Everything you need to know about social media algorithms

Social media algorithms can be a powerful ally in growing one’s online audience. Think of it as a virtual matchmaker designed to match users with content that suits their interests. Just as matchmakers strive to make meaningful connections, algorithms analyze user behavior, interactions and interests to understand their content preferences and deliver personalized content.

As algorithms continuously evolve and become more complex, social media marketers must embrace change, adapt swiftly and navigate these algorithmic shifts. The best strategy is to stay updated on trends and optimize your social strategy to maximize engagement.

This guide covers everything about social media algorithms, including important factors to watch out for and how to adapt your social media marketing strategies accordingly.

• What is a social media algorithm?
• Why are social media algorithms important?
• Understanding how social media algorithms work
• Social media algorithms by platform
• 10 Tips for staying ahead of the algorithm and optimizing your content
• AI’s role in social media algorithms
• Start mastering the algorithm
• Social Media Algorithm FAQs

What is a social media algorithm?

An algorithm is a series of instructions designed to solve specific problems, perform tasks or make decisions. In computer programming, algorithms direct the computer’s actions, such as sorting elements, locating data or identifying objects.

In social media, algorithms are rules, signals and data that govern the platform’s operation. These algorithms determine how content is filtered, ranked, selected and recommended to users. In some ways, algorithms influence our choices and what we see on social media.

Why are social media algorithms important?

Every social media platform comprises a mix of users with different preferences. Without a filtering system, users must navigate through a flood of posts, which can be overwhelming.

This is where algorithms come into play. Social media platforms employ sophisticated algorithms as intelligent guides, carefully sorting and matching content to audiences with similar preferences. Understanding the ins and outs of algorithms and why they are important is essential for any social media marketing strategy:

Filter out the content noise

When a new TikTok video or a Facebook post is published, it joins millions of other content pieces online. Algorithms function as librarians, sorting and connecting users with their preferences. This prevents overwhelming users with endless content and helps them find what they like faster. Algorithms enable users to uncover valuable posts, connect with like-minded individuals and explore their interests.

Show users more of what they’re interested in

Social media platforms use sophisticated algorithms to prolong user engagement. These algorithms control content visibility, sequence and recommendations based on user data like actions, behaviors and interests. For instance, if you interact with gadget-related posts, you’ll see more of such content. This personalization improves user engagement and in turn, creates a positive user experience.

Personalize user experience

Today, users have greater control over their content experience. Algorithms leverage data to personalize content recommendations. On platforms like Instagram, you can customize your feed by hiding posts, filtering comments, or selecting “Not interested” to curate your content.

Maximize organic reach

Understanding social media algorithms can boost your online social presence. As more users find your content, the algorithm becomes better at targeting users with similar interests. Creators and marketers can optimize their content for algorithms to leverage its distribution potential. When a post gains high engagement, the algorithm promotes it to a wider audience.

Understanding how social media algorithms work

Understanding how social media algorithms work is like unraveling the intricate threads that govern the digital tapestry of user experiences. These algorithms, like invisible guides, determine the content on our feeds. Let’s explore how social media algorithms function and how social teams can take advantage of it.

Algorithms search for relevant and valuable content

Algorithmic-driven content curation systems such as the Facebook News Feed and Instagram Feed monitor user behavior, interests and actions to recommend relevant content. For instance, if you engage with basketball content, you’ll likely see more of it.

These algorithms aim to refine content suggestions by adapting and learning from user interactions, ensuring content remains relevant.

Signals and important factors social algorithms consider

Algorithms collect user signals to match them with relevant content. Key signals include:

• User engagement: Likes, shares and comments indicate that users find the content interesting and relevant.
• Relevance: Keywords and hashtags give content context and improve its visibility.
• Timing and frequency: Posting consistently and at the right time when your audience is active can boost visibility.
• Recency: Newer posts are prioritized over older ones.
• User interactions: Accounts followed, interactions and click-through rates on links signals relevance and content quality.
• Profile authority: Follower count, consistency and engagement impact organic reach.
• Location: Algorithms take into account the location and demographics of users when curating content. Content may be promoted to users in similar locations.
• Content type: Different content types, like videos, images and text, are treated based on user interaction. Many platforms favor videos because they’re more engaging.
• Virality: Content gaining popularity and shares signals relevance to the algorithm.
• Watch time: This is the duration users spends watching videos (IG Reel, YouTube Shorts)

Social media algorithm example

If you use any social media platforms, there’s a huge chance that you’ve come in contact with the algorithm in play. Here are some examples you might have missed.

1. Twitter shows content based on the keywords users follow. For example, I follow the “SEO” keyword, and X (formerly known as Twitter) recommends posts with the keyword on my Explore page.
   
2. LinkedIn’s algorithm shows content that my 1st-degree connections are engaging with. In this post, for example, over 313 of my 1st-degree connections follow this account, so LinkedIn prioritizes the sponsored post on my Feed.
   
3. LinkedIn suggests content for users with similar keywords. I love reading about social media and content marketing on LinkedIn, so it’s no surprise they push this content type my way.
   
4. Twitter suggests accounts to follow based on the content they post and what you’ve liked.
   

Social media algorithms by platform

Every social media platform has its unique algorithm for content curation and display. These platforms look for specific ranking signals to discern user preferences. Let’s explore some social media platforms and their platform-specific rank signals to keep in mind.

Twitter algorithm

The Twitter algorithm is an AI-powered algorithm designed to curate content based on the user’s interests, preferences and past interactions rather than chronologically. According to Twitter, their algorithm looks through about 500 million daily Tweets to display only relevant ones on your timeline.

In 2023, the updated Twitter algorithm considers:

• Location and language: Twitter shows you content based on your location, especially in their “Trends for You” section.
• User interactions: Content is recommended based on your activity, including who you follow and interact with.
• Engagement level: Tweet popularity is determined by user engagement metrics such as likes, Retweets and replies.
• Relevancy: The relevance of a Tweet is based on the keywords used, the user’s interests and previous interactions.
• Recency: Recent Tweets hold importance, especially in the “Trending Topics” and “What’s Happening” sections.
• Profile Reputation Score: Active profiles engaging with others gain higher visibility; Twitter also uses TweetCred, a PageRank algorithm, to rate a profile’s credibility based on its followers, past activities, safety status and device usage.
• Similar accounts: Profiles are categorized based on the niche or topic discussed.

Facebook algorithm

With over 2 billion active users, Facebook is the largest social media platform yet. To moderate content on the platform, Facebook employs several algorithms to determine what content users will find interesting. The updated algorithm considers:

• Timing: Facebook’s algorithm prioritizes timing as a key signal for ranking content in user’s feeds.
• Demographics: The user’s location, language and gender can help predict their content preferences.
• Account credibility: The algorithm ranks accounts with credibility, a strong following, and engaging content.
• Content type: Facebook’s algorithm prioritizes the type of posts users engage with most. So, users who watch more videos will get more video content.
• Relevance: Posts with similar keywords or hashtags are recommended to users with shared interests.
• Engagement levels: High engagement, including comments, shares and likes, indicates quality content and since Facebook is all about creating meaningful posts, it ranks it higher.
• Facebook connections: Content from the accounts you follow is prioritized over those you don’t follow.

Facebook’s algorithm combines these signals to give the post a relevancy score, which predicts how likely a user is to interact with a post.

Instagram algorithm

Instagram’s algorithm is one of the most diverse social media platforms. According to Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri, Instagram is divided into 5 sections: Feed, Stories, Explore, Reels, Search. Each section uses algorithms, classifiers and processes to tailor content recommendations based on user behavior.

Instagram Feed

Your Instagram feed is a mix of content from accounts you follow, similar profiles you’re likely to enjoy and personalized ads. In the feed, posts are ranked based on several signals:

• Post recency: Recent posts from accounts take priority, appearing before older ones.
  
• People you follow: Posts from those you follow appear organically on your feed. For creators, this means having more followers increases your visibility.
• User activity: Posts you’ve liked, shared, saved or commented on convey your content preferences.
• Content type: Users who prefer photos will see more photos. The same goes for videos and carousels.
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• Post information: Posts with many likes, shares, comments and saves signal relevance to users with similar interests or locations.
• Interaction history: Your interactions with an account’s posts and frequency influence the appearance of their content in your feed.

Instagram Stories

Stories is an in-app feature that allows users to post photos or videos that disappear after 24 hours. Here’s what it looks like:

The ranking factors for stories are quite similar to those of the IG Feed. Stories use engagement signals such as:

• Viewing history: Frequently viewing an account’s stories would result in its prioritization.
• Engagement history: Liking or responding to stories is an engagement metric that impacts story rankings.
• Closeness: The algorithm considers your relationship with the story’s creator, including mutual follows, shared locations, and DM interactions.

Instagram Explore

Explore simplifies the discovery of new posts without needing active search. Here’s what it looks like on Instagram:

The grid comprises content recommendations from accounts you don’t follow but Instagram believes you might enjoy. Signals Instagram considers include:

• User’s past interaction: Content is ranked based on previous engagements with posts.
• Post popularity: The number of likes, comments, shares, and saves influences visibility.
• User’s explore activity: history of a user’s interaction on the Explore page, including liked posts and similar content.
• Account information: the frequency of interaction with the account in the past few weeks.

Instagram Reels

Reels are designed for users to explore new content from accounts they don’t follow, similar to Explore. Key signals for Reels content include:

• User’s activity: Recent interactions with Reels, such as likes, saves, shares, comments, and engagement.
• Interaction history: Your interaction history with accounts, even if you don’t follow them.
• Relevance: The content’s relevance is determined by popularity signals like likes, saves, and comments.
• Account information: An account’s popularity, including follower count and engagement level, informs content recommendation.

TikTok algorithm

TikTok’s algorithm is a recommendation system designed to curate the For You Feed for each user considering the following signals:

• User interactions: Your likes, views, shares, comments, searches, and interactions with accounts shape your feed.
  Accounts you follow or suggested for you
• Location: Recent and popular content in your region impacts your feed.
• Video details: TikTok uses video quality, captions, sounds or hashtags to recommend content.
• Device and account settings: This includes the language, device type and country.
• Watch time: The number of replays and completed videos influences your feed.

YouTube algorithm

YouTube’s algorithm considers many signals to rank videos on its homepage, including:

• Video performance: YouTube video performance is measured in terms of engagement metrics such as likes, shares and comments.
• Click-through rate: YouTube’s algorithm assesses the likelihood of user interaction with a video to recommend it to other users.
• Watch time and retention: Videos with longer watch time indicate quality content that retains viewer attention.
• Recency: Newer videos are promoted to subscribers who interact with the channel.
• User watch history and actions: Video watch time and post-interaction actions, like liking and commenting, signal relevance to the algorithm.
• Search history: What has the user searched for? Is it a recurring search?
• Demographics and location: Videos uploaded by creators in a particular location are pushed to local viewers before broader promotion.

LinkedIn algorithm

LinkedIn’s algorithm uses several ranking signals that contribute to the success of a post on the platform. Here are some to watch out for:

• Quality over quantity: LinkedIn’s algorithm filters posts into three categories: spam, low-quality and high-quality.
• Relevance: The algorithm assesses post relevance based on keywords, hashtags, and comments.
• Engagement probability: LinkedIn uses machine learning models to predict post engagement, especially within the first hour.
• Personal connections: LinkedIn’s algorithm prioritizes posts from your 1st-degree connections and those you engage with.
• Consistency: The algorithm rewards pages that post regularly with increased visibility.
• Credibility: Author expertise, insightful content and meaningful comments enhance post ranking.
• Recency: Recent posts hold significance for LinkedIn’s algorithm.
• Content type: The algorithm loves short-form videos and well-structured long-form content.

Pinterest algorithm

The Pinterest algorithm ranks content using key ranking signals such as:

• Topic relevance: Keywords, hashtags, and user interactions determine content relevance to users.
• Pin quality: Your pin’s level of engagement, such as likes, saves and comments defines pin quality.
• Domain quality: Website safety and visitor engagement impact Pinterest rankings. If visitors feel safe on your website, Pinterest ranks your content highly.
• Account quality: Pinterest assesses your account credibility and posting consistency as a ranking signal. If you’re considering Pinterest marketing, then ensure your account is on the good side.
• Recency: The algorithm considers how recently a pin was published and how recently it was updated.

Reddit algorithm

Reddit’s algorithm is designed to rank content based on what’s Hot and Best, guided by key signals like:

• The number of upvotes, downvotes and total votes it gets. Reddit uses votes as a signal to determine post relevance.
• Recent posts gain more traction and visibility. If you’re marketing on Reddit, ensure you consistently post valuable content.
• The types of comments it gets. For example, a comment with nine up-votes and two down-votes will rank higher than a comment with one-up votes and no-down votes.

Tumblr algorithm

If you use Tumblr for marketing, here are some signals to watch out for:

• User interaction: Tumblr considers likes, reblogs, comments and follows to expand content reach to a broader audience.
• Post content: The algorithm uses tags, text, images and multimedia to understand the post context and make recommendations.
• Post timing: Newer posts receive higher visibility and are prioritized over older ones.
• User preference: Past user interactions, content engagement and followed blogs influence content recommendations.

10 tips for staying ahead of the algorithm and optimizing your content

To stay ahead of the algorithm and leverage its potential for business growth, you must understand how it works and its governing rules. Through trial and error, we’ve learned several ever-green principles to help you stay ahead of the algorithm.

1. Ask questions and encourage comments from your audience

Social media algorithms favor highly engaging content with tons of comments, shares and likes. More engagement equals better chances of going viral. To encourage comments, ask questions that resonate with your audience. Ask their take on trending topics or go bold with thought-provoking inquiries to spark conversations.

While a question-based CTA is great for encouraging conversations, doing it right is what matters. Avoid controversial or offensive questions to foster positive discussion.

2. Tag other accounts in your posts

Tagging on social media involves mentioning someone by their username (or handle) in a post, comment or image, creating a clickable link to their profile. For example, a fashion curation account on Instagram may post several looks and tag the content creators or designers.

Tagging accounts in your posts boosts collaboration, brand exposure and visibility. On platforms like Instagram, tagging someone in a picture gets it featured in their “Photos of You” section, expanding your reach to their followers.

It’s good practice to reach out to accounts you tag and explain why before doing so. Ensure you have an established relationship with the account and, more importantly, that the post is relevant to the audience.

3. Tack on the right hashtags and keywords

Hashtags categorize posts and boost post discoverability to a wider audience.

Use hashtags strategically; don’t go overboard. Stick to 3-5 hashtags to avoid overwhelming your audience and hurting visibility. Also, skip overly saturated hashtags and opt for focused ones. For example, rather than using hashtags like #InteriorDesign with 175M posts on Instagram, substitute for a smaller hashtag like #InteriorDesignTrends with 484,000 posts.

To find hashtags, use the autocomplete function on the social media platform you’re posting on. A better way is to use a social media management tool like Sprout Social. With Sprout, you can use social listening to monitor trending hashtags and select the best ones for your brand based on performance, sentiment and demographics.

4. Optimize your post timing to encourage engagement

When you post matters as much as what you post. Timing is a key ranking signal for many algorithms to rank a post. This means that a high-quality post, created for a defined audience, can underperform if posted at the wrong time.

The best posting times vary based on your audience, industry and platform, but generally, aim to post when your audience is online for maximum visibility and interaction. In our research, we found that the best time to post on social media generally is between 9 a.m. to noon.

Using Sprout’s ViralPost® takes out the guesswork about the best time to post for your industry. ViralPost analyzes your individual audience data and suggests optimal timing for each social platform you use.

5. Figure out your publishing frequency

There’s no universal answer to how often you should post on social media. It depends on several factors, but one thing is certain: Growing on social media requires consistency. Instagram’s algorithm, for example, prioritizes the recency of a post as a key signal for ranking content.

A personal philosophy is to post only when the content is relevant to avoid overwhelming your followers. Use a social media calendar to plan your content and schedule your posts to stay organized. Sprout Social gives you the flexibility of planning and streamlining your workflow without much hassle.

6. Publish more video content across all networks

Video outperforms text-based content on social media platforms because it’s easier to understand, conveys messages quickly and adds a personal touch.

When creating a social media video marketing strategy, creativity is key. Share behind-the-footage of your product, create how-to videos or share an office tour with your audience—find your best mix of content. Make it exciting and engaging to watch, so your audience has a reason to stay.

Optimize schedule, and promote your video using a management tool like Sprout. For example, Sprout’s YouTube publishing options let you fine-tune categories, playlists, privacy settings and thumbnails. Manage and schedule your posts conveniently from your social media calendar for optimal timing.

7. Craft relevant and engaging captions

One principle that stands the test of algorithmic changes is creating content that’s highly relevant to your audience. Social media platforms prioritize engaging, high-quality content that elicits positive reactions.

Creating engaging captions depends on your audience and the platform, which guides posting times and content choices. For example, while long-form captions work for LinkedIn’s professional audience, shorter captions work best on Instagram. It’s best to test and learn.

Start your post with a strong hook. Aim to educate, entertain, promote or interact with your audience. Be concise, provide value and avoid unnecessary jargon. Conclude with a call-to-action (CTA) encouraging reader interaction.

Test multiple content types—videos, text or images—to determine what resonates with your audience and track the social metrics (think: impressions, clicks and views) to identify top-performing posts.

8. Experiment with different types of content (template)

If there’s one thing for certain, it’s that there is no absolute when it comes to what is successful on social media; it all depends on what works for your audience. Experiment with different types of content, like videos, photos or live streams, to see what resonates with your audience. In our recent Content Benchmark Report, we found that consumers found short-form videos the most engaging.

Run A/B tests on your content types at different times and track the analytics for engagement using Sprout analytic and reporting tools. Once you find the right combination, replicate its success. Stay creative and remain open to exploring other content types.

9. Measure performance

Don’t forget to monitor your content’s performance. Define clear goals and KPIs aligned with your business objectives. Ensure your goals are specific, measurable, achievable and relevant to your business’s objectives.

Track common metrics like reach, impressions, engagements, likes, shares and mentions. Use Sprout’s analytics feature to track metrics in real-time and generate reports.

10. Embrace new features

Embrace newly released features to showcase your creativity and adaptability. Platforms reward creators who experiment with their new features. They want more people to use these new features, so early adopters are often rewarded with higher visibility.

AI’s role in social media algorithms

The fact is, without AI, social media wouldn’t exist in the first place. AI has played a significant role in developing and curating algorithms to learn about users and make deliberate decisions based on the collected data.

Here are some ways AI plays a role in social media algorithms:

1. Flagging of misinformation and fake news

Social media platforms use AI to detect fake news and filter out offensive, harmful and disrespectful content. For instance, Twitter uses machine-learning models, AI-driven algorithms, user reporting and human moderation teams to identify and flag misinformation. The algorithm analyzes the tweet content and account history to fact-check the accuracy of the information shared.

2. Moderate content for user safety

It’s fair to say that social media can be unpleasant due to trolls who engage in offensive behavior, such as making hateful comments and, in worse situations, harassment.

To maintain quality discussions, platforms employ content moderation tools to identify suspicious posts and comments. For instance, Reddit uses machine learning models to spot suspicious comments, which are further reviewed by human moderators. Likewise, Facebook uses an AI tool to detect abuse and fraud in posts, images and videos, with human reviewers stepping in when needed.

3. Personalize content delivery

AI-driven algorithms segment users based on explicit (follows and likes) and implicit (video-watching time) details to personalize content recommendations. Users can select preferred keywords, follow hashtags or hide inappropriate words in their Feeds and DMs.

User data, including feedback, actions and behavior informs content recommendations and suggests related posts with similar keywords.

Source

4. Provide real-time analytics

AI algorithms have the capacity to collect, process and analyze data as soon as it is generated. Platforms like Facebook, which records billions of daily users, use generative AI for rapid predictions, understanding user relationships and addressing security issues in real time.

When users log into Facebook, the AI algorithm immediately tracks their in-app behavior, including user engagement, content performance and trending topics, to offer personalized recommendations.

Start mastering the algorithms

The key to winning with algorithms is understanding how they work. Understand the best practices for satisfying the algorithm and you’ll be on your way to increasing your engagement and growing your audience base.

If you want to learn more about how businesses are harnessing social media for growth, read our report on The 2023 State of Social Media: AI & Data Take Center Stage.

The post Everything you need to know about social media algorithms appeared first on Sprout Social.

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How customer relationship marketing on social media drives revenue

If you treated your friends the way your brand treats your customers on social media, what kind of relationships would you have?

That’s the question you should ask if you’re trying to improve your social performance and generate revenue. Consumers expect brands to treat them like friends (or at least friendly acquaintances) by being attentive and personal, not ignoring their messages while spamming their feed with posts.

According to The Sprout Social Index™, consumers think the most memorable brands are the ones who respond to their customers (51%) and prioritize communicating with their audience rather than posting a lot of content (37%). Yet, only 8% of social marketers believe themselves to be leaders in customer care on social.

Now is the time to reflect on how much time your brand spends on customer relationship marketing, and how teams can work together to improve this function at your organization. In this article, we explain the role of personalized social media marketing and strategies companies can use to build customer relationships that lead to increased revenue.

What is customer relationship marketing?

Customer relationship marketing is the focus on building long-term relationships with customers across their journey with your brand—from the early stages of acquisition to retention and reactivation.

These enhanced relationships lead to increased customer lifetime value (CLV), engagement, loyalty and return on investment (ROI). Think of it like this: The more you put into building relationships with customers, the more your company (and your customers) will get out of it in the long run.

Some common customer relationship marketing activations include loyalty programs, community events, omnichannel customer care, customer feedback surveys and social media audience engagement.

The role of social media in customer relationship marketing

Social media is a non-negotiable part of a relationship marketing strategy, as social is consumers’ go-to channel for interacting with brands. Social and customer care teams are instrumental in providing customer satisfaction and are on the front lines of interactions that define both one-to-one customer relationships and brand image on a large scale.

Because social media is more public than other customer relationship marketing channels, your followers pay close attention to how you’re treating your customers. A single interaction with a customer can create a lasting impression and an emotional response that ripples across your follower base and impacts your bottomline.

According to Index data, of the 1,817 consumers we surveyed, 76% agreed they notice and appreciate when companies prioritize customer support, and another 76% value how quickly a brand can respond to their needs.

To provide an exceptional customer experience, companies must be prepared to deliver a social media customer support strategy that is both timely and high quality—a challenging feat for teams who are already stretched thin. According to a Q3 2023 Sprout Pulse Survey, 63% of customer care professionals report a high volume of customer requests that translate to longer wait times and less intentional responses. Another 48% cite wasting time on manual tasks, while 41% have gaps in available customer information that make it difficult to handle requests.

As a marketing leader, you should lay the groundwork for deeper collaboration between social and service teams, and advocate for time-saving technology and integrations. Empower your team to provide the valuable, efficient and timely responses customers look for on social.

The 1-to-1 marketing and revenue connection

To help get buy-in for the value of customer relationship marketing, tie your efforts directly to potential revenue gains. There’s already a growing recognition that social efforts and interactions earlier in the customer journey—like audience engagement—aren’t just interesting, they translate to revenue.

In fact, according to Index data, in 2024, quantifying the value of social engagement in terms of revenue will be marketers’ primary way of demonstrating social’s impact on business goals.

Why are so many marketers sure engaging with audiences on social media translates to revenue? Because social teams see how engagement with social users within your target audience leads to new followers, which translates to loyalty, repeat purchases and increased CLV. The Index shows us that 68% of consumers follow a brand on social to stay informed about new products or services, and another 48% want access to exclusive deals or promos.

Social media is like the new shopping mall, and if you want to give your virtual storefront a chance to succeed, you need to build long-term relationships.

Customer relationship marketing strategies on social media

The first step toward effective customer relationship marketing is showing up. If your brand leaves customers on read, you risk making them feel unimportant or, even worse, send them into the hands of your competitors.

Here are three tangible ways you and your team can build customer relationships that equal more engagement, conversions and revenue.

Engage with audiences on social media

Social media is the go-to channel customers use to solve problems related to their order, ask questions about the latest product drops and announcements and share candid feedback about your brand and offerings. It’s critical for your team to participate in these conversations (even when you aren’t tagged or mentioned) to build long-lasting relationships with your customers.

As Azad Yakatally, Head of Social Media at Klaviyo, put it, “As the most accessible touchpoint for consumers, social media has become the call center, suggestion box and customer service desk for brands.”

When responding to customer comments, DMs and reviews, make sure your team:

• Maintains a consistent brand voice across all platforms.
• Uses automated responses wisely, making sure they don’t sound too robotic.
• Factors online review management into your strategy.
• Encourages customers to share positive experiences publicly.
• Has a system for routing escalations to the appropriate teams.
• Shares customer feedback with departments like product development or competitive intelligence.

Personalize social media marketing

Personalization is the new standard. According to the Index, 70% of consumers expect a company to provide personalized responses to customer service needs. While 30% of customer care professionals already agree it’s essential to do things like use a customer’s name in a response, true personalization goes deeper.

When personalizing initial responses on social media, your team should do things like:

• Humanize customer service interactions by empathizing with the feelings of your customers and the unique situations they’re in. Example: We understand how frustrating it must feel not to receive your order on time when you had such a big event coming up. Send us a DM so we can help make the situation right.
• Make specific recommendations based on your customers’ online behavior, even if they’re not directly related to your business. Example: We love that you’re taking our suitcase with you on your trip to Chicago! Have you checked out this guide to Chicago museums?
• Tap into customer data related to order histories and past experiences with your brand. Example: Thanks for tagging us in this video! We love that you were the first one to try our new product. Can we send you other new products to try in the future?

Once a customer slides into your brand’s DMs, personalized customer care requires an integrated tech stack that enables a clear flow of information between marketing, service and other relevant teams. You need to supply customer-facing employees with the intel they need to solve complex customer issues, answer questions and have a complete view of a customers’ journey with your brand.

Increase workflow efficiency

The Q3 Pulse Survey results reveal 45% of customer care professionals list integrated technology like customer relationship management tools (CRMs) as the most common way they address their biggest customer care challenges.

Index data demonstrates 96% of marketing leaders recognize this and have already pledged to integrate social data into their CRM solutions within the next three years. In the meantime, it’s essential for executives to share the value of customer relationship marketing and position social as the missing piece in the customer experience equation.

By doing so, CMOs and other leaders will break down silos and enable stronger collaboration org-wide—paving the way for more workflow efficiency in the future. This process requires those at the helm of marketing departments to ensure the social media management tools their team uses are equipped to integrate with CRMs and scale customer care functions.

For example, an intuitive platform like Sprout Social is built for quickly onboarding customer care teams, consolidating collaboration between social and care and seamlessly integrating with CRM solutions like Salesforce.

Customer relationship marketing examples

Here’s a look at real brands that excel at customer relationship marketing and have built experiences rooted in relationship building and responsiveness.

Chewy’s compassion builds loyalty

Chewy, the pet food, products and supplies retailer, has become synonymous with their support of grieving pet owners. They surprise many of their customers with personalized cards and gifts in honor of their dearly departed animals.

In this TikTok, user @spidergwenin reacts to a package she received from Chewy that contained a kind message and a painted portrait of her recently passed beta fish, Echo. The TikTok has received over 60,000 likes and 700 comments, many of which share equally heartwarming stories about how Chewy supported them during a loss.

@spidergwenin

@Chewy thank you thank you thank you this is the coolest thing a company has ever sent me 🥰🖤 betta chewy bettafish notsponsored notsponsoredbutshouldbe

♬ original sound – Thala Hash

Though many posts about Chewy’s compassion go viral, their one-to-one marketing efforts aren’t just reserved for famous creators. Any bereaved pet owners who contact Chewy are likely to receive a token of support. Like this Post on X (formerly known as Twitter), where a mourning pet owner shares the card and flowers she received from Chewy. Though this post didn’t generate a lot of buzz, Chewy’s team still took time to reply to the Post with words of encouragement. Chewy’s efforts help them maintain lifelong customer loyalty and priceless brand advocacy.

It’s clear Chewy’s customer relationship marketing strategy requires a lot of cross-channel coordination and, most importantly, true empathy for their customers. Engaging with audiences on social media is an excellent way to build your brand, but it’s important to make sure the entire support team is aligned on your customer marketing initiatives.

MeUndies uses customer feedback to evolve their product line

MeUndies, the disruptive underwear and loungewear brand, weaves customer care into the fabric of their brand ethos. Their handful of agents receive roughly 6,000 DMs each month on Instagram alone, yet make it a point to respond to each customer with attentiveness and speed.

On X, MeUndies receives a high volume of product feedback—mostly customers sharing their ideas for new products with the team. Like this Post from a user who asked for Hanukkah themed undies. MeUndies follows through on routing customer ideas to their development department. The social team even shares the good news with their customers when their ideas are being brought to life.

MeUndies’ approach to customer care has helped them carve out a niche in their industry, making them stand out as the providers of underwear and personalized customer care for everybody. MeUndies’ seamless and consistent customer care is supported by Sprout Social’s Smart Inbox and its internal collaboration tools.

McDonald’s responsiveness invigorates fandom

McDonald’s needs no introduction. The global fast food giant is a favorite in the industry, and that is due to its consistent service worldwide—both in brick-and-mortar locations and online. The McDonald’s team, like most ubiquitous brands, receives countless messages, comments and engagements each day.

Yet, the team replies to each individual comment and message, even when they aren’t directly tagged. Here’s an example of a recent exchange between a customer asking them to bring back an old favorite and McDonald’s responding with a form the customer can fill out to share the feedback with higher ups.

McDonald’s also succeeds at keeping a pulse on the fandom surrounding their brand, and playfully joining in to build brand affinity. For example, when the recent #GrimaceShakeTrend took TikTok by storm, McDonald’s was quick to play into it and doubled down on their Grimace campaign, causing their fans to flood their posts with positive engagements.

@mcdonalds

woww lots of peoplee r tryingg the grimace shake

♬ original sound – McDonald’s

McDonald’s demonstrates what’s possible when you truly listen to your customers, and what can happen when you give them what they want. Whether it’s improved customer service, to bring back discontinued products or to get behind an internet trend involving your brand (even if it involves a large, purple blob covering “crime scenes” in milkshakes).

Make customer relationship marketing investments a priority in 2024

Just like in friendships, building long-term relationships with your customers (and potential customers) takes time. It’s not as simple as answering one DM or service call. It requires responding to each customer with a personal touch, and going out of your way to interact throughout the customer journey. This necessitates stronger internal collaboration and streamlined tools.

As you finalize your plan for 2024, think through the role of social in your customer relationship marketing plan—in the marketing department and beyond. Use the CMO’s social media marketing agenda for help identifying the biggest ways you can capitalize on these social efforts in the coming year.

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Prepping your social customer care team for the holiday rush with Sprout

It seems like the holidays start earlier every year—for marketers and consumers alike. According to a Q3 2023 Sprout Pulse survey, 75% of marketers are publishing holiday content earlier this year compared to 2022. Is your holiday customer service strategy ready to start early, too?

Just as snowy decor starts appearing before Halloween has even arrived, your holiday customer service strategy must be ready ahead of peak shopping season. To keep things running smoothly, customer care teams must make the most of all available resources. Luckily, Sprout Social is equipped with tools designed to alleviate the holiday rush while strengthening customer relationships—a gift that keeps on giving well after the holiday season.

‘Tis the season to bolster your customer care strategy. Keep reading to shape your strategy, and to find out which Sprout features will set your team and customers and team up for success.

Why social needs to be at the center of holiday customer service

Answering customer questions on social sits firmly in the center of the social media and customer care Venn diagram. So much so that 74% of US and UK consumers say they’re likely to reach out to a brand on social this holiday season, according to a Q4 2023 Sprout Pulse Survey of 1,623 consumers.

Social media is a direct line to your customers. And during the holiday season, their outreach will inevitably increase, further extending social’s crossover into the customer care realm.

Let’s look at three key ways social media must be central to your holiday customer service.

Social is the home of product discovery

“TikTok made me buy it” is more than a catchy phrase. It’s a reflection of the influence social media has on buying behavior—on TikTok, and beyond. Instagram reports that 70% of shoppers look to the platform for their next purchase. And Facebook has the highest number of social commerce buyers.

Social media is a virtual mall designed for product discovery, social proof and purchasing all in one place. And consumers know this, too—55% of consumers say they rely on brands’ social media accounts when it comes to discovering and learning about new products during the holiday season, according to our Q4 2023 Pulse Survey.

Social media must be at the center of holiday customer service because it’s at the center of shoppers’ gift hunt. Outfitting your team with the training and customer care social media tools they need makes it easier to meet customers where they are.

Customer outreach on social media will surge during the holiday season

The most wonderful time of the year is also the busiest time of the year for customer service agents. 63% of consumers strongly or somewhat agree that they are more likely to reach out to a brand on social during the holiday season vs. the rest of the year, according to our Q4 2023 Pulse Survey. And our data shows that this outreach most frequently comes through via direct messages and in-post comments.

If your customer service team isn’t seeing (let alone responding to) customer questions and comments on social, they’re missing the chance to build customer trust and loyalty. Over half of consumers say that the most memorable brands on social is simply respond to customers, according to the most recent Sprout Social Index™.

Having visibility and access to social is crucial for delivering strong customer service. If customer care teams are only reviewing and responding to email, phone and web form requests, they’re not getting the full picture.

Consumers reach out on social during every step of their shopping journey

From asking about restocks and order status to sharing glowing reviews, customers use social media along every step of the purchasing journey. Asking product questions and sharing positive feedback were the top two motivators for consumers to contact brands via social, according to our Q4 2023 Pulse Survey.

And when it comes to contacting brands, consumers do have network preferences. Facebook, Instagram and TikTok are the top three platforms consumers expect to use to contact brands during the holiday season. All the more reason your team needs access and, if necessary, training on engaging through these channels.

Remember: A stellar holiday customer service strategy does more than just answer questions. It can convert prospective customers into lifelong customers and brand advocates. At the same time, a strategy that doesn’t account for social has the power to do the opposite.

8 tips for enhancing your holiday customer service strategy

Holiday-related spikes in support requests can be stressful. But the right process and tools can empower your team to rise to the challenge.

If you want to revisit and revise your team processes before the rush hits, here are eight tips for enhancing your holiday customer service strategy, and some ways Sprout can help along the way.

1. Plan ahead

Like we said, the holidays feel like they start earlier every year. If you’re not planning ahead for the holiday surge, you’re already falling behind.

The last thing you want during a busy holiday season is to play catch up. So plan ahead to cover all of your bases before the “season’s greetings” decor goes up in stores.

Consider the other milestones your agents should align with—think: key dates for holiday marketing, like sales and launches, that may lead to a spike in messages or tools they need to learn.

Planning ahead can mean different things to different businesses. For your team, it may mean securing budget to hire temporary holiday support staff (which we’ll get to.) Or creating a dedicated RACI model to align on social customer care. Or talking to the merchandising team about when certain sales will start and end to prepare your agents.

2. Create holiday-specific FAQs

According to the Index, 54% of marketers plan on using customer self-service tools like FAQs to scale social customer care. Add holiday-specific FAQs to your site, chatbots (more on that below) or even post captions so customers can find answers themselves.

No matter how many FAQs you provide, you will always get repeat questions. Prepping pre-written answers to common questions your team can pull from saves everyone time.

Creating one source of truth for these quick responses ensures consistency. For example, using the Sprout Asset Library, you can quickly search for and select pre-written answer templates as you respond to a question on social.

And if you want to limit or expand permissions, you can easily adjust who can access the Asset Library within Sprout.

3. Staff up

No matter how early you prepare for the holiday rush, you may simply need more hands on deck. Consider hiring temp or additional staff. E-commerce brand Threadless hires additional holiday customer service staff every season to provide additional support.

Speed is key. The quicker your new staff can hit the ground running, the smoother your holiday season will be. Ensure you provide training and tools that make onboarding a breeze. For example, Sprout has earned industry recognition as a platform with high ease of use, setup and admin—crucial elements when you need to get new staff into a tool fast. And with features like Tasks, where you can assign specific messages to specific Sprout users, you can further streamline collaboration even as your team scales.

4. Employ a system to tackle the highest-priority customer inquiries

Ensuring the highest-priority messages are sorted and answered quickly is crucial. Think: complex issues, time-sensitive or negative inquiries, even positive comments that warrant a swift response.

Sprout’s Sentiment for Messages capability lets you identify and sort messages based on whether they’re positive, negative or neutral, and create inboxes based on these sentiments. This empowers you to identify opportunities for proactive engagement—especially important for developing deeper audience connections, like in this conversation with Calvin Klein.

Inbound message tagging is another way to get the most out of Sprout’s Smart Inbox. An organized tagging strategy can help you create tailored inbox views, triage customer questions and report on your efforts once the holiday season wraps up.

Make sure all your customer care agents—seasonal or otherwise—are up to speed on your strategy with thorough documentation. If you’re not tagging messages in Sprout already, here are potential use cases to consider:

• Tag by urgency: If your agents are divided by support tiers, tagging messages by urgency can help ensure customers are connected to the right representative quickly.
• Tag by customer concern: Understanding trends in customer questions and complaints (e.g., in relation to specific themes or products) can better prepare you for next year’s holiday season. Use the Cross-Network Tag Performance report to report on questions by internal Tag.
• Tag by response need: Some messages aren’t actionable. For example, if someone promotes their own services in your replies, you’re better off ignoring it. Creating a unique Tag for messages that don’t warrant a response can help you more accurately measure your agents’ time to first response (TTFR) rates.

Use these tagging strategies individually or in combination to streamline response and reporting efforts. By proactively tagging inbound messages, your team will be able to provide excellent customer service no matter how many messages you receive this holiday season.

5. Tap into automation and AI

An impressive 81% of marketers say AI has already had a positive impact on their work, according to the Index. And it’s undoubtedly front-of-mind for teams wanting to ensure customer service efficiency this holiday season.

Here are two stand-out areas where automation and AI customer service tools are a game changer:

Faster responses

There will always be customer questions that go beyond your prepped FAQ answers. And fresh responses take time.

AI tools create a starting point for responses that your team can build off of, minimizing effort—having these tools baked into your current workflow streamlines your process further. Sprout’s Enhance by AI Assist, for example, suggests AI-generated responses for you to choose from and customize when responding to social comments and DMs. You can even select the tone you want your response to convey.

Lean on chatbots

If you’re not already using chatbots to lighten the load for your team, this is your sign to start. And if you are, this is your sign to update them with holiday FAQs.

To address basic holiday customer service questions faster, we recommend using Sprout’s Bot Builder. These rule-based chatbots can manage common questions that come through Meta’s Messenger or X (formerly known as Twitter) Direct Messages.

To start, determine what conversations you want your chatbot to handle. If you need help, Sprout comes equipped with a customer care-specific Bot Template, which can be adjusted to suit your needs.

6. Give agents the context they need to succeed

To set your team up for success through the holidays, you must provide them with the right information and tools. This also means providing agents with the customer context they need to succeed.

If your team has to toggle between multiple tools just to respond to one customer message, you’re doing your team and audience a disservice. Plus, your team may miss important customer history.

Sprout supports social CRM integrations with a number of tools, like HubSpot and Salesforce, eliminating the need to bounce between systems. Details from each can be accessed directly within the Smart Inbox so you can get a better understanding of the customer you’re supporting, the issue at hand and what’s been done so far to help.

For example, Sprout’s Salesforce integration empowers users to leverage social data for a world-class, omnichannel care experience. It enables your care teams to meet customers where they are vs. sending them to other channels, like a phone line or email.

An integrated social support strategy can make a major difference when dealing with a high volume of social messages. Connecting Sprout throughout your tech stack paves the way for more exceptional support experiences for your team and customers.

7. Establish collaboration norms

Creating a frustration-free, collaborative environment can look different for everyone, depending on the needs of your company. Before you design a process, you first need to evaluate existing and potential points of friction.

If you’re new to prioritizing social as a customer care channel, here are some questions to consider:

Who will review responses from seasonal agents and new hires?

Monitoring responses from new agents is time-consuming but necessary at the start of a busy season when quality control is especially important. To build an approval process, first identify which agents can be responsible for approving messages. Pair them with newer agents to ensure all replies stay compliant and on brand. As new agents feel more comfortable in their role, they’ll be able to handle issues without an approver.

To manage approval processes in Sprout, use the Reply Approvals workflow to submit, review, approve or reject messages directly within the platform, minimizing disruptions for all parties involved. You can also create user teams in Sprout to ensure conversations and message comments are fielded to the right people for replies or clarification.

Who should agents go to with questions?

Whether all tough questions go through a single individual or you have point people for specific issues, documenting who’s responsible for what topics can help prevent confusion and frustration when dealing with social messages.

To further reduce confusion, use Sprout’s Conversations feature. This centralizes team conversations within the Smart Inbox, so questions can be answered without extra emails or direct messages back and forth.

8. Capture feedback and performance metrics in real-time to constantly improve

To refine your holiday customer service strategy, you must be able to capture feedback and measure performance. Externally, customer feedback surveys are critical to seeing the big picture of how people feel about their service.

Add surveys directly to your social platforms for customers. Using Sprout, it’s easy to configure and implement surveys that measure Customer Satisfaction Score and Net Promoter Score on Instagram, Facebook and X—three major platforms for customer engagement.

Internally, analyzing customer service metrics—like reply time and messages answered—fills in the details behind why customers may feel a certain way about your service. In Sprout, the Inbox Team Report lets you easily measure team effectiveness and performance—from a bird’s eye view, and by individual team members. This report breaks down metrics like median first reply times and unique messages replied to, taking the guesswork out of refining your customer care process so you can head into the holiday season strong.

‘Tis the season to be efficient: Master your holiday customer service strategy with Sprout Social

A strong holiday customer service strategy has a long-lasting impact that continues long after decorations have been put away for the season. The folks on the front line of your brand have the power to alleviate customer concerns and earn their loyalty. Providing your team with the right tools can free them up to focus on creating exceptional customer experiences—the kind that drive repeat engagement, clicks and purchases.

Luckily, Sprout can keep your customer care team in good cheer well into the new year. Start a free 30-day trial and help bring more joy to your agents and customers this holiday season.

The post Prepping your social customer care team for the holiday rush with Sprout appeared first on Sprout Social.

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Boost Gram views: 6 tips to master the Instagram Reels algorithm

I’m a big fan of the Gram–Instagram that is–and have been for a while. During the pandemic, my husband and I would find silly memes, stories, and posts that got us laughing like crazy–much needed distractions from the stress of unprecedented times. 

Things only got better on Instagram, IMO, with the introduction of Reels back in August 2020. A response to the video frenzy intensified by TikTok, Reels gave Instagram creators and businesses another way to express themselves in the app, another way to engage, entertain, and retain your audience.

Even now Instagram seems to prioritize Reels in its all-too-enigmatic algorithm, which means Reels are what really help boost your overall visibility and reach on the platform. 

I have started creating more Reels on AWeber’s Instagram account and have found this to be true: our Reels garner WAY more engagement and reach WAY more followers and non-followers than our static posts, carousels, and stories.

Check out the Instagram Reel we posted for Labor Day–one of our most popular Reels so far! 

How to get more views on Instagram reels

Over the past couple of months, I’ve been researching, experimenting, and learning how to get WAY more views and engagement on Instagram reels.

Creating Reels can be daunting–it’s certainly more stressful and farther outside of my comfort zone (why? Because I star in most of the Reels. That’s right, that’s me above) than sharing static photos. But seeing the tremendous awareness, loyalty, and affinity, makes it worth it.

Whether you are already creating Instagram Reels for your business or have yet to create your first, understanding how Instagram Reels algorithm can work in your favor will help you get more out of your Reels as you experiment, create, and share.

Create In Instagram, vs other apps

When I first started making Instagram Reels, I edited them in Canva, but as soon as I switched to editing them in Instagram, I saw a jump in views and engagement.

Our Instagram Engagement:  

See the peaks? Each one is from when we posted a Reel. 

It makes sense that Instagram would prefer that you create your content in-app, although I’ve noticed that there are some annoying disadvantages. For example, sometimes the in-app editor can be glitchy, and overall I just prefer to use my computer keyboard vs my phone. 

However, this is more of an issue for videos that require a lot of editing. Instagram is pretty convenient to use for single shot content, and is especially so for when you are lip-syncing to audio. 

It took me just a few minutes to film this lip syncing video in Instagram, and it got great engagement! 

Main takeaway? You will lose reach if you do not create your content in the Instagram app–so best to stick with it when you can.

Use trending audio 

The next time you scroll through Instagram Reels, look in the bottom left corner of your screen. Is there an upward arrow next to the track name? If so, you’ve found yourself some trending audio, or a sound clip that people are showing increasing interest in. These will be discovered more easily when used by creators.

After you have found a trending audio, tap on the track to see exactly how many times the audio has been used. It’s best to hop on a trending audio early–20,000 uses or less (the less the better)--and ride the momentum as it gains in popularity.

You can also follow social media marketers/managers/coaches on IG who find and share trending audio. Some are really good at identifying trending audio early! Here are a few accounts I’ve been using to find trending audio: @shannonmckinstrie, and @smallbusinessgrowthclub.

Hack: You can get the Instagram reels algorithm to show you more trending audio by scrolling through Reels quickly until you see the upward arrow–then stop, watch, and interact with those Reels. The IG algorithm will realize you want to see more Reels with trending audio.

Keep it simple! 

Creators and social media professionals say that the sweet spot for Reel length is only 5-7 seconds! Keep this in mind, and it will help you simplify your content and reduce the amount of time and effort you spend creating your Reels. 

A lot of social media coaches say that your next Reel is already in your camera roll. Find a good audio, write up a snappy hook and caption, and share. 

Don’t let me discourage you from creating longer form content though! Some audio and trends require longer, more produced videos (think the Wes Anderson trend from earlier this year), or you may have a high-value tutorial or message for your audience. These still have an important place in your social content, but sprinkle them here and there so you aren’t constantly bogged down creating longer content.

Show up daily and consistently

There are plenty of blog posts and articles out there that tell you the peak times to post your content. 

What is the best approach? 

Even seasoned social media marketing professionals will acknowledge that social media is largely chaos and posting content is a gamble. 

While there are good tips and tricks out there, the best way for you to figure out what time you should post your content is to relentlessly experiment, then look at the data. Instagram Insights will tell you when your audience is most active. Use that as your guide.

So, time to experiment! But marry your experimentation with consistency. Post and interact regularly–daily is best! This is where a social media content calendar will come in handy. 

Interact! Interact! Interact!

Instagram wants you to actively interact with your followers. Don’t just post and walk away! 

The more you interact, the more Instagram's algorithm will make your content discoverable–and the more your followers (and potential customers) will feel like you are a person, not just some disinterested business. 

Make sure you reply to comments and messages in a timely manner as well!

Bye, bye, Hashtags. Hello, Keywords!

Wait, WHAT?! This was big news to me! 

Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri  apparently announced last year that hashtags are no longer an important factor in increasing discoverability and reach. Instead of throwing 8 to 12 hashtags in your captions–which is now considered spammy–start incorporating more descriptive SEO keywords into your posts.

You can keep using hashtags, just in case; just put them at the end of a very well thought-out and worded caption.

Now go create!

Not every Reel you create will hit the jackpot, but don’t let that discourage you! Keep showing up, and focus on creating simple, valuable content.

Happy Creating, friends! 

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22 influencer marketing statistics to guide your brand’s strategy in 2023

If you’re considering running an influencer marketing campaign, it’s a good idea to have a basic understanding of the industry, platforms to use, access to influencers and more. To help you get an idea of what to expect from the industry, we’ve put together 22 influencer marketing statistics across six different categories.

From influencer marketing growth stats to data surrounding the top three influencer marketing platforms, learn more about the state of this marketing strategy and how to get started.

Jump to an influencer marketing stat category:

• Influencer marketing growth statistics
• Influencer marketing advertising statistics
• Influencer marketing budget statistics
• Influencer marketing statistics for TikTok
• Influencer marketing statistics for Instagram
• Influencer marketing statistics for YouTube

Influencer marketing growth statistics

Influencer marketing has been steadily growing over the years and is showing no sign of stopping. Learn more about the industry and its projections for the future.

1. The influencer marketing industry is expected to reach $21.2 billion worldwide in 2023

The influencer marketing industry was worth just $1.7 billion back in 2016. It hit $16.4 billion in 2022 and is expected to increase by another $5 billion this year. This exponential growth demonstrates the health of this industry.

2. Instagram is the top influencer marketing platform worldwide

89% of marketers agreed that Instagram was the number one influencer marketing platform. YouTube came in second at 70% and Facebook in third at 45%. Interestingly enough, TikTok was excluded from this survey, though we do know that TikTok influencer marketing is also a big deal.

 

3. The global influencer marketing platform industry is expected to hit $22.2 billion by 2025

Influencer marketing platforms have also been popping up regularly to assist in a number of related tasks: finding influencers, partnering them with brands, creating contracts, planning campaigns and more. So there’s no surprise that the platform market size is also growing. It hit $15.2 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach $22.2 billion by 2025.

Influencer marketing advertising statistics

Social media advertising is also a big part of influencer marketing. Promoting your influencer content can help improve the overall reach of your campaigns. Let’s dig into some stats surrounding influencer marketing advertising.

4. Influencer marketing ad spend worldwide is projected to reach $30.81 billion in 2023

Brands are expected to spend $30.81 billion on influencer marketing advertising throughout 2023. This spending is expected to increase to $47.80 billion by 2027.

5. The average ad spend per user in the influencer marketing industry is $5.78

Influencer marketing ad spend evens out to around $5.78 per internet user. This is expected to increase over the coming years.

6. The most influencer marketing ad spend is in China

China is the country with the largest influencer marketing ad spend at $16.76 billion.

Influencer marketing budget statistics

How much are brands spending on influencer marketing? As the industry increases, more and more marketing and social media budgets are allotted to influencer marketing.

7. 39% of brands worldwide have worked with only 10 influencers or less

39% of brands have worked with 10 influencers or less. 21% of brands have worked with 10-50 influencers, 16% with 50-100 influencers, 11% with 100-1,000 and 12% with a whopping 1,000+ influencers.

8. 25% of brands worldwide put 10-20% of their marketing budget towards influencer marketing

20% of brands put less than 10% of their marketing budget towards working with influencers, 25% of brands put 10-20% towards influencers, 18% of brands dedicate 20-30% of their budget to influencer marketing, 13% give 30-40% of their budget and 23% of brands focus 40% or more of their marketing budget on their influencer marketing efforts.

9. Brands are expected to spend $7.14 billion on influencer marketing domestically in 2024

Increasing from $2.42 billion in 2019, brands are now expecting to spend a total of $7.14 billion on influencer marketing in 2024.

TikTok influencer marketing statistics

TikTok and the short-form videos it boasts are a popular format for influencer marketing. Learn more about TikTok influencers and why this is such a powerful platform.

10. There are over 100,000 TikTok influencers in the U.S.

As of June 2023, there were over 100,000 TikTok influencers in the United States, with follower counts ranging from 5,000 all the way to 1,000,000+.

11. The majority of U.S. TikTok influencers have 50,000-100,000 followers

Nearly 2,000 TikTok influencers have 5,000-10,000 followers, 25,000 have 10,000-50,000, 42,000 have 50,000-100,000 followers, 35,000 have 100,000-250,000, 23,000 have 250,000-1,000,000 and nearly 9,000 have over 1 million followers.

12. Shein, Target and Netflix are the three most-mentioned brands on TikTok worldwide

Shein has been mentioned by 13,400 TikTok influencers, Target by 11,200 influencers and Netflix by 8,500 influencers.

Instagram influencer marketing statistics

Instagram influencer marketing is a must-use strategy for many brands, especially considering most marketers agree it’s the top influencer marketing platform. Learn more about the state of influencers on this social network.

13. There are over 500,000 influencers on Instagram

With over 500,000 active influencers operating on Instagram, it’s no wonder this is the number one influencer marketing platform. There are so many influencers in various niches, giving brands of all shapes and sizes the opportunity to partner up.

14. 65.39% of Instagram influencers worldwide have less than 10,000 followers

The vast majority of Instagram influencers are nano-influencers, with less than 10,000 followers. 27.73% of Instagram influencers have between 10,000 and 50,000 followers, 6.38% have 50,000 to 500,000, just 0.28% have between 500,000 to 1,000,000 and only 0.23% have more than 1 million followers.

15. 14.32% of all Instagram influencers are lifestyle influencers

The biggest category of Instagram influencers is lifestyle influencers. Next, we see music influencers (8.5%), beauty influencers (7.63%) and family influencers (5.74%).

16. Instagram influencers worldwide charge anywhere from $20-7,000+ per post

Nano-influencers (less than 10,000 followers) tend to charge $20-100 per post, micro-influencers (10k-50k followers) charge between $35-450, mid-influencers (50k-500k followers) charge between $150-2,500, macro-influencers (500k-1m followers) charge between $250-7,000) and mega or celebrity influencers (1m+ followers) charge $1,200 and up.

17. Instagram, Zara and Shein are the three most-mentioned brands on Instagram worldwide

Instagram has been mentioned by 85,500 Instagram influencers, Zara by 66,400 influencers and Shein by 57,200 influencers.

18. Instagram influencers worldwide with less than 10,000 followers have the highest engagement rates

Nano-influencers, or influencers with less than 10,000 followers, have the highest engagement rate at 2.53%. Micro-influencers have an engagement rate of 1.06%, mid-influencers come in at 0.91%, macro-influencers at 0.86% and mega-influencers at 0.92%. The average engagement rate of Instagram influencers is 1.9%.

YouTube influencer marketing stats

Finally, let’s cover YouTube influencer marketing stats and what the state of this long-form video platform and its affiliate with influencers looks like.

19. There are nearly 500,000 YouTube influencers in the U.S.

There are nearly 500,000 YouTube influencers in the United States. We don’t have global data, but we can assume there are even more potential influencers to partner with on YouTube globally.

20. The majority of U.S. YouTube influencers have 10,000-50,000 subscribers

Nearly 70,000 YouTube influencers have 5,000-10,000 subscribers, over 300,000 have 10,000-50,000, nearly 30,000 have 50,000-100,000 subscribers, 27,000 have 100,000-250,000, 20,000 have 250,000-1,000,000 and nearly 8,000 have over 1 million followers.

21. The top three YouTube influencer categories globally are people and blogs, entertainment and music

The largest category of YouTube influencers (20.6% of influencers) focuses on content surrounding people and blogs. This is followed by entertainment influencers (16.8%), music influencers (13.7%) and video game influencers (12.1%).

22. Steam, AliExpress and Flipkart are the three most-mentioned brands on YouTube worldwide

Steam has been mentioned on YouTube 76,060 times, AliExpress has been mentioned 53,060 times and Flipkart has been mentioned 49,040 times.

Keep these influencer marketing statistics in mind

Want to ramp up your influencer marketing strategy? Knowing these statistics can help. But so can the right influencer marketing tools. Find the best tools for your team so you can start partnering with influencers in your niche.

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