ICUC has employees all over the world, we speak many languages, we live in many different countries. We really are a universal entity, able to handle international clients in today’s global market. But ICUC’s roots are Canadian. Our CEO, Keith Bilious, is from Winnipeg – and it’s in Canada that our company started.
I bring this up because as a Canadian company, it’s particularly exciting for us to see other Canadians succeeding in the social media industry – and there are many! It might seem that a lot of social media news and innovation comes for the USA, but Canada is a very strong player in the industry as well.
This week there’s been so much news about Facebook’s IPO – an American company going public on the American stock market. And while it’s exciting to follow (it’s a story we’ve covered here at Snoo.ws), on Victoria Day – it’s nice to share some news about a fellow Canadian company that’s really making waves online and turning heads all across social spheres.
HootSuite is Canada’s current social media shining star as they’re celebrating a breakthrough year.
The Globe and Mail reported about how successful HootSuite’s been, and how it’s only on the rise – growing it users and worth.
HootSuite creates software that helps users manage multiple other social media platforms. Users can run their Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, and WordPress accounts all from one dashboard. Not only can you keep track of your various account, you can schedule posts, and use their analysis tools to get monitoring data.
I have my own paid HootSuite account (free accounts are great, trust me – but for a very small fee, you can manage even more accounts) – I use it to keep track of our ICUC Facebook and Twitter pages, as well as the WordPress account that powers this very blog (Snoo.ws). I use the same account for my personal Facebook, Twitter and WordPress as well, plus – you can have different tabs for Facebook pages and groups (I admin on several different Fb pages between work and my personal life).
HootSuite lets you view and manage so many platforms all in one place – it’s great. And my favorite feature? You can schedule content ahead of time. Yes, you read that right. You can schedule tweets or Facebook updates, and then choose a date and time in the future for when you want them to post.
It’s a great platform, and admittedly, I like it more than TweetDeck (which I never thought anything would beat TweetDeck).
So while Canadians are enjoying a holiday today, Victoria Day – let’s celebrate the success of a Canadian social standout, HootSuite!
Hootsuite has been accumulating an impressive amount of investments. According to The Globe and Mail, “In March, the company received $20-million in investments… Then earlier this month, TechCrunch, an influential Silicon Valley blog, reported that HootSuite is closing in on a $50-million round of investments,” (The Globe and Mail, 2012).
While the CEO, Ryan Holmes, is “calling these reports rumours,” he’s also confirming the company’s revenue run rate (a forecast based on current financial figures to estimate what could be earned over time) and says that HootSuite “would make a $500-million valuation fair for investors,” (Globe and Mail, 2012).
Yowza! That’s impressive.
That’s a ton of money coming in and that’s a lot of value for those investors.
It’s all especially impressive if you consider where HootSuite has built up from. A year ago the company had 35 employees, soon they’ll reach 250. It’s a lot of growth in a short amount of time.
“The company is set to hit six million users by the end of the year, with a paid client list that includes the Prime Minister’s Office, The White House, and two-thirds of the Fortune 100 companies,” (The Globe and Mail, 2012).
As I mentioned I have a paid account, I’m a rare breed. About 96% of the platform’s users have the free version. It’s worth every penny though, and I easily see why the company would have such a high estimated valuation. The tool is incredible. Teams can share accounts and thus collaborate together to manage social media accounts. In today’s world with so many places to check, log into, follow, and keep up with – having things organized and managed in one place is a godsend.
HootSuite is doing a great job of making Vancouver and all of Canada proud.
For me, an American, I love seeing a product I so enjoy and trust doing well. I like that others are appreciating HootSuite for all that it can do and it’s getting much deserved recognition. I work for a Canadian company, and since starting at ICUC I’ve learned a great deal about the many notable industry experts and companies that hail from Canada. Our neighbors to the north add a lot to this industry. It’s nice to see these companies gain recognition abroad, amongst American users, and around the whole world.
So to HootSuite, ICUC, all of our Canadian readers and friends – Happy Victoria Day! We hope you’ve enjoyed your long weekend, enjoyed time with friends and family or however you chose to celebrate – and cheers to HootSuite for all of their success and continued rise!
Image Sources:
HootSuite logo from Media Bistro
Canadian Flag heart from WebWeaver
(and then I just cropped them and put them side by side)
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