This is the eighth consecutive year Sprout has been recognized by G2. When I think about social media’s evolution over that timeframe alone, this award underscores the growing value of our product and the essential role social media management plays in businesses today.

Earning the top spot this year is a reflection of not only the exceptional work Team Sprout puts in every day, but of the way our customers are transforming their businesses with the power of social. G2’s annual Best Software Awards rank products based on authentic reviews from real users, informing the decisions of 90 million software buyers each year. I have immense gratitude for our more than 30,000 customers—we’re here because of you.

The voice of the customer is our north star

Our goal at Sprout is to be a joy to do business with. The only way we achieve that is by listening to our customers, making your problems our problems and acting on your feedback.

Throughout 2023, we were heads down expanding our integrations with industry-leading partners like Salesforce, making strategic investments in AI and delivering innovative functionality to users through our Tagger and Repustate acquisitions. And during that time, our customers were hard at work harnessing social to grow their businesses and create more meaningful relationships with their audiences.

Take convenience store chain Casey’s, which has maintained 90% faster customer response times since implementing Sprout’s Service Cloud integration:

For the first time in about five years, our Guest Relations Team reported that they didn’t have a backlog of messages to respond to. Sprout’s Service Cloud integration is a big reason for that.

Or consider how IT software company Ivanti generates $500,000 in earned media value through its Sprout-powered brand ambassador program:

We couldn’t have succeeded without the data, insight and partnership we got from Sprout. We’re up to 17,000 shares monthly with our brand ambassador program—which gives us a lot more reach and a lot more eyes. I think that through our partnership, we have created a beautiful effect.

And then there is Salesforce, which has saved 12,000 hours of work since implementing Sprout in 2022. Beyond working more efficiently, their team is using data from Sprout to power a full-funnel social media strategy:

Sprout has already made it easier for the Salesforce social team to share insights with our leadership about what our customers are talking about, and what their needs and issues are. This information helps to shape our company’s marketing, sales and operational strategies. And now, with Sprout’s integration across our platform, we can bring social insights and data everywhere across Salesforce.

Thank you

Accolades like these only happen when you are laser-focused on delivering the very best technology that is built, supported and used by the very best people. Sprout has developed a platform that champions the business impact of social, and our customers bring that impact to life every day.

To all of our customers: We see you. We appreciate you. And I can’t wait to reflect on what we accomplish together in 2024.

Access the full G2 rankings here. Not a Sprout customer yet? Let us show you around the platform with a personalized demo.

The post Now we’re here: Sprout named #1 Best Software Product by G2 appeared first on Sprout Social.

Keeping up with the ever-evolving nature of social media requires more than quick fixes and short-term solutions—it requires curious and purpose-driven people who think about the challenges of tomorrow. Whether it’s reimagining our own systems to scale efficiently or conducting research to help businesses navigate the ever-evolving world of social, Team Sprout rises to meet complex problems and sees change as an opportunity for growth.

The technology sector has had its fair share of ups and downs that presented challenges and opportunities to rethink how we accomplish our best work. As a global distributed team, we’ve proactively sought ways to maintain our vibrant culture and foster connection in a remote work setting. This renewed focus has not only helped us navigate the current landscape, but has led to more effective and inclusive workplace practices. As a result, we’ve emerged stronger, more connected and more innovative than ever.

Our commitment to the well-being of our team remains steadfast. We’re continuously exploring new ways to learn and thrive in the pursuit of building intuitive and impactful software.

Ready to join a team at the forefront of social technology? Explore our open positions today and apply for the role that’s right for you.

The post Sprout Social named to the 2023 Fortune Best Workplaces in Technology list for a second year appeared first on Sprout Social.

Because consumers are overwhelmed with product choices.

This applies to B2B and B2C brands alike. A distinct brand identity determines whether you stand out from the crowd. Not to mention cementing what makes your company unique.

Consider that branding impacts just about every corner of your business. This applies to marketing campaigns, how you talk to customers and so much more.

With high stakes and many moving pieces, creating a brand strategy can be daunting.

Good news: our step-by-step breakdown of how to build a brand can help! Below we also share examples of how Sprout evolved from an SMB brand to an enterprise solution.

What is brand building?

Brand building is the process of developing and promoting your company’s identity, including:

• Messaging, such as the language you to address your customers and target audience
• Visual identity, including your company color scheme, logos and imagery)
• Principles and values, including your company’s mission and big-picture goals
• Value proposition, defining what makes your company unique

The details above are the big-picture pieces of what makes up a brand.

Meanwhile, the “building” happens through your marketing efforts. Any customer-facing materials, really.  Your website, content marketing and social media presence all communicate your brand.

Important: brand building is an ongoing, long-term process. As industries involve and trends emerge, so do the expectations of your customer. This is especially true for SaaS brands.

Take a peek at Sprout’s website during the company’s earliest stages of brand-building back in 2010. To say that Sprout’s messaging and identity are unrecognizable is an understatement.

The site doesn’t scream “enterprise solution,” does it?

But hey, that’s the point!

Building a brand doesn’t happen overnight. There’s no one-size-fits-all roadmap, either. How you present your business is totally dependent on your audience and customers.

Well, that and how you position yourself within your industry.

How to build brand positioning

Positioning refers to how you present your brand relative to your target market. This market includes your customers, competitors and industry at large.

How you go about defining and building your brand is 100% within your control.

But how you position your brand is largely influenced by competitors and industry trends.

Budget versus premium. Big box versus boutique. Minimalist versus maximalist. The list goes on.

The fact that most industries today are crowded can be a blessing and a curse when it comes to positioning. For example, your industry might lack a specific or single “leader. This signals opportunity when it comes to positioning.

On the flip side, figuring out how to position yourself in an emerging or crowded industry is tricky.

Either way, doing so starts with defining your brand voice and values. This plus market research and competitive analysis can uncover how to position yourself.

For example, what pain points are you best equipped to solve? What do your customers need that isn’t being served by your competitors? Ask yourself the following:

• “What do we do best?” In your own words, what can you do better than anyone else in your space?
• “How do we do [x] differently?” Is your product or solution faster? Easier to use? Is your quality unparalleled?
• “Why us?” For example, Sprout Social offers an all-in-one social media management platform. We focus on extracting real business value from social media.

This blog post is a prime example of both brand building and positioning in action for Sprout.

Be mindful that while competitive analysis matters, don’t get obsessed. Focus on yourself first. Try to emphasize what you do well and let that define your brand the most.

Presenting yourself as an alternative to someone else doesn’t exactly put you in a better position.

How to develop your brand

Brand development involves the actual action items needed to build your brand. This means making and promoting marketing assets based on your identity and positioning.

Okay, you’ve defined your identity and positioning.

Now it’s time to make your brand both tangible and memorable to your target audience.

There are a lot of moving pieces here. Let’s break things down step-by-step.

Define and align marketing messaging

Start by outlining the language and marketing messaging you’ll use when speaking to your audience. This language should capture your tone and personality. Whether that’s totally formal or cool and casual depends on your brand.

Your messaging touches pretty much everything written in your brand’s voice. This includes landing pages, website copy and customer service calls. For example:

• What adjectives do you use to describe your brand, product or service?
• Are there any specific words or phrases you want to avoid when talking to customers?
• How do you ensure a warm, welcoming tone when speaking to customers and prospects?

Develop your visual identity

No surprises here. You’ll need to create a brand logo and agree on a color scheme. Your marketing visuals should make you instantly recognizable to your customers and audience.

Brands should really put their visual identity under the microscope. Do your homework prior to making any big branding decisions. You don’t want to copycat other companies or competitors.

Anything you can do to maintain consistency is a plus. Sure, Sprout’s visual identity has evolved over the years. That said, our core “sprout” imagery and colors have been relatively consistent.

Gather proof to support your positioning

“Show, don’t tell.”

The best way to cement your positioning is by proving that you do what you say you do.

Gathering case studies, testimonials and customer stories is integral to building a brand. These assets illustrate positive results and a chance to tell a relatable story.

For example, you can discuss the specific pain points you were able to solve (see below).

Creating and marketing content

Assuming you have all of the above nailed down, creating marketing assets is your next step.

This includes blog posts, videos, email sequences, ads and other content. These represent long-term commitments in your ongoing quest to build your brand. Your social presence, too.

How much you’ll need to create varies based on your specific business and industry. For example, B2B and B2C brands don’t have the same needs when it comes to blogging and creating video content.

How to build brand awareness

Brand awareness is the extent to which audiences are familiar with your identity, product and services. 

Building awareness introduces your brand to potential new customers. At the same time, you’re staying top of mind with your existing ones. Awareness goes hand in hand with positioning and building your brand in general.

It’s important to note that awareness is quantifiable and not totally abstract. For example, you can measure brand awareness through metrics including:

• Website traffic
• Social media messages and @mentions
• Engagement (ex: social shares, views, saves)
• Social followers
• Conversations and sentiment analysis

Awareness isn’t something that happens by accident. This applies no matter how compelling your branding or product might be. In the case of Sprout, consider that there are nearly 10,000 martech products out there. Competition is likewise fierce for brands in the B2C space.

Below are a few actionable ways to build brand awareness via the channels available to you.

1. Be personable

Customers today want to feel authentic connections with the brands that they support. The seemingly simple act of treating people like people is a subtle way to build awareness.

This circles back to both your messaging and identity. Speaking to your audience in a way that’s warm and welcoming is always a smart move. Being personable is a subtle way to create connections as you figure out how to build your brand community on social media.

2. Use every available marketing channel

Okay, maybe not every channel.

But the sentiment remains the same!

Brands today are spoiled for choice in terms of where they can promote themselves. The key is to have an active presence wherever your audience hangs out. Likewise, creating ongoing resources and content can supplement the market channels you adopt.

Here’s a snapshot of the places you can build a brand and promote your content:

• Social media
• Email marketing
• Content marketing (blog posts)
• Employee advocacy
• Webinars and video marketing
• Events
• Podcasting

The catch? You have to cast a wide net without spreading yourself or your team too thin. This speaks to the value of a social media management solution like Sprout. With Sprout’s platform, you can monitor the results of your marketing and post control across multiple channels.

3. Incorporate employee advocacy

Not everything associated with how to build a brand falls on the marketing team or C-Suite.

Building a brand is a company-wide effort. Enter the rise of employee advocacy.

The concept here is simple: empower employees to hype up your brand and cross-promote your content. The distinct voices of employees can inject some much-needed personality into your marketing. These voices can also reinforce your brand identity.

Consider that dozens of employees promoting your brand can earn way more reach than your brand account alone. Anything you can do to build brand awareness is a plus.

4. Sponsor events

Arguably one of the best ways to connect with customers is via events. Real-time interactions with your audience are an awesome way to make a lasting impression. Whether that’s through in-person events, conferences or digital events like webinars is up to you.

5. Co-market

Through co-marketing, you can build your brand alongside other companies in your space. This typically involves collaborating on a piece of content, event or product launch. For example, Sprout Social partnered with Glewee for our Creator Economy report.

6. Guest blog

<Blogging and content marketing are must-dos if you’re in the B2C or SaaS spaces. Contributors to industry blogs do double duty of building awareness and thought leadership. While guest posts might seem like a significant investment upfront, they can pay off long-term.

7. Podcasting

Podcasting is popping off right now and serves as a way to build awareness and highlight your brand’s personality. Sprout’s own Social Creatures podcast is a great example. This particular podcast likewise highlights co-marketing in action. For example, Sprout has hosted brands like Oxfam and SXSW on the pod in the past.

8. Launch a brand campaign

Individual campaigns build awareness for specific initiatives. This might include a product launch or new feature that you want to highlight.

For example, Sprout has run many social media campaigns showing off notable features in action. The campaign below showed social media managers and users some love. At the same time, you can see the power of Sprout’s analytics at work.

Note: these types of campaigns require advanced planning and are separate from ongoing marketing efforts.

How to maintain a brand after you build it

Branding done right can help your brand stand out and thrive even in a crowded space.

We’ll bite: the process of building a brand isn’t quick or easy.

And after all, anything you build needs to be maintained.

Research, measurement and maintenance ensure that the foundation you’ve built remains strong. Doing so starts with keeping up with industry and competitive trends. Listen closely to conversations among your customers so you can build more brand loyalty.

Focusing on your audience and the value you provide should always be a priority. If you’re consistently serving your customers’ needs and have a pulse on them, you’re on the right track. Looking for more insight into brand management? Read more about five ways to bring your brand persona to life on social media.

The post How to build a brand: Sprout Social reveal their secrets appeared first on Sprout Social.

To support this commitment, we’ve partnered with the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) to establish the Sprout Social Scholarship Fund. Each year, eight Black/African American college seniors will be awarded an $11,000 USD merit-based scholarship. Selected recipients will exemplify strong leadership abilities and demonstrate interest in computer science or software engineering.

This is our second year contributing $100,000 USD to the scholarship fund, which was established in 2021 as a means of increasing access to STEM education and opportunities in the technology industry for the Black/African American community. Scholarship recipients also receive the opportunity to apply and interview for a full-time role as an Associate Software Engineer at Sprout, and earlier this year we welcomed two recipients to our engineering team.

“The Sprout Social Scholarship significantly supported my pursuit of higher education, enabled me to study a field that I longed to attain a degree in and relieved the financial burden that so many students face,” said scholarship recipient Sean Walker, Associate Software Engineer at Sprout Social. “It has always been my desire to use software to provide useful tools to people, and this scholarship’s support of my academic career has helped prepare me for my future as a critical thinker and problem solver, which are skills I now use in my current role as an engineer.”

“I am honored and more than thankful for all the ways the Sprout Social UNCF Scholarship Program has changed and empowered my life,” said scholarship recipient Thomas Reese, Associate Software Engineer at Sprout Social. “The scholarship helped me complete my last year of school and become a first-generation college student. This is so important to me because I have set an example to my peers and family of what is possible for us to achieve through education. I really hope the scholarship fund can continue to help the Black/African American community by making tuition more affordable, allowing someone like me to focus more on education and becoming better leaders in software development.”

Increasing access to education and career opportunities for the Black/African American community is just one part of the work we’re doing to further our DEI recruitment and retention efforts. In addition to the scholarship fund, we are supporting a number of conferences for underrepresented genders in technology, such as Technica, as well as hosting workshops for DEI-focused student organizations to help them prepare for technical interviews at Sprout and other companies.

For those interested in the Sprout Social Scholarship Fund, applications will be open through October 17, 2022.

The post Advancing DEI through the Sprout Social UNCF Scholarship Program appeared first on Sprout Social.

Parenting in what I like to call the “age of disruption” is no easy feat. From school closures to doctors appointments and endless other responsibilities, our parents have faced immense uncertainty throughout the pandemic and the shift to remote work. At Sprout, we believe that all parents should be empowered to take the time needed to raise a family while having a flourishing career.

Our Parents@Sprout community resource group has been instrumental in equipping both existing and new parents with the resources needed to maintain a healthy work/life balance. From manager guidelines and re-onboarding templates to setting work boundaries and expectations, all parents are supported with a team-wide understanding of how they best operate and thrive in their professional lives. The appreciation for parents at Sprout runs deep, and our team members are always quick to share words of encouragement and reassurance:

“They are heroes and I feel for their exhaustion. Anything I can do to be an ear or help out, I will.”

“When I say “this can wait” or “no rush,” I mean it. I reach out and ask more so I won’t forget to, but don’t expect a follow-up until their return.”

“My question is never more important than their parental responsibilities, and it’s 100% ok if they need to respond a day later or ask me to reschedule a meeting.”

We are honored to be recipients of this highly competitive award that acknowledges our investment in supporting #TeamSprout parents. Thank you to everyone on our team whose candid feedback made our placement on this list possible.

Interested in joining #TeamSprout? We’re hiring! View our open roles and apply today.

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Fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace environment is only possible when every team member is on board. And over the past year, we took a deeper look at the way our team experiences DEI at Sprout. What we found was a need to accelerate our efforts and refine our strategy so it can scale alongside us as we continue to grow. In this year’s DEI report, we share the current state of our demographic makeup along with key learnings and our goals for the future. 

Our mission is to build upon our foundation and scale our efforts so that everyone at Sprout is empowered to make DEI a part of their daily lives. By sharing our data, reflections and future plans, we recommit ourselves to championing this important work while driving further accountability and ownership of DEI across the entire organization.

We look forward to what’s ahead and want to thank our team for their unwavering dedication. To learn more, read the report and our goals for evolving DEI at Sprout in the years ahead.

Read the Report

The post Sprout Social’s 2021 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Report appeared first on Sprout Social.

According to the report, “Sprout Social’s culture-first mindset drives its strong service and unified social suite. Sprout Social’s emphatic “culture as a business model” go-to-market approach translates into strong account management, employee retention, and overall customer satisfaction. This Chicago vendor has a singular focus on solving social media problems and perfecting its craft there.”

The report adds, “Foundational user experience, user management, and collaboration and workflow capabilities are Sprout Social’s strengths, culminating in unified dashboards and reporting. Expansion into social commerce is evident with a soon-to-be generally available Shopify integration in the Inbox module and an Instagram bio link-to-shop feature in the Publishing module.”

These features, while not generally available at the time that Forrester conducted its evaluation, are now available to all Sprout customers.

To us, the evaluation reflects Sprout’s unique values and strong understanding of what our customers need in order to succeed today and in the future. Our driving focus is to deliver powerful solutions to our customers, empowering them to make a real impact on their business. To do so, we have not only built an intuitive platform with critical data and insights, but we have also created a culture that invests in and deeply cares for our customers and employees. 

We believe our “culture-first mindset” has enabled us to deliver top-rated onboarding and account management while also attracting strong talent who continue to innovate Sprout’s platform to address digital transformation and an evolving market. 

According to recent research, 90% of executives agree that businesses are increasingly moving their e-commerce strategies to social media and that social media will soon become the primary communications channel for companies to connect with customers. Anticipating these trends, Sprout has built powerful capabilities for customer engagement and continues to make advancements to its platform to meet growing needs in social commerce. 

Access the report’s full analysis of Sprout Social here (available to Forrester subscribers and for purchase) and if you’re new to Sprout, get started with a free 30-day trial.

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To determine the winners of Fortune’s Best Workplaces in Technology, Great Place to Work® analyzed anonymous survey feedback representing nearly 122,000 employees working in the tech industry in the United States. Companies are only considered if they are a Great Place to Work-Certified organization, and are assessed on how well they create great employee experiences.

Technology is a fast-moving sector that requires constant innovation. To succeed in this space organizations need passionate and determined individuals, and I am proud to see these attributes reflected in our entire team. Everyday Team Sprout shows up ready to solve hard problems and embrace change, which has been essential to our success as we transitioned to working from home.

As a growing distributed team, we collectively sought out ways to maintain our culture and stay connected with one another during the pandemic. This renewed focus helped us reshape the way we work and communicate, leading to more effective and inclusive workplace practices. While we look forward to returning to our offices, we’ll continue prioritizing the well-being of our team and seeking new ways to stay connected.

We are honored to be included on this highly competitive list and are dedicated to setting a high standard for workplace culture in tech. Thank you to everyone on our team for making Sprout and our culture what it is today. 

Want to join us? We’re hiring.

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The Emerging Leaders Mentorship Program empowers aspiring leaders to cultivate their leadership skills through guidance and support from a leader at Sprout. Mentor and mentee pairings are always cross-functional to support companywide networking and are created based on each mentees’ growth areas. One of our goals with this program is to ensure our internal leadership pipeline becomes more diverse, which is why we specifically focus on encouraging BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color), women, women in tech, and LGBTQIA+ individuals to apply.

Read on to learn Shareil and Shelby’s takeaways from the program and why mentorship is fundamental to reaching their personal and professional goals.

How has the Emerging Leaders Mentorship program impacted your career? 

Shelby: Having Shareil as a mentor has helped me gain confidence and feel more empowered at work. He’s been able to provide an outlet for me to work through things that I didn’t know how to solve while providing a perspective that’s different from my own. I feel like I’m able to work through tasks quicker than I would have if we weren’t meeting, which has greatly benefited my productivity.

Shareil: Mentoring Shelby has really allowed me to hone in on my leadership skills. While I’ve been a manager in the past, I’m not currently managing anyone at Sprout, so this experience fulfills the opportunity to help people develop and grow. It’s been awesome to work with Shelby on that.

What skills have you developed through working together? 

Shelby: One of the things that I wanted to get out of having a mentor was feeling more comfortable giving feedback, and working with Shareil has made me feel more confident in doing so. He’s really helped me sharpen those skills by digging into what feedback I want to give, how I can deliver that message articulately and how to make sure that the person I’m giving feedback to is getting something valuable out of it.

Shareil: Definitely my listening skills. It’s a constant practice in any sort of feedback-giving exercise, especially in mentorships where you don’t know the person that well yet. It’s forced me to listen, to speak with intent and to deliver my feedback in a way that assures Shelby it’s coming from a good place. It’s also helped me give critical or developmental feedback, which is much easier once you’ve been able to break down those walls.

What is it like having a mentor from a different department? 

Shelby: The fact that Shareil and I are from different departments has been a key part of our mentorship. I think it’s easy to forget how important it is to get a different perspective from those who aren’t as enmeshed in the things you’re doing every day. On the Marketing Team, I have a specific focus and area of expertise, and having someone who isn’t looking at the same things I’m looking at day in and day out has been really valuable.

What is the top lesson you’ve learned from each other?

Shelby: I have learned a lot from Shareil, but the number one thing is being a better advocate for myself by speaking up about the things I care about and what I want my manager to be aware of. Working with him on how to deliver those messages and give that kind of feedback has been invaluable to me. 

Shareil: First of all, I’ve learned that Shelby is an amazing person! I didn’t know her before this mentorship program, so getting to know the person she is and what drives/motivates her has been a great experience. Normally I’m able to pick up on cues and body language when navigating these conversations, and Shelby has taught me how to be patient in this process given that we’re in a virtual environment where we meet over Zoom calls. I think mentorship is as good as both sides put into it, and it can be very positive when both people add value.

What would you tell someone who’s on the fence about being a mentor or mentee?

Shelby:  I would tell them that this is going to become the one meeting that you are never going to want to cancel. It is going to help you leverage the skills you have and uncover skills you didn’t know you already had.

Shareil: I think what makes mentorship worth it is seeing the results. I got to join a meeting that Shelby was running, and seeing her put the skills we’ve worked on together into action could not be more rewarding.  I don’t think you need to wait for your company to put together a formal structure. It can be as simple as identifying someone you want to learn more from and then reaching out to that person to start a conversation.

Join our team

As Shelby and Shareil shared, investing time in mentorship pays off in numerous ways. It can expand your network, improve confidence and help further develop the skills you already have. Mentorship is a commitment to furthering your career by learning about new perspectives and experiences from the leaders you aspire to be.

If you want to join Shelby and Shareil in developing your skills and accelerating your career, take a look at our open positions and apply today!

The post How mentorship fuels career growth at Sprout Social appeared first on Sprout Social.

Our customers’ success is our top priority and we’re grateful for the opportunity to support them as they navigate an ever-changing landscape. This past year, especially, accelerated digital transformation across businesses and increased the reliance on social as a primary communication channel. The Sprout platform enabled users to not just respond to those changes, but thrive in this new environment, and we look forward to our continued partnerships with all of our 25,000+ customers.

G2 releases their list of best software companies annually to recognize leaders in product performance and user satisfaction. The list is created with data from more than 1M verified customer reviews on the G2 platform. Here is what our customers had to say:

“This is an ideal platform to extract real business value from social networks through tools and functions that provide effective publication, participation, analysis, reports, among others.”

“There are experts available at every turn and the support available is unmatched (not even close) by competing services. In an age of tech, customer service and going the extra mile is SO appreciated.”

“Social listening has been incredibly valuable to our team as well in particular during the COVID-19 pandemic. Being able to have a pulse on the public’s opinion has helped us tremendously as we respond to the patient’s needs.”

“The user experience is well designed, adding additional profiles is a snap, and the interface and speed far outstrips every competitor I’ve ever used.”

If you’re a Sprout user and are interested in sharing your experience with others, please visit us on G2, or if you’re new to Sprout, get started with a free 30-day trial.

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