Hootsuite & Facebook: 8 Typical Problems (Solved)

The integration of Facebook and Hootsuite is one of the most-used features by social media teams.

But sometimes, there may be issues that come up when using Hootsuite and Facebook together, which might affect your workflow or posting abilities.

Here is a list of eight problems you may encounter when using Hootsuite and Facebook together. 

1. How Do You Link Hootsuite to Facebook Properly?

The first step to linking Hootsuite and Facebook is to add your Facebook account.

• On Hootsuite, go to My Profile and click on Social networks and teams.
• Click on Manage, and a window will appear that will let you choose social media platforms you can add.
• Select Facebook, and click Connect with Facebook.
• From here, you will log into the account that has access to the profile you wish to link with Hootsuite.
• Once logged in, Facebook will ask you if you want to grant access to Hootsuite. Allow access.
• Click Add beside the Pages, groups, and profiles you want to on your Hootsuite account.
• Click Done.

Note that in order to add a Facebook page or group, you must have admin privileges for the page or group.

2. How Do You Add the Hootsuite App to a Facebook Group?

Here is how you add the Hoosuite App to a Facebook group:

• Go to the Facebook group you want to add to Hootsuite.
• Below the cover photo of the group, click on More.
• Click Edit Group Settings.
• Go to the Apps section, then click Add Apps.
• Look for Hootsuite, click on Add, then select Done.

3. What Are the Typical Reasons Hootsuite Cannot Post to Facebook?

If you are unable to post to your Facebook account via Hootsuite, you may be experiencing these issues:

Non-support for Facebook profiles

You may run into this issue if you are trying to post to a personal profile. Hootsuite can no longer post to personal profiles due to the updated privacy policies implemented by Facebook in 2018.

Hootsuite can only post to Facebook groups and pages. 

Lack of posting privileges

For Facebook pages and groups, make sure you have at least editor or admin privileges. Double-check your permissions on your Facebook pages.

Facebook disconnects from Hootsuite

You cannot post to Facebook if it disconnects from Hootsuite.

Facebook disconnects itself from Hootsuite when:

• You change the password of your Facebook account. If you change passwords on Facebook, Hootsuite will detect this change and automatically disconnect. You will need to re-enter your log-in credentials to use Facebook with Hootsuite again.
• Security Tokens have expired. Facebook “issues” Security Tokens to services like Hootsuite, which allows it to access Facebook. These have a particular period of validity, after which you need to enter your credentials to continue using Facebook with Hootsuite. Facebook usually unlinks itself from Hootsuite after 60 days, after which you will need to log in again.  

Facebook muted or suspended your Page

You won’t be able to post to your page or group if Facebook suspends your account.

This scenario usually happens when:

• Your account has been exhibiting behavior perceived as inauthentic or suspicious. This includes spamming or excessive posting of similar content. Facebook can suspend accounts that exhibit this kind of behavior.
• You get flagged for posting offensive content. There are cases when Facebook profiles or pages get muted after being flagged for posting offensive content that violates its policies.

You posted content that violates copyright laws

Be careful when using photos found on the web, especially if you are posting to a business account.

Make sure the content you post is original or that you have the consent of the creator. If you don’t have consent, creators have reason to file a complaint that can result in the suspension or even deactivation of your account.

If the profile associated with a page or group is suspended or deactivated, you will not be able to access any other groups or pages you manage.

Remember that these suspensions happen as a result of reporting. So, if your audience tags you as spam, chances are, you will be muted by Facebook.

4. How Do You Set Facebook’s Hootsuite permissions?

You must have Facebook permissions set up to accept Hootsuite’s integration.

Follow these steps to make sure you have granted the correct permissions:

• Go to your account’s Settings
• Go to Business Integrations
• Look for Hootsuite and click View and Edit beside it

Enable all permissions related to pages. If you use Hootsuite for more than one page, make sure that those pages are selected.

5. Do I Need to Authorize Hootsuite’s Access to Facebook?

You must authorize Hootsuite to access to your Facebook page. If you do not, you cannot integrate Facebook and Hootsuite.

Linking your personal Facebook profile is the first and most crucial authorization you grant to Hootsuite because you cannot add the pages or groups you manage without linking your personal profile.

However, note that once you have added all the pages you want to manage, you can remove your personal profile from the Dashboard.

6. Why Is Hootsuite Not Showing All My Facebook Pages?

Here are possible reasons your Facebook Pages aren’t showing up on Hootsuite:

You might not have granted Hootsuite all the permissions that it needs to work with Facebook. You may have missed a step somewhere during the integration.

To rectify this, follow these steps:

• Log out of Facebook, and remove it from Hootsuite. You will need to redo the adding and authorization between Facebook and Hootsuite.
• Then go to your Facebook account Settings and go to Business Integrations
• Look for Hootsuite, and click View and Edit.
• Double-check the permissions needed for all Pages are toggled to on.

Note that you must have an admin role for Pages to be added to Hootsuite.

7. How Do You Set Up Facebook Scheduling with Hootsuite?

Scheduling on Facebook and other social media platforms is one of the cornerstone features of Hootsuite.

It makes your workflow more efficient, as it is incredibly convenient to be able to schedule your social media posts in advance.

To setup Facebook scheduling with Hootsuite, follow these steps:

• Begin by clicking the Create Post icon on the left side of the Dashboard.
• Select Facebook, add your text and image, and click on Schedule for Later.
• Choose the date and time you want your post to appear.

If you want to check your scheduled posts, click on the Publisher on the left side of the Dashboard.

From here, you can access your calendar of content, drafts, posts that need approval, and content that has not published. You can edit your scheduled posts from this section.

There is also an Auto-Schedule function available, which schedules your posts based on an algorithm and is available for paid subscriptions on Hootsuite.

8. Why Are My Hootsuite Posts Not Showing up on Facebook?

There may be times that your posts did not get published as anticipated.

The first thing you need to check is the Publisher and look for the post that failed to send.

Posts that failed to send are marked in red. Click on it, and you will see the reason why it failed to publish. You can make corrections and then publish or reschedule the post.

If the post you are looking for is not in the Publisher, the next thing you may want to check is if the social network platform is connected to Hootsuite.

As pointed out before, some social networks disconnect automatically when updates are made or when you make password changes to your account. To resolve this, you need to re-add Facebook to Hootsuite.

You should also check if the post is a duplicate. The algorithms of Facebook can detect if a post is a duplicate. Duplicate posts can sometimes be flagged as spam content, even when spaced hours apart. That might be the reason why your post goes missing.

To resolve this, you need to make your content as unique as possible when posting, even when publishing to different platforms.

Try to tailor-fit your content to match your audiences on each platform. Localize it, so it becomes more personal.

Lastly, Facebook will remove abusive content. 

There are instances when the algorithm of Facebook misunderstands your content and flags it as abusive. You may want to review the terms and conditions of Facebook for publishing content.

If you think that Facebook erred in removing your content, you can reach out to them to reconsider the rejected post. 

Final Thoughts

These common issues that crop up between Facebook and Hootsuite are resolvable, for the most part.

While there may be limitations on what you can do on Facebook through the Hootsuite platform, these are a result of updated policies implemented to protect the rights of users.

If you want to know more about Facebook and Hootsuite integrations, you can read the article Hootsuite & Facebook | 23 Answers You Should Know.

 

Sources:

Troubleshoot a scheduled post failure

Add a Facebook account