How to Use Hootsuite’s Batch Upload Tool to Save Time
Are you a loyal Hootsuite fan? I know I am. If you’re a social media account manager of any kind, Hootsuite is life-changing. (If you haven’t yet discovered Hootsuite, read our introduction to Hootsuite post here.) The ease with which you can monitor, schedule and plan for social is amazing. I thought I was using Hootsuite to its full capacity, but it turns out…I was wrong.
Up until last month, I had never truly used Hootsuite’s batch upload tool. I would create my monthly social calendars, and then spend various amounts of time (depending on the frequency of social) copying and pasting the scheduled posts into my Hoosuite dashboard. It wasn’t until I dedicated a focused effort to understanding the batch upload tool that I was able to make it work for me. But, when it did work…it saved me even more time.
There’s a little bit of a learning curve, but I’ll help you through that right now. Read on to learn how to use Hootsuite’s batch upload tool to save time.
How to Use Hootsuite’s Batch Upload Tool to Save Time
Step One
The very first step is to head to Hootsuite and download this guide. Once you’ve done that, you’ll have the exact formatting you need for the batch upload tool to work right in front of your eyes.
Because that’s the hard part: formatting your social calendar in Excel so that Hootsuite will accept the upload. Honestly, that will be the hardest part of this whole process. My advice? Download that guide, open it, and create next month’s social calendar right in that guide. That way, you know you have it done correctly.
Then, the next time you go to create a social editorial calendar, use the version you created as a template going forward. It boils down to this: formatting the first time will be a pain and a hassle, but once you’ve done it once, you won’t have to deal with it again.
Step Two
Once your social calendar is written out and properly formatted, all you have to do is upload the spreadsheet. You’ll know right away if you messed something up – red errors will pop up, and you won’t be able to upload the spreadsheet until they are resolved. If, however, you created the perfect spreadsheet, your work is done after you’ve uploaded it. All your social is now scheduled.
Pros & Cons
As much as I’m all for the batch upload tool, you’ll want to know a couple “cons” right off the bat. My number one issue with the tool: you can’t upload pictures. So, if any of your social posts have an accompanying photo (as mine do), you’ll have to go in later and manually attach the photos. A huge bummer, I know.
Secondly, you can’t have any repeat posts. If you like to send out tweets multiple time, you’ll have trouble with this.
Now for some “pros”: You’ll save so much time!
That’s it. That’s all there is. Why else would you use the tool anyway?
Go on, try it out. Let me know how it works (or doesn’t) for your next social editorial calendar!