account. It was advertised within Hootsuite as a new feature designed to save time and to find the best articles possible to share at the best times possible. Those of us who have been poking around with it here or there over the past few weeks have learned that the Suggestions' beta period is now closing. The new rules following that beta period are that users can share 10 articles per week or upgrade their accounts for unlimited shares. So, is it worth upgrading to unlimited? And, what has my experience with Suggestions been?
First, lets go over exactly what this feature is and how you use it. These "suggestions" are content, generated by Hootsuite, put together in the form of posts that are customized to your specific social media accounts and scheduled to go out at the best possible time. When you log in to Hootsuite, you go in to Publisher, click on Suggestions, and choose the account that you would like to generate suggested content for. Suggestions will then generate posts (5 per day for a week) that you have the ability to schedule:
You also have the option of selecting a suggested post and clicking "replace" to replace it with a new generated post. You can then click "edit" to go in to the specific suggested post and edit the wording, add photos and links, etc. before you schedule it to go out. Additionally, you do not have to schedule the post at the exact moment that it is suggesting you to send it out. You can change the day/time it is scheduled to post.
My experience has been a positive one in that the feature is extremely easy to use and pretty self explanatory. The posts are written well, the links are easy to access, and editing posts is very simple. It's fool proof really. My hesitation with upgrading an account for this feature is that, in my experience, I didn't want to use many of their suggested posts. I did use a few suggested posts here or there and I used that to help beef up my normal posting schedule. However, because it's automated, it's not necessarily going to be content that you yourself would go in and select for your account. I think a lot of buzz words are picked up but, just because buzz words are included, doesn't mean it's a post you would choose to use for your brand.
For example here, I would possibly use the first three suggestions for posts after I modified them, but I wouldn't use the last two for this account:
I really do think though that it does depend on the way that you use your account. It is a great tool for finding additional relevant content. You just then have to weed through that content and get rid of the posts not worth keeping. If you use Hootsuite for multiple accounts, and you are having trouble finding content to post, I would highly recommend upgrading to the unlimited version. However, I think that you should be diligent in looking through the suggested content before you schedule it and I think that you should edit posts to add hashtags, any additional links/photos/texts, etc. Use this as a big help and boost to your posting -don't use this to do all of the work for you. I think if you use it correctly, it will really beef up your content posting. If used incorrectly, you will eventually come across like a robot to your followers.
Just my two cents.
Anyone else been using Suggestions during its beta period? What did you think? If I haven't addressed something, or you have any questions, please feel free to comment below!
Breanne Bannon
Breanne is a Content Writer, Social Media Marketeer, and Sales Associate for Sprocket Websites.
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