Guest post by Anne Griffin.
Are you familiar with the concept of a social media hub? Though the idea of pulling all of your organization’s social media feeds into a central hub has been around since at least 2014, they still haven’t found wide use outside of trade shows and corporate events.
Here’s a closer look at what a social media hub is exactly, how to build one, and why you may want to create and use one.
What is a social media hub?
A social media hub or social hub is a digital tool that showcases content from various social media platforms at one location. The content can be aggregated in real time from social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Youtube. This is useful for brands that have an active social media presence with regular updates and an engaged following.
The posts in the hub are clickable, making it easier for the visitors to visit your social media pages directly and interact with them. They can comment, like, or share the posts from the wall directly as well. This makes the user’s experience more interactive and engaging.
A social hub may or may not contain user-generated content (UGC), but it’s preferred as it is viewed as more authentic and builds trust. It can be used on websites, at events, with digital signage, and anywhere brands want to display their content.
How can you build a social media hub?
Unless you are incredibly adept at coding, you’ll need to use a specialized tool. These apps simplify the process of setting up your hub, populating it with content, and displaying it on your website or elsewhere.
The exact process varies a bit from one platform to another. Popular social media hub tools include Taggbox, Spotlyte, and TwineSocial.
Why would you use a social media hub?
Aggregating your brand-related updates on social media hub can magnify the impact of disconnected posting efforts. Here are a few specific benefits of using a social media hub for your brand:
1. Boost User Engagement
By displaying content from multiple social networks in one place, social media hubs make it easier for users to interact with the brand’s content. The user doesn’t have to go multiple platforms to interact with your brand, which increases the chances of engagement.
Also, if your social media hub includes UGC, people are more likely to engage with it because that content is more relatable to them. Prospective customers want to know what other people have to say about your products and services, and see your products and services in action with customer videos. This can encourage them to engage with the social wall and learn more about your brand.
2. Enable Real-Time Interaction
A social media hub displays real-time content as it is continuously pulling in content about your brand. This allows real-time interaction with the posts by users. Visitors can see what people or the brand is posting right now, and interact with it accordingly.
This feature works wonders at live events, when people post pictures and they are instantly displayed on big screens. It inspires more attendees to post pictures too, in order to get featured. It works great with digital signage for similar reasons.
3. Simplify Content Moderation
Social media hubs provide the functionality to moderate your content appropriately. Not all content related a brand or hashtag is suitable and worthwhile to display on your website or at your events.
Bing free and open, social media (particularly Twitter) commentary can get a little ugly at times. There can be irrelevant or factually inaccurate comments, improper language, or inappropriate images posted. You have the authority and ability to select the content you want to display (or note). Social media hubs with this functionality enable you to protect the integrity of your brand.
4. Drive Sales
Social media hubs can help drive sales as well. Social media hubs can assist in converting prospects into buyers by showcasing customer advocacy, displaying compelling visuals, and sharing positive UGC.
When people see products in action and real-world use, and how satisfied other users are, they will be more confident in making a purchase. This type of content improves the overall brand image and brand value in the visitors’ eyes.
5. Build Trust
As noted above, when people see that other users are happy with the products and services, it builds a sense of trust in the brand. Social media hubs can help in building trust by displaying UGC, i.e. social proof, of satisfied users.
Studies show that 92% of the people trust user reviews as much as personal recommendations. Therefore, showing the product in action along with reviews can be the best way to gain the trust of your prospects and convert them into customers.
Conclusion
Social media hubs can be used in various places like websites, events, digital signage, and blogs. The functionality and features of social media hubs are similar to social media aggregators that create social media walls.
A social media hub can be a cost-effective and efficient tool for brands to enhance social media interaction with users and driving more sales. Every social media hub tool provides various features you can choose according to your objectives.
Check out different approaches and options to determine if this should be part of your digital marketing strategy.
Anne Griffin is a digital marketer and technical writer who’s passionate about exploring and writing about innovation, technology, and digital marketing trends.
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