PRESS RELEASES
HootSuite Goes Freemium — Premium Plans Added, Free Accounts Remain
August, 11 2010, VANCOUVER, CANADA — HootSuite release tiered premium plans for the popular social media dashboard as part of on-going growth. With the new packages, business and organizations can enjoy advanced features while most personal users can continue using free version.
HootSuite Media, Inc., announce the addition of premium plans for their flagship social media dashboard product. With this “freemium” model, business and organizational customers can utilize advanced tools for social campaign management and analytic reporting while users with simpler needs can continue using the tool at no cost.
Free or Premium
Beginning Wednesday, Aug. 11, all new HootSuite customers will be asked to choose a plan (including the free option) upon signing-up while existing customers will have a week to select their preferred package option.
The new packages are offered in several tiers starting at $4.99/mo. with various pricing levels to fit specific needs, up to an unlimited Enterprise-level package. All customers (Enterprise withstanding) will receive a 30-day free trial of their chosen plan.
CEO Ryan Holmes points out,
“We’ve listened closely to our customers including extensive surveying and data analysis, plus examined other companies using a freemium business model, and created a strategy which best serves our loyal customers while allowing HootSuite to continue to add innovative tools.”
Ready for Business
By signing up for the premium plans, customers will enjoy business-specific features including advanced analytics, team assignments, intelligence gathering tools, and unlimited social networks. Additionally, HootSuite’s social CRM tools will help businesses and organizations better understand their audience, target influencers, and increase reach.
The pricing levels are specifically designed to create ideal niches for customers ranging from start-ups and hobbyists, through to marketing agencies and fast-moving companies and organizations.
HootSuite Backgrounder
HootSuite’s flagship social media dashboard is used to post to over a million social accounts. Customers include a remarkable list of top brands, government agencies, savvy celebrities and major NGOs who choose HootSuite for the unique combination of business-critical features and intuitive web interface.
Along with a training program and mobile app sales, this offering will provide an additional revenue stream. The company has grown rapidly since raising Series-A funding in January from a group of partners led by Hearst Interactive. In the interim months, HootSuite released major upgrades including team collaboration, advanced analytics, and more social networks — adding Foursquare, Myspace to the existing Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, WordPress and Ping.fm integrations.
Additionally, the company added an Android mobile version to complement the iPhone app which features industry-first localizations and translation tools. The company has also announced forthcoming versions for Blackberry and iPad.