Hootsuite Goes Freemium! What!!!
Changing the Rules of The Game
My favorite tool to manage multiple Twitter accounts is @Hootsuite.
Today while reading Mashable I read that as of next week they will be changing their stucture into a Freemium model.
They will offer 30-day trial option for the service’s Pro Plans which offer a variety of Premium features as an ad-free UI, enhanced, stats, ans multiple RSS feeds, social Networks, and team members.
I am all for great products being succesful and becoming profitable but I do think that their pricing structure is way off. For people that had unlimited service to have to pay almost $99.99 dollars a month is a long way to go. Also the Silver Package which provides very few options is 4 times as much as the Bronze version.
My suggestions for @Hootsuite:
- Make sure you don’t forget about your Early Adopters and Fans (Like Me). Maybe offering a discount if you have been using their platform already.
- Close in the Gap of the free services provided and the services that you will have to pay. Take a look at their pricing structure and restructure it.
- Increase the Number of Team Members on every plan. (I am not sure if a team members will have to pay for an extra account or if it will only allow you to assign team members to the accounts).
- Next time give more time to notify your existing users.
- Be careful when you change the rules of the game in the middle of it.
I would really like to have the opportunity to get a better pricing on the service so I can keep enjoying it.
I already had some of my friends RT my first tweet on the subject please feel to RT them.
RT @ConsultantRC: I think @hootsuite should make special pricing for long time users. Make sure to take care of your early implem < Agree!
— Patricia Gallardo (@PatyGallardo) August 12, 2010