Zoho Social Review: A Better Way to Manage a Brand

Zoho Social Review: A Better Way to Manage a Brand
9
Features
9
UI/UX
9
Support
9
Trust
Our Rating
4.5 / 5
Networks
Instagram
Facebook
LinkedIn
Twitter
Youtube
Support
Email
Live Chat
Telephone

Price Plans

  • Standard $10/mo

  • Professional $25/mo

  • Agency $200/mo

  • Agency Plus $300/mo

Free Version

Yes

Free Trial

Yes
  • Web-Based

  • Android

  • iPhone/iPad

  • Credit Card

Starter package

Standard $10/mo

Zoho Social Review: In-Depth

Zoho Social is one of the leading social media management software. It helps brands tailor their marketing efforts and campaigns to target audiences. Thanks to automation tools, teams can spend less time scheduling content and more time creating it. Businesses can get started in under a minute, so check out this review first.

Key Features

Zoho Social is mobile-compatible and has a Chrome extension so brands can upload with ease. There are also plenty of collaboration features. A unified inbox app allows team members to respond to comments in real-time across all channels. The software offers repeat posts and shortened links to cut down on content creation time.

  • Auto-Scheduling
  • Content Queues
  • Keyword Tracking
  • Multi-Channel Marketing
  • Real-Time Reports
  • Roles & Permissions

Zoho Social Review: Background Information

Zoho Social was founded in 1996 by Sridhar Vembu and Tony Thomas. The software focuses on information technology and business tools.

Its main HQ is in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, but there is a United States office in California. Until 2009, the company operated under the name AdventNet, Inc. The team developed Zoho CRM in 2005 and added invoicing applications in 2008. The following year, it adopted its current name. It was a reference to their online office suite, which included spreadsheets, presentations, and databases.

  • Over 9,100 employees
  • Corporate U.S. headquarters in Pleasanton, California
  • There are additional locations in Mexico, Colombia, Australia, China, Japan, Singapore, UAE, South Africa, Germany, France, Sweden, Italy, Spain, and the Netherlands
  • As of early 2023, there are over 50 million customers
  • CEO Vembu received negative criticism for his support of an Indian paramilitary volunteer organization

Interesting Stats & Facts

Zoho Social invites mid-sized companies and agencies to try a better way of marketing. Unified calendars and inboxes and the zShare browser plug-in save time and effort. A couple of years ago, the company compiled the benefits of Zoho CRM and its other applications. The result was a smoother, more time-efficient software.

  • Doesn’t require IT or coding experience
  • Businesses can get started for free
  • Supports Google My Business and other social channels
  • Visual and intuitive reports dashboard
  • AI-based publishing queue (SmartQ)
  • Integrates with Facebook Lead Ads

Service Features

Zoho Social’s tools focus on small and mid-sized businesses. Everything assists the overarching mission of growing and reaching more people. These are the components that help clients get better results without IT or coding expertise.

Social Media Marketing

Teams can better manage their outreach efforts across all channels with Zoho. First, the system assists in finding the ideal audience for the client’s niche. From there, they can sort out their content and find the best keywords and tags. This will get their posts in front of more people in less time.

Other benefits include scheduling and auto-posting images and videos and updated metrics. This way, agencies can see which posts are making an impact and which aren’t. This will inform their entire marketing campaign and boost conversions and engagement.

  • Audience Targeting
  • Auto-Posting
  • Content Organization
  • Conversions
  • Keyword Tracking
  • Lead Management
  • Multi-Channel Outreach
  • Real-Time Reports
  • Scheduling

Social Media Analytics

Zoho Social Media Analytics

Zoho Social can generate all kinds of visual graphs and percentages. This allows employees to check on the important numbers that drive their campaigns. They can use pre-built templates and custom insights, too.

Another cool feature involves engagement reviews by post type. This is great for seeing which content pops and which falls flat. By the way, this works across all channels.

  • Comments & Mentions
  • Custom Reports
  • Data Collection Across All Channels
  • Post Scheduling

Social Media Management

Managing a single Instagram account can be a challenge. Imagine having to watch over multiple profiles across Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other platforms. As more businesses go online, teams need to better manage their social channels.

Zoho Social makes it as easy as pointing and clicking to queue up posts. Clients can keep track of reports and engagement metrics, how the brand compares to competitors, and more. The software is also accessible to collaborative projects.

  • Auto-Publish
  • Brand Reputation
  • Content Management
  • Engagement Efforts
  • Monitor Social Accounts
  • Reports & Metrics
  • Schedule Posts
  • Team Collaboration

Features in Detail

Below is an in-depth look at what makes this management system so powerful. It’s like having a social media assistant always on-call. The difference is that this software isn’t prone to human error. Check out a brief review of the top features that make Zoho a solid choice.

User Dashboard

Zoho Social User Dashboard

Zoho is a standout when it comes to user experience and interface design. Since it wanted to appeal to people with no coding or IT experience, the dashboard had to be intuitive. The result is a streamlined control panel with easy-to-read tabs.

Simple drop-down menus allow clients to navigate the interface seamlessly. It doesn’t matter whether they want to queue up some content, review a report, or monitor trending keywords. The upper taskbar remains constant the whole time. Its primary tabs include Home, Posts, Messages, Monitor, Connections, Collaborate, and Reports.

Each category brings up the applicable content and a left-hand menu. Again, it’s easy to hover over a category and see the latest insights. The visual cues are very helpful, too. Other things that employees can track here:

  • Week-to-week changes
  • Number of stories or posts created
  • Brand report card
  • Recent engagements
  • Influencer identification
  • All-in-one inbox
  • Interaction timeline
  • Publishing filter

Social Media Management

Zoho Social’s dashboard management view is where clients can ease into the Zoho Social platform. This is also where they can review all of their media. This includes anything that teams post on the app (status updates, photos, videos). Taking care of all this can be overwhelming, but the Interactions tab is a winning feature here. Individuals can use it to organize all engagement efforts.

  • Direct messaging and comments
  • Interaction history
  • Live Stream tab
  • Profile information
  • Quick influencer identification

Auto-Targeting

This system uses automation without making brands look like robots. Rather, it auto-posts the content that teams approve and send over comments and responses in real-time. This allows for more personal engagement and outreach.

Through targeting tools, businesses can be sure of their goal audience and create accordingly. SEO and keyword tools help them put the best message in front of consumers.

  • SmartQ predictions
  • Keyword tracking
  • Bulk scheduler
  • Multi-channel access
  • Mobile compatibility

Smart Outreach Strategies

Zoho is one of the few systems in its niche that offers machine learning. SmartQ is an AI technology that helps users track their customers’ actions. This informs their marketing strategies so they can come up with more engaging content.

Also, the all-in-one inbox keeps all of the messages and comments in one neat place. This way, no social channel goes unnoticed. When brands can reply to their audience platforms more efficiently, it can drive great growth.

  • Collaborative brainstorming
  • Conversation tracking
  • Search functions
  • Hashtag recommendations
  • Targeting
  • Saved searches
  • Collaborative workflow
  • Artificial intelligence predictions
  • Social monitoring
  • Team reports
  • Track member contributions

In-Depth Analytics

The dashboard is where users can find their real-time analytics. This forms the foundation of the campaign planning phase. A few of the statistics they’ll see include page likes by age group or gender. Clients can also see location-specific metrics or search by language. Other insights include Facebook connections and top interactions. The same goes for Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Google My Business.

With these reports, teams can see which content impresses audiences the most. Members get to put their best foot forward every time, across all online profiles. Plus, it’s easy to track their progress every step of the way.

  • Audience
  • Posts & engagement
  • Performance
  • Reach & impressions

Chrome Extension

Share is Zoho’s browser extension for Google Chrome. It streamlines the process of sharing anything from social media to the brand’s profile. Just a few things that businesses can share:

  • Articles
  • Blog posts
  • Website links
  • Videos
  • Images

It’s simple to use zShare. When clients are in their user dashboard, they can right-click on their published content and open a drop-down menu. From there, they can select “Share via zShare.” This lets them post the picture or article to the business’ IG page, Facebook, and more.

Third-Party Apps

With Zoho Social’s integrations, teams can merge their CRM, sales, and marketing efforts into one. Plus, it helps companies deliver better support to their customers. Social media is collaborative, so the platform offers various integrated apps such as:

  • Chrome/Firefox browser extension
  • Google+
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram app
  • Zoho CRM
  • Zoho Desk

Through the toolkits that these apps offer, clients can better strategize, follow trends, and keep up with audiences. With Zoho CRM, agencies can find new ways to attract leads and convert more buyers. By catching every like, view, mention, and comment, brands can catch their prospects at the right time.

Zoho Desk provides the added benefit of resolving customer issues faster. By dealing with problems sooner, brands retain audience trust and buyer loyalty.

Additional Components

Other features also make this platform worth checking out. These tools can stand on their own but make a huge impact combined with the overall system.

  • Custom reports: shareable with the team and supported by deep insights
  • Facebook Lead Ads: use this app integration to generate more leads and higher conversion rates
  • Live stream: receive notifications of live-streaming events to stay on top of the latest trends and news. Spread the word via zShare

Online Resources

Finally, there are a few loose ends that tie the system together. These tools may seem basic at first glance, but they each play an important role in customer relationships and content management.

Teams must know what they want to publish and when their audience is most likely to see it. So, the scheduling tool and automation features are paramount. The custom reports provide in-depth analyses and measurable progress. This helps with rounding out a marketing campaign and tailoring it to each social channel. Collaborative dashboards keep employees on the same page at all times.

  • Schedule posts across channels
  • Monitor competitor and brand conversations
  • Gather context and social media data
  • Establish better audience connections
  • Analyze key insights and metrics
  • Collaborate on an all-in-one workflow

Zoho Social Plans & Pricing

This software appeals to small to medium-sized businesses and agencies. Since different brands have unique purposes and arrangements, there are several plans to choose from. Here is a brief review of each, followed by a comparison table.

#1 Standard: Perfect for Business Partners

This is a great starting point for start-ups or business partners. There is plenty of room to grow, but the plan also comes with lots of features. This includes full integration with Zoho CRM, all kinds of monitoring tools, and the zShare extension.

Zoho Social Standard

Features: bit.ly links, CRM integration, repeat posts, SmartQ, summary reportsFunctionality: Facebook, Google, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter

Number of Users: 2

Number of Social Accounts: 7

Scheduling: Yes

Price: $15/mo

PROS:

  • Browser extension
  • Collaboration tools
  • Full Zoho CRM support
  • Machine learning included
  • Works with up to 7 profiles

CONS:

  • Lacks in-depth reporting
  • No bulk scheduling

#2 Professional: More Personalization for Brands

This package adds a bit more customization so businesses can get a handle on their outreach efforts. It brings on an additional team member but still limits them to seven social channels. That’s okay because there is better analytics here, as well as CustomQ and bulk scheduling.

Zoho Social Professional

Features: Advanced Analytics, Audience Targeting, Bulk Scheduling, Custom Reports, Facebook lead adsFunctionality: Facebook, Google, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter

Number of Users: 3

Number of Social Accounts: 7

Scheduling: Yes

Price: $35/mo

PROS:

  • Advanced analytics
  • Bulk scheduler
  • Comes with custom reports
  • More help with advertising
  • Targeted audience tracking

CONS:

  • Limited to 3 team members
  • Similar publishing tools as Standard

#3 Agency: Add More Professionalism

Companies can add a personal touch to things with the Agency subscription. It allows for more customization related to domains, views, client invites, and reports. Customers can put a professional spin on things by adding their business logo to all correspondence.

Zoho Social Agency

Features: 25 Custom Reports per Brand, All Professional Tools, Agency Logo, Personalized Domain, Free Logo for ClientsFunctionality: Facebook, Google, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter

Number of Users: 5

Number of Social Accounts: 70

Scheduling: Yes

Price: $275/mo

PROS:

  • Agency logos
  • Custom domain
  • Free customer log-in
  • Personalized client emails
  • Supports up to 70 channels

CONS:

  • Limited to five members
  • Pricey

#4 Agency Plus: Full Access for Teams

The Agency Plus plan is almost identical to the former package. The main difference here is that it supports 140 channels or up to 20 brands. It also accommodates five team members, but businesses can add people for an extra $10 per month.

Zoho Social Agency Plus

Features: Agency Name and Logo, Business-Branded Reports, Custom Domain, Free Client log-in, Personalized Client Invite EmailsFunctionality: Facebook, Google, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter

Number of Users: 5

Number of Social Accounts: 140

Scheduling: Yes

Price: $400/mo

PROS:

  • 25 dashboard reports
  • Agency-branded reports
  • Full customization
  • More personalization for customers
  • Supports over 100 channels

CONS:

  • Doesn’t differ much from the Agency plan
  • Very expensive

Pricing & Key Features Comparison Chart

Individuals can review the different pricing packages below. There is something for everyone here, from a mid-sized enterprise to a start-up or even solo entrepreneurs.

Standard Professional Agency Agency Plus
Price $15/mo $35mo $275/mo $400/mo
# of Users 2 3 5 5
Audience Targeting No Yes Yes Yes
CRM Tools Yes Yes Yes Yes
Integrations Yes Yes Yes Yes
Repeat Post Yes Yes Yes Yes
Reports Basic Advanced Advanced Advanced
Scheduling Yes Yes Yes Yes
Upload Calendar No Yes Yes Yes
zShare Yes Yes Yes Yes

Terms & Conditions

The website last updated the Terms of Service on March 19th, 2015. It states that the company may offer some services as a closed or open beta. This means that the features are under testing and review and may not always be available. Users must submit all of the required information to access Zoho’s products. Agencies may appoint one or more account administrators. Clients are responsible for keeping their passwords, usernames, and other sensitive information private. Transferring the software’s features to another platform is prohibited. Customers cannot utilize the tools and services to send spam or make defamatory remarks over the Internet.

Privacy Policy

The company last updated its privacy policy on May 25th, 2018. Any time a person signs up for a Zoho service or event, the business stores their information. This includes name and contact details. The enterprise does not store credit card numbers without client permission. It uses this data to improve services and for marketing purposes. The company owns this service data and protects it. Customers may access and share it through third-party applications. They may also request that Zoho export it or delete it. Individuals can contact [email protected] for more details.

Refund Policy

If they are dissatisfied, clients may contact the support team any time during their first month of service. Most of the time, buyers will be entitled to a full refund. Customers can then continue using the free plan. If someone purchased a yearly subscription, he or she has 45 days to file a refund request.


Customer Support

Zoho Support

Zoho is available for clients when they have a pressing question or concern. Here are the different ways that people can get in touch with the support team.

Telephone

Every regional office has a unique telephone number. This is typically for sales questions. For press inquiries and analyst relations concerns, clients can call +1-925-924-9500.

Email

There are specific phone numbers for each regional office, but no email correspondence. However, customers can contact the team via online mail at [email protected]. The “concierge” page has a request ticket that users can fill out. The support staff reviews this and responds within a couple of hours.

Online Chat

There is no online chat option available. Other platforms offer a chatbot or something similar, but not Zoho. That’s okay because there are associated phone numbers and email addresses for the corporate offices.

Support Center

The website has a “community portal” where visitors can find answers to their pressing questions. Here they will see a search bar at the top of the page. Individuals can type in their inquiry or problem and pull up a list of relevant articles and tutorials. Folks can also scroll down for more tailored blog posts about the company’s products and services.

Users can also purchase a support package that offers live chat and toll-free assistance. There is a free plan as well as two paid subscriptions. The paid plans come with onboarding support and a technical account manager.

Quality of Service

Many reviews seem to agree that Zoho is great for independent businesses or entrepreneurs. It also works for mid-sized companies, although it’s not for everyone. Finances Online gave the company three 2019 awards, including “Great User Experience” and “Superior Software.” On Trustpilot, the brand has five out of five stars based on over 1,400 reviews. The majority of the users say it is a professional service and quick to learn. Reviewers also agree that the software has wonderful CRM tools.

Customer Types

Here is a brief look at who would most benefit from a Zoho account. While it focuses on SMBs, does it also translate to freelancers or big corporations?

Small Businesses

Reviews suggest that a smaller company would do great with this system. It can grow with the brand and support them every step of the way. There are publishing tools, CRM features, and other time-saving options. Plus, employees don’t need IT or marketing expertise.

Mid-Sized Companies

A medium-sized business would do well with this platform. Teams can try the Professional or Agency plans, depending on their budget. They will be able to access custom reports, machine learning, and other outreach methods. Zoho can adapt to an already-established brand, too.

Large Enterprises

A bigger company could still use this system. If they want to reach more consumers online, Zoho can help them get in front of their target audience. The Agency packages are pricier, but also accommodate more social channels and employees.

Freelancers

A solo entrepreneur or freelancer could give this service a go. They can start with the free plan and take it from there. The tools will save them lots of time and help them focus on more engaging content rather than busywork like scheduling.


Zoho Social Pros & Cons

Overall, this service has a lot to offer. There are a variety of subscriptions to appeal to more brands and entrepreneurs. Plus, the free version is always there for those who want to get their feet wet. The client support is very impressive, too. Many customers praise the user interface and its streamlined layout. Everything is clear and navigable, even with minimal experience. Teams also like the included CRM tools and the integrations with bit.ly and Slack.

On the downside, the social media apps could be better. For example, individual reviews complain about not being able to queue up IGTV posts or IG Stories. Also, the analytics and reports don’t go as in-depth as other competitors.

Pros

Cons

  • Ample customer support
  • Clean interface that's easy to learn
  • CRM toolkit included on all plans
  • Third-party integrations
  • Variety of packages available
  • Limited social media applications (no IGTV or Stories)
  • The analytics aren't as advanced as competitors

Zoho Social Alternatives

If Zoho isn’t the ticket, then check out these service alternatives. They rival each other in features and support, so take a look at the brief reviews below.

Later: Raise the Standard

Later Main Alternatives

Later’s most basic paid plan offers lots of wiggle room for solo entrepreneurs and business partners. They can tackle their social media marketing strategy and get things set up for publishing. The software also has a Chrome browser extension for easy sharing across platforms.

Hootsuite: Unlimited & Bulk Scheduling

Hootsuite Main Alternatives

Hootsuite received the honor of being the 2023 Gartner Peer Insights Customers’ Choice for Social Marketing Management. The service offers unlimited scheduling and automation. There is also a publishing calendar and an editor that makes content creation easy. The downside is that it lacks marketing tools at this level.

Buffer: Get in Front of Audiences Faster

Buffer Main Alternatives

Buffer accommodates only one user, but it works for 15 social accounts on the standard plan. The pricing is competitive, and the features include everything marketing teams need. For example, they can take advantage of over 60 integrations such as Zapier, IFTTT, and Feedly.

Sprout Social: Streamline Tasks & CRM

Sprout Social Main Alternatives

Sprout offers the best of both worlds: marketing and CRM. Clients can queue and schedule posts and keep track of everything in their content calendar. There are also review and keyword management options for faster growth. The standard plan also comes with customer-relationship management, such as conversion history and contact info.

HubSpot: A Great Combo Deal

HubSpot Alternatives

HubSpot offers marketing, sales, and service all on one platform. Customers get help with things like landing pages, ads, and list segmentation. This sets them up to better engage with their leads, which can bolster growth and sales.

Sendible: Extra Online Marketing Help

Sendible Main Alternatives

Sendible is a good option for those who need assistance with online marketing. The price is right, and there are ample opportunities to improve social content and outreach. Some of the perks include automatic RSS posting and bulk scheduling. There is also Google Alerts integration and keyword monitoring.

Zoho Social & Alternatives Comparison Chart

Below is a brief review of the services’ basic packages. Keep that in mind, when looking over the price and included options.

Zoho Social Later Service Hootsuite Service Buffer Service Sprout Social HubSpot Service Sendible Service
Price $15/mo $9/mo $29/mo $15/mo $99/mo $50/mo $29/mo
# of Users 2 1 1 1 1 1 1
Analytics Basic Basic Basic Basic Basic Basic Basic
Audience Targeting Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Content Calendar Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
CRM Tools Yes No No No Yes Yes No
Facebook Ads No No No Yes Yes Yes No
Machine Learning Yes No No No No No No
Platforms FB, Google, IG, LinkedIn, Twitter FB, IG, Pinterest, Twitter FB, IG, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter, YT FB, IG, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter FB, IG, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter FB, IG, LinkedIn, Twitter, YT FB, IG, Twitter
Scheduling Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Zoho Social?

It is a software that assists agencies and businesses with their online marketing content. Some of the ways it can help:

  • Creating images and video posts
  • Organizing everything into a content calendar
  • Scheduling and queueing published posts
  • Managing comments and email correspondence
  • CRM integration
  • Collaborative workflows

Zoho has a streamlined dashboard that’s easy to learn. Plus, there are pricing packages for small teams, business partners, and larger companies.

Is There a Demo of Zoho Social?

Anyone can visit the website and sign up for free. From there, they can get a feel for the software and the different options that it offers. The free edition accommodates one user and one brand, but they can post on all of the available social channels. This includes:

  • Facebook
  • Google My Business
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • zShare browser extension
  • Bit.ly URL shortener

Can I Manage Multiple Facebook Pages With Zoho Social?

Yes. To do this, individuals can set up each Facebook Page as a distinct brand. Depending on the plan, they may have several different brands or pages. Keep in mind that each one comes with:

  • A FB page
  • A Twitter profile
  • An Instagram bio
  • A LinkedIn account
  • A listing on Google My Business

How Do I Use Zoho Social to Invite Clients to My Brand?

This feature is available on the agency plans. It allows businesses to give their customers more of a role in reviewing the brand’s performance and service. As “Client Members,” they can access a unique customer portal. To initiate the invitation, follow these steps.

  1. Go to the user dashboard and go to the “Settings” menu
  2. Click “Brand Members & Roles”
  3. Navigate to the “Client Members” tab and select “Invite”
  4. Type in the customer’s email address and hit “Invite”

How Do I Set Up Custom Targeting?

It depends on which social channel the individual works with. Here’s how to do it on Facebook:

  1. Start creating the FB post
  2. Click on “Set Targeting” in the bottom right-hand corner of the publishing box
  3. Select the goal demographic (country, age, gender)
  4. Click “Done”

Here are the instructions for LinkedIn:

  1. Create the post and click on the LinkedIn icon on the publishing page
  2. Select “Set Targeting”
  3. Fill in the fields for location and job functions depending on the target audience
  4. Click “Set”

Can I Customize My Posts For a Specific Geographical Location?

Yes. While working in the publishing window, click on “Set Targeting.” This will bring up different fields such as country or location. It depends on which social network the post is going on. For example, Facebook allows users to differentiate countries. LinkedIn can narrow down the audience targeting to more selective geographic regions.

How Many Team Members Can I Add on the Agency Plans?

Zoho Social’s Agency plans can allow up to five team members. The lower Agency package includes 10 brands or 70 channels. Agency Plus works for 20 brands or 140 channels. So, businesses may want additional team members to help with managing all of those profiles. In that case, they can opt for an add-on member for $8.33 per month.


Intuitive Design, Powerful Publishing

Zoho offers lots of powerful social media management tools to help brands get in front of more people. The analytics might not be the best, but they will suit smaller businesses just fine. The user dashboard is incredibly smooth and responsive, so teams achieve better collaboration and output. This translates into more quality work online and a better return from customers. It leaves room for improvement, but it’s a versatile option that can grow with teams.

Published: October 15, 2020Updated: March 26, 2024

Megan Green

Megan Green

Megan is a writer who works at the junctures of science and stories. Previously, she has been the editor of a fashion magazine, an educator, mom, and a baker. She is keen on working with brands and lifestyle products, and outdoor tasks. Megan is outgoing, optimistic and has a great personality. She delivers top-notch content with a unique view on usual things.


Comments

Leave a comment