Hootsuite vs. Oktopost vs. buffer 2.0

As the need for knowledge of social media automation tools has increased over the past few months, we’ve decided an update was in order. Whether you’re a B2B or B2C marketer, a freelancer or a corporate marketing agency, social media management has become one of the core priorities for marketers in every industry.

You already know the importance of having an active presence of the most popular social media platforms. The real question is, do you know how to manage those platforms properly and effectively to get the most out of them?  

Managing your various social networks simultaneously can be quite the challenge, but that’s where social media management and automation tools come in. These tools allow you to pre-schedule all of your social posts, reply to messages on social and monitor all of your social accounts in one place.  

Believe it or not, before we became Hubspot masters (and Platinum partners!) we actually used a variety of social media automation tools. Before we were a strictly B2B marketing agency, we used Hootsuite for our B2C clientele, Oktopost (pronounced Oc-ta-post and not OK-to-post) for B2B and Buffer for either, depending on the circumstance.

Today, we’re converted HubSpotters, but that doesn’t mean we don’t know our way around other platforms. Other sites have compared Buffer and Hootsuite, but what about how they compare against Oktopost? Here's an updated comparison: 

HOOTSUITE

HootSuite empowers organizations to increase engagement with and awareness of their brand. It does this via the use of clear communication of social media profile activity, analytics, scheduling of messages, app integration and excellent tech support.

It is a true social media channel management system that allows users to collaborate and execute social media campaigns across a host of social media networks using a solitary web-based dashboard

Pricing: For individuals, HootSuite is FREE with powerful but limited functionality.

For small businesses, a subscription runs $9.99/mont

HootSuite also has an enterprise offering which is great for corporations and organizations. Check the website for different options.

Supported Social Networks: Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, Foursquare, WordPress, Mixi

Pros

• One dashboard allows you to manage all social networks in one place

• Mobile apps are top notch and plentiful

• Customized analytics provide info from Facebook Insight and Google analytics

• You can collaborate as a team (delegate replies, tweets, mark as done, track messages, etc.)

• RSS integration (post updates from an RSS feed)

• Helpful and comprehensive support pages and friendly customer support team

• Easy message scheduling (including from within “Calendar View” and even uploaded from a spreadsheet)

Cons

• Must pay for vanity URL shortening

• Analytics reports can be expensive

• Must use HootSuite's branded URL shortening tool

• Clicking on each tab to see your social media channels doesn't make the experience as fluid as It should be

• Image problems when posting or sharing links to their Facebook pages when using RSS feeds or the bulk scheduler. 
  

OKTOPOST

While HootSuite was built from the ground up for B2C, Oktopost focuses on B2B.

The platform allows for easy comment tracking and makes it easy to engage from within the dashboard. Lead generation is just one place where Oktopost shines. Oktopost also provides detailed analytics, which includes traffic activity on posts and highlights which ones are generating the most traffic and conversions. This enables marketers to track social leads all the way from the users' first click to conversion.

Pricing:

Companies are offered the Basic plan for $65 a month. The Basic+ and Business plans start at $145 and $560 per month, respectively. All the plans come with a FREE 30-day trial, during which time, no credit card information is required.

For an Enterprise plan contact Oktopost for more information.

Supported Social Networks: Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn

Pros

• The ability to create custom messages for varied networks (allowing for tailoring and relevance)

• Scheduling is super simple and allows for greater flexibility than other comparable platforms

• Lead monitoring and generation allows you to see which leads came from which network and the exact message that generated those leads.

• Integration with CRM and marketing automation platforms, such as Salesforce, Marketo and Act-On.

Cons

• Subpar at tracking conversations started by others

• Cannot post to LinkedIn groups

• There a very few learning resources and support documents

• The analytics dashboard is not highly intuitive

• Setting up the social leads function can be difficult for some users

• If you are looking to share a piece of content across multiple channels at the same time, you have to copy and paste the post for each platform

BUFFER

Buffer saves you a lot of time by handing post scheduling automatically. The platform is excellent for sharing your Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn messages using the web-based dashboard or via your mobile device.

The platform works great with such tools as Feedly and allows for easy sharing. You can preconfigure your scheduling time by time zone and Buffer automatically schedules your posts. Scheduling is also highly customizable, allowing you to change posting schedules using drag and drop.

Pricing:

The FREE Buffer plan allows you to schedule posts, but there is a limit. Individual plans start at $10 per month. Business plans start at $50 per month for 25 social accounts and 5 team members. 

Supported Social Networks: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+

Pros

• Easily integrated into your Twitter activities

• User-friendly platform

• Maximize your Twitter posting consistency

• Efficient tool to help drive traffic and increase link sharing

Cons

• Lack of cooperation between buffer-app and developers to streamline social media use

• No ability to target Facebook posts

• Reports are limited

• No notifications or ability to interact with users

As every business operates differently, it will be up to you to choose the tool that works best. Hopefully this post will help narrow down the search for a social media automation tool and help you choose the best platform for your goals and budget. But don’t be surprised if your Goldielocks, just-right tool doesn’t appear on this list. (Cough, cough, HubSpot, cough cough)