Hootsuite & Power BI | 9 Things You Should Know (Explained)

Data interpretation is probably one of the hardest things to master about social media. Analyzing your social media data, like reach and impact, can be confusing, but it’s important.

Even with tools like Hootsuite’s Analytics and Insights, these data sets can still be intimidating.

Luckily, tools like Power BI help you manage the data you encounter on social media.

Here Are Some Things to Know about Hootsuite and Power BI:

Hootsuite is a social media management tool, while Microsoft’s Power BI is a Business Intelligence (BI) tool that helps users digest data in an easy-to-understand format. While they do not integrate with each other, they can be used in tandem to help businesses understand their social media data. 

1. What is Business Intelligence?

Business Intelligence, or BI, is defined as a system that reports data as easy-to-digest insights that can help decision-makers operate their business and make informed choices

BI systems often take data sets and translate them into visuals such as charts, graphs, and other visual data representations that help marketers and analysts understand and compare figures.

One of the notable providers of BI systems on the market is Power BI, made by Microsoft.

2. Does Hootsuite Work with Microsoft’s Power BI?

While the two services do not directly integrate, you can export your data sets from Hootsuite Analytics and Insights and import them into Microsoft Power BI.

Power BI can recognize CSV and Excel spreadsheets, which Hootsuite can export from its Dashboard.

3. Does Hootsuite Do Business Intelligence and Analytics?

Hootsuite does not explicitly say whether it can do Business Intelligence or not.

However, Hootsuite has Analytics and Insights which, when combined, have a strong semblance to Business Intelligence.

If you look at the Dashboard for Analytics or Insights, you will find templates that let you visualize your data so that they are ready for submission to your clients or colleagues.

This function may not be called Business Intelligence directly, but it is a form of it.

4. Does Hootsuite Integrate Directly with Power BI?

Hootsuite does not directly integrate with Power BI.

Power BI cannot pull data directly from Hootsuite. But Power BI can read data that comes from Hootsuite.

As mentioned earlier in this article, you can export data from Hootsuite as Excel spreadsheets or CSV files and import them to Power BI.

Now, if you really want to integrate Hootsuite with Power BI, you can consider using a third-party service such as Link.io to create this integration. But be advised that this attempt at integrating may have some issues, particularly with Facebook, due to updated privacy settings.

Here are few facts in our article that you should know about Hootsuite & Proofpoint

5. Do People Typically Use Power BI and Hootsuite Together?

According to a survey conducted by the Power BI team, there are a lot of people who want to use Power BI and Hootsuite together.

These people are most likely hoping to be able to seamlessly take the data from Hootsuite and import it to Power BI.

People are definitely using both Hootsuite and Power BI together, but since the two services don’t integrate, they must use them independently of each other.

Most likely, people are downloading the data from Hootsuite onto a spreadsheet, then uploading that spreadsheet to Power BI. It’s not elegant, but it’s the best option! 

6. Is Hootsuite or Power BI Better at Interpreting Data?

Power BI gives you more options for interpreting your social media data.

You might not get real-time updates as you would with other systems, but Power BI has some great tools.

Because Hootsuite’s main purpose is to perform as a social media manager, it makes sense that Power BI, which is expressly for interpreting data, would give you more impressive results in that realm.

7. Are There any Known Bugs between Power BI and Hootsuite?

There are no known bugs between Power BI and Hootsuite, and there are no reported issues involving importing data from the social media platform to Power BI. 

8. What Business Intelligence Software Do People Typically Use with Hootsuite?

The most-used Business Intelligence system with Hootsuite is the default tools offered by Hootsuite’s Analytics and Insights.

Another Business Intelligence tool that works with Hootsuite is Marketo, although this integration is geared more toward exporting data for customer relationship management (CRM).

Check out our article Hootsuite & Marketo: 7 Things You Should Know for more information. 

9. What Marketing Tools Does Power BI Work with?

Power BI has integrations with other marketing tools. Here are some of them:

Salesforce

Power BI is known to work with Salesforce, a holistic marketing tool that offers social media management, CRM, and other marketing tools that enhance workflow.

With the Power BI integration, you can import your Analytics reports from Salesforce so that you can create visually-driven data sets that are easier to appreciate.

You can learn more about Hootsuite and Salesforce in our article Hootsuite & Salesforce | 10 Answers You Should Know.  

Mailchimp

Power BI integrates with the popular email marketing software Mailchimp and generates a dashboard with all your campaign data.

Power BI uses data Mailchimp Analytics to help you understand the trends in your email campaigns and subscriber actions.

You can learn about how Hootsuite works with Mailchimp in our article Hootsuite & Mailchimp | 9 Things You Should Know (Explained).

Dynamics CRM

Not to be left behind in integrations is Power BI’s sibling, Dynamics CRM.

Power BI integrates with Dynamics CRM to help you gather data from the latter’s system.

Dynamics CRM also offers social media publishing, so Power BI can provide a meaningful interpretation of your social assets’ performance.

Dynamics CRM, among the services listed here, is the closest to Hootsuite, as it is the only one capable of providing social media management.

Final Thoughts

Considering the limitations of lower-tiered Hootsuite accounts when accessing analytics data, using Hootsuite with Power BI can help companies better understand their social-media data. 

 

Sources:

What is Power BI

What is Business Intelligence

Hootsuite Analytics and Measurement Tools: An Overview