All Social Networks Archives | Sprout Social

13 Strategies to increase Facebook engagement

Chloe West — Tue, 02 Apr 2024 14:36:44 +0000

One of the main components of any social media strategy is increasing your overall social media engagement—and the same goes for Facebook. If you’re promoting your business and its products or services on Facebook, you want your target audience to engage with your content.

However, increasing your Facebook engagement can be tricky. You need to know the right strategies to implement and how to get started.

Throughout this article, learn more about what Facebook engagement means, how to calculate your Facebook engagement rate and 13 key strategies for improving engagement on Facebook.

Table of contents:

What is Facebook engagement?
How to calculate your Facebook engagement rate
13 strategies for improving Facebook engagement

What is Facebook engagement?

Facebook engagement refers to any action that a Facebook user takes on your Facebook page—mainly likes, comments, shares and clicks. Increasing the number of engagements you see like this on your page proves that your Facebook marketing strategy is working and that your content resonates well with your audience.

How to calculate your Facebook engagement rate

You can calculate your Facebook engagement rate with a simple formula:

Facebook Engagement Rate = [(Total Likes + Comments + Shares)/Total Reach] x 100

You can find these metrics via Facebook insights or by using a third-party Facebook analytics tool. In your Facebook page dashboard, you can get a quick overview and grab your numbers from the “Post reach” and “Interactions” sections in order to discover your Facebook engagement rate.

The median Facebook engagement rate is 0.063%. While this engagement rate seems low, if you implement the 13 strategies below, your brand will be more likely to surpass that average.

13 strategies for improving Facebook engagement

Increase your organic reach with these 13 strategies—though don’t forget the power of Facebook ads in the meantime. These 13 organic reach tactics mixed with an ads strategy can ensure your business is reaching the people it needs to on Facebook.

1. Understand your target audience

Knowing who you’re trying to target with your content can help better inform your strategy, direct your messaging and ensure your content resonates with those your business can help the most.

Start by getting a basic understanding of social media user demographics so you know who is on each platform you market on. For example, we can see that Facebook’s basic demographics look like this:

Make sure this lines up with your business’s basic demographics. But then look even further. Who does your business help with its products or services?

For example, if you’re trying to reach men in their 30s, you should:

Make sure they’re on your platform of choice (in this case, you’re in the clear)
Create a strategy that caters to that audience
Keep them in mind when you’re writing your content

2. Know the best times to post on Facebook

The more engagement a post receives, the more likely Facebook’s algorithm is to reward it with reach. This might seem a bit backward but it speaks to the importance of timing your posts to perfection.

By posting when your followers are most active, you instantly increase the likelihood of getting likes and comments.

And yes, there are data-driven best times to post on social media which can clue you in on what your posting calendar should look like.

The key here is to not just post at random and expect engagement. With the help of the chart below and analyzing your past post engagement, you can zero in on a schedule that makes sense.

We recommend using a Facebook scheduling tool to plan your social media calendar days or weeks in advance. It’ll keep you from forgetting to post and give you the flexibility to test different posting times.

Plus, by taking advantage of Sprout Social, you can discover optimal times for your specific brand to publish, rather than relying on global data. Just simply use the “Optimal Send Times” dropdown to see when Sprout’s AI recommends you share your posts.

3. Post consistently

While the next post talking about quality is just as important, you also need to post consistently. While global data showcases that some brands post around 4-5 times per day on Facebook, that’s a lot of content to share and also remain consistent.

What you need to do is figure out how many times your team can reasonably post each day or each week—and do so consistently. Consistent content creation increases your likelihood of appeasing the algorithm and getting your content seen by more people.

If you’re posting on a consistent and reliable basis, you’re on the right track.

4. Focus on quality content

Next, make sure your content is engaging, fun and quality to increase the chances that your audience interacts with your content. In this endeavor, many brands make the mistake of putting themselves in a box when it comes to their content.

Let’s say you’re running a Facebook page for your sandwich shop. Should you exclusively post content related to sandwiches?

Of course not.

For starters, there’s only so much that can really be said on a day-to-day basis about your brand or product. As soon as your content starts to feel repetitive or stale, your audience will tune out.

Here’s some food for thought: your Facebook content isn’t all about you. It’s about your audience. They might like you, but that doesn’t mean they only want to hear about you all day long. Once you start to embed that idea into your strategy, increasing Facebook engagement becomes much more realistic.

And if you’re struggling to find ideas for fresh content, you can start by asking yourself a few questions.

What’s trending?

Pulling from pop culture and current events is a smart move if done tastefully. Check out how HubSpot put out an awesome post to coincide with Valentine’s Day.

Do you have any fun facts?

Infographics and shocking statistics are prime for discussion and debate, both of which are huge pieces of Facebook engagement. Activity in the comment sections spells good news to the updated algorithm.

Have you shown off your brand’s personality?

Like it or not, Facebook has become a hotbed for memes and humorous content. Although humor might not be the perfect fit for every brand, funny content typically performs well and is a lighthearted way to diversify your posts.

It might be tempting to simply talk about yourself, but that’s not going to drive much engagement. Strive to stick to the common rule of content curation that says only 20% of what you post should be self-promotional.

Besides, filling your feed with a variety of content will always keep your followers looking forward to what’s next.

Oh, and if you want to have instant access to fresh pieces your audience will love, tools such as content suggestions from Sprout can do the digging so you don’t have to.

5. Respond to your customers

Improving your Facebook page engagement isn’t a “one and done” affair. If someone takes the time to comment on your content, make sure you’re taking the time to respond.

People overwhelmingly want to interact with brands, which is the reason why so many businesses that reply to comments score more interactions.

If nothing else, taking the time to reply to fans shows that you’re listening to them. This is a good look from a branding perspective and also encourages more interaction among fans in the future.

If you don’t have time to respond to each and every inbound message, you can create a Facebook chatbot to do so for you, or use a third-party messaging tool to keep all of your social media messages in one easy-to-organize place.

6. Improve your use of images and video

Visual content totally crushes it on Facebook—plain and simple—and Facebook isn’t shy about how much they love video content on their platform.

Other than links, photos and videos are one of the most common post types on the platform, signaling that people would much rather engage with a visual than a wall of text. So if you want to improve Facebook engagement, get visual.

However, the type of images and videos you post make a massive difference in terms of performance.

Many budding businesses make the mistake of relying on stock photos or videos pulled from elsewhere rather than creating their own content.

Instead, brands should strive to show the personality behind their business. There’s a reason why photos “in the wild” are so popular from big brands, as are stories from employees.

After all, it’s the social network, not the stock photo network.

Also, keep in mind that images can be powerful tools to encourage serial scrollers to stop in their tracks and look at your posts. Images containing striking colors and stunning landscapes typically do well, as evidenced by brands like GoPro who kill it with their photo content.

In addition, Facebook encourages brands to upload videos—rather than share video URLs—to drive discussion among their followers.

This means simply copy-and-pasting a link to your recent YouTube video as a post isn’t going to cut it.

Instead, brands should upload and publish videos within their Facebook posts whenever possible. Whether it’s animations, commercials or jumping on Facebook Live, regularly publishing video content on Facebook is a smart move supported by the platform itself.

7. Consider user-generated content

User-generated content, or UGC, is content that is created by your audience that you then share on your own feed. This type of content is highly engaging and fun for your audience to see their own content shared by a brand they love.

If your audience hasn’t given you any UGC to choose from, there are a few strategies you can use to change that.

First, put out an ask. Make a post asking people to share photos or videos of your products. Consider gamifying it or turning it into a contest where you randomly select a winner out of the people who commented or messaged you with their UGC and provide them with a gift card or free product.

Second, consider hiring a UGC creator. This is different from an influencer as it’s someone who is hired specifically to make content for your brand to share on its page, rather than promote your brand to their own followers. This can be a great way to start off your UGC journey even if it’s not quite as authentic as the real thing.

8. Use Facebook analytics to inform your strategy

Sometimes the key to increasing Facebook engagement is to look inward.

Let’s say you have a post that knocks it out of the park. Tons of likes and shares, and plenty of love in the comment section.

Rather than treat that post as an anomaly, you should instead take steps to recreate the same social magic again.

Maybe it was an unexpected meme. Perhaps it was an epic case study.

Either way, you should have a pulse on your top-performing content instead of playing guessing games. Again, your fans’ activity is key to understanding what to post.

To better break down that activity, take a close look at your Facebook analytics to see firsthand what’s receiving the most reach. The answer might very well surprise you.

9. Leverage employee advocacy

Instead of solely relying on your brand page to share your latest content, why not ask your employees to do some of the heavy lifting?

Use an employee advocacy tool like Sprout’s Employee Advocacy platform to curate your latest articles, videos and other content for them. Then, all they have to do is log into their dashboard and they can share the content to their personal Facebook page.

Through Employee Advocacy, you can even add suggested text for your team to use in their Facebook post which makes it super simple for them to just find the content they want to share and publish. On top of that, they can share it to Twitter and LinkedIn as well.

The best part is employees are ready and willing to share your content. Some of the most common barriers noted in our employee advocacy launch checklist that prevent them from doing so are lack of bandwidth, hesitation and lack of confidence or simply forgetting. Employee advocacy removes these barriers, making posting more seamless.

And the benefits of advocacy go way beyond just reaching more people. Sure getting impressions is nice, but what you really want is for people to read the articles and engage. According to LinkedIn, employee-posted content gets twice as high of a click-through rate than company-shared content.

If you’re not using employee advocacy, you’re missing out on easy engagement on Facebook. If you’re interested in learning more, check out Employee Advocacy by Sprout.

10. Learn how the Facebook algorithm works

The Facebook algorithm is a set of rules that dictates what content appears in the news feed. It does this by looking at four things for each individual user:

Inventory: Facebook takes inventory of all the content that could appear in a feed.
Signals: Facebook uses signals like type of content and how often a user has interacted with that content to decide if it should appear in their feed.
Predictions: Facebook uses predictive analysis to predict what each user wants to see in their feed.
Relevancy scoring: Facebook uses relevance scoring to dictate how relevant content is to a user.

With these four criteria in mind, Facebook’s algorithm will push content into its users feeds.

To increase the chances of your content appearing, you need to make sure it’s relevant to your target user, a common type of content and an engaging piece of content that makes it likely for your audience to interact with your posts.

11. Create Facebook stories

Facebook stories are another great type of content to create to engage with your audience. Because stories show up in a different part of the feed—at the very top—they can provide you with yet another way to reach and engage your followers.

Facebook stories are disappearing posts that stay on your feed for 24 hours. These can be images, videos or graphics that show off your product, share company announcements and even engage your audience through polls, Q&As and more.

Incorporate consistent Facebook stories into your strategy to further increase your overall engagement.

12. Partner with influencers

Influencer marketing is another great way to engage your audience. By partnering with influencers that have a large Facebook following, you can get even more eyes on your business. Influencers can share photos and videos of your product or service on their Facebook pages, tagging your business.

You can easily reshare or repost that content to increase engagement from the people who are coming over to your page. This, in turn, increases the chances that more of your content will appear in their feeds.

13. Get verified

Finally, get verified! Getting verified proves your business’s credibility, making it more likely that people will want to follow your page and interact with your content. Verification puts a blue check by your brand name so that every user knows you have an authorized Facebook page.

In order to get verified, follow these steps:

Make sure your page fits the criteria
Open the verification request form
Upload the necessary documents to provide authenticity
Add articles that prove your brand is of public interest
Completely fill out the form

And then you wait. You can reapply if you’re rejected, but check out our Facebook verification guide to gather tips for increasing your odds.

Start ramping up your Facebook engagement

At the end of the day, what matters most is simply having some sort of Facebook engagement strategy. Period.

If you look at the top brands on Facebook, you’ll notice that they’re consistently posting and interacting with followers. On the flip side, dead pages are the ones that simply parrot their own content and make no effort to, well, engage.

The good news? You can start implementing these tips into your Facebook strategy ASAP without lifting a finger. To get started, consider trying out a free trial of Sprout Social for help.

The post 13 Strategies to increase Facebook engagement appeared first on Sprout Social.

How to use LinkedIn hashtag analytics to boost content reach

Jasmine Williams — Thu, 28 Mar 2024 14:00:31 +0000

With over a billion members in 200+ countries and territories worldwide, LinkedIn is one of the most popular social networks for brands looking to reach a professional audience.

But with millions of posts flooding users’ feeds daily, how do you make sure your content gets noticed? Hashtags may be the answer. LinkedIn hashtags are searchable, which increases your content’s reach and gets your posts in front of more of the right people.

In this article, we’ll dive into why hashtags matter, how they boost your brand’s visibility and how to use LinkedIn hashtag analytics to add fuel to the fire of your LinkedIn marketing strategy.

Table of Contents

What are LinkedIn hashtag analytics?
Why tracking LinkedIn hashtag analytics is important for your business
How to generate LinkedIn hashtag analytics

What are LinkedIn hashtag analytics?

LinkedIn hashtag analytics reveal how popular specific hashtags are on the platform and how they impact content performance.

For example, hashtag analytics offer insight into how many people see your posts because of the hashtags you use, which hashtags get the most traction and how much engagement your posts get because of those hashtags. Understanding the data behind your hashtag strategy will help you fine-tune your approach and content to reach more of your target audience.

Why tracking LinkedIn hashtag analytics is important

On LinkedIn, 40% of users organically interact with a page weekly, making it an excellent choice for brands that want to get noticed without paid promotion. Adding LinkedIn hashtags to your organic content can help it reach an even broader audience, but you need to be strategic to make the most of them. This is where LinkedIn hashtag analytics come into play.

Here are the top reasons why you should keep track of LinkedIn hashtag analytics.

Identify the best hashtags for your brand

Have you noticed that a particular hashtag has a high follower count and consistently drives engagement on your company’s posts? Those are good signs that you should keep using it. Analyzing these metrics over time will allow you to pinpoint the exact keywords and phrases that resonate the most with your audience.

Understand which hashtags compliment your brand

Prioritize relevancy over popularity to reach the people most interested in what you’re sharing. For example, suppose you’re a social media marketer at a B2B marketing software company for small businesses. You might opt for the more specific #smallbusiness hashtag, with around 800,000 followers, over the general #marketing, with over 20 million followers. Despite its smaller follower count, picking the more relevant hashtag will help you cut through the noise and speak directly to your ideal customers.

Subscription design service Superside recently used this approach for a LinkedIn post promoting an upcoming webinar, using very niche hashtags like #aitutorial and #3dmoviestylecharacter with a broader but still targeted hashtag #characterdesign, which has over 14,000 followers.

Track the sentiment for certain hashtags

A solid social media strategy also tracks how people feel about the content you’re putting out. Monitor what hashtags drive more positive or negative engagement to ensure your content hits the right notes.

For example, creating a Listening Topic in Sprout Social will enable you to analyze the topic’s most common keywords and hashtags and see a breakdown by sentiment for related keywords and hashtags.

Monitor your competitors

Incorporating hashtag analysis into your competitive monitoring will help you optimize your social media strategy by staying competitive and increasing your share of voice more relevantly. For example, if competitor posts with specific hashtags consistently get high engagement, that’s an indicator that those hashtags are hitting the mark with their audience, and you may want to start incorporating those or similar keywords into your content.

Sprout’s Listening solutions make this process easy. They enable you to gather key metrics like volume, engagement, likes and impression breakdowns for specific competitor hashtags, or a broader overview of your competitors’ top hashtags.

How to generate LinkedIn hashtag analytics

Not all social media analytics are created equal. Knowing how to generate this data will make all the difference in maximizing your post reach and engagement. From leveraging built-in LinkedIn tools to browser extensions to third-party social media management platforms, here are the primary methods for generating LinkedIn hashtag analytics.

Use the native LinkedIn hashtag analytics

LinkedIn offers follower count numbers for all hashtags. To see how many followers a hashtag has, use this URL formula:

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/keyword

For example, if you wanted to see the follower count for #socialmediamarketing, you would enter the following URL into your web browser:

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/socialmediamarketing

The follower count will be displayed prominently at the top of the page. It’s not the most efficient system, but this method will show you the popularity of specific hashtags. From there, make a shortlist of industry-specific hashtags and test them to see how they affect performance.

Use a LinkedIn hashtags analytics extension

Hashtag Analytics is a free Google Chrome extension by Engage AI. The tool allows you to check hashtag follower counts directly on LinkedIn, get real-time insights while scrolling through your feed and get hashtag suggestions as you write your posts.

It also offers additional data like hashtag follower growth over time, the maximum number of likes and comments based on the top 20 recent posts and the total reach of a post after incorporating hashtags.

To start exploring hashtags, add the extension to Chrome, log into LinkedIn, and access the tool icon in your browser.

Use a third-party social media scheduling tool

Creating a tag for different hashtags in Sprout Social will enable you to track how each one performs in engagement, reach and clicks across your posts. Say, for instance, you work for a virtual event software company and want to compare posts with #eventprofs to ones with #eventtech.

Creating a tag for each hashtag will enable you to generate Tag Performance Reports that provide metrics like impressions, engagements, engagement rate (per impression) and top posts. This data will help refine your social media strategy and drive more meaningful interactions with your target audience.

Harnessing the power of LinkedIn analytics

It’s challenging for brands to stand out in the ‘pay to play’ social media landscape. Fortunately, hashtags are an easy way to boost your content and organically get it to the right people. Just make sure you monitor your hashtag analytics to see which hashtags drive the most results to maximize your LinkedIn content efforts.

Of course, hashtags are just one feature that can affect content performance. If you want to dive even deeper into the world of LinkedIn performance data and learn more about the best platforms to track metrics, check out our roundup of the top LinkedIn analytics tools on the market.

The post How to use LinkedIn hashtag analytics to boost content reach appeared first on Sprout Social.

24 must-know Pinterest stats for marketers in 2024

Chloe West — Wed, 27 Mar 2024 17:42:09 +0000

Pinterest is a visual social media platform great for many different industries and types of brands. However, to decide on whether Pinterest is right for your brand, it’s a good idea to take a look at some Pinterest stats.

Having a basic understanding of social media statistics gives you an idea of the type of people who use the social media platform, if they fit into your audience and what people expect from brands on each platform.

Throughout this article, we’re covering Pinterest statistics like demographics, behavior, business stats and more.

Table of contents

Pinterest stats every marketer should know

1. Pinterest is the 15th most-used social media platform

When it comes to users, Pinterest is the 15th most popular social media platform worldwide as of January 2024. The first four are, of course, Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp and Instagram. (WhatsApp and Instagram are tied for third place.)

While Pinterest may not be as giant as some of the other social media platforms, that doesn’t mean it’s not worthwhile. In fact, we have one compelling reason to have a presence on Pinterest as our next stat.

2. 1 in 3 Pinterest shoppers have an income of over $100k

Pinterest is a platform that’s perfectly poised for social commerce. Because one-third of the platform’s users have an annual income of over $100,000, they’re ready to buy when they browse the platform for products. This makes luxury brands want to flock to the platform, making it the number one platform for shopping luxury.

3. Pinterest generated $981 million in revenue in Q4 of 2023

Q4 of 2023 was Pinterest’s all time best performing quarter for revenue–producing $981 million dollars in that quarter alone. The platform also generated over $3 billion in revenue throughout the whole of 2023.

All this to say, Pinterest is a profitable platform, which means it’s stable. It’s a good idea to invest in a Pinterest marketing strategy so you can take advantage of this platform.

4. Pinterest’s annual trend predictions have an 80% success rate

Every year, Pinterest publishes a new “Pinterest Predicts” report, sharing upcoming trends they’re predicting based on their user searches and behavior. Because the platform’s data is so reliable, this report has had an 80% success rate for four years in a row. This makes Pinterest incredibly useful for identifying whether the platform is relevant to your target audience’s interests.

Pinterest’s 2024 trend predictions include things like:

Eclectic grandpa aesthetic
Jellyfish decor
Kitschy kitchens
Cafécore aesthetic
Oversized beauty and accessories
Blue being used in beauty
Bow stacking
Badminton
70s-inspired weddings

Check out the full 2024 predictions list to see if your brand can take advantage of any upcoming trends.

Pinterest user statistics

5. Pinterest has 498 million monthly active users

Pinterest has half a billion monthly active users. This is a small fraction of Facebook’s nearly 3 billion users, but Pinterest is steadily growing year after year (we have a stat for that, too).

6. Pinterest sees a 7.5% year-over-year growth

Pinterest has a healthy growth rate of 7.5% each year. It’s the third fastest-growing platform right now, behind Snapchat and LinkedIn. Facebook is still growing, but at a rate of 1.6% each year, and YouTube and Instagram are both losing users.

7. 84.6 million users are located in the U.S.

If you run a U.S.-based business, Pinterest might be a great option for you. The U.S. audience is by far Pinterest’s largest, with 84.6 million of its 498 million users located in the U.S. (17%).

The next four most popular countries for Pinterest are as follows:

Brazil: 28.05 million users
Mexico: 19.45 million users
Germany: 15.88 million users
France: 10.65 million users

Pinterest usage statistics

8. 78% of users say Pinterest makes them feel positive

The vast majority (nearly 8 in 10) of Pinterest users get a positive feeling from using the platform. Plus, another study showed that browsing Pinterest for a healthy dose of inspiration can help prevent burnout and stress.

There are so many benefits of Pinterest, but the fact that its users are happy and at peace has to be a major one.

9. 85% of weekly users have made a purchase from Pinterest pins

Pinterest users are shopping on the platform—a whopping 85% of weekly Pinners have made a purchase based on a pin they saw from a brand. Creating boards that feature your products can help you get them in front of even more users, increasing the chances someone makes a purchase.

10. 85% of Pinners use the platform to start a new project

85% of users say they hit up the platform each time they’re going to start a new project. This might be for DIY inspiration, products to use or instructions on how to do something. But Pinterest is the place they go. Use this knowledge to your advantage when creating and sharing Pins.

Pinterest audience and demographics statistics

11. 76.2% of users are women

More than 3 in 4 users are women, with 17.2% of users men and 6.6% of users unspecified or identify with another gender. If women are a big part of your target demographics, Pinterest is the perfect platform to find them.

12. Pinterest’s biggest audience segment is women aged 25-34

The largest portion of Pinterest’s audience is Millennial women aged 25-34, with that segment accounting for 28.5% of its global audience. The second largest segment was women aged 18-24, taking up over 18% of the user base.

13. Pinterest has 25.1 million Gen Z users

According to projections done in 2020, the platform should have around 25.1 million Gen Z users this year, accounting for around 5% of its entire user base. This is up from 16.4 million in 2020 and 23 million in 2023, showing that Gen Z consumers are continuing to join the platform.

Pinterest advertising and marketing statistics

14. Pinterest delivers a 2x better ROAS than other platforms

Pinterest ads have been shown to deliver a 2x higher ROAS (return on ad spend) for retail brands than other digital platforms. Get more bang for your buck by promoting Pins on Pinterest.

15. Users save more than 1.5 billion Pins per week

Pinterest’s users are pinning more than 1.5 billion Pins each week to more than 10 billion Pinterest boards. These users are planning home decor, recipes, product inspiration and more.

16. Brands see 2.3x more efficient cost per conversion

Get a better ad performance than you do on other social media platforms. Pinterest ads generate a 2.3x more efficient cost per conversion than other social media sites.

Pinterest traffic and engagement stats

17. Pinterest averages over 1 billion monthly visits

Pinterest received over 1 billion monthly website visits in December 2023, making it one of the more popular websites in the world. This means its users are visiting the site an average of 2 or more times per month.

18. 38% of Pinterest’s web traffic comes from the U.S.

The U.S. is Pinterest’s most popular country, so it makes sense that over one-third of its traffic is coming from the United States. The next four countries that visit Pinterest.com most often in order are Brazil, the Russian Federation, India and Colombia.

19. 96% of searches are unbranded

Nearly all searches on Pinterest are unbranded. This means people are searching for things like “brown sofa” or “floral wall art” rather than specific brands. This presents a great opportunity for your brand to be discovered. Pinners aren’t loyal to a single brand and instead are hoping to find new brands and products they can buy from.

20. Pinterest saw a 50% year-over-year increase of buyable items being saved to boards

Pinterest is making a conscious effort to make its platform even more shoppable. The platform’s efforts haven’t been in vain as it now sees a 50% year-over-year increase in shoppable Pins being saved to boards. With more than half of Pinterest’s users seeing the platform as a place to shop, these buyable items make it even easier.

Pinterest stats for business

21. Pinterest is the 5th most popular social commerce platform

The top five most popular social media platforms where online shoppers are most likely to make a purchase are:

Facebook
Instagram
TikTok
Messaging apps
Pinterest

This means your brand should be taking advantage of social selling capabilities on Pinterest so you can increase the number of conversions you receive directly from the platform.

22. 80% of weekly users have discovered a new product or brand on Pinterest

Pinterest is the perfect platform for businesses to get discovered. 4 in 5 users have found a new product or brand on Pinterest, likely resulting in a purchase or a follow. Promote your products on Pinterest to increase the chances that you reach a new audience member or potential customer.

23. Shoppers on Pinterest spend twice as much as shoppers on other platforms

Pinterest users spend 2x as much when shopping on Pinterest than they do when shopping on other social media platforms. This makes Pinterest an ideal platform for products with a higher price point, like furniture and designer clothing or accessories.

Don’t be shy about putting your products out there when it comes to Pinterest. Demographic data shows that Pinterest users have a higher income and are spending more on their shopping sprees.

24. Brands using a Pinterest Catalog get 5x more impressions on their products

If you needed one more reason to convince yourself to take advantage of Pinterest’s social selling tools, let this be it. Brands that set up their Pinterest Catalogs receive five times more impressions on their product pins than brands that don’t.

Use these Pinterest stats to inform your strategy

If these stats tell you anything, let it be that it’s time to get your social selling strategy set up. Learn how to sell on Pinterest so you can start generating even more sales and conversions through your chosen social media platforms.

The post 24 must-know Pinterest stats for marketers in 2024 appeared first on Sprout Social.

11 Social messaging apps every marketer should know in 2024

Aubree Smith — Tue, 26 Mar 2024 14:22:41 +0000

Social media messaging is an integral part of daily life for most of us.

Today, 70% of people agree they expect to have conversational experiences with brands on social media, too. But finding ways to talk directly to your consumers can seem intimidating. So, how can you integrate conversational marketing into your strategy? Enter: social media messaging apps.

Social messaging apps give marketers the opportunity to connect with people one-on-one by creating impactful, personalized touchpoints. These channels are approachable for consumers, social media managers and customer care specialists alike.

When choosing the right apps to talk to your audience, consider why and how people want to connect with your brand.

Do they want a quick response to a frequently asked question?
Are they looking for a video consultation with an expert before buying?
Do they need help using your product or service?

In this guide, we’ll break down the 11 most popular social messaging apps and their use cases. From the well-known to the often overlooked, we’ll help you find the right app(s) to reach your community.

Why should your brand use social messaging apps?

The customer journey is changing. Social media is now an essential part of reaching people, from generating awareness to creating advocacy. Consumers expect to direct message, voice chat or video call your brand when they’re in a moment of need. Social media messaging apps allow you to meet consumers’ new communication expectations while supporting your business objectives. Watch our video below for an overview of the most popular social messaging apps, along with tips to help you select the best social messaging app for your brand:

Engage in conversational commerce

About 90% of consumers buy from a brand if they follow them on social. That impressive number reveals how important it is to invest in your social messaging strategy. When brands adopt conversational commerce tools like chatbots, live chat and video consultations, they deliver easier buying experiences and win more sales.

Provide customer service and care

People will no longer settle for one-way communication or outdated 1-800 numbers when dealing with a customer service issue. They expect brands to use the most convenient channels for them, including social messaging apps.

If you’re not available to support your customers with social messaging, you will leave gaps in the customer experience. Some 67% of consumers identify responsive customer service as the most important factor in creating a positive experience with a brand on social.

Build a pool of brand evangelists

Be attentive and engage thoughtfully when people send you a positive direct message. By providing an extra level of care, you will make them feel like a top priority, and more likely to become a loyal customer.

Take it a step further by surprising some of your diehard admirers with V.I.P. discount codes, premium offers, access to exclusive live events and sneak previews. These extra steps will turn your customers into brand advocates.

Navigate a social media crisis

On the flip side, show just as much care and attention when things go wrong. Although you can’t always control a social media crisis, you can minimize its negative impact by addressing customer concerns via social messaging apps. Keep a keen eye on your notifications and @mentions to prevent negative feedback from snowballing.

Thankfully, this doesn’t mean monitoring your social feeds 24/7. Social media engagement tools like Sprout Social can notify you of engagement spikes and spot a potential crisis before it snowballs.

11 most popular social messaging apps

Now, let’s dive into the most frequently used social media chat apps.

WhatsApp
Instagram direct messages
Messenger
TikTok direct messages
WeChat
SnapChat
Telegram
Discord
Viber
Twitter direct messages
Zendesk

1. WhatsApp

Monthly active users: 2 billion

Key benefits:

Chatbots
Video and voice chat
No ads
Businesses can send 6 different message types

The growing buzz around WhatsApp has many marketers asking, “What’s up with WhatsApp?” As the most popular messaging app in the world, WhatsApp is proving to be an essential part of modern marketing and customer care strategies—especially for brands with a global audience. WhatsApp makes it possible to streamline all messaging with consumers in one convenient place. Whether they have an issue with their order or are looking to buy something new, WhatsApp is the channel people turn to.

On WhatsApp, you can call, video call or live chat with customers. If you face a high quantity of messages, you can also employ chatbots on the app. Although the app doesn’t allow advertising, brands have other opportunities to effectively reach consumers. For example, some leading brands use digital catalogs to help their customers discover their products and services.

2. Instagram direct messages

Instagram monthly active users: 2 billion

Key benefits:

Integrated with Instagram
Built-in GIF and sticker gallery
You can add filters, effects and drawing to images
Video and voice chat

Instagram is the most downloaded app in the world. Instagram direct messages (DMs) play an important role in its success by allowing users to connect one-on-one and in group messages. In the Instagram app, you can send DMs to all users, including brands.

Instagram DMs are a great way to dip your toe into social messaging apps. Chances are if you have a presence on Instagram, you’re already familiar with DMs, as they don’t require a separate app or account. Even when a consumer tags your brand in their Stories, you’ll automatically see it in your DMs.

Instagram DMs have built-in GIF and sticker galleries so you can infuse whimsy into your messages. If you send a photo or video, you can also add filters, effects and drawings. As Instagram continues to evolve into a video-first app, you can now make video calls and voice chat in DMs, too.

3. Messenger

Monthly active users: 1.3 billion

Key benefits:

Integrated with Facebook
Automated replies and chatbots
Built-in GIF and sticker library
Video chat

Messenger is Meta’s most-used feature. Originally launched in 2011, the app is separate from the Facebook platform, but still integrated in the user interface. Well-known around the world, Messenger is the right app for brands trying to reach a wide variety of people.

When using Messenger for business, you can create automatic replies and set up chatbots to answer frequently asked questions. This is useful for brands who receive a high volume of incoming messages.

Like Instagram, the app offers a built-in GIF and sticker gallery so you can infuse personality and playfulness into your live-chat, too. If your customer care cases go beyond chat, Messenger also provides video call capabilities.

4. TikTok direct messages

TikTok monthly active users: 1 billion

Key benefits:

Integrated with TikTok
Custom auto-replies

Like Instagram, TikTok messaging is integrated in the app. With 1 billion monthly active users and growing, the potential for reaching people increases everyday. But TikTok messaging is unique. To send a message, the recipient must accept your message request—even if they’re a brand.

For some consumers, this feature adds a roadblock on their customer journey. But this extra step also prevents your inbox from overflowing—which makes it easier to prioritize ongoing conversations with brand advocates, influential creators and high priority customers.

TikTok also offers an automated response option for business accounts. This helpful workaround allows you to acknowledge people sending you messages before accepting. It also enables you to answer frequently asked questions based on common keywords.

5. WeChat

Monthly active users: 1 billion

Key benefits:

Reaches Chinese-speaking communities worldwide
Video and voice chat
Broadcast messaging
Social commerce capabilities

If you’re trying to reach Chinese-speaking communities, WeChat is a must-use app. Facing steep competition, WeChat emerged as the leading Chinese messaging app because of its high message capacity and social commerce capabilities. In fact, users can send up to 45 billion messages a day. They can also send voice chats and make video calls. Like other social media platforms, they can broadcast messages publicly on WeChat, too.

WeChat’s social commerce integrations are among the best in the mobile payment app industry. WeChat Pay boasts 900 million users who send money and make purchases within the app.

For global brands, WeChat should play a pivotal role in their strategy—especially for timely events like Lunar New Year celebrations.

6. Snapchat

Monthly active users: 500 million

Key benefits:

Disappearing images and videos
Custom filters, effects and drawings

With certain social messaging apps, success depends on cross-promotion with other platforms. Take Snapchat for example. For people to see your content, they must subscribe to your Profile. To spark intrigue, share snippets of the highly engaging videos you’re posting on Snapchat to other social apps. This might include behind-the-scenes tours, interactive custom filters or influencer takeovers. You can also include links to your website or app in your content.

Once you amass a following and your Profile is verified, you can start having meaningful conversations around the Stories you post. For example, your subscribers can send you questions or share their love for your new product. You can also Quote your followers’ replies and share them on your Story—this level of engagement is key to creating loyal superfans.

7. Telegram

Monthly active users: 500 million

Key benefits:

Edit and delete messages after you send them
Location sharing
Expiring messages
Unique themes and stickers
Supports group messaging up to 200,000 people

Similar to WhatsApp, Telegram is a popular alternative to traditional SMS texting—particularly for people messaging between countries. Telegram enables large group messages, location sharing and unique themes and stickers. But it also has additional features popular for businesses, including B2B brands.

In Telegram, you can edit and delete messages after they’ve been sent, or set an expiration date on a message. This could be valuable when you need to send a customer an expiring code or if you’re a B2B business sending confidential paperwork.

8. Discord

Monthly active users: 350 million

Key benefits:

Video and voice chat
Screen sharing
Bottom of the funnel opportunities
Live events

Discord, the social messaging app used most frequently by gamers, is a new frontier for many companies—even retail brands are beginning to tap into the platform’s potential.

By creating a Discord server, you are able to add channels catering to the niche interests of your community. Your channels can be private, public or view-only.

In your server, you can host live events. Whether it’s an “ask me anything” video or a gaming tournament, live events encourage advocacy and conversation within your community. Leading brands on Discord also give their consumers access to premium channels to encourage repeat purchases.

9. Viber

Monthly active users: 250 million

Key benefits:

Built-in GIF and sticker gallery
Video chat
Built-in QR code scanner
Supports unlimited group messaging

Viber, or Rakuten Viber, is another social messaging app often preferred over traditional SMS texting, especially in eastern European and Middle Eastern countries. Known for its security and end-to-end encryption, it’s marketed as one of the safest messaging apps. Viber offers group messaging with no size limitations, video chat and a built-in GIF and sticker gallery. Users with a subscription plan can also make calls to all telephone numbers.

Viber for Business allows companies to chat with customers through its platform, but this feature isn’t available in many countries. However, all brands can create ads for the app and take advantage of the built-in QR scanner.

10. Twitter direct messages

Twitter monthly active users: 217 million

Key benefits:

Integrated with Twitter
Chatbots
Built-in GIF and sticker gallery

If your brand is on Twitter, you probably already use your Twitter DMs to communicate with customers. Twitter DMs are integrated into Twitter, and anyone can send other users messages. In your DMs, you can employ chatbots to provide exceptional customer care, too.

We recommend using the built-in GIFs, sticker gallery and emojis to infuse your brand’s identity into your conversations.

11. Zendesk

Key benefits:

Omnichannel customer care
Voice chat
Chatbots

Although not technically a social messaging app, Zendesk is the glue that holds an effective social messaging strategy together. Zendesk is a customer service software dedicated to helping brands create meaningful, personal and productive relationships with their customers.

The software integrates with your social messaging apps to provide customer support and sales outreach at scale. You can also connect Zendesk with a social media management platform like Sprout Social to resolve issues faster across your social and customer service teams.

Manage your social messaging apps in one place with Sprout Social

If these social messaging apps are already a part of your strategy, you know the struggle of trying to balance so many channels at once. Sprout Social’s Smart Inbox unifies your social channels into a single stream to monitor all incoming messages. It simplifies customer care and outreach by making it easy to see messages, mentions and brand keyword usages at a glance.

The Smart Inbox offers tools like People View to help you provide personalized experiences for your contacts. In People View, you can foster connections with influencers, manage your VIP Lists and view conversation history with a specific user profile.

It all boils down to this: When using social messaging apps, you must make your customers feel like they’re your top priority.

Looking for more guidance to help you refine your social messaging strategy? Learn why social messaging is the future of the customer experience.

The post 11 Social messaging apps every marketer should know in 2024 appeared first on Sprout Social.

250+ Instagram Reel hashtags to boost engagement for your brand

Mahnoor Sheikh — Mon, 25 Mar 2024 15:14:44 +0000

If you’ve opened Instagram recently, you know Reels are big on the platform. The short-form video format has quickly become a favorite of both brands and consumers.

The good news is you can add Instagram hashtags to Reels the same way you add hashtags to posts to boost visibility, reach and engagement.

In this post, you’ll find a curated list of the top Instagram Reel hashtags for travel, fitness, food, fashion and other categories. We’ll also talk about the value of using Reel hashtags for Instagram and share tips for finding the best hashtags for your brand.

Let’s dig in.

Why use hashtags in your Instagram Reels
Tips for finding the right Instagram Reel hashtags for your brand
Best Instagram Reel hashtags for 2024
Use Instagram Reel hashtags to grow your brand

Why use hashtags in your Instagram Reels

Using hashtags can do more than just get more eyes on your content. Hashtags are also excellent targeting and analytics tools. Here are three benefits of using Instagram Reel hashtags for your business:

Make your content easier to find

Hashtags can put your content in front of a larger audience, including users who don’t follow you on Instagram. Adding them to Reels offers the same benefits as adding hashtags to posts. It helps people interested in your topics or themes easily find your videos.

This, in turn, gets your content more engagement in the form of likes, comments and shares—the holy grail of social media success. Take it a step further and engage with users who interact with your hashtags to strengthen your brand’s relationship with its audience.

Finally, by monitoring trending hashtags and incorporating them into your posts, you can help your content ride the wave of current events, conversations and Instagram trends. This not only gets you more exposure, but also positions your brand as relevant and up-to-date.

Target your niche demographics and audiences

Your videos might go viral, but not everyone on Instagram is a potential customer. Adding hashtags to Reels lets you target niche communities and specific demographics with your content—people who are most likely to be interested in your products or services.

As a result, you’ll attract more qualified leads and boost visibility among your target audience, ultimately translating into higher ROI for your business.

Use hashtag analytics to refine your Instagram content strategy

Analyzing the performance of different hashtags can provide valuable insights into what resonates most with your audience.

By tracking Instagram metrics like reach and engagement for Reels with specific hashtags, you can refine your strategy and better understand consumer preferences and behavior.

Sprout Social’s Hashtag Tracking tools can help you pinpoint exactly which hashtags work best for your Instagram strategy. Track your most-used and top hashtags or manually add hashtags that are important to your brand to keep tabs on performance.

Tips for finding the right Instagram Reel hashtags for your brand

You know the value of using Reel hashtags on Instagram—but how do you find the right ones? Follow the best practices below to add hashtags that are relevant to your brand and resonate deeply with your audience.

Know your buyer personas

Before you start writing down hashtags, you need to truly understand your target audience. What does your ideal buyer look like? Which accounts do they follow on Instagram? What type of content do they like to engage with?

Dig into original research and analytics to find out key characteristics of your potential customers. Note the hashtags used in Reels these people are interacting with the most.

Then, use these insights to guide your own hashtag strategy. Incorporate relevant hashtags in your Reels that align with the niches and interests of your target audience.

Remember—you are a business creating content to achieve certain goals, whether that’s brand awareness, lead generation or sales. Targeting everyone and anyone is not going to get you results. Focusing on users who match your buyer personas will.

Analyze your competitors

Keeping an eye on your competitors’ content can give you ideas for hashtags you can use in your own Reels. Watch for videos that get the most engagement or views. What hashtags are they using? How many hashtags are they adding to their videos? Are they going after niche keywords or broader hashtags?

Streamline this process with Instagram competitor reports.

Sprout’s competitive analysis features can help you with that. Our tool allows you to track competitor posts, engagement rates, the hashtags they’re using and more. Better yet, compare their metrics with your own to benchmark performance and set realistic goals.

Use competitor analysis to inspire your own content and hashtags. But don’t always copy hashtags off other accounts and Reels—keep experimenting. You might stumble upon some highly engaging hashtags your competitors might be neglecting.

Use branded hashtags on Reels and other content

Capitalizing on existing hashtags is great—but what about creating your own hashtag?

Using branded hashtags in Reels and posts can help you build brand awareness and instill a sense of community in your followers. Branded hashtags are also one of the best ways to encourage user-generated content.

For example, Canva launched a branded hashtag challenge to encourage creators to use the software and share their designs:

Best Instagram Reel hashtags for 2024

Looking for inspiration? Below is a list of 250+ top hashtags for various industries like fashion, travel, fitness and food. We’ve also added popular hashtags for viral and funny Reels—all relevant to brands and marketers.

Top Instagram Reel hashtags

#explore

#viral

#trendy

#reel

#viralreel

#viralreels

#trendingsound

#fyp

#reeloftheday

#trendingreels

#trendingnow

#inspiration

#viralvideos

#viralcontent

#viralmemes

#growth

#success

#businessstory

#brandstory

#luxurybrand

#luxury

#luxurylifestyle

#budgetfriendly

#springvibes

#trendalert

#newarrivals

#musthave

#shopnow

#smallbusiness

#womeninbusiness

#instagramseller

#sellersofinstagram

Fitness Instagram Reel hashtags

#gym

#gymmotivation

#gymlife

#gymtime

#gymlifestyle

#gymworkout

#gymreels

#gymvideos

#gymtips

#gyminspiration

#gymgoals

#fitness

#fitnessmotivation

#igfit

#getfit

#stayfit

#fitfam

#fitspo

#fitlifestyle

#fitinspiration

#fitspiration

#fitnesschallenge

#supplements

#preworkout

#workout

#workoutmotivation

#workoutvideos

#workoutathome

#homeworkout

#workoutoftheday

#bodybuilding

#bodypositivity

#bodypositive

#plussize

#weightloss

#transformation

#weightlossmotivation

#weightlossjourney

#dietplan

#healthybodyhealthymind

#fitmeals

#healthylifestyle

#selfcare

Travel Instagram Reel hashtags

#travel

#instatravel

#travelgram

#budgettravel

#travellife

#travelling

#traveltheworld

#backpacking

#travelwithme

#wanderlust

#hiddengems

#travelinspiration

#shetravels

#dametraveler

#sheisnotlost

#thetravelwomen

#womenwhoexplore

#travelsolo

#solotravel

#solotraveler

#vacation

#romanticgetaway

#beautifuldestinations

#luxurytravel

#luxuryhotels

#forbestravelguide

#sustainabletravel

#sustainabletourism

#responsibletravel

#vanlifemovement

#vanlifediaries

#vanlifeexplorers

#vanlifer

#skoolie

#rvlife

#motorhome

#homeiswhereyouparkit

#camperlife

#staycation

#travelbucketlist

#adventuretravel

#lifeofadventure

#hikingadventures

#getoutside

#outdooradventure

#camplife

#cabinlife

#digitalnomadlife

#nomadiclife

#workandtravel

#wellnesstravel

#wellnessretreats

#traveltherapy

#slowtravel

#foodtravel

#traveleats

#livelikealocal

#besthotels

#beautifulhotels

#hotelsoftheworld

Food Instagram Reel hashtags

#food

#foodstagram

#healthyfood

#foodie

#foodgasm

#instafood

#comfortfood

#recipes

#cooking

#foodstyling

#whatifeedmyfamily

#familymeals

#familydinner

#healthymeals

#healthysnacks

#diet

#easyrecipes

#foodrecipes

#foodideas

#dinnerrecipes

#healthyeating

#lowcaloriesmeals

#easymeals

#chickenrecipes

#mealprepping

#mealprep

#recipeshare

#vegan

#bestofvegan

#feedfeedvegan

#healthyvegan

#plantbased

#plantbasedfood

#vegetarianrecipes

#eatyourveggies

#vegandessert

#healthydessert

#dessertrecipe

#fakeaway

#recipeoftheday

Fashion Instagram Reel hashtags

#fashion

#fashionstyle

#fashionreels

#fashiontrends

#slowfashion

#highfashion

#sustainablefashion

#prelovedfashion

#secondhandfashion

#handmadeclothing

#madetoorder

#bespoke

#custommade

#vintagestyle

#vintagefashion

#vintageclothing

#unisexfashion

#unisexclothing

#styleinspiration

#ootd

#outfitinspiration

#lookoftheday

#thriftstorefinds

#thriftfinds

#thrifthaul

#thriftedfashion

#thriftedstyle

#inclusivefashion

#streetwear

#streetweardaily

#streetstyle

#streetfashion

#howtostyle

#nycfashion

#grwm

#getreadywithme

#athleisure

#activewear

#gymwear

#diyfashion

#fashiontech

#wearabletech

#capsulewardrobe

#lessismore

#minimalista

Funny Instagram Reels hashtags

#funny

#funnyvideos

#funnyvideosdaily

#funnymemes

#funnymemesdaily

#memestagram

#funnyreels

#funnyisfunny

#funnymoments

#comedy

#comedyvideos

#comedyreels

#sketchcomedy

#dailyfluff

#dailylaugh

#dailydose

#standupcomedy

#relatable

#relatablereels

#jokes

#hilarious

#funnyclips

#funnyvids

#justforlaughs

#humor

#humour

#laughoutloud

#laughing

#smile

#memes

#haha

#lol

#lmao

Use Instagram Reel hashtags to grow your brand

Adding hashtags to your Instagram Reels should be a no-brainer. Hashtags are the easiest way to categorize your content, drive visibility and boost engagement on your videos.

But what’s more important is using the right hashtags. You need keywords that align with your brand and match the needs and interests of your target audience. Only then can you expect to see business growth and results from your social media efforts.

This is where hashtag analytics can help. Track your most-used and top hashtags, competitor hashtags and trending keywords your audience is loving. Use the data to guide your Instagram strategy and watch views and engagement on your content skyrocket.

The post 250+ Instagram Reel hashtags to boost engagement for your brand appeared first on Sprout Social.

25 YouTube stats marketers should know in 2024 [Updated]

Jacqueline Zote — Wed, 20 Mar 2024 13:28:31 +0000

Marketing on YouTube is more than just pumping out videos and hoping for views. You need to have a solid understanding of the platform and who uses it, so you know what to create. The latest YouTube stats can give you the insights and understanding you need to successfully market on the platform.

We put together some of the most vital social media statistics for YouTube to help you understand the platform better. Let’s take a look.

YouTube data and channel statistics
YouTube usage statistics
YouTube audience and demographics statistics
YouTube advertising statistics
YouTube video and marketing statistics
YouTube influencer statistics

YouTube data and channel statistics

Before getting into general YouTube stats, let’s get personal. If you currently manage a presence on the platform, you can check your channel statistics using YouTube analytics. (Also, if you don’t have a brand account on YouTube, now’s a great time to create a channel.)

Access the YouTube analytics tool by going to studio.youtube.com or by clicking your profile icon and selecting “YouTube Studio.”

Once you’re in YouTube Studio, you can click on “Analytics” in the left hand panel to access your YouTube performance analytics. There are several reports available but if you’re just looking for a general overview of channel performance, check out the Channel Overview Report.

The Channel Overview Report will provide you with a graph measuring how your views, watch time and subscriber count are trending over time. On social media, consistency is key. If you’re updating your channel at a regular cadence, you should see gains in channel growth over time.

If you’re noticing a dip, check out these creative approaches to promoting your YouTube channel.

YouTube usage statistics

Understanding how people use YouTube will help you assess whether it’s a worthy investment. Things like how many people use the platform and how much time they spend can give you an idea of its standing among social media users.

1. YouTube has 2.49 billion monthly active users

According to the Digital 2024 Global Overview Report, YouTube’s potential ad reach totals 2.49 billion users. That’s half of the 5.04 billion social media users worldwide, making it the second most used social platform. This speaks volumes about the platform’s popularity among social media users.

2. YouTube now has 100 million paying subscribers

An increasing number of people are paying for the platform’s Music and Premium services. Based on the latest YouTube user stats, there are now 100 million paying subscribers on the platform.

3. People spend 48.7 minutes on YouTube each day

With a daily time spent of 48.7 minutes, people are spending more time watching YouTube videos in 2024. This indicates a growth in YouTube engagement, making the platform ideal for engaging your target audience.

4. Viewers watch 1 billion hours of YouTube videos per day on their TVs

On that same note, internal YouTube data shows that YouTube viewers are watching an average of 1 billion hours of content each day on their TVs. So there’s a need to focus on creating high-resolution videos suitable for TV viewing.

5. The average user spends over 28 hours on the YouTube app

Based on the Digital 2024 report, worldwide users spend an average of 28 hours and 5 minutes on the YouTube mobile app. While this data is only for Android users, it speaks volumes about the growing use of YouTube among mobile users.

YouTube audience and demographics statistics

Looking into YouTube stats on audience and demographics can help you understand who is using the platform. This gives you an idea whether the platform is ideal for reaching your target audience.

6. YouTube users skew male

Roughly 54.4% of YouTube users are men and 45.6% are women. (There’s no data on other genders available at this time.)

7. The largest age group using YouTube is between ages 25 and 34

Users aged between 25 and 34 account for 21.3% of YouTube’s user base, making them the largest age group to use the platform. The second largest age group is between ages 35 and 44. Additionally, YouTube is popular among young adults aged between 18 and 24, with this group making up 15.5% of the platform’s user base.

8. India has the largest YouTube audience, followed by the United States and Brazil

There are approximately 462 million active YouTube users in India, making it the network’s largest audience by country. The United States comes next with 239 million users while 144 million users are from Brazil.

9. The United States drives the most YouTube traffic

A high user count doesn’t necessarily translate to higher traffic. In fact, the U.S. contributes the most YouTube traffic (21.93%) compared to other countries. In comparison, India, in second position, contributes to just 8.11% of the platform’s traffic.

YouTube advertising statistics

If you’re planning to run YouTube ads, you need to gauge the platform’s advertising performance. Whether this involves looking into the ad revenue or the best ad formats, it’s essential to study a few vital YouTube advertising stats.

10. YouTube’s ad revenue crossed $30 billion in 2023

The platform’s annual ad revenue for 2023 amounted to $31 billion–up from the previous year’s $29.2 billion. This makes up 10.25% of Google’s global revenues.

11. Consumers find YouTube ads to be more relevant than linear TV advertising

YouTube ad targeting capabilities create a highly tailored experience for the end user. According to a 2022 study, 59% of respondents agree that YouTube ads are more relevant than ads on linear TV or other streaming apps.

12. Vertical video can increase conversions per dollar

Vertical video—meaning video filmed and viewed in portrait mode, rather than landscape—has exploded in popularity on the platform since the launch of YouTube Shorts. People have been watching YouTube on a variety of screen sizes for quite some time. Now, marketers have the tools they need to optimize for mobile viewing.

Tailoring YouTube ads to adhere to content consumption preferences can drive a noticeable lift in ROI. Vertical creative assets delivered 10% to 20% more conversions per dollar on YouTube Shorts when compared to landscape assets.

13. Skippable ads perform better than non-skippable ads

Consumers like having a choice, even when it comes to the ads they view. So it’s no surprise that giving viewers the option to skip an ad translates to better-performing ads.

Twenty-nine percent of marketers agree that pre-roll skippable ads are the most effective YouTube ad format. In comparison, only 7% believe that non-skippable ads are effective.

14. YouTube Shorts is quickly becoming a top video advertising platform

Advertisers are increasingly turning to video platforms for short-form video advertising. And YouTube Shorts is quickly gaining ground as one of the leading platforms for short-form video ads. In a survey of ad buyers, 43% say that their largest clients are advertising on YouTube Shorts.

So it’s time to reassess your YouTube ad campaigns to focus on short-form ads and stay ahead of the curve.

YouTube video and marketing statistics

You can learn a lot about YouTube marketing by looking at how other marketers are using the platform. Similarly, the types of videos people watch on YouTube will give you an idea of how to market on the platform. So let’s take a look at some key YouTube video stats in addition to the platform’s marketing statistics.

15. Marketers plan to increase their use of YouTube videos in marketing

Marketers are reassessing YouTube’s place in their marketing mix. About 66% of marketers intend to increase their use of YouTube videos. Additionally, 59% plan to increase their organic activities on the platform.

16. YouTube is the second most effective platform for B2C content marketing

The number of marketers using YouTube for organic content marketing increased from 55% to 67% between 2022 and 2023. This growing usage is a result of the platform’s effectiveness.

In fact, YouTube is the second most effective social platform for content marketing after LinkedIn. Eighty-six percent of content marketers consider it at least somewhat effective.

17. YouTube is the number one platform for viewing live content

Among social video viewers in the U.S., 52% use YouTube to watch live content. This makes it the most popular platform for watching live content, putting it ahead of Facebook and Instagram. So if live video is a part of your marketing strategy, YouTube Live is the perfect place to execute it.

18. YouTube Shorts averages 70 billion views per day

Speaking of the popularity of short-form videos, YouTube Shorts now gets an average of 70 billion views each day. Marketers can ride on this wave by creating more videos for YouTube Shorts to engage their audience.

19. YouTube Shorts is the top short-form video platform for discovery

With so many views each day, it comes as no surprise that YouTube Shorts is the #1 short-form video platform for discovering new products and brands. All the more reason to add YouTube Shorts to your video marketing strategy.

20. The most viewed YouTube video of all time is “Baby Shark Dance”

Parents, this one is probably more than familiar. The viral hit took off in 2016 and shot to the top of the list of most viewed YouTube videos of all time.

The video has almost 14 billion views, as of January 2024.

YouTube influencer statistics

Knowing the top influencers on YouTube helps you understand which influencers have an impact on the platform’s user base. This can then inform how you work with influencers on the platform. Additionally, it gives you an idea of the types of content that are popular on the platform. Let’s look at a few YouTube statistics on the platform’s top users.

21. T-Series – 261 million subscribers

The most popular YouTube channel is T-Series with 261 million subscribers. According to the latest YouTube channel stats, T-Series has amassed more than 249 billion views for 20,000+ videos.

22. MrBeast – 244 million subscribers

MrBeast ranks second overall with 244 million subscribers. His channel has amassed more than 44 billion views for just 780 videos.

23. CoCoMelon – Nursery Rhymes – 173 million subscribers

Coming up next is the nursery rhymes channel, CoCoMelon with 173 million subscribers. Interestingly, the channel has more views than MrBeast at over 179 billion views. With the channel having uploaded 1,000+ videos, it could be an indicator that video posting frequency impacts your YouTube views stats.

24. SET India – 169 million subscribers

Another Indian channel to make it to the list, SET India is the fourth most popular channel with 169 million subscribers. The latest numbers show that the channel has 160 billion views with 131,000+ uploads.

25. Kids Diana Show – 120 million subscribers

Kids Diana Show ranks fifth with 120 million subscribers. The channel has a total of more than 100 billion views with 1,100+ videos.

Turning these YouTube stats into action

These key YouTube statistics give you insights into the platform and its marketing landscape. Transform these insights into action by downloading our useful YouTube strategy template.

The post 25 YouTube stats marketers should know in 2024 [Updated] appeared first on Sprout Social.

24 Facebook statistics marketers should know in 2024

Chloe West — Tue, 19 Mar 2024 12:51:23 +0000

Know whether your target audience is still on Facebook? Or if you should keep investing in Facebook ads? Staying on top of the latest Facebook statistics will give you the insights you need to update your Facebook marketing strategy.

Even after all this time, Facebook continues to be the most popular social media platform with the largest user base across all platforms. Understanding statistics around its usage, demographics, marketing uses and more can help inform your marketing strategy.

So without further ado, let’s dig in.

Top 3 Facebook stats every marketer should know
Facebook usage statistics
Facebook user statistics
Facebook audience and demographics statistics
Facebook advertising and marketing statistics
Facebook engagement statistics
Facebook video statistics
Facebook feature stats (Reels, Stories, Messenger)
Facebook consumer behavior statistics

Top 3 Facebook stats every marketer should know

Facebook is the third most visited website following Google and YouTube, respectively. This puts it ahead of other leading platforms like Twitter and Instagram.
The platform boasts 3.065 billion active users on a monthly basis. This makes it the most used social media platform worldwide.
In 2023, Facebook’s total ad revenue amounted to $135 billion, up from $116 billion the previous year.

Facebook usage statistics

Over the years, Facebook has become almost synonymous with social media. It continues to be the biggest social media platform and is widely popular on a global scale. Here are some of the key Facebook usage statistics to understand its popularity and inform your Facebook marketing strategy:

1. Facebook hit 3 billion monthly active users in 2023

By Q4 of 2023, monthly active users on the platform had grown to 3.065 billion after reaching the 3 billion user milestone in Q2 of 2023. Although adoption has slowed down, monthly usage is still seeing an upward trend. If your marketing efforts are also feeling stagnant, download our Facebook marketing template to reinvigorate your strategy.

2. Americans spend about 30.9 minutes on the platform daily

On average, American users spend about 30.9 minutes on Facebook daily. This puts it ahead of other leading platforms such as X, Instagram and even TikTok. These numbers suggest that the platform is still seeing a high level of engagement from its user base.

Facebook user statistics

Facebook may have billions of users, but how are these people using the platform? Let’s look at a few vital Facebook user statistics to find out:

3. Over two-third of all monthly users are active daily

Out of the 3.065 billion monthly active users, 2.1 billion people use the platform daily. That’s 68.6% of users who spend at least some amount of time daily on the platform.

In other words, there are billions of people your brand could potentially reach every single day. The key is to get ahead of the Facebook algorithm so you can get more organic visibility.

4. Facebook is the most popular site for people to get their news

Out of U.S. adults who regularly look to social media for their news, 30% of them head to Facebook. This is ahead of YouTube (26%), Instagram (16%), TikTok (14%) and X (12%).

5. Messaging friends and family is still the top activity on Facebook

Over 72% of users say they use Facebook to message friends and family. This suggests that the platform’s “social” factor is still alive and kicking. Other popular activities on the platform are posting/sharing photos and videos (63.5%) and keeping up to date with news and events (58.7%).

A significant number of users (54.3%) follow and research brands and products on Facebook. So although it’s mostly for social, your brand can still use the platform to build authentic connections.

6. 59% of Facebook users have reached out to a brand on the platform

Social media is also commonly used for customer support requests. One survey found that 59% of Facebook users have reached out to a brand on the platform. Forty-six percent of those messages have been specifically in regards to customer care issues.

Even though Facebook is a social network, it can still be a great outlet for providing customer support and improving experiences with your brand. In fact, 76% of consumers notice and appreciate when companies prioritize customer support, regardless of network.

Facebook audience and demographics statistics

Wondering if you’re reaching the right audience on Facebook? What if your target demographic isn’t even on the platform? Here are a few Facebook stats highlighting the platform’s audience and demographics:

7. Users ages 25-34 years represent Facebook’s largest audience

Despite the platform’s reputation as a seemingly “older” network, 24.4% of Facebook users in the United States are between the ages of 25 and 34. Moreover, the platform sees higher usage among people below the age of 44.

8. Usage among teens has dropped sharply

That said, the platform’s popularity among teens has seen a significant drop. Only 33% of teens were using Facebook as of 2023. This is a sharp decline compared to the 71% who were using the platform between 2014 and 2015.

9. Facebook has more male-identifying users than female

Facebook currently limits its reporting to male and female. And based on the data, the platform has a higher percentage of male users (56.3%) than female users (43.7%).

10. India has the largest Facebook audience size

While Facebook sees significant usage across various countries, India has the greatest number of users. Latest reports show that there are 314.6 million Facebook users in India. The United States comes next, with 175 million users.

Facebook advertising and marketing statistics

Is Facebook marketing still worth it? And are you getting the most out of your Facebook advertising strategy? Check out these Facebook ads statistics to understand advertising impact on the platform.

11. Facebook ads see an average click-through rate (CTR) of 2.50%

According to a WordStream study, Facebook ads get an average CTR of 2.50% across all industries for lead gen ads. That said, click-throughs vary for industries, with arts & entertainment, physicians & surgeons, real estate and sports & recreation sectors seeing a CTR of at least 3% and the travel industry hitting a CTR of over 6%.

Facebook traffic ads and campaigns see a lower CTR, with the average rate being 1.51% across all industries. Arts & entertainment, real estate, restaurants & food and travel all see a CTR above 2%.

12. Advertising for traffic campaigns on Facebook costs $0.83 per click

The same study found that the average cost per click (CPC) is $0.83 across all industries for traffic ads and $1.92 for lead gen ads. However, you can expect to pay much more in certain industries or campaign ads. For example, lead gen ads have a CPC of over $5 for attorneys and nearly $4 for dentists and physicians.

13. The average conversion rate is 8.25% across industries

Facebook sees a fairly high conversion rate for ads on the platform. On average, you can expect a conversion rate of about 8.25% for your Facebook ad. However, the specifics may vary depending on your industry. Arts & entertainment, dental services, industrial & commercial and real estate sectors see a significantly higher conversion rate.

14. Facebook generates the highest ROI

Needless to say, with such high conversion rates and low CPC, marketing on Facebook yields high returns. In fact, Facebook generates the highest return on investment among all other social media platforms, tied only with Instagram at 29%.

Facebook engagement statistics

With organic visibility on Facebook on the decline, it’s only natural to see a drop in engagement levels as well. But does this put Facebook at a disadvantage over other social media platforms? Here’s a quick look at some vital stats to understand where Facebook engagement:

15. The median engagement rate on Facebook is 0.063%

According to a RivalIQ study, brands see a median Facebook engagement rate of 0.063% across all industries. This puts Facebook as one of the less engaging social media platforms, beating only X/Twitter’s 0.029% engagement rate.

16. Photo posts and status posts have the highest engagement

The power of visuals is still evident on Facebook, with photo posts getting the highest engagement at 0.10%. Video posts come next with an average engagement rate of 0.08%. Status posts perform fairly well with an average engagement rate of 0.06%. Link posts, on the other hand, are the worst for driving engagement. They see an average engagement rate of only 0.03%.

17. Frequent posting doesn’t result in higher engagement

Contrary to popular belief, posting frequently doesn’t necessarily result in higher engagement. As the RivalIQ study points out, influencers and higher education industry see the greatest engagement compared to their posting frequency.

Influencers and higher education pages publish fewer than 10 posts per week. Meanwhile, media companies publish over 60 posts a week and only see an average engagement rate of 0.04%.

Rather than post frequency, post publishing should be a factor in your strategy. Know the best time to post on Facebook so you stand a better chance of driving engagement.

Facebook video statistics

As video marketing continues to gain popularity, it’s important to be aware of how video performs on Facebook. Here are some key Facebook video statistics to inform your strategy:

18. 50% of the time users spend on Facebook is spent watching videos

According to Facebook’s own data, about half the time spent on Facebook (and Instagram) is watching video content. This means your audience likely watches video content on the app, and creating more video can help you reach more people. We’re created a quick guide on creating a successful social media video strategy, if you need a refresher.

19. Vertical video with audio sees a 35% higher click-through rate

Facebook Reels have been popular on the app since they were created and integrated into the app from Instagram. Facebook discovered that vertical video (Reels) with audio see a 35% higher CTR than other types of video content on the platform.

Facebook feature stats (Reels, Stories, Messenger)

So, what sort of content should you post? What features are growing and what’s stagnant? Let’s review some Facebook stats that break down some of the platform’s key features, like Facebook Stories, Reels and Messenger:

20. More than 500 million people use Stories every day

According to internal Facebook data, half a billion people use Facebook Stories each day and more than 1 billion Stories shared every day across the Meta apps. This speaks to the popularity of the platform’s feature, making it a useful tool for brands to engage their audience.

21. Facebook Messenger has nearly 1 billion users

Meanwhile, there are nearly 1 billion people using Facebook Messenger. That’s almost a billion people you could potentially reach through ads on Messenger.

22. Reels hit 200 billion views per day across Facebook apps

The popularity of Reels isn’t dying out anytime soon. In fact, Reels see about 200 billion views on a daily basis across the Facebook family of apps.

With algorithms further pushing this format, Reels could help you gain visibility and engagement. In short, brands can’t afford to put this short-form video format on the back burner.

Facebook consumer behavior statistics

Finally, are people even shopping on Facebook? Here are some stats on how consumers are behaving on the platform:

23. Facebook has the highest number of social commerce buyers

According to eMarketer, US adults were more likely to make a purchase directly on Facebook in Q1 2023. However, when compared to Gen Z buyers, it’s in fourth place behind TikTok, Instagram and YouTube.

24. Facebook commerce is expected to hit 64.6 million shoppers in 2024

As the most popular social media platform for commerce, there are tens of millions of shoppers on the platform. The same eMarketer study as above showcases that Facebook commerce is expected to continue to grow, reaching 64.6 million shoppers by the end of 2024.

How do these Facebook stats inform your social media strategy?

These key Facebook statistics should give you some idea of where the platform currently stands in the social media landscape. As such, you can use these to guide your strategy and understand what to prioritize. To advance your strategy even further, take advantage of different Facebook marketing tools.

The post 24 Facebook statistics marketers should know in 2024 appeared first on Sprout Social.

24 Top YouTube influencers to check out in 2024

Brent Barnhart — Fri, 15 Mar 2024 16:31:43 +0000

YouTube influencers are on a different level when it comes to business impact.

The term “influencer” might be synonymous with Instagram and TikTok these days. Thing is, YouTube creators predate both and are the blueprint for what an “influencer” is today.

And YouTubers have consistently built full-blown brands, media careers and product lines.

These aren’t just one-off success stories, either. From beauty and fitness to gaming and beyond, YouTube creators drive billions of views from any audience you can imagine.

And this speaks to the power of YouTube influencer marketing and sponsored content for brands.

This post digs into the top YouTube influencers of all shapes and sizes and why they’re notable.

Table of contents:

Who are YouTube influencers?
Top YouTube influencers overall
Top YouTube fitness influencers
Top YouTube makeup and beauty influencers

Who are YouTube influencers?

YouTube Influencers are creators with substantial followings and engaged communities. These creators’ personal brands are recognizable among their audiences and businesses.

While there’s no one-size-definition of what a YouTube influencer is, our criteria for this list includes:

A sizable audience (100,000s or millions of subscribers)
Videos that regularly earn 1+ million views
Content that’s brand and collab-friendly

Brands primarily partner with YouTube influencers through sponsored videos and brand ambassadorships. Beyond paid partnerships, many creators will serve as affiliates for brands.

Consider that many YouTube influencers’ level of engagement dwarfs that of traditional ad channels. The platform’s largest creators drive millions of views in a matter of days.

These viewers are engaging with long-form content (hint: not 15-second ad spots). With so much content on YouTube, brands are spoiled for choice when it comes to finding the right influencers.

Top YouTube influencers overall

Below is our breakdown of some of the top YouTube influencers overall.

Bear in mind that subscriber count isn’t everything! While many of these channels represent some of the biggest YouTube influencers, we also share a few up-and-coming creators as well.

If you’re interested in learning more about how you can seamlessly find and manage influencer relationships, all the way from onboarding and project assignment through to execution, request a demo of Tagger by Sprout Social today.

Tagger by Sprout Social

Revolutionize your influencer marketing with data-powered social intelligence.

Published on

1. MrBeast

With over 240 million subscribers, MrBeast is officially the biggest individual YouTube influencer.

His elaborate stunts and philanthropic videos are among the platform’s most viral content. The channel has inspired platform-wide trends including over-the-top thumbnails and “challenge”-style videos.

Inspiring so many copycat channels, MrBeast’s ability to establish trends and drive millions of views in minutes is what makes him the top YouTube influencer by a wide margin.

2. Lily Singh

Lilly Singh is a shining example of how to go from being a YouTube influencer to launching a legit media career and personal brand. With over 1,000 videos and 13 years on the platform, Singh highlights how far both YouTube and creators have come.

Over the years, her content evolved from cultural comedy skits to vlogs featuring Zendaya and The Rock. While Singh doesn’t publish as much long-form content these days, she posts plenty of YouTube shorts of her behind-the-scenes life as a celeb.

3. Marques Brownlee

Marques Brownlee is the mastermind behind MKBHD, breaking down cutting edge tech with super in-depth reviews. Brownlee’s 18+ million subscribers speak for themselves, as does the fact that his new review of the Apple Vision Pro has already amassed 26+ million views in a month.

His channel is the go-to place for the YouTube community to learn about the latest gadgets, phones, tech accessories, gaming consoles and more. What makes Brownlee notable is his welcoming presentation, making his content accessible to casual viewers and tech junkies alike.

4. Dude Perfect

Five YouTube influencers, one channel.

Despite being simply presented as five guys making videos, Dude Perfect is the blueprint for a successful comedy channel on YouTube. Their sketches and outlandish “trick shot” videos consistently go viral across social media, not to mention YouTube itself.

Getting hundreds of millions of views for flipping water bottles and making ping pong trick shots might seem impossible. That said, the personality of the Dude Perfect team is what really hooks viewers from the start.

5. Emma Chamberlain

Emma Chamberlain proves the power of day-in-the-life style content. Amassing 14+ million subscribers for her vlogs and lifestyle videos, Chamberlain presents her “real” self to viewers whether she’s filming her daily fits or exploring a new county.

Like all of the YouTube influencers on our list, her channel is a reminder that building an audience boils down to creating a legit emotional connection with your audience. Needless to say, Chamberlain has nailed it there.

6. Markiplier

Markiplier is a pioneer as a YouTube influencer in the gaming space. His channel blew up in the wake of horror game jump-scares and reaction videos taking off over a decade ago. 5,500+ videos later, Markiplier continues to create similar content with the occasional vlog or charity announcement in-between.

7. KallMerkis

KallMerkis’ channel is a perfect storm of what tends to trend across YouTube. That includes reaction videos, reviewing weird products and outlandish thumbnails. Her consistency and content variety has netted her nearly 11 million subscribers to date with no signs of slowing down.

8. Jacksepticeye

Jacksepticeye is another example of a gaming YouTube influencer who got in early on reaction content and playthroughs. While many of his earliest and most popular videos also featured original animations, Jack has also branched out into meme reviews, reaction videos and everything in-between.

9. Morgan Drinks Coffee

Morgan Drinks Coffee’s Morgan Eckroth is a barista champion turned YouTube influencer who regularly publishes super creative branded content. Unsurprisingly, most of her content is coffee-themed. This includes long-form educational videos, recipes and product reviews.

Given that Morgan is also popular on TikTok (6.3 million followers), she makes a point to regularly crosspost her videos to YouTube Shorts where they likewise earn impressive engagement.

10. JaidenAnimation

JaidenAnimations is unique as the only animated YouTube influencer on our list. Many of her recent videos focus on video games and nerd culture along with her personal experiences. Combining humorous “storytimes” with stunning cartoons, her distinct style has earned her 12.4 million subscribers to date.

11. Davie 504

David504’s content is equal parts bizarre and mind-blowing. Combining memes with creative bass guitar solos and challenges, Davie’s channel is one of the biggest independent music YouTube influencers with an impressive 13+ million subscribers.

12. Adam Neely

Another music YouTube influencer, Adam Neely has one of the oldest channels of anyone on this list (with his first video published way back in 2006). Since then, Neely has consistently published deep-dives into music theory alongside live performances and vlogs detailing his life as a gigging musician.

13. SB Mowing

SB Mowings’ before-and-after mowing videos are also a perfect example of “oddly satisfying” content that tends to go viral on YouTube. Transforming untenable lawns into something with curb appeal definitely falls under that category as millions of viewers regularly tune in to see it happen.

Even more impressive is how the channel boasts its fair share of sponsored content. SB Mowing is a shining example of just how successful niche YouTube influencers can be.

Top YouTube fitness influencers

While there’s no shortage of them, here are a few notable YouTube fitness influencers to watch.

14. Yoga With Adriene

Yoga with Adriene is YouTube’s one-stop-shop for all things yoga. Her calm presentation and the fact that she has tutorials for all skill levels have only helped her viewership grow since. From bite-sized routines and full-blown classes to in-depth yoga pose tutorials, Adrienne has covered all of the above in detail in 700+ videos and counting.

15. Jeff Nippard

Jeff Nippard is different from many of the biggest YouTube influencers in the fitness space because of his background in chemistry. His recommendations go beyond anecdotal fitness advice with a focus on science and peer-reviewed data. Nippard’s videos combine practical muscle-building and diet recs with serious educational value that doesn’t skimp on the details.

16. Athlean X

Like Nippard, Athlean X’s Jeff Cavaliere takes pride in his “no BS” and science-backed approach to fitness advice. Serving as a celebrity trainer with decades of experience, Athlean X goes to great lengths to dispel common YouTube fitness myths. Much of the channel is dedicated to addressing weightlifting trends with the potential to cause injury.

17. Blogilates

Another example of how creators turn content into careers and products, Blogilates is an “OG” fitness YouTuber who also has a thriving activewear brand to her name. Her channel primarily consists of bodyweight exercise tutorials and ~15 minute workout routines for busy viewers.

18. Carla Rowena

Carla Rowena’s channel is a notable mix of both fitness and lifestyle content. Beyond traditional workout routines, she also uses her channel as a place to document her journey as a parent. She’s recently published a series of postpartum workout videos which highlights how creators can seamlessly reach multiple audiences at the same time.

Top YouTube makeup and beauty influencers

19. Michelle Phan

While Michelle Phan’s channel initially popped off thanks to her copycat celebrity makeup tutorials, the channel primarily focuses on product reviews and routine breakdowns. Not to mention founding EM Cosmetics along the way.

Her videos are seriously in-depth and border on ASMR with a soft and calm presentation. Phan sometimes publishes lifestyle videos and personal vlogs for the sake of variety.

20. Jackie Aina

Jackie Aina’s self-proclaimed goal is to change “the standard of beauty” and she delivers with her routine videos, vlogs and self-care videos. While Aina initially built her brand on beauty reviews, self-care has become the primary focus of the channel with makeup playing a supporting role.

Some of her more recent videos are sponsored by brands like CashApp, highlighting how YouTube beauty influencers are creating content powered by paid partnerships.

21. Taylor Wynn

Taylor Wynn has been posting beauty tutorials and reviews for over a decade. She continues to consistently post routine videos and recommendations alongside long-form vlogs. With many of her videos clocking at over 30+ minutes, she’s yet another example of a beauty vlogger who dives deep into her favorite finds at Ulta, Sephora and beyond.

22. NikkieTutorials

NikkieTutorials’ content is much more in-your-face than other beauty YouTubers but that’s 100% on-brand. Her 14.5m subscribers don’t lie!

Quick edits, memes and a great sense of humor help Nikkie’s content stand out from the crowd. Testing viral hacks and bizarre routines provides serious entertainment value while also showing off her skill as a makeup artist.

While Nikkie doesn’t post as many long-form videos these days, she’s still actively publishing bite-sized makeup applications and reaction videos.

23. Huda Beauty

Like many YouTube beauty influencers, Huda Beauty went from creating makeup tutorials to building her own cosmetics empire. Huda’s 4 million YouTube subs and ever-growing brand highlight her impact as both a beauty influencer and entrepreneur.

24. Christen Dominique

With 4+ million subscribers, Christen Dominique has mastered the art of creating long-form beauty videos. Most of her videos are ~20 minutes long with the occasional unedited videos that can last for over an hour.

Routines, hacks and GRWM videos are cornerstones of her content which gets seriously in-depth. The fact that Dominique continues to publish multiple videos per month is impressive for a creator of her size. Bonus points for keeping up that sort of volume and high production value.

Ready to start working with YouTube influencers?

The list above provides a taste of what YouTube has to offer in terms of creative talent. The amount of talented influencers on YouTube across industries and genres is staggering.

And this is great news for both creators and the brands that want to partner with them.

Especially as YouTubers continue to find super creative ways to feature brands in their content. Still, simply finding the right influencers is one of the toughest parts of getting started.

If you haven’t already, check out Sprout Social’s suite of influencer marketing features to see how the platform can help you reach your target audience with creators faster.

The post 24 Top YouTube influencers to check out in 2024 appeared first on Sprout Social.

Unraveling Meta Threads: What we’ve learned since launch

Greg Rokisky — Thu, 14 Mar 2024 13:00:24 +0000

Nothing captured first-day-of-school energy quite like the release of Threads, a text-based social media platform.

The launch of a new social network is typically met with equal doses of curiosity and concern. The response to Threads was different. Brands and the social media managers that run them took to the platform with enthusiasm. Sure, there was some stress—expressed mainly in the form of overworked social media manager memes—but most seemed excited about the novelty and potential of a new platform.

Threads has generated a lot of discussion since then. What role will it play in existing social media strategies? What do consumers think about it? Does it have staying power?

Our team has spent the last six months discussing these questions while experimenting with our approach to Meta’s latest platform. Along the way, we’ve learned quite a bit and have some hot takes on what’s coming next. Let’s walk through why brands should consider a Threads profile and Meta’s future plans for the platform.

What is Threads?

Threads is a social messaging platform focused on fostering authentic conversations. Users can post and share text, images and videos to join in public discussions. Threads was developed by Meta’s Instagram team and launched on July 5, 2024.

Why your brand should consider a Threads profile

Is your audience on Threads? It’s probably likely. A lot of users have gravitated to Threads, but that’s just one reason why brands should consider using it in their social media strategy.

It’s the fastest app to reach 100 million users

Threads reached 100 million users less than a week (five days) after its launch and is the most rapidly downloaded app ever, surpassing ChatGPT. The platform hit 1 million users within an hour while ChatGPT earned the same amount within five days.

The user base will continue to grow over the next few years

In Meta’s Q4 2023 earnings announcement, Mark Zuckerberg announced Threads has over 130 million monthly active users. Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram, shared the news on his personal Threads account:

You can appeal to an international audience

Along with the United States, India, Brazil, Mexico and Japan have the highest number of Threads users. If you want to appeal to an international audience, you might want to consider incorporating Threads into your social strategy. Appfigures reports Threads was the sixth most downloaded app across the world in December 2023.

Threads offers unique features

Threads will feel familiar to fans of text-based social media platforms. However, there are still differences that give the app a unique user experience.

For example, some of the network’s instant popularity can be attributed to an exceptionally simple registration process. Users are required to have an Instagram account to sign up, maintaining the same account name, username and password across both networks. Users also have the ability to cross-share content to Instagram Stories or Facebook, creating an integrated experience.

Key features as of February 2024 include:

A 500-character limit for text
Video posts can be up to five minutes long
Quick follow, which allows users to follow accounts they see in their feed without navigating to their profile. Users can simply tap the plus icon in the corner of the other user’s profile picture.
Reply controls allow users to tighten the reins on who can engage with a specific post. Users can choose between the following audiences: Anyone, Profiles you follow and Mentioned only.
Users can mute profiles by tapping the three dot menu on a post from the Threads account they’d like to mute.
Users can also hide words and phrases from appearing in their Threads feed by navigating to the Privacy menu and tapping Hidden words.
Tapping the Share button allows users to share Threads to their Instagram Story or grid.
Choose between two feed options by tapping the Threads logo at the top of the app: the For you feed displays posts from followed accounts, as well as recommended profiles. The Following feed displays posts only from profiles you follow.

How to create a Threads profile

To create a Threads profile, install the Threads app from the App Store or Google Play Store. If you already have the Instagram app downloaded, you can also search “Threads” and tap the ticket icon that appears in the search bar.

When you open the Threads app for the first time, you’ll be prompted to log in with Instagram. At this point, you can also decide whether you’d like to auto-follow the accounts you follow on Instagram, or if you’d like to select your following from scratch. Once you do that, you’re ready to start Threading.

Meta’s future plans for Threads

Since its launch in July 2023, Threads users have been dreaming up additional features for the app. Luckily, Meta’s been in the mood to grant wishes over the past few months. Mosseri uses his Threads account to confirm what’s in development for the app. According to Mosseri, there are tests for several platform updates including a trending topic feature and the ability to bookmark posts on Threads.

Other plans include direct messaging and expanded search functionality.

Aside from ongoing feature releases, Meta is also working to build Threads into the fediverse. The fediverse is a new type of decentralized social media network infrastructure that will enable people to interact with users on independent but interconnected platforms, like Mastodon for example.

Sprout Social and Threads: Sprout is testing a Meta Threads Publishing API

Meta is testing a Threads API. We’ve been working with the Meta team behind the scenes as one of the first partners to help develop and test the Threads API. As of Mar 1, 2024, all our customers can publish and schedule Threads in Sprout and we’re now beginning to test reply moderation and insights capabilities with Meta.

Even better news? In partnership with Meta, we’re officially pulling back the curtain: our Threads integration is now available in Sprout to all of our customers.

The integration enables you to schedule and publish Threads posts (text, image, carousel and video) alongside the rest of your social content in Sprout.

This means Sprout customers can build impactful social strategies on Threads with the most intuitive content planning and scheduling capabilities.

This means our customers can use features like our patented ViralPost® technology and Sprout Queue to schedule content to post at the times proven to generate engagement from your social audiences. You can also use URL tracking, the asset library, approval workflows and other Sprout features for Threads.

Manage your Threads campaigns seamlessly and evaluate how the platform contributes to your overall social strategy, so you can increase the reach of your content organically and build meaningful and long-lasting connections with your audience.

Since there’s currently no native scheduling feature in Threads, this API is a game changer for brands already using Threads or those ready to join the platform. Test it today with a trial of Sprout, free for 30 days.

Testing Threads: What we’ve learned since post-launch

We wouldn’t offer any advice we haven’t personally tried for ourselves. That’s why Sprout’s social team spent the last six months experimenting with Threads and exploring how it may impact the overall social media landscape. Here are some takeaways based on what we’ve learned through Sprout Social’s Threads account. Use these tips to lay the foundation for your Threads strategy.

Engagement is the big opportunity (at least for today)

Threads gained a record-breaking user base in just a few days. A near effortless signup experience combined with Meta’s influence in the social media industry made creating a profile an easy choice for brands and individuals alike.

Threads is available via mobile and desktop with a closed API. You can only view profiles and posts on desktop, but posting on the mobile version still feels personal.

A little attention from a brand can go a long way. While we wait for a native Threads analytics tool or API access—whichever comes first—we’re prioritizing quality of engagements over quantity. What we lack in concrete KPIs, we’re making up for in surprise and delight.

However, we understand that senior leadership may not be too keen on dedicating time to a network that lacks the reporting functionality needed to prove its value. If you still believe Threads is the right play for your brand, sell them on the opportunity for 1:1 connections with customers, influencers and fans.

Threads is its own thing

If you haven’t noticed yet, text-based social media is having a moment.

You can’t talk about Threads without talking about X (formerly known as Twitter), BlueSky, Spill or any of the other emerging players in the social media landscape. Naturally, a lot of the conversation veers toward comparison. It seems there can only be one network to rule them all, and people want to know who it’s going to be.

The truth is, the social media landscape is fragmenting. A few networks have turned into many, each with their unique user base and engagement norms. It’s a new era of social media, all about authenticity and community—which will look different across platforms.

Although Threads has a similar user experience to other text-based social media networks, it has a different vibe. On top of that, the Instagram team has plans to continuously release features that will differentiate Threads from other social media networks.

Let consumers show you what they’re looking for

Every social media network has its original intended use, how people actually end up using it and all the features built to connect the two.

This push and pull can be seen in many of your favorite social networks. For example, TikTok is most commonly known as a platform for short-form videos, but photo slideshows and text posts are also popular.

Threads may be synonymous with text right now, but that doesn’t mean people aren’t using it to share photos and videos. When it comes to developing your strategy, embrace variety. Share a consistent mix of content types—static images, text, video, etc.—to narrow in on what people are responding to.

Are you thread-y for a new social media network?

Threads is still becoming itself. Right now, conversations on the network feel organic. There’s an intimacy that you can only find in an up-and-coming platform. As Threads continues to expand its daily active users and influence, the atmosphere will undoubtedly change.

Threads is worth considering as a place to experiment with your brand personality. How can your business sound more authentic online? How can you make customer care interactions feel more real? These are the questions you can unravel on Threads today by experimenting.

That said, running a new brand account is no small responsibility. If you’re still on the fence, watch our webinar about the rise and fall of new platforms—our panelists share more learnings about Threads and other emerging social media.

The post Unraveling Meta Threads: What we’ve learned since launch appeared first on Sprout Social.

How to boost your TikTok engagement rate and calculate it

Chloe West — Wed, 13 Mar 2024 14:40:28 +0000

Part of growing your TikTok profile is increasing the amount of engagement you receive. TikTok engagement refers to actions that your viewers take on your posts, including likes, comments and shares.

Reach and follower counts can be considered important metrics, but social media engagement shows how much your content actually resonates with your intended audience. If your videos are getting people to leave comments or share them with their audience, that’s a good sign they are finding your content relevant and engaging.

Throughout this article, you’ll learn more about what exactly TikTok engagement entails, how to calculate your TikTok engagement rate and how to improve your TikTok engagement.

What is TikTok engagement?
How to calculate your TikTok engagement rate
10 valuable ways to boost your TikTok engagement rate

What is TikTok engagement?

TikTok engagement is defined as any action that a viewer takes on your TikTok video. These include:

Liking your video
Leaving a comment
Sharing your video
Bookmarking your video
Clicking on your TikTok shop link
Watching more of your videos
Following your account

Even a video view can count as engagement, though the previously mentioned actions indicate a deeper level of engagement from the viewer.

What is a TikTok engagement rate?

Your TikTok engagement rate is a social media metric that helps you to understand what percentage of your video viewers interact more with your video. This metric provides helpful insight into how effectively your content engages your viewers.

If you have a low engagement rate, you may need to explore different content ideas to see how you can better resonate with your audience and entice them to leave comments or share your videos. It’s important to track metrics like this, especially when running TikTok campaigns or influencer partnerships.

Having a clear understanding of how people are engaging with a specific influencer lets you know whether you want a partnership with a TikTok influencer or not. Moreover, your engagement rate metric for your own brand will likely be a big part of your social media reporting to illustrate that your social media team is producing quality content that resonates with your brand’s audience.

How to calculate your TikTok engagement rate

While you can access data surrounding specific TikTok engagements within your TikTok analytics—or other analytics tool of choice—you’ll have to calculate your engagement rate yourself.

The formula for TikTok engagement rate is:

TikTok Engagement Rate = [(Total Likes + Comments + Shares)/Total Number of Views] x 100

You can calculate your engagement rate per video or for all videos published over a specified time range.

Let’s go over an example.

If you use TikTok’s built-in analytics, the Overview section provides you with a detailed look into your engagements over a specified time period (either 7 days, 28 days, 60 days or a custom time frame you can select):

Head over to the Reach tab, to find your total video views for a specific time period as well.

You can also use a tool like Sprout Social’s analytics to easily calculate your engagement rate. Log into your account and head to your TikTok Profiles dashboard to get a clear look at your report.

Sprout Social’s data makes calculating engagement rate easy, as it already combines all of your engagements. Rather than having to add those up as part of the formula, you can simply plug in the engagements and video views numbers.

Using the data from Sprout Coffee Co., if we enter those numbers into our TikTok engagement rate formula, we get these results:

[190,024/1,112,731] x 100 = 17.1%

Multiplying your engagement right by 100 at the end helps the final result come out in percentage form, a typical format for your social media reports. Give it a try by signing up with Sprout Social for a free trial.

10 valuable ways to boost your TikTok engagement rate

While 17.1% from our above example is a pretty fantastic engagement rate, that may not be the case for your business. And that’s okay!

But you’re probably looking for a few tips to increase those numbers. Implement some of these tips into your TikTok strategy to help boost your engagement.

1. Quality content beats quantity

Above all else, quality content is the way to go. While you may have seen stats about how TikTok recommends posting 1-4 videos per day, but if those videos aren’t high quality, no one is going to want to watch them.

Instead, aim for a consistency that is realistic for your team but doesn’t sacrifice quality. Plus, RivalIQ’s TikTok benchmark report found that most brands are posting around 1.75 videos per week—a rather sustainable frequency as opposed to multiple videos per day.

Take sustainable candle shop, Mala the Brand, as an example. The brand posts one video per business day, so up to five days per week (or fewer if there is a national holiday).

The brand’s strategy is simple but solid. The social media manager creates a number of posts sharing behind-the-scenes content, new scent updates, tips, business information and answers to customer questions. It’s good content that doesn’t feel rushed just to push content out.

Keep this in mind as you build out your own TikTok content strategy.

2. Post at the right times

Even if you’re consistently sharing quality content, posting at the wrong times means your audience might not even have a chance to see and interact with it.

However, you need to know more than just the best times to post on TikTok. You need to know the best times to post for your specific audience. A TikTok scheduling tool like Sprout Social can help.

When you get ready to publish or schedule your TikTok videos through Sprout Social, you can access a feature called “Optimal Send Times.” This analyzes your followers and provides you with the best times to post based on when your audience is most active.

3. Inviting viewers to share what they think in the comments

Invite engagement on your video by asking viewers to leave TikTok comments. This is a great way to be able to hold conversations with your audience by reading and responding to their comments.

But more than that, TikTok allows users to respond to a comment with a video, helping you to further engage with your audience. Let’s take a look at this example from Gushers. The brand posted a video with a number of random food combinations, and someone replied with a comment that says, “Pretzel gushers.”

In response, Gushers created a video response trying out the new food combo:

This video generated almost 1,000 views and a number of new comments. Try to engage your audience by asking for comments and responding to them when you receive them.

4. Post consistently

Yes, quality over quantity. But, consistency is also key.

When you’re creating a TikTok content strategy, you need to have a plan for how you can regularly pump videos out. Quality might be the most important factor in your videos, but having a consistent schedule so your videos are regularly showing up in feeds is a close second.

Consider batch-recording your video content to make it easier to post more consistently. This way, you can create a week or so worth of videos at one time, rather than having to pull out your recording equipment every single day.

5. Define your niche and stick to it

Find your niche. Sure, you might sell candles. Or cookies. Or burrito bowls. But what specifically will dictate the type of content you share?

As a candle company, you might focus on behind-the-scenes content that showcases how you make each of your products. As a cookie bakery, you might focus on showing off your different best selling cookies. And if you sell burrito bowls, you might, like Chipotle, make memes a big part of your strategy.

The bottom line is this—you want to choose a specific niche and focus for your content. This way, your audience comes to know what to expect from your brand and they can enjoy each video or post you put out.

Let’s take a look at Gymshark, a fitness apparel store. This brand’s TikTok strategy doesn’t even center around video content. Every single one of Gymshark’s posts is an image carousel with motivational text overlaying each image.

This simple and consistent strategy garners the brand hundreds of thousands if not millions of views on each video. Find your own niche and use it to grow your audience.

If you’re not sure where to start, consider browsing the For You page to see what other brands and creators are doing. This can be a great way to gather inspiration for your own TikTok marketing campaigns.

6. Make the most of user-generated content

User-generated content is another great strategy for increasing engagement. Consumers trust user-generated content, with 86% saying they trust UGC over influencer content and are more likely to buy from a brand sharing UGC.

UGC is a type of content—in this case, a TikTok video—that someone has created that mentions your brand or showcases your product or service somehow. You can then reshare this content on your own feed as a form of social proof, letting your audience know that you have happy customers and that they could be one, too.

Here’s a great example from Dunkin’. One of Dunkin’s customers shared a video of them enjoying a Valentine’s Day-themed donut. Dunkin’s team found it and commented asking if they could repost it on their own feed—the perfect step to take before sharing UGC with your audience:

Monitor your brand across different social media platforms to see if anyone is posting videos mentioning you or your product. If you’re not finding any organic UGC, consider putting out an ask for your customers to share photo or video content you can use. Or, you might even look into hiring a UGC creator to help you compile some great content.

7. TikTok ads can increase engagement

Running TikTok ads is also a great way to reach a wider audience, grow your audience and subsequently increase your overall engagement. There are a number of different types of ads, ranging from brand takeovers to sponsored hashtags. But one of the best types of ads to increase engagement is the in-feed ad.

This is just like a TikTok video that you pay to promote. Viewers can head to your profile, leave likes, add a comment and more.

Take a look at this in-feed ad run by integration software Zapier. It draws people in by showcasing something useful that can be done with its tool. It includes all of the components of a regular post—video, caption and hashtags.

People can even swipe over to view the profile. A website will pop up first as the CTA for viewers to learn more. They can take action on your website, but then they can also head to your profile afterwards, potentially watching more of your videos or following your account.

Put together your own TikTok ads strategy so you can reach a wider audience and increase your engagement.

8. Hook the viewer

It’s incredibly easy for viewers to continue scrolling through their feed if your video doesn’t immediately interest them, hook them or draw them in. There are many different ways to do this, and we’re going to walk you through a few different examples to give you a better idea of how to create your own attention-grabbing video content.

First, take advantage of popular TikTok sounds in your content. When different sounds are used often—especially in a way that’s recognizable and enjoyable—it makes people stop scrolling to see the sound used in a fun new way.

Take a look at Capri Sun using the popular TikTok sound from The Kardashians of Kris Jenner showing off her china collection to a friend. Many brands and creators use this sound when showcasing something cool—and Capri Sun did just that when showing off its new straws.

Another way to grab attention is to hook the viewer with a great story. Dive right in with a strong story hook in order to get them to stop scrolling—or use a text overlay to explain more about your story so people want to hear the full thing.

While not a brand, you could also take a page out of creator Alana Fineman’s book. She shares different restaurant skits and starts every video with the same line—”Time for another restaurant story.” And it pulls in her audience and gets them ready for story time every time.

Also, keep an eye out for various TikTok trends that your brand can jump on. These are more likely to pop up in the For You page if they’re timely enough and they’re also more likely to catch a viewer’s eye.

Finally, consider hopping on a TikTok challenge as long as it’s still relevant to your business. Or, create your own challenge and challenge your audience to give it a try.

Here’s an example of a video that isn’t a challenge, but easily could be turned into one. Essie created a fun and nostalgic ’90s nail art TikTok post. The team easily could’ve turned this into a challenge by asking followers and nail influencers to create their own ’90s looks.

While there doesn’t necessarily have to be an incentive, one great way to increase engagement and participation is by offering a prize to the best (a more subjective choice) or the video that gets the most likes (a more straightforward option).

9. TikTok SEO will increase your visibility

SEO stands for search engine optimization, and TikTok is a search engine. In fact, 40% of Americans are using TikTok as a search engine—so you need to pay attention to TikTok SEO as a part of your marketing strategy.

Some tips include:

Using TikTok’s predictive search to help you come up with video ideas based on what people are looking for
Incorporating your video’s focus keyword(s) naturally into your video caption
Adding hashtags that use your video’s focus keyword(s)
Having a good understanding of the TikTok algorithm and key ranking factors

Make sure you’re including SEO within your content strategy to increase chances of your video reaching your audience and increasing engagement.

10. Hashtag campaigns

Finally, consider running a hashtag campaign to help spread the word about your business and its products or services even more. A hashtag campaign creates a branded hashtag, then asks viewers to use that hashtag in their own video content to spread the word.

Here’s a great example that’s pretty popular—#CanvaTok. This is a hashtag that graphic design tool Canva uses within its own video captions. But many other designers and small businesses on the app also use it to show off their different creations.

Creating a hashtag campaign can take some time to build up. You need to use it enough within your own videos for it to start to catch on, while also using CTAs to get your audience to use that TikTok hashtag within their video captions as well.

Boost your TikTok engagement rate

Ready to boost your TikTok engagement rate? Start implementing these 10 engagement strategies and learn how to keep track of your overall engagement rate.

To learn even more about TikTok marketing, head over to check out our ultimate guide to creating a TikTok marketing strategy that will work for your business.

The post How to boost your TikTok engagement rate and calculate it appeared first on Sprout Social.