Social media, the phenomenon once dismissed by tech pundits, is now the space in which much of the internet crowd thrives on. From humble beginnings as a means to connect with friends and family to a marketing & advertisement juggernaut, social media has weaved itself into the fabric of daily life.
Businesses, big & small, are using social media marketing software to find new leads, communicate with their followers and patrons, and, resolve customer problems quickly.
While large-scale organizations and conglomerates have the means to use multiple social media marketing software to manage their different social media verticals, small businesses can’t say the same. A mix of limited budget and smaller requirements makes it difficult for small businesses to find a solution that ticks all of their boxes.
Small companies don’t have the luxury to simultaneously run multiple social media management solutions and have to be frugal about what they spend on and how they do so.
To help them decide, we are comparing two premium social media marketing software, Buffer & Hootsuite, to establish the solution best suited to small business needs. Before we get to their specifics, let’s first go through what each of these solutions are.
| Buffer | Hootsuite |
| Established and launched in 2010, Buffer is a social media management suite that helps users manage their social media accounts through a single dashboard, schedule posts for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, Pinterest, and LinkedIn, and, analyze social media traffic results and engage with their community. | Hootsuite was launched in 2008 and supports social network integration for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Google+, YouTube, Reddit, Storify, Tumblr, and Marketo. It comes with a social media management dashboard that allows users to manage multiple social media pages and plugins simultaneously. |
For a clearer understanding of both these applications, we will dissect their performance against three key factors- UI & UX, Price &, Features. These will help you get a grasp on their functionality, advantages & disadvantages.
| Buffer | Hootsuite |
| Buffer’s clean interface makes it easier to navigate around & explore its features. Super clean, minimalist & simple design makes Buffer a great solution for those seeking something that’s easy on the eye. However, it does lose out on some key functionalities which Hootsuite offers. | There are a lot of things that are great about Hootsuite, but the interface isn’t one of them. On first impression, the Hootsuite dashboard looks cluttered with a very uninspired design template. However, don’t let that distract you from the myriad of features on display. Hootsuite lets you schedule posts & messages. It comes with the added ability to add in your Freshdesk feed. |
| Buffer | Hootsuite |
| Buffer offers a limited free plan for individual use, which allows a maximum of 3 social profiles to be added & operated using Buffer. Their paid plans for business & individual use offer more accounts to be linked, social analytics & other features. The most expensive plan for businesses is priced at $399/month and comes with a host of features. | Hootsuite also comes with a free plan for individual use. With the free plan, a user can link up to three social profiles. The paid plans offered by Hootsuite start at Rs 1260/month for a single user and go up to Rs 45000/month for team usage. Hootsuite also offers businesses to go for customized solutions, the pricing of which depends on a company/user’s need. You can also check out some of the best Hootsuite Alternatives. |
Buffer: With Buffer, users get a simple and streamlined application, primarily used for scheduling social posts. Buffer’s platform support is limited, which can be a deterrence for some folks. They do have a host of features supporting posting automation & tracking.
Another hindrance that Buffer has is the inability of users to engage with their audience using this application. Social analytics are only available for posts and not for profiles, making CRM & marketing automation software integration moot.
Although Buffer does lack some of the cool features that Hootsuite offers, it is by no means a bad tool. Key add-on features of Buffer include the ability to make calendars that highlight posting schedules, browser extensions to share relevant content &, and Pablo- an extension to create your own shareable images with overlaid text.
Hootsuite: Hootsuite is like a well-designed complex maze. It can be very difficult to navigate sometimes but it offers virtually unlimited possibilities. Hootsuite not only lets you schedule posts but to analyse them, interact ad engage with followers using the dashboard, and assign tasks to team members.
Some of the advanced add-on features of Hootsuite include Geosearch- a tool to track trending topics by geo-mapping, Hootlet- a feature that lets you mark and share interesting content &, Hootsuite Campaigns- a tool to build campaigns with features such as sweepstakes and photo galleries.
Buffer allows users to link multiple accounts on Twitter, Facebook (personal & business pages), LinkedIn (profiles & company pages), LinkedIn groups, Google+ pages, and more. Buffer comes with an intuitive, sparsely designed clean interface which can also be run on Android and iOS-based devices.
Buffer’s analytics tools can be used by both layman & social media virtuoso. With Buffer, getting insights on comments, likes, clicks and shares on social posts is a simple process. Its scheduling feature allows users to manage their social accounts and schedule posts with minimum effort.
Hootsuite offers a free 30-day trial for business use. It can be used to manage & post on Twitter Facebook, LinkedIn, Foursquare, WordPress, MySpace, Tumblr, Google+, and YouTube. Free users can connect up to five social media profiles and a maximum of two RSS feeds to their Hootsuite account.
Hootsuite allows users to create separate tabs for their various social media accounts & feeds on the dashboard. It also supports keyword tracking, with which users can keep up with business trends across different social media networks. Hootsuite’s analytics feature can also create professional-looking reports for internal use & clients.
While Buffer & Hootsuite are fantastic social media management solutions with a whole bunch of awesome features, they are not suited to everyone’s needs.
Buffer is more suited to small business needs due to its simplicity. Small businesses that are looking for a solution to schedule posts should consider opting for Buffer.
On the other hand, Hootsuite offers more complexity and features which makes it the perfect solution for companies with a big social media presence and a large team managing the same. Hootsuite runs best with a dedicated marketing team that can be harnessing all of its diverse capabilities.
Have you tried using Buffer and/or Hootsuite? If you have, would you mind sharing your experience of using the same? Did you face any problems? Are there any tips or tricks you know that can enhance the user experience? Let us know in the comments below.
Suggested Read: Buffer vs. Hootsuite: Which Tool for Social Media Management Tool is Best?
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