WSI Internet Franchise Blog

With the free version of CoTweet on its way out Feb. 15^th, it’s time to look at a few Twitter dashboard alternatives for your social media plan. 

Simply using Twitter in its organic form is not enough to operate your social media strategy to its full potential. Many Twitter users use a Twitter dashboard like Cotweet to schedule tweets for a later date, monitor retweet analytics and run various accounts from one place. However, last week CoTweet announced that they are switching to a paid service on February 15^th. Cotweet is not the end-all-be-all in the Twitter dashboard world. Perhaps it’s time to find an alternate tool for your tweeting needs.

Here are three free (for now!) Twitter dashboard options to replace CoTweet in your digital marketing plan:  

HootSuite
This is probably one of the more popular dashboards in this list. It enables you to connect up to 5 Twitter profiles on one dashboard, and published tweets to outside accounts including LinkedIn, Google+, Facebook and Foursquare (to name a few). You can even schedule tweets to send out at a later date.
Con: Cannot access Flickr photos.

Seesmic
One of the best aspects on Seesmic is its compatibility. Not only can you use it on all mobile platforms, but all browsers as well. Other points are the scheduling aspect (although most have this, too) and the saved keyword searches function.
Con: No analytics included in the dashboard.  

SocialBro
It may not be the most well-known dashboard on the list, but recent changes have made it one to definitely take a second look at. With SocialBro, you can not only check your own stats, but those of your competitors. And looking for a reciprocal Twitter relationship? Check the list to see who’s not following you back.  The function that could prove most helpful to your strategy is a graph that shows the best times to tweet. A great tool for those new to Twitter!
Cons: Up until recently the major flaw with SocialBro was the lack of analytics. However, just last week they announced the addition of real-time analytics. 

If you’re looking at making a bigger splash in the social media pond, make sure you contact a WSI Internet Consultant to get you on the right digital marketing path.