Social Media Strategy Archives | Sprout Social Sprout Social offers a suite of <a href="/features/" class="fw-bold">social media solutions</a> that supports organizations and agencies in extending their reach, amplifying their brands and creating real connections with their audiences. Thu, 30 Nov 2023 15:31:11 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://media.sproutsocial.com/uploads/2020/06/cropped-Sprout-Leaf-32x32.png Social Media Strategy Archives | Sprout Social 32 32 8 social media tips from experienced marketers https://sproutsocial.com/insights/social-media-tips/ https://sproutsocial.com/insights/social-media-tips/#comments Thu, 30 Nov 2023 15:30:49 +0000 http://sproutsocial.com/insights/?p=78506 Social media is a constantly shifting sea of change. And at the helm of the ship navigating these tides are agile social teams. From Read more...

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]]> Social media is a constantly shifting sea of change. And at the helm of the ship navigating these tides are agile social teams.

From changing best practices to new content formats, every new year (or sometimes new week) holds learnings, opportunities and experiments for social teams. To prepare for 2024, we gathered key social media tips to apply to your own strategy—because you’re not riding this wave alone.

We turned to Sprout Social’s Arboretum (the Arb)—a community of social pros—to ask them about their latest and greatest social media tips and tricks. Let’s dive in.

What we learned when we asked for social media tips

When we asked the Arb members for social media tips that other social pros can use, their answers reflected the sophisticated, strategic ways social teams are thinking.

Before we get into their direct tips, here are three core themes we uncovered across the responses.

1. Social pros are looking beyond their team

There’s no question that teams beyond marketing are catching onto the power of social media—and how social might be able to help their team, too.

A common focus in many of the responses we saw in the Arb involved working with departments beyond marketing. This includes working with other teams to spark new content concepts, and to bring social insights and impact to teams outside of marketing.

It also involves sharing data beyond your team. According to The Sprout Social Index™, 76% of marketers agree that their insights inform other departments.

2. Teams are streamlining processes—within their team and beyond

The more teams and leaders understand the value of social, the more asks and collaborations naturally arise.

As social teams and strategies grow, the more complex communication and collaboration systems become. From adopting Artificial Intelligence (AI) to adjusting content requests, the need for streamlined processes was well reflected in the responses we received.

3. Social teams are becoming even more intentional with content and strategies

Social pros have always known that social is more than “just posting.” There’s strategy and intention behind every post.

But many marketers and teams are taking this critical eye and intentionality to a new level. A big theme we noticed orbited around the idea of doubling down on involving business goals and audience information in the content planning process to be even more thoughtful about posts.

Keep reading to get more detail about these three takeaways from our expert tips, and to learn ways to employ them in your strategy.

8 social media strategy tips from social media experts

Here are some of the new key social media tips our community came up with. Plus a few evergreen tips to store in your back pocket.

1. Extend social media’s influence beyond the social team

There’s no question that social media is becoming more cross-functional. And other teams have a lot to gain from using social media for business beyond marketing. But the social team has a lot to gain from working with other teams, too.

As Micah Mellander, Social Media Administrator at Visions Federal Credit Union put it, “I am always trying to find new departments within our organization that could benefit from social media.” To do this, he suggests setting up meetings to talk through other departments’ goals and what products or services they’re in charge of.

A purple graphic with the icon of a lightbulb at the top and a quote that reads, “I am always trying to find new departments within our organization that could benefit from social media.” The quote is from Micah Mellander, Social Media Administrator at Visions Federal Credit Union.

This helps the social team spark new ideas, too. Dasle Hong, Senior Brand Marketing Manager at DailyPay, builds on this idea. “Each week, we bring together individuals from product, design, customer support, client success, marketing and more to brainstorm on a certain topic, like a holiday, campaign, event, etc. Everyone comes to the call with an idea and/or example, and we spend the entire time ideating, collaborating and executing content for that week as a cross-functional group.”

A purple graphic with a quote that reads, “Each week, we bring together individuals from product, design, customer support, client success, marketing, and more to brainstorm on a certain topic, like a holiday, campaign, event, etc.” The quote is from Dasle Hong, Senior Brand Marketing Manager at DailyPay.

2. Actively break down silos

Social teams must collaborate across multiple departments. And yet, it’s common for social teams to feel siloed.

“One of our main challenges as a team is collaborating with other departments and stakeholders on key initiatives or campaigns when it comes to organic social,” Kelly Bean, Social Media and Community Manager at Trustpilot, tells us. So one of the tips she has is to enhance these processes.

“What we’re aiming to do in 2024 is create a seamless internal process so that key stakeholders understand what is needed when briefing our team, how this ties into our overall business strategy and how our team operates when planning future content.”

A purple graphic with a quote that reads, “What we’re aiming to do in 2024 is create a seamless internal process so that key stakeholders understand what is needed when briefing our team, how this ties into our overall business strategy and how our team operates when planning future content.” by Kelly Bean, Social Media + Community Manager at Trustpilot.

“It’s very much in the testing phase,” she explains. “But we’re hoping that in time, these shared calendars can feed into our master calendar and make things much smoother for us as a team!”

3. Tap influencer, creator and advocate voices

A great way to target your audience on a more personal level is to partner with influencers in your niche to help you promote your products organically.

When you partner with an established influencer with an active following in your niche, you expose your brand to a new audience that might not be aware of your company.

Many brands are also turning to nanoinfluencers, who cultivate a small but passionate niche of followers. As influencer marketing becomes increasingly common, a micro- or nanoinfluencer can convey an extra level of authenticity. With an audience of loyal followers that know, like and trust them, a collaboration will let their followers know they recommend you as a brand to trust as well.

Pro tip: Discovering the right influencer can be challenging. Consider an influencer management tool to streamline all these efforts, speed up the process and enhance brand visibility and trust.

4. Use goals and pillars to guide intentional, purposeful content

Your content should always connect back to your brand’s goals. As Molly Rodin, Digital Marketing Manager in the Robotics industry explains, “My biggest piece of advice would be really know and understand what your social goals are and how they connect to the larger organization’s goals. It’s not enough to set a goal at the beginning of the year and check back in at the end of the year.”

A purple graphic with a quote on it that reads, “As social media managers, we get asked to do a lot. Having really clear objectives is the best way to prioritize what we’re doing, weed out low-value asks and make sure our content is set up for meaningful success.” by Molly Rodin, Digital Marketing Manager.

Knowing specific goals for your team and beyond serves as a guiding light for your posts. As they explain, “For any campaign or collaboration or post, you should be able to intuitively answer: Who is the audience for this? Why do they care? What is the next step for them after this content? What is the specific measure of success for this and how does it connect to the big picture goals? And adjust your strategy based on the answers.”

Beyond helping social teams prioritize their own content, it also helps teams prioritize asks from other departments. After all, every social pro is familiar with the, “can you just post this on social?” question.

As Molly explains, “As social media managers, we get asked to do a lot. Having really clear objectives is the best way to prioritize what we’re doing, weed out low-value asks and make sure our content is set up for meaningful success.”

Having a focused message will help you create higher quality content that is on brand and resonates with your audience. When you have a solid message that you don’t stray from, you can count on your social media posts to stay relevant to your audience.

5. Scale your team

Social media isn’t the job of one person anymore—it’s a department collaborating with many other teams. As social media and its impact grows, so too does the need for multiple people at the helm.

“My #1 tip for B2B brands in 2024 is to scale up your team as much as possible,” Katy Severance, the Digital Marketing Manager (Global Social Media Program) at Riskonnect tells us. “We are scaling up as 2024 comes around the corner so that when next year hits, we’ll be ready to hit the ground running with new concepts, campaigns and platforms we haven’t previously had the time to tackle.”

A purple graphic with a lightbulb icon at the top. A quote on the graphic reads, “See if a member of your content team can write & schedule some posts.” by Katy Severance, Digital Marketing Manager (Global Social Media Program) at Riskonnect

As far as how to accomplish a scaled-up team, you don’t necessarily need to go straight to hiring new roles—especially if you need to build your case for headcount. As Katy suggests, “See if a member of your content team can write & schedule some posts. See if you could bring in a summer Intern for a few months.” When you have tangible results from those efforts, then work them into a proposal to get a full-time hire.

6. Avoid the trap of perfectionism

Everyone working in social knows the experience of putting weeks of work into a post…only to see it outperformed by a video that took 15 seconds to make.

Not every post needs to be perfect. Social teams are already tight on time. So put the perfectionism aside and embrace the occasional scrappy, lo-fi content.

A purple graphic with a quote that reads, “Not every post is going to be a viral sensation or garner millions of engagements. A lot of times the posts that do are ones that are more casually created and not super refined.” by Sophie Den Ridder Senior Media Coordinator at Dealer.com

Sophie Den Ridder, Social Media Coordinator at Dealer.com, summed this up perfectly: “I find that getting hung up on making sure every post is perfect often leads to spending way too much time trying to tweak already good posts. Not every post is going to be a viral sensation or garner millions of engagements. A lot of times the posts that do are ones that are more casually created and not super refined.”

Her key takeaway for 2024 content planning? Give yourself permission to have fun on social (within reason!) and go with the flow a little more.

7. Be discerning with trends

Jumping on trending TikTok sounds or post formats is a great way to boost your brand awareness and engagement. But be wary of jumping on every new trend you see. Creating posts that don’t align with your overall messaging to appear relevant is a quick way to alienate your target audience.

This is why it’s so essential to create a focused message that you can use as a baseline to measure all of your future social media posts. Let your brand goals, messaging, audience and voice guide you. This will help you determine which trends fit your brand, and which to skip.

8. Boost your audience engagement

Social media users crave authentic interaction with the brands they follow—it’s a crucial piece of any social community management strategy. You want your social media presence to represent a two-way line of communication. Engage with people rather than just talking at them. If you notice other users having a conversation about your brand or product, don’t be afraid to chime in and add additional value—something social listening can help with.

Make sure your social media strategy includes answering questions posted on each platform and prioritizes customer care. Promptly respond to mentions, thank people who share your content and add value where you see people mentioning your brand.

You can also start conversations to proactively engage your audience. Ask questions and respond to keep the conversation going.

Act now: how to implement this social media marketing advice in 2024

Reading about social media strategy tips is just step one. Now, it’s time to put the tips into action.

Here are a few ways to apply the takeaways and tips above to your own social media marketing strategy.

Establish silo-breaking collaboration and processes

Cross-org collaboration is crucial for social teams, and for businesses to benefit from social insights. But 43% of social teams still feel siloed—especially on mid-market and enterprise teams.

Establishing smoother cross-team communication and collaboration was a core theme across our community tips. Apply this to your own strategy—identify where siloes or roadblocks occur, and identify opportunities for more communication.

For example, create a system to share relevant social insights and data with other teams. A social listening strategy can empower you to uncover valuable insights for your product, PR and partnerships teams alike. And auto-generated data visualizations and shareable reports ease the process, helping you tell a data story to multiple departments.

Knocking down silos can also mean involving other teams to bring their expertise to social content. Think: recruiting employees from other departments as video talent, leveraging them in a meet the team post series or simply working with them to ensure campaign alignment.

Take a hint from Kelly Bean’s tip above and use a master calendar for visibility. Look for features in your social media management platform that can help you—like Sprout’s built-in content calendar and workflows that streamline collaboration and approval processes.

Sprout's approval workflow where multiple stakeholders must see and approve content in Sprout before it can be published.

Get more sophisticated with your data use

Social data and its uses are only getting more sophisticated and more useful across departments.

For example, key social media metrics like engagements and follower growth are still crucial and widely used. But many marketers are taking their metrics a step further, connecting them to business goals. According to the Index, 60% of marketers plan to quantify the value of social engagement in terms of potential revenue impact in 2024.

A green graphic from The 2023 Sprout Social Index™ listing the top ways marketers plan on connecting the value of social go business goals in 2024. According to The Index, 60% of marketers plan to quantify the value of social engagement in terms of potential revenue impact in 2024.

Put your social data into action and tie your social efforts to larger business impact. An easy way to start is by using UTMs in your links to track purchases and actions taken from social. You can create these on your own or, if you use Sprout, easily manage these directly in the same platform you use for content, engagement and reporting.

When in doubt, AI will help you out

According to The 2023 Sprout Social Index™, 81% of marketers say AI has already had a positive impact on their work—especially for freeing up creativity and boosting efficiency.

With so many marketers already adopting AI into their workflows, the teams that don’t risk falling behind. Bring it into your workflow where you think it can make your team more efficient.

AI copy tools, for example, give you a starting point for post ideas and copy, customer service responses and more. Tools like Sprout’s Suggestions by AI Assist even enable you to adjust for tone, speeding up the content creation and engagement process.

A screenshot of the AI assist feature in Sprout. Here, this AI tool is being used to fine-tune a customer care response on social.

Use these social media tips and tricks to refresh your 2024 strategy

No social practitioner or team is alone. Use this expert social media marketing advice to inspire and improve your strategy.

Do you have social media tips of your own? Or just want to learn more? Join our community, The Arboretum, to connect with other social pros, for exclusive live events and to stay ahead in the industry.

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]]> https://sproutsocial.com/insights/social-media-tips/feed/ 14 Social’s 2023 Year-in-Review & Predictions for 2024 https://sproutsocial.com/insights/webinars/socials-2023-year-in-review-predictions-for-2024/ Tue, 28 Nov 2023 20:39:07 +0000 https://sproutsocial.com/insights/?post_type=webinars&p=179877 Want to know how to make your business binge-worthy? TikTok creator, business commentator, and podcast host Dulma Altan has the scoop. In this webinar, Read more...

The post Social’s 2023 Year-in-Review & Predictions for 2024 appeared first on Sprout Social.

]]> Want to know how to make your business binge-worthy?

TikTok creator, business commentator, and podcast host Dulma Altan has the scoop. In this webinar, you’ll learn the top social media lessons from 2023 and uncover the trends that will shape 2024. Buckle up for a ride through the major platform shake-ups, the rise of generative AI and influencer marketing trends.

Join us on Thursday, December 14th at 1 pm CT (11 am PT, 2pm ET) for our highly anticipated end-of-year event! This is not just another trends webinar—it’s your ticket to staying ahead of your competitors in the world of social media. Whether you’re in the B2B or B2C industry, your social strategy can’t afford to remain stagnant. 

We’ll cover:

  • Best examples of brands using AI to move more quickly
  • Major social media platform changes & tips to pivot your strategy
  • Top lessons from 2023 influencer campaigns & 2024 best practices 
  • Generational breakdowns of how users search for information on social media

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]]> How to make money on TikTok: 15 strategies to use in 2024 https://sproutsocial.com/insights/how-to-make-money-on-tiktok/ Wed, 22 Nov 2023 17:15:34 +0000 https://sproutsocial.com/insights/?p=163505/ TikTok has remained a vastly popular social media platform since its inception, capitalizing on its early fame as people gravitated toward its light, short-form Read more...

The post How to make money on TikTok: 15 strategies to use in 2024 appeared first on Sprout Social.

]]> TikTok has remained a vastly popular social media platform since its inception, capitalizing on its early fame as people gravitated toward its light, short-form content. This surge in popularity means TikTok is ripe with revenue opportunities, something that your TikTok marketing strategy should make room for.

From the #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt trend to devoted subcultures like #BookTok, brands are finding creative and authentic ways to position and sell their products or services directly to TikTok audiences. You can too, by making engaging and helpful short videos that speak directly to your audience’s interests.

But where do you begin? In this article, we break down the top 15 strategies for how to make money on TikTok, updated to include changes to the creator fund announced in November 2023.

Table of Contents

1. Join the TikTok Creativity Program/ Creator Fund

Since 2020 TikTok has offered its most popular creators a program to monetize content. In November 2023 TikTok announced some changes to how this works, depending on where you are located in the world. TikTok are shutting down the Creator Fund for users in the US, UK, Germany and France and replacing it with the Creativity Program starting December 16th.

TikTok says the new fund will enable creators in these countries to make more money for video uploads over a minute. To join, users must have at least 10,000 followers and 100,000 views in the last 30 days. Earnings will also be based on views and other TikTok engagement metrics.

Are you a creator in Italy and Spain? Users in these countries can still monetize their profiles through the TikTok Creator Fund. Creators need to hit some prerequisites to join the program and begin receiving money from the platform. Creator Fund members earn money based on the number of engagements they get on their content.

2. Run TikTok ads

About 67% of 18-19 year olds and 56% of 20-29 year olds are on TikTok. This makes TikTok marketing a strong advertising choice for brands wanting to market their products to Gen Z. TikTok ads come with simple, powerful tools to help you advertise to millions of users. Ad formats vary by region, but all let you personalize your targeting by age, location, interest and other factors. You can select one or a few formats that work best for your brand.

The most popular types of TikTok ads include:

In-feed video: Appear on the For You Page of TikTok users who meet your targeting parameters.

Brand takeover: This lets your ad expand to the width of the whole screen for a few seconds. Then it becomes an in-feed video ad.

Hashtag challenges: Create appealing challenges that encourage user-generated content. These challenges appear in the Discovery section on TikTok. This option is only available to managed brands that work in collaboration with TikTok sales representatives.

There are several more types of TikTok ads you can experiment with, but note that some are only available to certain types of accounts.

3. Collect tips or donations

TikTok has introduced a tipping feature that allows select creators to earn money from tips and donations. Fans can use this feature to show gratitude to the creators they love.

Video gifts let viewers send creators virtual gifts and coins. Some creators can collect gifts during a live stream. Gifts can be redeemed for Diamonds—TikTok’s digital currency.

When you save up enough Diamonds, you can trade them for real cash.

A screenshot of TikTok's digital currency options.

Creators can also use tipping platforms to earn money. Tipeee, Ko-fi and Buy Me a Coffee can be connected to your TikTok account to function as a tip jar.

4. Collaborate with a creator

The latest Sprout Social Index™ shows that 33% of Gen Z and 28% of Millennials value brand/creator content collaborations. TikTok’s thriving community of content creators makes it an excellent channel for collaborating with influential people with highly engaged communities.

The key is to collaborate with the right creators who can authentically position your brand to their audience, as creator-made branded content has 83% higher engagement rates.

@shopnuuly

Rental Reveal with @Britt 🦋 comment + tell us your fave #nuulyfits #tryon #fypシ #itstuesday

♬ original sound – nuuly rent | nuuly thrift

 

TikTok’s Creator Marketplace is where you can connect with content creators on the network. In a few steps, you can find influencers and run campaigns with them. Locate creators based on business goals, budget and industry, and find comprehensive performance and audience metrics for data-driven decision-making.

A screenshot of TikTok's Creator Marketplace.

TikTok has some eligibility requirements for the Creator Marketplace, so only select creators can join. This assures marketers that creators they partner with are some of TikTok’s top influencers.

5. Try affiliate marketing

Through affiliate marketing programs, creators and other businesses can promote and sell another company’s products or services for a commission.

To be a successful affiliate marketer, you need to generate sales online. Focus on promoting products that best align with your target audience. Create engaging videos that present affiliate products, showcasing the value and why you recommend purchasing them. Try promoting brands you like and trust, sharing affiliate links or codes to track purchases influenced by your account.

If a follower makes a purchase through the link or code provided, then you will receive a commission from the brand for that sale. TikTok doesn’t allow personal accounts to place clickable links within video descriptions. But you can ask followers to copy and paste links into their browsers, or enter special codes at checkout. Sites like Beacons allow you to create a free webpage containing affiliate links and details for products being promoted. If you have a business account, you can add a link in your bio.

If you’re an in-house marketer, create an affiliate marketing program with clear guidelines and instructions on how to participate. Invite TikTokers who align with your brand values and target audience to participate. Encourage affiliates to promote the products or services that best align with your goals and shared audience. And most importantly, implement a tracking system so you can monitor affiliate performance and commission payments.

6. Grow and sell TikTok accounts

Organically growing a TikTok account could take months. However, you can buy an established account to get an instant boost of followers.

To successfully make money selling TikTok accounts, creators should focus on niche topics that can be sustained by the buyer. This will make it easier for the buyer to continue posting similar content and maintain follower engagement.

Brands considering buying an established account should perform due diligence. An account with a lot of followers but low engagement may not provide the return you’re looking for. Also, ensure the account serves an audience you target and the content aligns with your brand and goals.

Brands can purchase an account with active followers from platforms like 123accs, Accfarm and Fameswap.

A screenshot of account listings on Accfarm

For smaller activations, brands can sponsor posts that live directly on creators’ profiles. Similar to creator collaborations, these campaigns allow brands to pay content creators to promote their products in organic posts. Sponsor single posts or create a series. If it starts trending, you can boost the post to expand its reach even further.

@christinanadinx

#Ad My new favourite primer leaving my skin hydrated and glowy @maccosmetics #MACstudioRadiance #TalkPrimerToMe

♬ Why Are There Boundaries – FKJ

 

8. Create a Patreon account

A Patreon account lets creators generate revenue from fans through memberships that allow exclusive access to content. Use TikTok to promote membership sign-ups.

@darastarrtucker

#patreon #becomeapatron #patronofthearts #supportcreators #supportcreatorsofcolor #joinmypatreon #creatorsupport @darastarrtucker

♬ original sound – Dara Starr Tucker

 

Try to keep your subscription costs low to encourage subscribers and consider rewarding new subscribers. For example, giving away merchandise or exclusive content access to your most loyal followers. Add the link to your Patreon page in your videos or add it to your bio to make it easy for followers to subscribe whenever they are ready.

9. Sell your products and merchandise

Merchandise, merchandise, merchandise. This tried-and-true strategy applies to TikTok as well. Turn original artwork, quotes or your brand’s logo into merch and promote it on TikTok. Feature your existing products in tutorials or showcase your product alongside a trend.

@useloom

🕯 New from Loom: Lighten your calendar and brighten your day with Cancelled Meetings by Loom — the first candle designed to help you get back your time. Featuring:✨ 8oz, hand-poured candle✨ “Peace on Earth, Peace at Work,” a free zine✨ The relief of knowing you can cancel a meeting with Loom #loomunlocks

♬ original sound – Loom

 

Listen to your audience if you are unsure what to sell. Create polls or ask them directly to learn what they might buy.

If you have a personal account, create an ecommerce website to process sales transactions and promote it on your TikTok account. Add the store to your videos, and encourage your followers to check out your products.

If you have a TikTok Business account, you can connect platforms like Shopify, BigCommerce, Square Online and Ecwid store to your account.

10. Set up a TikTok shop

TikTok partnered with Shopify to launch the TikTok Shopping feature. Brands and creators can become official TikTok merchants and sell directly in the app.

A screenshot of the TikTok shopping feature.

By creating a TikTok Shop, you can showcase products on in-feed videos, lives and product showcase tabs. If eligible for this feature, you can signup to become a seller in the TikTok Seller Center, where you can manage inventory, orders, creator partnerships, promotions and more. However, the seller center is only available in select regions.

11. Offer exclusive content on TikTok

TikTok just launched a new monetization feature in June of 2023 called TikTok Series. This new feature is a way to create exclusive content that lives behind a paywall.

Interested creators can apply to get access to this new feature, but there are other criteria they need to meet as well:

  • Creators must be 18+
  • Their account must be at least 30 days old
  • They must have at least 10,000 followers
  • They must have posted 3+ public videos in the last 30 days
  • They must have at least 1,000 views in the last 30 days

Creators who have less than 10,000 followers may still be eligible if they can provide a link to premium content they’ve successfully sold on other platforms.

Your Series can include up to 80 videos total, each up to 20 minutes long. This can be a great way to provide valuable educational content to your audience for a one-time fee. You can set the price for each TikTok Series you create, with payment options ranging from $0.99 to $189.99.

12. Provide virtual gifts

Another monetization feature is virtual gifts on your videos. People who really enjoy your content can send you virtual gifts as a token of their appreciation—which can then be converted into actual money.

Turn on the gift option to have a small gift box icon appear next to the comment box. Users interested in leaving a gift can tap it to visit this interface:

A screenshot of virtual gifts in TikTok

Coin packages can be bought in the following increments:

  • 20 coins: $0.29
  • 65 coins: $0.99
  • 330 coins: $4.99
  • 660 coins: $9.99
  • 1,321 coins: $19.99
  • 3,303 coins: $49.99
  • 6,607 coins: $99.99
  • 16,500 coins: $249.99

These coins can then be used to buy and send virtual gifts to a user’s favorite creators, with gifts ranging from 5 to 3,000 coins. Turn on virtual gifts to offer this option to your viewers.

13. Host live events or workshops

TikTok Live is another great way to make money. Similar to virtual video gifts, users can also send live gifts. The little gift box icon will appear at the bottom of a live video for users to tap and buy different gifts. The ranges on these are even bigger, with some being just a single coin and others going up to 10s of thousands of coins.

A screenshot of live gifts in TikTok

Several TikTok creators have shared how live streaming can be used to make money. One creator makes between $20-$300 every time they go live and another brought in $34,000 within a single month—just from live streaming.

Make sure your live videos are entertaining and valuable so that users keep wanting to tune in. The more consistent viewers you get, the more likely they are to stick around and send you virtual gifts.

14. Offer personalized shoutouts

If you have a large following, TikTokers who want to grow their accounts may be willing to pay for personalized shoutouts. Pick a price point and sell shoutouts as yet another way to make money. Your price may be a bit of trial and error. If you’re getting no bites, you may want to lower it. But on the other hand, if you’re getting a ton of interest, you might be able to increase your price.

You can then shout these people out during a live video or during a feed video. You might even choose to offer two different price points (with feed videos costing more) so that users can choose where they’d like to be shouted out.

15. Sell digital products

Finally, consider selling digital products. You can create a shop with TikTok and link to your digital products from there, making it easy to make a sale. Promote your products within your videos and include your shop’s URL in your profile so users can easily find it.

Learn more about TikTok for business

These strategies can elevate your TikTok game and put you on a clear path to making money on the app. Learn how to get more TikTok followers so you can increase your earning potential even more.

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]]> 16 influencer marketing platforms to boost your campaigns in 2024 https://sproutsocial.com/insights/influencer-marketing-platforms/ Mon, 20 Nov 2023 17:44:16 +0000 https://sproutsocial.com/insights/?p=179160 If you’re looking to grow your online presence in a creative and authentic way, influencer marketing may be your best bet. Influencer marketing revolves Read more...

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]]> If you’re looking to grow your online presence in a creative and authentic way, influencer marketing may be your best bet. Influencer marketing revolves around partnering with popular users on social media—typically platforms like Instagram, TikTok and YouTube—so their audience discovers your business and its products or services.

However, creating a successful influencer marketing program involves a lot of work. Finding the right influencers, getting in touch with them (or their manager/agent), putting together a content plan and more.

This is where influencer marketing platforms come in. Different software can help you find influencers, create successful campaigns and monitor their performance. They can be a big help in putting together the best influencer marketing campaign possible. And to help you get said campaign started, we’ve put together 16 influencer marketing platforms to choose from.

Table of contents

What are influencer marketing platforms?

Influencer marketing platforms are software or companies built to help brands create an influencer marketing strategy. These can be marketplaces meant to connect brands with influencers in their niche. They can also help brands and influencer communicate or track campaign analytics. And they can even be agencies where real specialists help brands put together an influencer partnership.

Platforms like these can help businesses who are new to influencer marketing, brands with small teams who need additional support or even large corporations who simply want to hand their strategy off to the experts.

16 Influencer marketing platforms and software for your brand

Whether you’re looking to start your first influencer marketing campaign or simply want to make certain steps easier on your team, here are 16 influencer marketing platforms that can help.

1. Tagger by Sprout Social

Tagger is a tool that was recently acquired by Sprout Social to help us offer even more assistance to our users when it comes to influencer marketing. We already have a full-suite social media management software—all we needed to wrap up our software was to help even more with influencer marketing.

A screenshot of the Tagger Media website

Features:

  • Access Tagger’s proprietary social intelligence engine to monitor trends, analyze data and build a comprehensive strategy
  • Use the profile discovery tool to find the right influencers for your campaign
  • Manage and optimize your campaigns with labels, tracking, workflows and more
  • Get access to a team of experts that can help you every step of the way

2. Brandwatch

Brandwatch is a social media and consumer intelligence tool that helps brands keep an eye on online trends and conversations surrounding their industries. However, Brandwatch also has an influencer marketing offering to help its customers find and manage influencer relationships.

A screenshot of Brandwatch's influencer marketing page

Features:

  • Search through a list of 30+ creators to find the best influencers for your brand
  • House all influencer partners in a single dashboard for seamless communication
  • Measure campaign results and build reports to share with your team

3. Upfluence

Upfluence is an influencer and affiliate marketing platform that works with AI to help your company improve its influencer marketing strategy. The platform is designed to help teams save time when working with influencers, making it a great option for companies with smaller teams.

A screenshot of influencer marketing platform Upfluence's website

Features:

  • AI-powered chatbot to auto-generate messages to influencers you’re interested in working with
  • Creator matching tools that help you find influencers more likely to work with you
  • Streamlined influencer invoicing, product seeding, promo code generation and more

4. Afluencer

Afluencer is one of the leading influencer marketplaces, helping brands and influencers find each other for partnerships and sponsored content. Set criteria, like number of followers, interest, channels and more, as you search so you only find influencers that match the type of campaign you’re running.

A screenshot of influencer marketing platform Afluence's website

Features:

  • Create a listing for your brand so potential influencers can learn more about you
  • Search for the best influencers for your project using specific criteria and filters
  • Manage all influencer conversations in one easy-to-navigate dashboard

5. Grin

Grin is an AI-powered influencer management platform that works to make influencer partnerships as seamless as possible. Grin has tools to help support your influencer marketing strategy every step of the way, from discovery to campaign launch to reporting and analyzing results.

A screenshot of influencer marketing platform Grin's website

Features:

  • Website extension while you browse social media to get even more key data about influencers
  • Manage influencer gifting and product seeding directly in one single dashboard
  • Manage relationships and influencer payments seamlessly with Grin

6. LTK

A screenshot of influencer marketing platform LTK's website

LTK, previously known as LIKEtoKNOW.it, started as a linking platform for Instagram influencers to share product and affiliate links easily with their viewers. LTK has since merged with rewardStyle, grown and rebranded, keeping its roots to influencer marketing, but building on it so that it’s a perfect platform for both brands and influencers alike.

Features:

  • Get access to an exclusive, invite-only list of influencers who have been vetted and shown proven results
  • Take advantage of historical data to help you put together the best influencer campaign for your industry
  • Create tracking tags that help you keep an eye on how each campaign is performing

7. Influencity

Influencity is a collaborative influencer marketing platform whose goal is to make communication and partnership between brands and influencers as seamless as possible. With an easy-to-use dashboard and access to over 170 million content creators, Influencity can be a great option for your team.

A screenshot of influencer marketing platform Influencity's website

Features:

  • Filter and sort as you search for influencers based on your brand and campaign needs
  • Curate lists of influencers and manage your relationships on the platform
  • Integrate your ecommerce store for easy product seeding and gifting

8. Mavrck

Mavrck is another full-service influencer marketing software created to help brands work with creators to better reach and sell to their customers. Brands like Disney, Crocs, Express and Netflix have all used Mavrck’s influencer marketing tools, helping the software build a credible client list

A screenshot of influencer marketing platform Mavrck's website

Features:

  • Survey influencers to build out your market research studies and launch better products
  • Build out referral programs or ambassador programs to further boost your sales
  • Use the Mavrck Influencer Index to find the best influencers for your needs

9. CLEVER

CLEVER is an influencer marketing agency with a team of experts that can help brands run end-to-end influencer marketing strategies. If you want a fully hands-off approach to your influencer marketing, CLEVER might be the perfect solution for your team and its needs.

A screenshot of influencer marketing platform CLEVER's website

Features:

  • Get a competitive strategy built that’s fully customized to your team and its KPIs
  • Sit back and relax—well, work on other projects—while a trusted team manages your influencers
  • Get reports and updates throughout the entire campaign process

10. Shopify Collabs

Shopify Collabs is the perfect solution for businesses, small and large, that run on Shopify. Easily access Shopify Collabs right in your Shopify Admin dashboard and find the best influencers for your needs, industry and products. The platform is completely free for Shopify users, making it an ideal option for ecommerce businesses using this as their website builder.

A screenshot of influencer marketing platform Shopify Collabs' website

Features:

  • Work with influencers on a number of platforms, including Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Twitch
  • Create an affiliate program and seamlessly send out products for influencers to test and review
  • Pay creators automatically through the Shopify Billing system you’re already used to

11. YouTube BrandConnect

YouTube BrandConnect is an influencer marketing platform that is obviously run by and affiliated with YouTube and Google. There are nearly 500,000 YouTube influencers in the U.S. alone, so it’s no wonder the company has taken advantage of that and created its own platform to help its users connect and work together.

A screenshot of influencer marketing platform YouTube BrandConnect's website

Features:

  • Get connected with the perfect YouTube influencers for your brand
  • See unique insights and analytics that only Google can provide
  • Work directly with a Google ads representative to make the most of your YouTube influencer marketing

12. Klear

Klear is another full-service influencer marketing platform available to help your brand discover, work with and monitor influencer partnerships. Klear is owned by Meltwater, making this a great option for brands already using that software.

A screenshot of influencer marketing platform Klear's website

Features:

  • Get help sifting through 30+ million influencers with filters and smart AI tools
  • Analyze influencer presences across a number of platforms, including Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Twitter, Pinterest and even blogs
  • Use a single portal for all influencer communication and campaign management, making the process as easy as possible

13. Creator.co

Creator.co is a platform that can assist brands with both influencer marketing and affiliate marketing. Creator.co offers services and tools for both brands and creators, working to create the perfect software where the two can meet in harmony.

A screenshot of influencer marketing platform Creator.co's website

Features:

  • Browse over 200 million profiles across social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok and YouTube
  • Manage influencer conversations, campaign details, payment information and more in a single dashboard
  • Get access to an industry expert who can work alongside you to create a successful influencer campaign

14. Skeepers

Skeepers is a platform dedicated to helping brands get user-generated content (UGC) for their online presences. It does this by offering software to help brands collect ratings and reviews, create live shopping experiences, create consumer videos and, of course, manage influencer marketing campaigns.

A screenshot of influencer marketing platform Skeeper's website

Features:

  • Search for the right parts in a community of vetted nano and micro-influencers
  • Get help automating a collection of user-generated content you can share on your own social profiles
  • Analyze your campaign results in real time with Skeepers’ dashboard

15. Heepsy

Heepsy is a global influencer search engine that allows brands to search for influencers all over the world based on demographics like niche, location, platform and more. Easily find the best influencers for your brand with Heepsy.

A screenshot of influencer marketing platform Heepsy's website

Features:

  • Browse through millions of available influencers and creators on platforms like Instagram, YouTube and TikTok
  • Analyze influencer audiences to find the perfect match for your target customer
  • Create influencer lists so you can easily start contacting potential partners

16. Webfluential

Webfluential is a performance influencer marketing platform dedicated to helping brands drive sales due to influencer marketing in the social ecommerce space. With platforms like TikTok and Instagram making it so easy to create online shops, this platform is perfect for ecommerce businesses wanting to make more sales on social media.

A screenshot of influencer marketing platform Webfluential's website

Features:

  • Create a brief based on what you’re looking for and wait for influencers to pitch to your brand
  • Get access to analytics and engagement data to determine which influencers are best for your needs
  • Choose between a self-service approach or working with a team of dedicated account managers

Tips for finding the best influencer marketing software for your business

Not sure how to find the best influencer marketing software for your brand’s needs? Here are a few tips to help you out.

Consider the size of your team

The size of your team and your company’s resources will have a major impact on the type of influencer marketing software you decide to use. If you have a small team with just one or two social media managers, you might choose to work with an agency rather than managing this process in house. If you have a full social media team, a self-service tool could be the best solution.

Keep your budget in mind

You have to pay the influencers you work with. How much of the social media budget was allocated for working with influencers? How much budget does this leave you for a platform to help manage your campaign? The software you select may largely depend on how much you have to spend.

Think about your existing tech stack

Many platforms integrate well with some software but may not work so well with others. Think about the platforms you already use and love. For example, Tagger is now owned by Sprout Social. Sprout users may now discover Tagger is the best platforms for them to use due to how well it fits in with our other social media management tools.

Find the best influencer marketing platform for your business

Influencer marketing is a key social media strategy in generating brand awareness, improving your reputation and growing sales. And Tagger by Sprout Social can help streamline your social media management and influencer marketing platform needs. Try us out for 30 days free and see how we can help with all parts of your social media and influencer marketing efforts.

The post 16 influencer marketing platforms to boost your campaigns in 2024 appeared first on Sprout Social.

]]> The generational marketing playbook: How to engage every age group on social https://sproutsocial.com/insights/guides/generational-marketing/ Mon, 20 Nov 2023 16:00:07 +0000 https://sproutsocial.com/insights/?post_type=guides&p=151362/ The post The generational marketing playbook: How to engage every age group on social appeared first on Sprout Social.

]]> The post The generational marketing playbook: How to engage every age group on social appeared first on Sprout Social.

]]> Begin, Budget & Build Your Influencer Strategy with Andrea Casanova https://sproutsocial.com/insights/webinars/begin-budget-build-your-influencer-strategy-with-andrea-casanova/ Thu, 16 Nov 2023 20:57:33 +0000 https://sproutsocial.com/insights/?post_type=webinars&p=179505 Master the essential steps to kickstart your influencer marketing strategy with Creator and Content Strategist, Andrea Casanova. Learn ways to find the influencers that Read more...

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]]> Master the essential steps to kickstart your influencer marketing strategy with Creator and Content Strategist, Andrea Casanova. Learn ways to find the influencers that align with your brand’s values and goals, uncover the strategies of budget allocation and decode the metrics that matter to your brand. This webinar is your roadmap to influencer marketing success, equipping you with the knowledge and tools needed to make impactful, data-driven decisions for your brand.

Your Speakers:

The post Begin, Budget & Build Your Influencer Strategy with Andrea Casanova appeared first on Sprout Social.

]]> Making Dollars and Sense out of the Creator Economy with Lia Haberman https://sproutsocial.com/insights/webinars/making-dollars-and-sense-out-of-the-creator-economy/ Tue, 14 Nov 2023 21:45:50 +0000 https://sproutsocial.com/insights/?post_type=webinars&p=179433 Lia Haberman, Insider’s “Top Creator Economy Expert,” will delve into the dynamic world of influencer marketing and its evolving digital terrain. You’ll walk away Read more...

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]]> Lia Haberman, Insider’s “Top Creator Economy Expert,” will delve into the dynamic world of influencer marketing and its evolving digital terrain. You’ll walk away from this event with a powerful understanding of the influencer landscape, where it’s headed and questions your brand should consider as it begins or scales its influencer strategy.

Your Speakers:

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]]> Mastering Instagram influencer marketing: strategies for success https://sproutsocial.com/insights/instagram-influencer-marketing/ Tue, 14 Nov 2023 16:54:41 +0000 https://sproutsocial.com/insights/?p=162183/ The influencer space has ballooned into a multi-billion dollar phenomenon, meaning influencer marketing has made its name as a key marketing strategy. Brands of Read more...

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]]> The influencer space has ballooned into a multi-billion dollar phenomenon, meaning influencer marketing has made its name as a key marketing strategy. Brands of all shapes and sizes are eager to find ways to feature creators in their campaigns.

Instagram is quickly becoming the go-to network for influencers, with recent stats saying that carousels, Reels and Stories are among the most popular content types for creators.

As creators continue to dominate the platform, brands need to know how Instagram influencer marketing works. In this post, we’ll break down the basics.

What is Instagram influencer marketing?

Instagram influencer marketing is a promotional strategy based on partnerships between brands and social media creators (“influencers”) on Instagram.

The concept is simple enough. Brands partner with creators to promote products on their Instagram profiles and then compensate those creators for their efforts. And while influencer marketing is popular on many platforms (like TikTok and Facebook), 86% of social marketers cite Instagram as the top platform for their influencer marketing strategy.

What makes someone an Instagram influencer, though?

The term refers to the level of influence that these social media creators have on their audiences. That’s because everyday consumers look to influencers for product recommendations.

In short, influencers are users that influence purchasing decisions. One-third of people on Instagram have been inspired to buy something based on an influencer’s post.

Most Instagram influencers don’t actually refer to themselves by the term, though. Creator or content creator is more common these days. Although influencer used to be synonymous with celebrity, times have changed.

You don’t need millions of followers to be considered an Instagram influencer. There are different levels of influencer, which can be broken down into the categories below:

And while 70% of social marketers see the biggest impact from macro-influencers, 43% also see a huge impact from micro-influencers.

What are some examples of Instagram influencer marketing?

Chances are you’ve encountered your fair share of Instagram influencers in the wild. Below are a few examples of influencer content in action.

Sponsored content (#ad or #gifted posts)

Sponsored posts are disclosed by creators with a tag such as #ad or #gifted if they were given the product for free. Through gifting, brands provide creators with free products in exchange for a post. Sometimes additional compensation is also offered.

Below is an example from BoxyCharm. Frequent sponsored and gifting campaigns makes their beauty products practically can’t-miss on Instagram.

Screenshot of Instagram influencer marketing gifted products example by hashtag.

Affiliate links

Many brands boast affiliate programs on Instagram. When someone clicks on an influencer’s affiliate link, that interaction is tracked. The affiliate is compensated if the person that clicked converts.

If you’ve ever seen the phrase “link in bio” when referring to a product, you’re likely looking at an affiliate post. Many influencers will also have static affiliate links in their bios through Instagram tools like Linkt.ree.

Screenshot of Instagram influencer marketing linktree example.

Reposting Instagram influencer content

Brands will often supplement their own Instagram content strategy with posts from influencers.

For example, a company might reshare an influencer’s photo shouting a product to their stories feed. Mixed with organic content and customer tags, the influencers’ posts fit in seamlessly.

What are the benefits of Instagram influencer marketing?

So, why are influencer relationships worth the time and effort? Below we highlight the key benefits for brands.

Greater reach and exposure

Brand accounts have been hit hard by the Instagram algorithm when it comes to reach and engagement.

On the flip side, creator accounts are thriving. Influencers often boast some of the most engaged-with posts you can find on Instagram.

But beyond that, also consider that influencers can boost the exposure of brands by introducing them to a larger audience. For example, check out Hero Cosmetics’ 104,000 followers…

 

Screenshot of an Instagram brand bio example.

…and the creator they partnered with that currently has an audience three times that size.

Screenshot of an Instagram influencer marketing bio example.

See how that works? Especially for up-and-coming brands, influencers serve as an alternative to Instagram ads.

Increase social sales

Again, Instagram influencers represent an advertising channel for brands beyond traditional paid posts.

Collaborations, ambassadorships and product gifting can be more cost-effective than conversion-based campaigns.

There are tons of question marks around paid ad targeting. Through Instagram influencers, brands can estimate their promotions’ reach beforehand. This is based on factors like the creators’ audience size and engagement rate.

Consider that 43% of people already follow influencers on Instagram. There’s no denying the correlation between social sales and brand awareness. That’s why featuring creators as part of your funnel supports your sales efforts.

Show off your products in action

If you want to bring your products to life, influencers can make it happen.

This is where the “create” aspect of “content creator” comes into play. For example, skilled influencers understand:

  • Relevant scenarios and applications of your product(s)
  • The real-world struggles, challenges and pain points of your audience
  • How to highlight your brand’s value proposition

Look no further than the beauty industry that’s brimming with talented influencers. From skincare hacks to makeup challenges and beyond, beauty influencers know how to flex their creativity.

Tapping into an influencer’s skillset, you can uncover totally new ways to sell your products.

Humanize your brand

Done right, Instagram influencer marketing can quite literally give your brand a face.

The importance of delivering authenticity can’t be overstated when competition is so fierce on social media. Breaking through the noise means having real people promote your brand and tell your story.

That’s because creators highlight the human element of your business. Again, influencers that reflect your audience know the struggles your customers are facing.

This highlights the popularity of brand ambassador programs right now. After all, who better to speak on your brand’s behalf than someone that legitimately loves your products?

Earn valuable influencer-generated content

Note how user-generated content can be repurposed throughout your marketing funnel. Well, the same applies to influencer-generated content. This includes:

  • Featuring influencer content and reviews on product pages
  • Promoting influencers throughout your content marketing strategy (think: social media, email)
  • Use your influencer content as the basis for an ad campaign

According to Instagram, ads featuring influencers result in higher conversions and brand awareness.

Translation? The value of influencer content goes far beyond a creator’s initial post.

How much does Instagram influencer marketing cost?

The amount you need to budget for Instagram influencer marketing depends on the type of influencers you plan to work with. As you can imagine, nano-influencers and micro-influencers charge less than macro-influencers. The more followers an influencer has, the more they are typically able to charge.

Common rates we see are as follows:

  • Nano-influencers: $10-100 per post
  • Micro-influencers: $100-5,000 per post
  • Macro-influencers: $5,000-10,000 per post

Celebrity influencers can even be seen charging hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars per post. Cristiano Ronaldo, the most followed Instagram user, charges over $3M per sponsored post.

Your required budget will depend on (a) how many influencers you want to work with and (b) what level of influencer you want to partner with. And with 73% of social marketers stating that their influencer marketing budget is shared with their overall social budget, it’s important to make sure that every dollar counts.

How to build an Instagram influencer marketing strategy

Does influencer marketing still work?”

The answer is a resounding “yes!”

But it’s not as simple as getting products into influencers’ hands and expecting results.

There’s a lot of legwork that goes into putting together an influencer marketing campaign. Below are the big-picture basics of what goes into working with influencers on Instagram.

1. Figure out your campaign goals

As it goes with any social media campaign, you need to start by pinpointing your goals. What are you hoping to achieve through your influencer marketing strategy?

Common influencer marketing goals include:

  • Increasing brand awareness
  • Generating sales
  • Improving your brand’s reputation
  • Diving into a new market
  • Increase social media follower count
  • Retaining existing customers
  • Build a library of user-generated content
  • Create social proof
  • Engage your online community

Your influencer marketing campaign can be built to achieve multiple goals. But in order to know who you want to work with, how long you want your campaign to run and what types of content you want your influencers to create, you need to pinpoint your goals.

For example, whether to choose between influencers already in your market vs. influencers in a niche you want to break into, or micro-influencers for higher engagement vs. macro-influencers for a wider reach.

2. Promote products that make sense for Instagram

Reality check: not every product is perfect for Instagram influencer marketing.

The products that tend to pop off are visually striking. There’s a reason why beauty, fashion and fitness brands are crushing it on Instagram. These industries have flashy products that lend themselves to tutorials and showcases.

Recent data also notes that the effectiveness of influencer campaigns is largely tied to demographics. In fact, 75% of users aged 18-24 and 67% of users aged 25-44 follow at least one influencer.. Keep all of the above in mind before going all-in on influencers.

3. Empower your influencers to maximize engagement

Just because someone is an “influencer” doesn’t mean engagement is guaranteed.

It’s really easy to ignore spammy and low-effort influencer posts. The 2022 Sprout Social Index™ says people will overwhelmingly unfollow influencers if they’re too promotional.

This speaks to the importance of vetting creators. Likewise, brands have to provide briefs and instructions that empower them.

It’s a balancing act as you also don’t want to sacrifice your influencers’ creative freedom. Providing a product that your influencers’ audience is actually interested in is perhaps the best thing you can do.

How to measure the ROI of Instagram influencer marketing

Your ROI, or return on investment, is going to differ greatly depending on the goals you set for yourself when you started your campaign. Popular metrics to track include:

  • Views
  • Comments
  • Shares
  • Clicks
  • Sales/conversions
  • Revenue
  • Promo codes used
  • Followers
  • Reach

If you’re looking to generate sales, then conversions, revenue or promo codes used might be your best bet. If you want to improve brand awareness, views, shares and reach will be your go-to metrics.

While it’s always difficult to pin views and reach against overall costs, try to find out how much a new follower or a single engagement tends to be worth to your brand. Do this by looking at your typical engagement rate vs. average social media budget, then put those numbers next to the increase in engagement and the amount you spent on influencer marketing.

How to work with Instagram influencers

You know how to get started on your Instagram influencer marketing strategy. Let’s talk more about how to work with those influencers.

1. Find the right Instagram influencers

As the definition of influencer evolves to include smaller creators, there’s more talent out there than ever before.

This is both a blessing and a curse for brands. There’s a non-zero chance there are relevant influencers that’d be perfect to promote your product. The search can be daunting, though.

So, how do you find the right influencers? A few options include:

  • Manual outreach through DMs and email. Ideally, you can find influencers that already know you and your product. Ask for their influencer media kit and read through it to make sure they’re a good match.
  • Invest in an influencer database or matchmaking service. These third-party tools match your brands with influencers. Most of these platforms are reserved for brands that work with creators on a large scale.
  • Hire a marketing agency. No huge surprises here. There are plenty of agencies that specialize in either reaching out to influencers or tapping into their own network of creators.
  • Use an influencer marketing platform. Tools like Tagger can help with every step of your influencer marketing campaign, from building out a strategy to finding the right influencers. Recently acquired by Sprout, we can help you get started with influencer marketing the right way.

2. Plan a campaign with Instagram influencers

Start working with your influencers to plan out your campaign! This is the fun part—you get to talk creative assets and figure out how you want the posts to go. Or, if you’re busy and prefer not to handle this step, you can always outsource to a full-service influencer marketing agency.

Your plan needs to include information like:

  • Specific products to promote (you should have planned these out in advance so you can provide your influencers with free samples)
  • Timeline for promotion
  • The number of posts (and types of posts—on Instagram, they could go with stories, posts or reels)
  • Overall voice and messaging

You can choose to let your influencer partners have as much or as little freedom with their content as you want; however, make sure their voice still shines through so it sounds authentic. And most importantly, make sure they include a disclaimer that each post is sponsored by your brand to abide by FTC guidelines.

3. Track your results

Like with any other type of campaign, your social media metrics and KPIs matter.

As we mentioned, influencer marketing is often criticized due to its lack of concrete ROI. The reality, though? There’s plenty of data to track on behalf of your influencers. Not to mention KPIs relevant to your business goals. This includes:

  • Engagement rate (ratio of followers to interactions) to gauge your influencers’ level of reach
  • Followers and audience growth
  • Conversions and link clicks (for affiliate campaigns)
  • Reach to understand how many people see your promotions
  • Traffic to see how on-site visitors from influencers behave

And that only scratches the surface!

Tracking all of the above requires coordinating with influencers and keeping a close eye on your own data.

That’s the upside of using an influencer marketing platform like Sprout Social. For example, Sprout’s platform makes it a cinch to monitor engagement metrics and keep a better pulse on campaign performance.

Screenshot of Sprout Social Instagram profile stats and performance.

Does Instagram influencer marketing make sense for your business?

The business impact of influencers on Instagram is clear. Having influencers show off your products and shout you out can build awareness fast. Much quicker than what’s possible organically, anyway.

But there’s no denying the legwork that goes into any given campaign. Brands need to weigh their options when seeking creators to work with.

Want to learn more about what working with creators is like? Make sure to check out our comprehensive guide to Instagram influencers if you haven’t already!

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]]> Authentic marketing myths and tips for getting it right https://sproutsocial.com/insights/authentic-marketing/ Tue, 14 Nov 2023 15:36:33 +0000 https://sproutsocial.com/insights/?p=179146 “Authenticity”—there’s no question that it’s one of the biggest social media buzzwords. But don’t be fooled—authentic marketing is only becoming more important. According to Read more...

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]]> “Authenticity”—there’s no question that it’s one of the biggest social media buzzwords. But don’t be fooled—authentic marketing is only becoming more important.

According to this year’s Sprout Social Index™, the number one reason consumers follow brands on social is to stay informed about products and services. But at the same time, the Index also found that authentic, non-promotional content is the number one thing consumers don’t see enough from brands.

These two things may seem at odds but they are not mutually exclusive—in fact, they go together like peanut butter and jelly. There are many ways to keep your audience up-to-date on product offerings through authentic content, and brands who get this right have much to gain.

In this article, you’ll find authentic marketing examples, tips for getting it right and what brand authenticity really means. Let’s get into it.

What is authentic marketing?

Brand authenticity on social media refers to whether brands come off as genuine, tapped into their customers on social and true to their values. It’s partly achieved by creating customer-centric, genuine content that feels relatable and aligns with the company’s voice and values. And it’s a key ingredient to building trust and loyalty with consumers, and marketing to Gen Z.

A green graphic with a question mark at the top and a headline that says, what is authentic marketing? The definition below says, Brand authenticity on social media refers to whether brands come off as genuine, tapped into their customers on social and true to their values.

Personally, I call it “foot-in-the-door” marketing. Content that’s interesting, relatable or valuable to your audience gets your foot in the door. Then you can follow up with sales messaging—but you must continually build interest and trust, too.

Consumers have grown wary of inauthentic posts and brands treating them like dollar signs. And we’ve seen a unique pushback from audiences and creators alike. Look at how audiences have embraced lo-fi content over highly-polished posts, or the rise of deinfluencing.

The rise of creators has also put new pressure on brands to feature real, trusted faces and customers on their channels. And call-out culture has rightfully made brands think twice about posting topical messages if they can’t take action.

While authenticity in marketing is associated with social content, it’s an omnichannel concept. You should apply it to all of the tactics your brand uses to engage audiences—on social, through creator partnerships, in ads and traditional broadcasts, and beyond.

3 authentic marketing misconceptions

As we mentioned, authenticity is more than just an overused buzzword. In fact, it should be added to your list of social media best practices.

Before we dive into how to bring authenticity into your content and strategy, let’s debunk three of the biggest authentic marketing misconceptions out there.

Authentic marketing can only come directly from the brand

Not all of your content has to be created by you. Featuring real people—from creators to customers—is one of the best ways to achieve more authentic digital marketing.

Nearly 40% of consumers say they like to see customer testimonials or real customer demos on social media, according to The 2022 Sprout Social Index™. Featuring real people enjoying or even creating tutorials with your products on your channels is a solid form of building trust and social proof.

Kodak, for example, features photos taken by people who use their film and products.

Reposting user-generated content (UGC) created by your customers is one of the most authentic marketing tactics you can use. It’s organic, genuine and can even serve as a visual “review” of your product.

Creating an authentic influencer marketing strategy brings trusted voices into your content, too. In fact, according to a Q3 2023 Sprout Pulse Survey, 47% of marketers say enhancing brand authenticity and trust is the most valuable opportunity with influencer marketing.

AI poses a threat to authentic marketing

Social teams are no strangers to AI—and the fears around it. But as marketers bring these tools into their workflow, the conversation around AI has shifted from “will it replace me?” to “will it make my brand sound inauthentic?”

A LinkedIn poll that asks the audience, "What is your main concern when it comes to AI? (Esp. for social teams!)" In the poll, 14% of respondents said "it's going to take my job," 71% of respondents said "Inauthentic social copy," 7% said "not sure how to use it" and 7% said "something else."

It’s a valid fear. Marketers and consumers alike have started calling out brands who respond with AI-created, impersonal messages.

But AI only poses a threat to authentic marketing if you let it. The key is using AI copy and creative tools as a starting point—not a final product. Edit AI-generated materials, like post and comment copy, to keep your content authentic, true to your brand voice and personalized.

AI tools are becoming an essential tool in marketers’ toolkits. According to the Index, 81% of marketers say AI has already had a positive impact on their work. When you use these tools right, and with discretion, they speed you up without taking away your authentic voice.

Authentic marketing means always taking a stand on issues

A few years ago, brands were expected to take a stand on tough issues—it was non-negotiable.

But there’s been a shift. According to The 2023 Sprout Social Index™, today only a quarter of consumers think brands must speak out on causes that align with their values to be memorable.

Consumers have grown skeptical of brands taking a stand, and are wary of performative activism. Over the past few years, we’ve seen many brands called out for putting out empty, inauthentic statements.

This doesn’t mean your brand should never take a stand on issues. But when you do speak out, make it count. And in your day-to-day, there are other areas to prioritize to build regular authenticity and trust—more on all of this later.

How to get authentic marketing right

We all know what authentic marketing means, and even what it looks like. But bringing it into your strategy can be challenging.

Let’s get into six key tips and authentic marketing examples to see how you can get it right in your strategy.

Go behind the scenes

Part of authentic marketing is removing the “curated” barrier between your brand and audience. Posting behind-the-scenes content (BTS) is a fun, engaging way to give audiences a peek behind the curtain.

BTS content can be lighthearted, fun and as simple as showcasing your team. Think: using lo-fi content for a “meet the team” social series, showing your workspace, or jumping on a trend and recruiting your coworkers to step in as social video talent—like this Grammarly video.

@grammarlyofficial

We’re starstruck from running into all these Barbies and Kens. 🤩 #HiBarbie #BarbieMovie #WorkHumor #OfficeHumor #OfficeLife #CorporateHumor #Grammarly

♬ Hi Barbie Hi Ken Barbie Movie Only In Theaters – Barbie Movie

But BTS content can go even deeper to build trust. For example, the Index found that consumers don’t think they see brands post enough transparency about business practices and information about how products are made.

Featuring how your products are made and sourced, who makes them, the start-to-finish process, etc. provides this level of transparency—like Nisolo does with content about their sustainability report cards.

@nisoloshoes

We all value people. We all value the planet. It’s time for our clothes to do the same. #SustainabilityFactsLabel #peopleandplanet

♬ original sound – Nisolo

Be selective about taking a stand

We already mentioned the shift in consumer skepticism and expectations around brands taking a stand. This doesn’t mean you can never take a stand on an issue.

But to stay authentic, your brand should only do so when the issue directly aligns with and reinforces your company values. And, ideally, your statement should always be backed up with action.

Sometimes that action comes in the form of a donation or direct support. Or, the brand talks the talk and walks the walk in more unique ways.

Take L.L.Bean’s social pause. Their “Off the Grid” campaign for Mental Health Awareness Month went beyond a simple post. Their social team took a month-long break from their brand’s social channels to embody their company values and get outside. On top of this, they also donated to relevant mental health-related causes.

The result? Their channels were not negatively affected, and their bold move was celebrated. L.L.Bean’s pause was backed up with action in the form of a social media break that demonstrated commitment to their values; authentic marketing at its best.

Put customers in the spotlight

People trust real people and stories—not just brands alone. Turning to your customers for content is more than just a social calendar filler; it builds trust.

Customer testimonials, repurposing reviews into campaign and ad content, reposting effective UGC—all of this brings your customer into your strategy and social feeds.

UGC can be as simple as customer-posted photos featuring your product or service. But remember: consumers are content creators, too. From “try-on hauls” to how-to tutorials and decorating, there are so many ways customers use lo-fi content and authentic posts to feature your product…and hopefully get featured on your account.

@aerie

Which new arrivals are your fave, Aerie fam? @grace weldon #AerieNewArrivals #NewArrivals #AerieOutfits #AerieTryOnHaul

♬ original sound – aerie

To find UGC more easily, encourage your audience to tag you in their content and use a branded hashtag, like Aerie’s “#AerieReal.”

Using a social media management tool makes tracking this content easier. With Sprout Social, track specific hashtags, and find all your tagged content across your social networks in one streamlined feed, saving yourself search time.

A screenshot of the Sprout Social Smart Inbox where several messages are displayed in a single feed from Instagram, Facebook and a post from X (formerly Twitter.)

Find the right partners

When building an authentic influencer marketing strategy, it pays to be choosy. You already know you shouldn’t just partner with any creator. You need to find partners with an audience that is either similar to yours, or that you want to reach.

With over half of marketers saying 26-75% of their marketing budget goes toward influencer marketing in a Q3 2023 Sprout Pulse Survey, it’s no secret that brands should ramp up their creator partnerships. But that same survey found that finding the right influencers for campaigns is a primary challenge for brands.

To offset this, over half of brands reported using dedicated influencer marketing programs. If you’re struggling to find influencers and creators, adopting a platform like Tagger to find and manage these partnerships is a great option.

But sometimes, you need to look no further than your audience to source partnerships. According to that same survey, half of marketers hire influencers who are already genuine fans of their product—a key way to ensure authentic influencer marketing partners.

One way to find influencers in your audience or industry is by using social listening. Social listening enables you to uncover conversations about your brand and products even when you’re not tagged. Using Sprout’s Social Listening solution, you can find your biggest influencers in the conversation—or even poach influencers in your competitor base.

A screenshot showing the Messages tab of Sprout's social listening solution. The tab displays messages mentioning the brand or topic. Next to the message, you can see the number of followers the message creator has, which is a great way to find new influencers.

Don’t be afraid to skip trends

Authentic digital marketing is as much about the trends you skip as the trends you jump on.

Trends can help when they’re natural. But they can hurt you when forced. Audiences can spot a brand trying to jump on a trend that doesn’t fit their brand a mile away—and will call you out for it.

Using relevant trends is a great way to ride a popularity wave and reach new audiences. But trends aren’t everything. 38% of consumers say the most memorable brands on social prioritize original content over following trending topics, according to the Index.

A green data visualization graphic from The Sprout Social Index™ that reads, 38% of consumers say the most memorable brands on social prioritize original content over following trending topics.

For example, makeup brand Glossier leaned on trends to build their TikTok account. But they’ve since shifted focus to more original content—read more about their short-form video strategy.

Before you jump on a trend, step back and ask yourself if it fits your brand and feels authentic.

Ensure you’re responsive

If you truly want to build trust and an authentic connection with your audience, be responsive. According to the Index, over half of consumers say the most memorable brands on social are those that respond.

The Index also found that 70% of consumers expect a company to provide personalized responses to customer service needs. And directly engaging with your audience and prioritizing one-to-one customer care will make you more memorable.

You can’t have authenticity in marketing if you ghost your audience. This is your sign to prioritize social media customer care every single day, and to provide extra social media customer care training to align your customer service and social efforts.

Create content that feels native to each social platform

Hear me out on this one. We’ve all seen a Reel with a TikTok logo on it—and there’s something inherently inauthentic when you can tell that a brand is simply copy/pasting content from one platform into another.

Sometimes, this is necessary and even warranted. But part of authentic marketing is creating content that feels true to the platform consumers are consuming it in.

As much as you can, create Reels and TikTok videos that feel native to those platforms by using the fonts or text-to-speech voices each platform provides.

Let’s get real: Enhance your authentic marketing strategy

New platforms will come and go. Content format preferences will ebb and flow. But the need for authentic marketing will persist through every evolution of social media.

Use the tips and tricks in this article to bring more authenticity into your marketing strategy—your audience, and leadership team, will thank you.

Part of authentic marketing is understanding what consumers want, and the latest overall trends in the social media environment. Download The 2023 Sprout Social Index™ to keep your team and strategy one step ahead.

The post Authentic marketing myths and tips for getting it right appeared first on Sprout Social.

]]> The complete guide to TikTok influencer marketing https://sproutsocial.com/insights/tiktok-influencer-marketing/ Thu, 09 Nov 2023 15:00:03 +0000 https://sproutsocial.com/insights/?p=178418 There are over 100,000 TikTok influencers in the United States across a number of different niches. This means that no matter what your business Read more...

The post The complete guide to TikTok influencer marketing appeared first on Sprout Social.

]]> There are over 100,000 TikTok influencers in the United States across a number of different niches. This means that no matter what your business is promoting, there’s likely a slew of influencers available to work with and get your brand name out there.

And why would you want to work with TikTok influencers? Influencer marketing is a powerful marketing strategy that helps you increase brand awareness, build trust in your audience and generate more sales.

Throughout this article, we’re going to discuss how the TikTok platform can be incorporated into your influencer marketing strategy. Let’s dig in.

Table of contents:

Looking to accelerate revenue and grow your brand faster with TikTok influencer marketing? Tagger and Sprout Social together creates true value for you through the alignment and unification of AI-powered influencer marketing and social media management. 

What is TikTok influencer marketing?

TikTok influencer marketing is the act of working with influencers to promote your products and/or services on TikTok. Working with TikTok influencers can help you build your brand and reach an even wider audience.

With TikTok influencer marketing, your influencer partners are the ones creating and sharing the content. This differs widely from traditional TikTok marketing strategies as those revolve around your brand and social media team creating and sharing its own content on your brand account.

While many brands do share the influencer videos on their own accounts as well, the goal of influencer marketing on TikTok is to spread the word about your brand by introducing it to your influencer partners’ audiences.

Why use TikTok influencer marketing?

Why should you incorporate influencer marketing into your TikTok strategy? Working with influencers can get expensive and it takes a lot of time to coordinate. But the influencer marketing ROI can be worth it. Here are three reasons to consider TikTok influencer marketing.

Improve brand engagement on TikTok

Influencers tend to have a much more engaged audience than brands do. It’s the nature of the beast when someone feels like they’re interacting with a person instead of a logo.

However, if an influencer is talking about your product, their followers are likely to start talking about your product in the comments. This can then lead to them finding your brand on TikTok and interacting with your brand’s content—and of course, hopefully making a purchase. Which leads us to our next point.

Increase sales

Influencer marketing can also increase sales. Influencer marketing is a form of social proof, showing potential customers that other people use and enjoy your product. This increases the likelihood that people will be interested in your product, due to a sort of mob mentality.

Plus, TikTok and TikTok Shop make it easy for influencers to lead customers to purchase your products. And with #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt being such a popular meme, TikTok users expect to be influenced. Their wallets are already partially open every time they scroll. And seeing your product on one of their favorite influencers’ feeds can be just the push they need to buy it.

Boost your brand’s authenticity on TikTok

Brand authenticity refers to how genuine or authentic customers believe your brand is. And the influencers you partner with and the content they create surrounding your product or service can help boost your brand’s own authenticity.

Brand authenticity helps potential customers feel closer to a brand, fueling loyalty and retention. Keep this in mind when choosing your influencer partners so that you work with people whose messaging aligns with your brand mission.

How to find the right TikTok influencers for your brand

We just mentioned how important it is to find the right influencers for brand authenticity—but it matters for more than that, too. You need to work with influencers whose audience matches yours and who make sense to promote your brand.

Here are a few ways to help you discover the right TikTok influencers for your brand.

Determine your niche

What niche or industry is your business in? Determining your niche will be a major factor in finding the right influencers. But on TikTok, it comes down to more than that—you also need to determine your subculture.

Subcultures are a major TikTok trend and help users find content they’re interested in. Subcultures tend to have their own hashtag and niche content, like #BookTok (for book lovers), #FoodTok (for recipe creators), #FitTok (for fitness enthusiasts) or #MomsofTikTok (for parents).

If your business fits into one of those, peruse those hashtags and look for influencers within those subcultures. They could be the perfect people to consider working with.

Search for specific topics using keywords

For Gen Z, TikTok doubles as a search engine. In fact, 51% of Gen Z women head to TikTok over Google to make a search. TikTok’s search feature is that sophisticated. Easily input keywords or topics into TikTok’s search to find videos, users, sounds, TikTok Shops, live videos, places and hashtags related to those keywords.

Look at the videos and users that pop up to see if you can find any new influencers. Add them to your list to reach out to.

Review trending hashtags

TikTok hashtags can also be a great way to discover trends. Discover popular hashtags to find influencers hopping on those trends. There are a few different ways to discover new hashtags.

First, keep an eye on your For You page. This is the best place to discover new content. Take a look at the hashtags that are being used and pay attention to recurring tags. Click on them to view even more content using those hashtags.

You can also tap the Search icon in your TikTok app. Find it at the top right corner of your screen. This is where you can search for your keywords we mentioned in the last point, but it’s also where you can see some trending topics.

A screenshot showing the search interface in the TikTok app

Click on different topics under the “You may like” heading to see what types of videos are posted, the hashtags they’re using and if any influencers related to your business are talking about those topics.

Another option is to check out the TikTok Ads Creative Center. Here, you can head to Trends > Hashtags to see the top trending hashtags in your area, or globally.

A screenshot of the TikTok Ads Creative Center

Get info like the number of posts that have been made using that hashtag, the number of views the hashtag has gotten and a simple line chart showing how the hashtag is trending.

Use an influencer marketing tool

Influencer marketing tools can be extremely helpful for finding, reaching out to and partnering with influencers. Upfluence and Collabstr are two influencer marketplaces designed to help brands find the best influencers to work with. Many such marketplaces also offer additional features that enable companies to reach out to these influencers, pay them and set up campaigns all through their marketplace.

If you really want to revolutionize your influencer marketing with data-powered social intelligence, check out Tagger by Sprout Social. Tagger by Sprout Social empowers marketers to drive impactful influencer marketing strategies, enabling you to grow brand presence authentically, engage with new targeted audiences and generate revenue faster.

Check out influencers your competitors are partnering with

Look at the influencers who are working with your competitors. Do this by searching their brand name in the TikTok search feature and checking out the videos that appear in search results.

While you might not want to work with the exact same influencers—unless it’s clear the partnership is over—this can still give you a good idea of the type of influencer who would work well for your campaign.

Work with an agency

Finally, consider working with an agency. TikTok influencer marketing agencies can fully take over the entire process, finding the best influencers (because they’ve worked with them before), drawing up a contract that works for both parties, handling asset creative and campaign details and putting together the final report with campaign results.

Examples of brands using TikTok influencer marketing

Now that you know how to find the right influencers, let’s go over a few real-life TikTok influencer marketing examples. These can show you the type of end video you should expect from working with your influencers.

1. Aerie

Aerie is a clothing brand focusing on undergarments, loungewear and activewear. But their biggest focus is on inclusivity, ensuring people of all shapes and sizes have access to comfortable and well-fitting clothes.

Even clothes that are possible to put on one-handed, as we see in this influencer video below. Influencer Gemma Adby created a video showcasing how easy it is to put on this Aerie-designed bra with just one hand.

TikTok influencer promotes for Liberare

This particular video was actually created specifically for Aerie’s TikTok page. And while that’s one way to manage your influencer marketing, you may also want your influencers to share the content on their page to reach their own audiences.

2. Supergoop

Supergoop is an SPF/sunscreen-based skincare brand. This video below shows an influencer using one of their products while she gets ready.

TikTok influencer promotes supergoop

And yes, while this does also live on the Supergoop website (why not turn your influencer content into user-generated content?), it originated on the influencer’s profile.

3. BEHR

Here’s a more traditional example of an influencer post from paint company BEHR. TikTok influencer Laura Whaley creates skits detailing the different people and personalities that work in a corporate office setting. Because that’s the kind of content that her audience expects from her, it makes sense to work an influencer post in with the same type of skit.

Here, we have a conversation between two of the characters in Laura’s skits where one character tells another the details about a BEHR sweepstakes, causing the other character to envision herself painting her house—using BEHR paint, of course.

Screenshot from TikTok of influencer promoting Behr paint.

This video fits seamlessly in with Laura’s regularly scheduled content, making it a great example of influencer content.

4. Lulus

Lulus is an online clothing company that worked with TikTok influencer Madison Humphrey to create a humorous video about going out. Lulus typically sells dresses and other more formal wear for events or nights out, so this piece of content fits perfectly.

Screenshot of TikTok influencer promoting Lulus.

Plus, they’ve also turned this video into an ad to reach an even wider audience on the platform.

5. Pair Eyewear

Pair Eyewear is an innovative glasses company that have created a pair of magnetic glasses so customers can easily snap on different glasses designs and change up their look. If you’re on TikTok, you likely have heard of Pair Eyewear, because their influencer marketing and advertising campaigns are extensive.

Here’s an example of a humorous video from one of their influencers, Dad Chats.

Screenshot of TikTok influencer promoting Pair Eyewear.

Pair Eyewear relies on both entertaining organic content from their influencers as well as promotional videos they can turn into ads.

Get started with TikTok influencer marketing

Want to get more out of your TikTok influencer marketing? Request a demo and learn more about how you can use Tagger by Sprout Social to make your influencer marketing campaigns come to life.

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