A social media aggregator, just as the name suggests, is a tool that allows you to collect and aggregate all posts and feeds from various social media platforms in one location. The aggregator collects the feed through a specific handle or hashtag and displays those social feed on a digital signage or live screen. These live social feeds can also be embedded on your website.
If you are not well conversant with this concept, perhaps you may also consider reading the surprising benefits of using social media aggregators here. But how do you choose the best aggregator for your needs?
A content aggregator is only useful if it addresses your pain points. In this post, we shall explore essential features and considerations to make when shopping for a suitable aggregator:
Compatibility
This is probably the first consideration you will have to make. The aggregators you opt for should link to all social media platforms that are important to you. They should also be able to access all the areas you need. Awesome content curators, such as curator.io connect to Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
You should also check to see how well the aggregator you would like to consider takes advantage of rich content features on social networks. Some tools lack capacity to make use of the rich content capabilities supported by the social networks they connect to.
Publish different types of contents while using the free trials. This will help you discover how well each tool does various kinds of content such as videos, images, GIF’s and status updates.
The social media sites that are best for you would depend on whom you sell to. For instance; Twitter and Facebook are great for you if you sell to businesses (B2B). On the other hand, you should go for a tool that supports Twitter, and Facebook if you sell to consumers (B2C).
Content publishing and scheduling
Most social media aggregator tools offer one type of scheduling or another. You should go for a tool that gives you the allowance to aggregate content in advance then post it at a suitable time in your schedule.
A fantastic content curator should support some kind of queuing. This makes it easier to share the content you find. Moreover, look for tools that have different views such as calendar and list so you can know what content is going to be published when. This will help you establish relationships between content as well as make changes and enhancements to content in time for publishing.
Whichever tool use settle for, it should also avail an easy way to move content around your schedule. They should also integrate with your editorial calendar and allow you to re-share your best content with ease. In the same breath, consider aggregator tools that are capable of publishing videos and images natively rather than just posting a link.
Some people also use third-party tools to validate schedule times. For instance, using Quintly or Fan Page Karma will help you know when times and posts get the most interaction while Socialbro and Followewonk tell you the most appropriate time to tweet.
Social interaction capabilities
Similarly, scrutinize and document your current social media interaction process. You see, social media is all about being social and interactive. Consider everything including how responses happen and how you receive notifications for mentions. Once you have the facts with you, you will be in a better position to determine how the features of the content curator you are considering will improve your process.
When it’s time to make a choice, go for the tools that will easily surface notifications you’re your social networks. This will enable you to monitor likes, shares mentions and other activities that require a response from your brand. You should also put into consideration the team features (that follow up on activities to be assigned to different members of the team), as well as mobile and desktop versions of the social media aggregator tools.
Analytics
You cannot know for sure whether you are doing things right unless you measure. Although they are costly and require a certain amount of dedication to learn how to use, analytics tools are a great feature to consider when deciding on the most appropriate social media aggregator for you.
Some of the analytics provided by tools include publishing analytics that let you know when it is best to post content to reach a greater number of your audience and reports and data that can be saved or exported for further analysis or constant reporting on social media activities. The tools also provide content specific analysis that will help you determine your most popular and least popular content as well as social network profile analytics that show stats follower rendition, trends for growth impressions and engagement.
The best social media aggregator should integrate with Google analytics or any other analytics you are using. It should also have analytics on all your essential networks and easy to download print and share data exports or results.
Price and billing options
This is an essential factor to consider. Social media aggregators range from free to upwards of $500 a month. It is important to consider your cash flow and budget before deciding on the aggregator you will use.
Big or small, you can get an affordable and feature-rich solution here.
Look at the billing options of the social aggregator tools. Some tools offer good discounts to those who choose to make annual payments. Consider the tools cancellation options too. A few of the tools will allow you to terminate your plan and refund you for unused time. Try to take advantage of the free trial period and use it to evaluate the social media aggregator.
Even when signing up for a free trial period, you should take into consideration the price of the social media aggregator, so you do not end up wasting time on a tool that is too expensive anyway. It is also advisable to sign up for shorter amounts of time until you are sure that the aggregator suits your needs perfectly.
The aggregators plan option and limitations
The pricing tiers of different aggregator tools vary depending on a number of features. Some of these features include the number of users, how many social networks you can connect, whether or not analytics data is added and the number of additional features included.
Ensure that you select a plan that satisfies your requirements. The program should support the social media networks you wish to connect to and allow the number of people on your team. An aggregator tool that will enable you to add some individual features would be a great option. Adding your own features would boost tool capabilities significantly and give you exactly what you need without having to pay for what you do not need.
Do not pay for features that you do not plan to use currently. It would be less costly to upgrade your account later when you need the features. When you choose to upgrade, you can ask the vendor for a free upgrade for a short period so you can test the features to ascertain whether they will be of use to you.
Conclusion
Choosing a social media aggregator can be a daunting task. However, it is well worth the effort. The tools will help you stay at the cutting edge of your industries competition while still saving your time and money. Remember that the best social media aggregator is one that is cost-effective, easy to use and offers you benefits that are best suited for your needs.