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We’re in an era where if you are trying to create a personal brand online or share your work, you do that by creating content — and creating content is a fantastic way to build your brand, make new connections, and level up your knowledge. When you add it all up, though, it can be a lot of content to create, even with the right tools in place. If you don’t have the right systems, it can be easy to fall off the content creation tracks.I’ve dealt with this myself at Buffer — I work at a company that builds tools to help people build their brand online — and I was still struggling to post content consistently. I never had trouble coming up with ideas, but I would either post those ideas sporadically or rely on taking the time to schedule my posts “eventually.” Neither of those options are long-term, solid plans, and neither of them can truly help with creating consistent content that lead to achieving success online.For several years, I’ve been working on refining a system for capturing ideas for content and turning those ideas into posts I actually publish. Here is that system.Art is not about thinking something up. It is about the opposite—getting something down. ― Julia Cameron, The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher CreativityCapture: Use one place to keep ideasI once purchased shower markers because I kept having all of my best ideas in the shower. Instead of grabbing my phone, or a notebook, I started writing all my ideas on my shower wall. I would then take a picture of the shower ideas, later put them somewhere on my computer, and potentially eventually put them into an Evernote file. At the same time, I kept an ongoing Apple Note with different ideas I had for social posts, and I would sometimes start a post directly on a social network and then save it as a draft.When I write it all down like that, it’s pretty clear that this is an inefficient system, but in the moment, it seemed like I was doing the right thing — jotting down my ideas when I had them.The piece of the puzzle I was missing was that it wasn’t only the act of writing ideas down but also where those ideas were captured. Crucially, if you, like me, are trying to create a long-term and scalable system for creating content, then ideas need to be captured in only one place.Tiago Forte, who wrote the book Building a Second Brain about organizing your digital life, shares similar advice when it comes to capturing information, knowledge, or insight. In a summary of the concepts in his book, he also expressed the need for just one place for storing information, “we just need to keep it in a single, centralized place.”What place you choose to use to capture ideas is entirely up to you — I would recommend somewhere you can access quickly at anytime (not shower markers) and somewhere digital because that’s where this content will be shared in its end state. A few good options for capturing ideas for content include:Notes apps (Apple Notes, Evernote, Bear, Google Docs)Productivity apps (Notion, AirTable, Todoist)Content creation apps (Buffer’s ideas feature)Regardless of the place you choose, it’s important to stick with that one location so that all your ideas are centralized. By keeping all your ideas in one place, you can easily access them when you’re ready to turn them into content.Categorize: Organize ideas by topic and social networkCapturing your ideas in one place is only the beginning; the next step to make sure those ideas don’t become an overwhelming pile that is difficult to comb through is to categorize them.The simplest way I’ve found to categorize is by content pillar, content type, and social network.Content Pillar: Your content pillars are the main topics or themes that your content revolves around. For example, if you’re a food blogger, your content pillars might include recipes, meal planning, and cooking tips.Content Type: Is your content text-based, audio, or video? Knowing the content type for each idea can help you plan out your content calendar and ensure that you’re creating a variety of content types.Social Network: Finally, you’ll want to categorize each idea by the social network where you plan to share it. Each social network has a unique audience and specific requirements, so it’s important to customize your content for each one.You can use tags or shorthand to indicate the content pillar, content type, and social network for each idea. For example, you might use the tags #recipes, #video, and #Instagram to indicate that an idea is a recipe video to be shared on Instagram.Categorizing your ideas is a key step in the content creation process. By sorting your thoughts into distinct categories, you can ensure that you don’t forget any important ideas and can easily access them when creating content.Organizing your ideas might also help you identify patterns or connections between seemingly unrelated topics, leading to even more creative ideas and a more cohesive overall social media strategy. This holds true for Phill Agnew, one of our Product Marketing Managers at Buffer. In addition to his work at Buffer, Phill runs a podcast called Nudge and is great at consistently posting to social media. When talking about his system for brainstorming, Phill shared “Once I have every idea in front of me it makes it much easier to brainstorm new things to come up with. I find my best ideas come from piecing different things together and finding patterns.”Create: Turn ideas into contentI’ve long wanted to post more on social media and create more content in general, but then I also had a note on my phone with ideas I never got around to posting. The problem wasn’t a lack of ideas — it was a lack of reminders and action. Having a big, beautiful list of content ideas won’t get you anywhere if you don’t go back and turn those ideas into content.You need to create systems so that you are intentionally checking your ideas and turning them into content. How often you choose to check your ideas and create content depends on your content calendar, your current goals, and the strategy you have in place.For me, I’m using social media to continue building a personal brand. I try to post daily to Twitter and several times a week to LinkedIn. I have a recurring reminder in my to-do list app to go through my content tab in Buffer every Friday to review the ideas I’ve captured throughout the week and schedule them for the upcoming week.By organizing your ideas into categories, you can plan out your content calendar in advance and see at a glance if you are creating a variety of content types across your social networks. You can also use your categorized ideas to batch-create content; for example, you could film several TikTok videos in a row.Do it all againOnce you have set up a system for capturing your ideas in one place, categorizing them quickly, and checking them later when you create content — do it all over again. Your system should be easily repeatable for you so that you can stay consistent and make the most of all of the ideas you have. I hope this can help anyone who, like me, has struggled with posting consistently on social media and with turning ideas into social posts.I’ll leave you with a quote from one of my favorite authors, Julia Cameron, who wrote in The Artist’s Way, “We must trust our process, look beyond “results.”

Creating and managing content is more challenging than ever. With so many channels, keeping track of all of your posts can be cumbersome. Enter social media aggregators.

These tools can help you oversee your digital presence and distribute information to your audience.
In this post, you’ll learn about the different types of social media aggregators and what they can do for your team. From there, we’ll share the top tools already on the market.
What is a social media aggregator?The Benefits of Social Media AggregatorsTypes of Social Media AggregatorsSocial Media Aggregation Tools

Like other content aggregators, social media aggregators pull posts from your platforms and display them as a collection. You can embed the collection on your website to highlight posts about your brand, including user-generated content.
Aside from your website, there are several places to feature these collections, including email marketing and digital screens at live events.

The Benefits of Social Media Aggregators
Social media is vital for engaging with your target audience and keeping a pulse on how people feel about your brand. However, you’re missing out on opportunities if you stop there.
Social media can also deliver social proof of your status by sharing satisfied customers on your website.
Highlighting positive, user-generated posts on your site creates shout-outs to your followers, which makes them feel valued. Plus, when other people see real customers touting your brand, it reinforces your status.
Of course, you could do these things yourself by combing through hashtags and mentions to create a collection. But do you have time for that?
One of the primary benefits of using a social media aggregator is that it saves you time through automation. The best social media aggregator tools can even weed out inappropriate or negative posts to keep things clean and upbeat.

Types of Social Media Aggregators
There are three primary types of social media aggregators, two pull from your social media feed, while the other focuses on a specific platform.
Hashtag Aggregation
Hashtag aggregators can pull content from social media networks based on a custom or popular hashtag.
For example, if you operated an event, you could create and share a custom hashtag with attendees. Then, the aggregator would pull content based on that hashtag.
You could even share during the event so people can see their feedback and experience in real-time.
Profile Aggregation
Profile or channel aggregation focuses more on branded content you create and share across social media platforms. You could let individuals take over for a day, follow influencers, or highlight a business partner’s social media accounts.
Platform Aggregation
The final type focuses on a specific social network, like Instagram or Twitter, and curates based on your selected settings. You could set a feed based on a keyword or hashtag and use different keywords for each platform.

Social Media Aggregation Tools
You have plenty of social media aggregator tools to choose from, but it helps to have a starting point. So we compiled a list of our favorite options to get you started.
Taggbox
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Taggbox is a widget that draws user-generated content from over 20 platforms. Use the collections for everything from email campaigns to your website.
This tool is beginner-friendly, so you don’t need extensive tech knowledge to make it work. Taggbox’s customer service is also stellar.
What we like: Taggbox draws from multiple social media platforms so you can see what users say about your brand all in one place.
Tagembed
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This widget works with the most popular social networks and offers plugins specifically made for WordPress and Shopify.
Tagembed offers options for stories and albums, plus you can also choose different themes and layouts on your website.With Tagembed, you can alter color schemes to match your brand. You even get access to engagement analytics.
What we like: Tagembed offers a free forever plan and three different pricing tiers, so you can pick what works for you.
EmbedSocial
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EmbedSocial might be one of the more established social media aggregation platforms, with quite a client base to show for it. Users can try it for free with Instagram and then pay to upgrade for additional sources.
EmbedSocial is a better option for larger, established businesses with a budget to accommodate the upgrades and the ability to use all the features.
What we like: Users can access a massive selection of mobile-friendly templates, with new ones added monthly.
Flockler
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Flockler allows you to gather hashtag feeds from eight sources that you can display on your site, in your email, or more. You can arrange your brand’s posts and user-generated content within a diverse array of layouts.
Plus, there are no ads.
Flockler is a solid option for those who can afford it. You can try it for free for 14 days, but then you have to pay a monthly fee. The base package might be pricey, but this tool is comprehensive compared to the others.
You’ll also have access to top-notch customer service.
What we like: The aggregator updates content every five to fifteen minutes, making it helpful during events.
Curator
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Curator uses JavaScript, which makes it SEO-friendly and easy to use. It also uses minimal code and translates well to mobile devices. Users seeking a simple interface with basic aggregator tools might start here.
What we like: Curator offers a wide range of pricing plans, including one of the most inclusive free tiers available.
The Wallrus
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Aside from the fun name, this platform is fun and helpful for those who thrive on Instagram and Twitter. The Wallrus doesn’t serve as many social networks, but it does two exceptionally well and is free.
Though it’s only in beta mode, the platform is working on using analytics to help you improve your feed parameters.
What we like: You can add your logo to any of the themes in the library for subtle branding.
Hootsuite
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Many people know Hootsuite as a social media scheduling tool, but the platform offers much more.
For example, you can create specific streams using different parameters, monitor the content, and engage with your audience. However, Hootsuite can get expensive as you add extras to make it more functional.
What we like: Hootsuite offers more than just social media aggregation, making it a versatile tool.
Juicer
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This platform works with 15 social networks and allows you to upgrade as you grow and need more tools. You can cancel anytime because there are no contracts, and you get moderation tools with the first tier.
Users can create custom designs that match their brand.
What we like: Juicer features one of the best moderation tools in the market so that you know posts stay safe and positive.
Using Social Media Aggregators
The best social media aggregators allow you to automate a process that could set you apart from your competition.
However, you might need to experiment to find the right one with the features you desire most, like moderation tools and customization options.
These tools have user-friendly interfaces and excellent customer support to make setup easy.
Showcasing relevant posts, especially from your audience, is priceless. Reinforce your brand identity, build trust, and let your followers testify about why they love you.

Despite trending social media channels and mobile messengers, email is still one of the top channels for businesses.  In 2020, there were four billion global email users, a number that’s projected to reach 4.6 billion in 2025 — more than half of the world’s population. That’s why every eCommerce business must have a solid email…
The post 89 Winning Email Subject Lines Online Retailers Can Take Inspiration From appeared first on Benchmark Email.

Behavioral analytics plays a critical role in creating personalized omnichannel experiences for customers. By analyzing customer behavior data across multiple channels, businesses can gain insights into individual customer preferences and use this information to tailor their marketing efforts and improve the customer experience. Here are some ways in which behavioral analytics can be used to create personalized omnichannel experiences: Personalized product recommendations: By analyzing customer behavior data, businesses can recommend products that are likely to be of interest to individual customers. This can be done through personalized product recommendations on a website or app, as well as through email marketing campaigns. Targeted promotions: By analyzing customer behavior data, businesses can offer targeted promotions to individual customers based on their past purchases, browsing behavior, and other factors. This can help boost customer engagement and increase sales. Customized content: By analyzing customer behavior data, businesses can provide customized content that is tailored to individual customer interests and preferences. This can include personalized blog posts, social media content, and other types of content that are likely to be of interest to specific customers. Seamless cross-channel experiences: By analyzing customer behavior data across multiple channels, businesses can provide a seamless experience for customers as they move between channels. This can include consistent messaging, a unified brand identity, and an integrated customer journey that allows customers to pick up where they left off, regardless of the channel they are using. How can businesses ensure that they are using customer data ethically and responsibly when implementing behavioral analytics? Using customer data ethically and responsibly is critical when implementing behavioral analytics. Here are some best practices businesses can follow to ensure they are using customer data in an ethical and responsible manner: Obtain consent: Businesses should obtain consent from customers before collecting and using their data. This can be done through clear and transparent privacy policies and opt-in mechanisms that allow customers to control their data. Be transparent: Businesses should be transparent about how customer data is collected, used, and shared. This includes providing clear and concise explanations of data collection practices, using plain language that is easy to understand, and providing customers with options to control their data. Minimize data collection: Businesses should only collect the data that is necessary to achieve their objectives. Collecting excessive or unnecessary data can be seen as invasive and erode customer trust. Protect customer data: Businesses should take appropriate measures to protect customer data from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. This includes implementing robust data security measures, such as encryption, access controls, and monitoring. Use data for legitimate purposes: Businesses should use customer data for legitimate purposes only. This includes using data to improve the customer experience, optimize marketing efforts, and provide personalized recommendations. Provide opt-out options: Businesses should provide customers with the option to opt-out of data collection and use. This includes providing clear and easy-to-use mechanisms for customers to control their data. Comply with regulations: Businesses should comply with applicable laws and regulations regarding data privacy and security. This includes GDPR, CCPA, and other relevant regulations. Takeaway Overall, behavioral analytics provides businesses with the insights they need to create personalized omnichannel experiences that improve customer engagement and drive business success. By using behavioral analytics to understand customer behavior and preferences, businesses can deliver a more tailored and personalized experience that meets the needs of individual customers. submitted by /u/appICE [link] [comments]

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