As an influencer, business, or creator passionate about using hashtags to boost your marketing efforts, one essential tool in your arsenal is a hashtag aggregator tool, sometimes referred to as a social media aggregator tool. These tools not only help your audience find content they’re interested in but also connect them with a community that shares their interests.
For instance, if you run a gym and have been tagged in various Instagram posts by your customers, you can aggregate a feed of those hashtags directly to your website. This attracts potential customers to your business and builds social credibility.
In this article, we’ll explore hashtag aggregators, their functions, and their benefits. We’ll also evaluate five of the top hashtag aggregator tools available and how they might be the missing piece in your brand’s social media strategy.
What is a hashtag aggregator tool?
A hashtag aggregator tool is a type of software that collects and curates social media content based on specific hashtags. Many social media aggregation tools including Spotlight offer this essential feature.
The dual naming (social media aggregator tools and hashtag aggregator tools) highlights the core functionality—aggregating content from social media platforms with a significant emphasis on filtering and displaying content based on hashtags
They allow users to gather posts, images, videos, and other media content. Depending on the tool, you can pull feeds from platforms like Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter), Facebook, TikTok, Vimeo, and more. For example, Spotlight is a top tool for aggregating hashtag feeds from Instagram.
Hashtag aggregators work by continuously monitoring social media channels for new posts containing the hashtags you choose. The collected data can then be embedded as a feed on your website, allowing you to utilise it for several marketing purposes.
What are their benefits?
When you invest in a hashtag aggregator tool, there are plenty of benefits you’ll be able to reap. Let’s look at a few.
- Enhanced engagement: Feeds based on specific, targeted hashtags, encourage interaction and create a sense of community among your audience.
- Improved content curation: Collect and display top posts related to your brand or campaigns, saving you time and effort while maximizing value for your audience.
- User-generated content (UGC) collection: Encourage customers to create and share content related to your products or services to build authentic social proof.
- Better tracking and analysis: Measure the reach and impact of your hashtag campaigns so you can track, analyze, and improve performance.
- Increased brand visibility and audience reach: Extend your brand’s reach by tapping into the networks of users who engage with your hashtags.
- Real-time event or campaign tracking: Monitor live events or campaigns as they unfold, allowing for time-sensitive adjustments and direct interaction.
Use cases for hashtag aggregator tools
Hashtag aggregator tools can help you reach many of your brand and marketing goals, like:
- Marketing campaigns. Influence, monitor, and display user engagement around promotional hashtags to gauge campaign performance.
- Event management. Aggregate posts from attendees using event-specific hashtags to create a buzz and keep everyone in the loop.
- Brand monitoring. Track mentions and conversations related to your brand, gaining insights into public sentiment and helping you leverage valuable engagement opportunities.
- Customer feedback. Collect valuable user opinions and reviews about your products or services to improve and maximize impact.
- Content curation. Create engaging social media walls or feeds for your website, showcasing UGC and content that your audience is truly interested in.
Top 5 hashtag aggregator tools
Let’s take a look at some of the top contenders in your search for the ideal hashtag aggregator tool.
- Spotlight
Spotlight is a hashtag aggregator tool that focuses specifically on displaying Instagram feeds on your website. It’s simple to use: just type in the hashtags you’re targeting and select if you’d like to display recent posts or top 50 performers.
Key features and benefits include:
- Detailed analytics to track and measure your performance
- Tagged post feed functionality, allowing you to combine hashtag feeds with feeds your brand has been tagged in
- Fully customizable, including free templates and 40+ design options
- Filtering and moderation features to control exactly how your feed displays
- Shoppable feeds so visitors can make purchases directly from your feed
The core drawback of Spotlight is its exclusivity to Instagram. However, Spotlight’s features for Instagram are comprehensive. For this reason, it’s best for individuals and brands that focus heavily on their Instagram presence.
- Onstipe
Onstipe is a hashtag aggregator tool that also has social media aggregator capabilities. It can pull hashtags and other content from major social media platforms, including Instagram, X (Twitter), Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, Flickr, Vimeo, and more.
Instead of just websites, It allows you to display feeds on devices like TVs, projectors, jumbotrons, billboards, and digital signage. This makes it an ideal tool for marketing agencies and large brands.
Key features and benefits include:
- Filtering and moderation capabilities
- Embed code generation for your website or a social wall URL for display on big screens
- Custom CSS to modify your social walls
- Free template layouts and design customization
Users have reported a slow backend and a lack of desired theme and content board customization, so keep these in mind when making your choice.
- Curator
Curator is a social media aggregator with hashtag aggregation capabilities. It connects to major social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, X (Twitter), TikTok, and Pinterest, as well as less common platforms like Tumblr, Slack, Reddit, Behance, Yelp, and DeviantArt. This makes it a great tool for individuals and brands that span multiple channels.
Key features and benefits include:
- Several preset, mobile-friendly themes and templates to choose from
- Advanced styling and customization, including custom CSS
- Uses Javascript instead of IFRAMEs so that Google can crawl your content and boost SEO
- Moderation, approval, and filtering capabilities
- Analytics and reporting on your performance
Users have reported that Curator removes your past content once you change your content source. They’ve also expressed a desire for more layout options and unlimited views like other tools.
- Juicer
Juicer offers social aggregators for Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), TikTok, and LinkedIn. In addition to integrations with major social media platforms, it also integrates with several less common tools like Slack, Giphy, Soundcloud Flickr, Yelp, and more. Like others in this list, it’s a full social media aggregator, allowing you to aggregate images and photos in addition to hashtags.
Key features and benefits include:
- 9 built-in feed styles to choose from
- Moderation, approval, and filtering capabilities
- Permalinks to each post, optimized for SEO
- WordPress social feed plugin for WordPress sites
Users have reported issues with customer service, as well as technical issues like constant disconnections from social accounts, difficulty updating, and a lack of customization in comparison to its competitors.
- Tagembed
Tagembed has an impressive library of tools, making it suitable for multiple types of businesses with diverse goals. It offers multiple aggregators for platforms like Instagram, Facebook, RSS, Hashtags, and UGC.
It also offers more than 10 widgets for specific social platforms, as well as review widgets to aggregate reviews from sites like Google, Facebook, Airbnb, Amazon, Yelp, Etsy, and Tripadvisor.
Key features and benefits include:
- A dedicated Hashtag Widget for hashtag aggregation
- Stylized feeds, including themes, designs, layouts, colors, and fonts
- Curation, filtering, and management features
- Ability to customize card style, banners, and background
- Detailed analytics to track performance
Users have noted that the free plan has only 500 views per month, which is considerably limited in comparison to other hashtag aggregator tools.
Choosing the right hashtag aggregator tool for you
To ensure you choose the right option, consider your unique needs and circumstances. Here are a few factors to keep in mind.
- Social media goals: Define your objectives for using a hashtag aggregator tool, like brand awareness, engagement, or content curation.
- Essential features: Prioritize the most important features you need, like platform compatibility, customization, moderation, or analytics.
- Budget constraints: Determine your budget and explore pricing options of different tools. Weigh out features against their cost.
- User reviews and testimonials: Read reviews and recommendations to see if past users approve or disapprove, and why they feel that way.
- Free trials or demos: Lean toward options with free trials or demos so you can see if they meet your needs before investing.
Wrapping up
Hashtag aggregator tools are powerful assets for brands that are dedicated to their social media presence. By automating data collection, management, curation, and analysis, these tools empower you to boost engagement and strengthen your brand presence.
Remember to carefully assess your needs and goals before choosing a tool. For example, Spotlight is the way to go if you want to make your Instagram pop. On the other hand, Curator, Juicer, and Tagembed are ideal for multimedia and multichannel efforts. If you’re holding large events and want to display hashtag feeds on large screens, Onstipe has what you’re looking for.
With the help of the right hashtag aggregator in your arsenal, you’ll be able to fortify your social media strategy and help meet your brand’s growth goals.
