Beyond simply learning the platform, the most useful thing I learned from the Hootsuite Platform Certification Course was management skills. Remaining organized, thorough and equipped with a varied, skilled team are not only keys to success in Hootsuite, but also keys to success in social media.

By planning ahead with a clear goal in mind and a team that can execute as well as they can think on their feet, any social media team can achieve success. These lessons aren't exclusive to using Hootsuite, which I appreciated the most out of the entire course.

My favorite lesson of the course was about the Analytics tool, which I didn't know existed until I took this course! This class has made me absolutely obsessed with data, so I was delighted to see that Hootsuite included an Analytics tool! I loved the Dashboard feature as well because it's nice to have a cohesive set of statistics that happen in real-time.

I love, love, LOVED learning about how Hootsuite conducts campaigns. With the geo-searching tools and the control you can retain over each campaign, submissions and planning seem much easier than simply trying to Advanced Search your way through a branded hashtag.

I especially loved the control that Hootsuite allows over submissions. We all live in fear that our contests or campaigns will be co-opted by trolls, so Hootsuite's campaign interface allows for the greatest control over the overall message of the campaign.

Would I recommend this program to other students? Absolutely.

Not only are you learning one of the foremost tools in organizing and streamlining engagement on the biggest platforms, but also learning some key strategies for success in social media. This certification program teaches mindsets as much as tools and stresses that success can be achieved through a thorough, organized calendar with a well-coordinated team. You don't even need Hootsuite to take knowledge from these lessons, which really enhances the key takeaways.

As far as improvements go, I wish each course hadn't been exclusively video and allowed for more interaction with their platform. Perhaps it's because I'm more of a tactile learner, I had a difficult time remembering exactly which tools belonged where and found myself rewatching videos to try to place tools on the interface. If there were a few more interactive lessons, I feel as if that would help tremendously.

One thing I hope to become more familiar with on Hootsuite is Campaigns. Hootsuite has created such a manageable interface for creating, maintaining and monitoring campaigns; I really want to try one. I look forward to having some sort of Hootsuite usage in the future and making use of those tools!

On that note, I'm excited to add Hootsuite into the list of analytics tools I can use. Because Hootsuite has the analytics tool built in, it really creates a one-stop-shop for content creation and analysis. I haven't heard anyone's critique of Hootsuite's analytics tools, but it seems pretty extensive. It would be worth having another metric to measure content against and Hootsuite makes it incredibly convenient.

As for personal use, I believe Hootsuite will be becoming part of my core personal social media management. I tend to be a spammer because I work the majority of the day, so I get overexcited and try to fit a day's worth of content in an hour. I feel as if having Hootsuite would allow me to remain constant throughout the day, rather than spam my followers over a short period of time.