There Are Many Dashboards Available, But as a Marketer Which One Is Right For You?
In the world we live in today, as Marketers there are a variety of social media dashboards available online that can help manage and analyze a business’ social media accounts. Out of the many platforms available,
I will be discussing the features and costs of 3 in particular; Hootsuite, Buffer, and SproutSocial. As a discloser, I am a Certified Hootsuite Professional and use Hootsuite on a daily basis, thus I will try to not add any personal bias to the information below
Source: Hootsuite Media Kit: Brand Assets
Hootsuite: Is the most widely used social media relationship platform in the world. It is also being used by more than 10 million users. Hootsuite has created a strong reputation for creating a platform of users to track, manage and organize social media programs.
Can schedule your Tweets and Facebook posts to allow you to upload content at the optimal time
Target your posts with your customers based on their location, language or demographic
Monitor emerging trends in the community using conversation maps
Identify influencers and leads while creating or importing lists
Helps you visually see where and how your brand is growing across what profiles
Receive all the data and analytics in frequent easy to read reports
From a security standpoint, you can allow or revoke account access without giving confidential passwords away
Uses HTTPS on mobile to insure an always secure connection online
Click here to learn more in depth about Hootsuite's features
There are 3 Plans for Marketers to Choose from:
Free: Provides basic functions for the average user for personal use
Pro: Costs from $9.99/month and us great for small-to-medium sized businesses. A 30 day trial for Pro features is offered before paying upfront
Enterprise: Cost is customized for various entities, from corporations to organizations. These are larger entities looking for specific features on a larger scale compared to what Pro offers.
Social Media Platforms that can be connected:
Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Instagram, Sina Weibo and more.
Browsers: Safari, Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer
(Hootlet Extension will only work with Chrome and Firefox)
Mobile: iOS and Android apps available
Buffer: Is a newer entrant in the field of social media dashboards. Since its launch in 2010, Buffer has obtained just under 2 million users through its success in allowing users to easily schedule tweets.
Can write multiple posts at once while choosing which profiles they appear on (up to 150 profiles)
Buffer will spread your posts throughout the day to also maximize optimal timings
Shorten links in your tweets and Facebook posts, and can track those tweets afterwards
Can include more team members to help manage your profiles (Up to 25)
Click here to learn more about Buffer's additional features
There are 4 plans to choose from for Buffer:
Free and limited account scheduling
Small Business: Cost $50/month, for up to 25 accounts and 5 team members
Medium Business: Cost $100/month, for up to 50 accounts and 10 team members
Large Business/Agency: Cost $250/month, for up to 150 accounts and 25 team members
Social Media Platforms that can be connected:
Twitter, Facebook, Google+ Pages, LinkedIn, and App.net profiles,
Browsers: Safari, Chrome, and Firefox
Mobile: iOS and Android apps available
Buffer can also be connected and use with other apps and extensions such as IFTTT. For more information on this click here.
Source: SproutSocial Media Kit: Resources
SproutSocial: Is a social media management dashboard that allows its users to focus on the engagement and success of ones social programs. Through the use of publishing and detailed analytics, Sprout allows its users to get the most information out of their program and learn what is working and what is through various connected platforms such as Twitter and Facebook.
Seamlessly publish and schedule your posts across multiples social media platforms
Has a single stream inbox to help manage all of your messages and tasks
Offers unlimited reporting and exporting of all your account data
Offers keyword monitoring to help you know what people are saying about you
HelpDesk customer service integration to help you every step of the way
Allow partners access to work on accounts and work in real-time alongside them
Click here to learn more in-depth about all of their features
There are 3 different plans in regard to using SproutSocial, all three of these include a free 30 day trial.
Deluxe: Costs $59 per user/month, intended for managing up to 10 profiles
Premium: Costs $99 per user/month, intended for managing up to 20 profiles and also includes extra features such as HelpDesk
Team: Costs $500/month but is intended for 3 users, who are managing up to 30 profiles. This also includes 24/7 support and more advanced publishing permissions.
Social Media Platforms that can be connected:
Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and LinkedIn
Browsers: Safari, Chrome, Internet Explorer, and Firefox
Mobile: iOS (iPhone and iPad) and Android apps available
If there was anything that I missed that you feel was important please share that below, along with your opinions or experiences with either these or other dashboards that you have used below!
