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

Jump to an influencer marketing stat category:

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

Influencer marketing growth statistics

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

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

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

2. Instagram is the top influencer marketing platform worldwide

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

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

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

Influencer marketing advertising statistics

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

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

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

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

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

6. The most influencer marketing ad spend is in China

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

Influencer marketing budget statistics

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

TikTok influencer marketing statistics

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Instagram influencer marketing statistics

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

13. There are over 500,000 influencers on Instagram

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

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

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

15. 14.32% of all Instagram influencers are lifestyle influencers

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

YouTube influencer marketing stats

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Keep these influencer marketing statistics in mind

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

The post 22 influencer marketing statistics to guide your brand’s strategy in 2023 appeared first on Sprout Social.

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

But where do you begin? In this article, we break down the top 15 strategies for how to make money on TikTok.

Table of Contents

• Run TikTok ads
• Collect tips or donations
• Collaborate with a creator
• Try affiliate marketing
• Grow and sell TikTok accounts
• Publish sponsored posts
• Create a Patreon account
• Sell your products and merchandise
• Set up a TikTok shop
• Join the TikTok Creator Fund
• Offer exclusive content on TikTok
• Provide virtual gifts
• Host live events or workshops
• Offer personalized shoutouts
• Sell digital products

1. Run TikTok ads

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

The most popular types of TikTok ads include:

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

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

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

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

2. Collect tips or donations

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

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

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

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

3. Collaborate with a creator

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

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

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

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

4. Try affiliate marketing

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

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

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

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

5. Grow and sell TikTok accounts

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

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

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

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

6. Publish sponsored posts

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

7. Create a Patreon account

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

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

8. Sell your products and merchandise

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

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

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

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

9. Set up a TikTok shop

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

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

10. Join the TikTok Creator Fund

Users with a creator account can monetize their profiles through the TikTok Creator Fund. Creators need to hit some prerequisites to join the program and begin receiving money from the platform. Creator Fund members earn money based on the number of engagements they get on their content.

11. Offer exclusive content on TikTok

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

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

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

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

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

12. Provide virtual gifts

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

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

Coin packages can be bought in the following increments:

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

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

13. Host live events or workshops

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

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

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

14. Offer personalized shoutouts

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

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

15. Sell digital products

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

Learn more about TikTok for business

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

The post How to make money on TikTok: 15 strategies to use in 2023 appeared first on Sprout Social.

Maintaining relevance in this new attention economy means rethinking the role of social, and not just within a marketing department—across an entire business. Cementing social’s influence throughout your organization today can future-proof your brand for tomorrow.

Use this resource to identify the biggest ways your brand can capitalize on the power of social media in the coming year.

Download The CMO’s Social Marketing Agenda for 2024

The post The CMO’s social media marketing agenda for 2024 appeared first on Sprout Social.

Though the idea might seem infeasible for many social marketers, the L.L.Bean team went “off the grid” for the second year in a row this May in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month.

This initiative was prompted by the desire to embody their brand values, and look out for the well-being of their employees. To quote the company founder, Leon L. Bean, “Being outside brings out the best in us.” So, the social team stepped back from the brand accounts to spend more time hiking, fishing, surfing and finding other ways to spend quality time with loved ones outdoors.

At a time when many social professionals are battling social media burnout, this approach was simultaneously shocking and refreshing. Some skeptics wondered if it was an authentic gesture, or just a way to generate positive PR. But overall it was met with a lot of enthusiasm and support that translated to heightened awareness of the brand’s values and positive performance results.

I asked Hillary Sparks, Senior Manager of Social Media and External Communications at L.L.Bean, for more details about the month-long hiatus, and how she believes other social marketing teams can prioritize their own mental health.

For always-on social marketers, it’s hard to imagine taking an entire month-long “break” from social. Did your team really unplug from L.L.Bean’s presence completely?

Yes. We recognized there would be some risk associated with stepping away from social media for a month, as our brand—like most—uses social media to engage with our customers. However, our customers have been overwhelmingly supportive of this effort over the past two years (many take a social break themselves), and we hear how they appreciate seeing a business commit to its values. And we do keep customer service representatives available to help address any concerns or needs via email throughout the month of May.

How did you spend the break? What did other team members do?

Personally, I treated the brand’s social media pause as a rest period that allowed me the space to prioritize my well-being. Other team members did the same, and the time away from social allowed us more time to step outside. It’s always fun when we return to social at the beginning of June and we’re able to share what our L.L.Bean team has been up to, and see how our fans and followers spent their time outside during the month.

Professionally, my team took our weekly meetings off the calendar for the first two weeks of May to create intentional focus time. We used the pause as an opportunity to get a jump on planning for our June return and beyond. We’re always looking back to plan ahead, and May presented an opportunity to do that without the pressure of publishing content.

Why did you originally pitch the idea for spending #MentalHealthMonth off the grid? How did you get leadership and stakeholder buy-in?

Our founder Leon L. Bean believed that nature is the most powerful antidote to the stresses of life, taking to his camp and the outdoors as often as he could. His conviction has always been part of our brand ethos, and we’ve spent the past few years exploring the benefits of experiencing “awe” outdoors, in partnership with the University of California, Irvine’s Dr. Paul Piff and through our partnership with Mental Health America.

The initial idea to go “off the grid” came just weeks before May 1, 2022. It was like an “aha” moment, and once it was spoken aloud, we knew we had to work to put all of the pieces into place. Of course, leadership and internal stakeholders had some initial concerns about not engaging on social channels for a month, but the risks were outweighed by our collective commitment to L.L.Bean’s purpose. It was clear that leading by example and honoring Mental Health Awareness Month with an authentic gesture was the only way to do it.

In addition to going off the grid in May, L.L.Bean offers other year-long employee programs to ensure team members have paid time off to explore the outdoors. We also employ a manager of wellness operations who oversees the implementation of programs and resources designed specifically for the well-being of our employees every month of the year—not just in May.

Were you worried about how it would impact your future social performance?

Of course! It’s a risk shuttering channels any time, and being offline during May meant we could miss engaging with customers who were planning for a summer season of adventures. It all came down to risk versus reward. We explored the implications of being perceived as unresponsive from a customer service perspective, losing followers due to inactivity and forgoing a month of community engagement, growth and sales potential. But it quickly became clear that the opportunity outweighed the threats, and the risk paid off.

Customers have been overwhelmingly supportive, celebrating our brand for living up to our purpose. The social performance and growth from 2023’s time spent off the grid further solidified our commitment to make this a recurring, growing effort.

It’s reassuring that your YoY impressions were actually up 95% during May. Do you credit the social media pause for your success?

Our YoY impressions being up indicates that L.L.Bean’s customers value our commitment to our purpose and to their well-being. Our customers have seen us commit to this break for multiple years and have continued to engage with our brand. It’s important to note that our decision to pause organic social media was largely driven by our desire to help our customers get outside to prioritize their mental health. We want to encourage them to get outside more often and experience the benefits of nature.

What do you think the overall impact on your business was?

Our Mental Health Month initiatives further established us as a purpose-led company. We have spent the past 111 years helping people get outside, with the understanding that spending time outdoors is good for our bodies and our minds. Through our Off the Grid campaign, we were able to reach new customers who weren’t yet familiar with our brand’s values. From these new fans to legacy customers, we enjoyed engaging with our community and boosting awareness of what we stand for.

What surprised you most during the month-long break?

What surprised us the most was that our customers were as engaged as ever. Our sales were solid, and our customers’ offline engagement with the brand was strong. We were still able to connect with our customers through our partnerships with Strava and Mental Health America, providing them with resources to make the most of their time spent outside.

What advice would you give to other social marketers who want to advocate for mental health? Do you think it’s only achievable for teams in the outdoor industry?

We live in a world with constant distractions and stressors, which has made us more acutely aware of the importance of prioritizing our mental health. At L.L.Bean, we do that by spending time outside. But more broadly, the topic of mental well-being is relevant to any brand. We would encourage companies to find their voice in the conversation in ways that are authentic to their values and community.

How do you think other social marketers can take care of their mental health?

I‘m encouraged by efforts to make social media a more positive, uplifting space. And I’m sure any marketer will tell you that part of the excitement of the work comes from the ever-evolving social landscape. But it’s all about balance. So, I encourage everyone to step away when you can, even if it’s just 10 minutes spent outside.

To learn more about protecting your mental health in your social media career, read our guide to finding a healthy balance with social media.

The post L.L.Bean’s social team went off the grid: Here’s how you can do it, too appeared first on Sprout Social.

As social media teams across the world figure out strategies to not only incorporate Threads  but also excel at it, this webinar will examine what we’ve learnt so far and explore thoughts on what we think is in store. 

Hear insights from social media consultant and industry analyst, Matt Navarra, and Senior Social Media Manager from financial favourite and industry disrupter, Monzo.

You will learn:

• The current state of Threads and how early adopter brands leverage its capabilities
• How businesses can use Threads for community building, customer care and more
• Key distinctions and differentiations between Threads strategy vs. other social channels
• Predictions for 2024 and beyond

Your speakers:

The post The Rise and Fall Of New Platforms: What Threads Has Taught Us About Emerging Social Media appeared first on Sprout Social.

But if you work in a highly regulated, “serious”, or niche industry, it might seem like you don’t belong on the trend-setting platform. That’s an understandable feeling. When lists of brands to watch and the majority of viral posts feature B2C brands, it’s easy to feel like your brand has nothing to say—but that couldn’t be further from the truth. No matter your industry, you can make waves on TikTok.

Check out our panel discussion with brands from unexpected brands and industries that are leveraging creative tactics to make the most out of their TikTok presence.

We’ll discuss:

• Challenges that “serious” or regulated brands face on TikTok and how brands can overcome these obstacles 
• Examples of TikToks from the nonprofit, SaaS, and technology sectors that made waves on the platform and what you can learn from them
• Top tips for how unexpected industries can leverage TikTok to build their brand and community

Your Speakers:

The post TikTok for “Serious” Industries & Brands appeared first on Sprout Social.

No matter how you slice it, risk-taking has always been a hallmark of strong brand marketing. In the world of social today—where generating organic reach feels like a moving target and production budgets are limited—pursuing smart risks can be the deciding factor in your content’s success.

Enter: lo-fi content. Publishing visuals and video that hasn’t been scrutinized in creative briefs and edited ad nauseum carries a degree of risk. But as we explain in this article, it’s what audiences crave.

Keep reading to learn how to build the business case for creating more lo-fi content, and ways to integrate it into your social strategy.

What is lo-fi social media content?

Lo-fi social media content is personality-driven social media content that has low production value. Social media consultant and Link in Bio newsletter creator Rachel Karten summed it up in a Sprout masterclass webinar, “You have to do something weird or wacky or fun or personality driven. People now expect brands to show up in that way across all platforms.”

Lo-fi content looks and feels more authentic and less glossy than traditional branded social content because it usually is. It’s often shot on an iPhone and involves little if any editing at all, making it more budget-friendly (with a better ROI than highly polished content).

Lo-fi social media content is still selling to your audience, but it doesn’t feel like it. Examples of lo-fi content include, but are not limited to:

• Facebook photo dumps
• Screengrabs of TikToks
• Instagram Stories that are clearly shot on someone’s phone

The risks and rewards of lo-fi content

For emerging and established brands alike, lo-fi content can be a step outside of the marketing comfort zone. Unpolished posts run the risk of showing your product or service in a non-aspirational light (even if it’s highlighting a very real customer use case), or showcasing a sense of humor that your audience might not get.

Done well, however, the upside of smart lo-fi content is undeniable, from higher ROI to scaling your brand awareness efforts. By striking the right balance of casual and relevant, these posts can humanize your brand and encourage shareability.

What’s driving the shift toward lo-fi content?

The pendulum swing from pristine, big budget advertising campaigns to lo-fi social content has been building up for years. There are a few factors that have contributed to this shift:

1. The pandemic

During our webinar, Karten noted how the challenges brands faced at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the shift towards more lo-fi content. Specifically, more conservative budgets and the inability for marketers to travel and film on-site.

As major brands began to incorporate more low-budget content into their feeds out of necessity, they noticed something—audiences ate it up. It was an early sign that aspirational content wasn’t the only option anymore.

2. The algorithms

While the pandemic initiated the shift toward lo-fi social content, it was hardly the only driver. Algorithms, particularly on Instagram and TikTok, increasingly emphasize the power of discovery.

The more a particular post gets shared, the more likely it is to land on the Instagram Explore or TikTok For You pages. Today, it’s off the cuff, lo-fi content that users are more likely to share with their followers.

In other words, the combination of consumers wanting more authentic posts combined with algorithms rewarding that content led forward-thinking brands to ask themselves a simple question when creating social content: “Would you share it?”

How to take smart risks with lo-fi social content

Lo-fi doesn’t translate to low effort, nor is it a pass to be less thoughtful or strategic about your content. Here are four ways to create intentional lo-fi content that entertains and engages your audience:

Listen to your audience

Do your research—lo-fi content may not take as much time or budget to produce, but that doesn’t absolve teams from strong planning. Social listening helps you get a firmer grasp on what your customers are talking about, both in general and as it relates to your brand. This Sweetgreen TikTok, for example, hooks viewers by immediately acknowledging pervasive feedback about their prices.

Know what differentiates your brand from direct and indirect competitors

This will help you pinpoint the right opportunities to bet on lo-fi social content and how to bring these moments to life. Getting this right depends on understanding the behaviors, norms and fandoms that are unique to your audience. Regional fast-food chain Culver’s does this often, playing into their Wisconsin roots without formal voiceover or on-camera talent.

Be real and show up as such

Many consumers place greater value on brands that aren’t buttoned up or picture-perfect all the time, especially on social. Karten recommends doing something as similar as posting an image dump with lo-fi imagery to show your brand’s true colors or heritage.

For example, in the wake of its 2020 bankruptcy and subsequent brand turnaround, Brooks Brothers has leaned into a more casual approach on social–with simple static posts reviving old catalogs and quick get-ready-with-me TikToks—aimed at appealing to a younger generation of shoppers.

Partner with influencers driving trends

Sharing your brand’s platform with someone else always carries a certain amount of risk. But influencers and creators are masters of lo-fi content. Engaging and partnering with the originators of so many different social trends can have long-term benefits for brands.

Karten spoke to an example from Cava, which partnered with The Devon Maid, a TikTok creator who was going viral for a video on how pasta shapes walk. The subsequent post, featuring The Devon Maid’s take on how various Cava toppings would walk, over-performed in terms of both likes and shares. It allowed the brand to participate in the trend without stealing the idea from its original source.

Make major announcements more relatable

Large corporate announcements may seem like the one arena where a lo-fi approach isn’t worth the risk. But if the Tennessee Titans’ 2023 schedule release video is any indication, even this tide is turning.

For the announcement, the Titans produced two videos: One with high production value featuring celebrities including comedian Nate Bargatze, Jelly Roll and Keith Urban, the other, a lo-fi video asking random people in downtown Nashville to identify their 2023 opponents by their logo. The lo-fi version outperformed the more polished version significantly—82,000+ likes and 2,100+ comments compared to 15,000+ likes and 249 comments on Instagram alone, drawing engagement from major brands such as Cheetos and even teams on their schedule.

Why did it work? The Titans version was raw, it was real and, most importantly, it was hilarious.

To mitigate lo-fi content risks, never stop testing

For brands accustomed to full-fledged TV commercials, expensive out of home billboards and glossy print spreads, lo-fi social content may seem like a major marketing risk. But as the previous examples demonstrate, when done right the payoff is undeniable.

Marketers looking to take bigger swings with lo-fi content should still take a test-and-learn approach to find the tone, format and timely references that resonate best with your audience. Download our creative testing worksheet to find the formula that makes sense for your brand.

The post How to take smart risks with lo-fi social content appeared first on Sprout Social.

When it comes to AI social media tools, I’m optimistic…and this is coming from someone who regularly thanks her Google Home to keep it happy.

Rather than replace social media pros, the adoption of AI in marketing has the potential to make human creativity and strategic thinking more important. The more monotonous tasks AI can take on, the more you can focus on growing your strategy, and business, and do more of what you actually like. Imagine that.

On Unread, Sprout’s social team talked about the benefits and fears of AI, like job replacement. Watch the video below to hear their takes on AI and how we use it at Sprout: 

Let’s get into why AI likely won’t be taking your role, and how using AI in social media can help you focus on the impactful part of your role—and less on the busywork.

Why the “AI social media manager” isn’t coming for your job

The role of social media manager has always been relatively future-proof—last year, it was the third most in-demand marketing position. And social media marketers have always had to evolve how they work. In the 2010s, that meant creating an Instagram strategy. In 2021, it meant gutting your social strategy to prioritize short-form video. Today, it means adding AI to your social media skills to keep all the plates spinning.

To help explain why AI is not about to take your job, I talked to Jeff MacDonald—Social Strategy Director at Mekanism and AI optimist. “I don’t think social media managers should be concerned about AI taking their jobs,” Jeff explains. “To me, all AI is going to do—if you know how to use the tools right—is help you accelerate your work and decrease how long typical tasks take.”

That’s not to say that social media managers won’t be impacted. “It’s going to augment everyone’s roles, our job will be different. But I think, I hope, people will like that difference, and like spending less time in front of screens and more in front of faces.”

So let’s make the case for why an AI social media manager is likely not coming for your seat at the table.

Putting AI in charge is risky

From spreading disinformation, to creating posts based on offensive AI output, putting unchecked AI in charge of social can create a brand crisis—any communications leader’s nightmare.

“From an ethical standpoint, I don’t think you’re ever going to put your social on autopilot,” Jeff explains.

You’re going to be steering the ship…I think that’s where the line will be. We’re going to see AI as an assistant.

Jeff MacDonald
Social Strategy Director

Instead, Jeff suggests treating AI as an idea launchpad. “You’re going to be steering the ship. You need to make sure what’s happening on your social channels is human-fed and human-curated. I think that’s where the line will be, we’re going to see AI as an assistant.”

People want to connect with people

Jeff says it best: “I don’t think anyone wants to hear a response from a computer.”

It’s hard enough for brands to create human connection. People crave authenticity on social, and they can spot boilerplate, AI-generated posts and responses a mile away.

Social media work is about more than just creating on-trend posts. It’s about connection, and building a community—a human element AI just can’t fully replicate.

“Everyone is still going to want human-to-human interaction—the thing that’s most important about community building— to be driven by an actual person,” Jeff says.

AI still needs a human touch—from prompt to product

AI is only as good as the ideas, and editing finesse, humans contribute—especially when you have brand guidelines to adhere to.

And while you can train AI to capture your brand voice or tone, there are other issues at play. “Many AI models are trained in the past,” Jeff explains. “ChatGPT can now browse the internet for more updated information. But for the most part, it’s old data. So if there’s anyone in any industry that needs the latest information, it’s not going to know the latest trends.”

But even when AI does analyze the latest data from your channels, comments or larger social space, it can’t always grasp human nuance. “It may not know that the 50K mentions your brand received are all from people who are being sarcastic and actually don’t like something your business is doing, or the direction a campaign is going in.”

Without a human touch, this has the potential to leave you with inaccurate insights, and lead to poor business decisions.

The case for embracing AI in social media workflows

Social teams are already catching onto the benefits of these tools. According to a Q2 2023 Sprout pulse survey of 255 social marketers, 71% have started to integrate AI and automation tools into their workflow. And 82% of that group report that those tools have already driven positive results.

AI is not only helpful for social media marketers—it may ultimately be needed to future-proof your skills, and preserve your team’s time as your role gets more complex. Let’s get into why.

Takes over the manual tasks so you can focus on the big challenges

The more social evolves, the less bandwidth already-crunched social teams will have. The need to manage your limited time and work efficiently will only become more necessary—that’s where AI in social media can help.

To Jeff, that’s the core benefit of AI. “It’s about the opportunity to offload that mental burden that every social media manager has onto a computer,” he explains. “AI is the perfect work buddy who never gets tired, who always wants to come up with the next idea or take a pass at that next brief for a client project you’ve been pushing off.”

When it comes to content creation, tapping AI for initial ideas can spark creativity when you’re in a rut. And that can help you battle social media burnout. Speeding up content production opens up more time to dedicate to strategic priorities. Think: experimenting with new content formats or digging deeper into performance metrics.

AI tools can also help you get more out of your content with optimization recommendations. For example, Sprout Social’s Optimal Send Times and hashtag recommendations maximize your reach—while sparing you hours of manual engagement and performance analysis. Checkout how using right AI prompts can help you get the best out of AI generative tools to boost your efficiency.

Proves your impact and helps you make better business decisions

As the role social plays in an organization becomes more sophisticated, you’ll need more sophisticated insights to inform better business decisions.

AI analytics and automation tools mine massive amounts of data faster than the speed of social vs. the hours or days this would take manually.

You can look at large data sets and speak to numbers and data with more intelligence than we’ve ever had the ability to do before.

Jeff MacDonald
Social Strategy Director

Let AI handle the time-consuming task or pulling data and creating reports so you have more time to analyze those insights and incorporate them in your strategy. As Jeff puts it, “You can look at large data sets and speak to numbers and data with more intelligence than we’ve ever had the ability to do before.”

According to our 2023 State of Social Media report, 51% of business leaders say they use social media data and insights to inform their company’s business strategy. And 48% strongly agree that social media data and insights will be a primary source of business intelligence for their company.

AI gets you the insights you need in seconds. For you, that means less time aggregating data, and more time acting on it.

Enables you to be proactive vs. reactive

According to a Q2 2023 Sprout pulse survey, the top two challenges for managing a brand’s social presence are identifying and responding to emerging trends, and changing algorithms.

Using AI enables your team to get ahead of these challenges. As Jeff puts it, “AI-driven analysis truly adds a special use case where all of a sudden you have the skills to be a true trend spotter.”

Social listening is one tangible way AI and automation give you superpowers—and information—to help you be proactive. Listening tools sift through billions of data points to uncover trends, insights and business intelligence crucial for your organization.

Social media listening can uncover trends among your audience. The Scout Agency used it to discover an interesting trend among Georgia-based customers of their client, Martell: They were mixing the brand’s cognac with sweet tea. They used this insight to introduce a Martell and sweet tea cocktail at Atlanta Falcons games. The drink became the top-selling cognac cocktail at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Not all trends are positive. Social listening can help you identify an issue bubbling up before it becomes a brand crisis. Purdue University used Sprout’s Social Listening tools and alerts to detect spikes in certain topics and get ahead of potential issues.

Reclaim time for human-to-human connection

There are often so many tasks to balance that you’re left with little time for the “social” part of social media.

AI tools can free up time for social teams to connect with each other, and other teams who could benefit from social media intelligence. As Jeff puts it, “By using an AI tool, social media teams can do more of what they’re excited about. When was the last time you had free time to talk to teammates about what they want to do on accounts, and what gets them excited?”

This extends to your social customer care efforts, too. Using chatbots or AI-generated responses for FAQs frees you up to get creative with audience engagement and focus on high-level issues.

And for social media marketers nervous about getting called out for AI-generated responses, remember: AI should never be alone behind the wheel. You’re in charge. Lean on AI to draft responses, but lean on your editing skills to humanize them.

Where will AI social media skills take your social workflow?

AI is here to stay. And the technology gets more sophisticated, so too will the social media teams who choose to adopt it.

Hopefully we’ve put your mind at ease and given you some ideas about how to make AI work for your workflow, skills and role.

To learn more about AI in marketing today, watch our webinar, “The State of Social Media & AI.”

The post AI won’t replace social teams: Here’s why appeared first on Sprout Social.

With more than 900 million members across 200 countries, businesses have a large audience and employee advocates to extend their reach. With the right LinkedIn marketing strategy, combined with these optimal posting times, you could see improved engagement.

Learn how to identify your best times to post globally on LinkedIn a free trial of Sprout Social and test our ViralPost® feature.

Start a free Sprout Social trial

Disclaimer: Data from Sprout Social include users from various plan types, industries and locations. All time frames are recorded globally, meaning you should be able to publish with the times provided in any timezone and see positive engagement results. Number of engagements represents total engagements a brand received on the specific channel during that hour time frame. Industry-specific data includes mid- to high-level engagement times. We recommend testing with your own accounts to find the most optimal send times.

• What are the best times to post on LinkedIn?
• What are the best times to post on LinkedIn by industry?
  • Consumer Goods
  • Hospitals & Healthcare
  • Hospitality
  • Media
  • Nonprofit
  • Restaurants
  • Schools & Education
  • Travel & Tourism
• How to find your own best times to post on social media
• How Sprout gathered the data
• Find your best times to post with Sprout

Best Times to Post on LinkedIn

• Best times to post on LinkedIn Company Pages:
  • Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to noon
• Best days to post on LinkedIn Company Pages: Tuesdays through Thursdays
• Worst days to post on LinkedIn Company Pages: Weekends

Unsurprising for this professional-focused social platform, LinkedIn engagement times are consistent with general business hours. High engagement hours are more concentrated midday and don’t extend too far out past the workday hours. You’re less likely to get eyes on your LinkedIn content on the weekend when engagement drops significantly.

Because LinkedIn content is centered around professional thought leadership and career growth, it makes sense that a majority of audiences engage with this content throughout their working day. By midday, there’s buzz on the platform, and the best times to post on LinkedIn are Tuesdays and Wednesdays between 10 a.m. and noon.

Yes, LinkedIn is a business and employment-focused platform, but it’s more than a job board and networking platform. LinkedIn provides a platform for professional storytelling and advocacy, from both employees and employers alike. Contributors of all levels can share their subject-matter expertise, create conversations that challenge “business as usual,” and uplift professional voices around the world.

Businesses on LinkedIn are finding new ways to generate leads, find co-marketing partners, highlight company culture and attract talent. Because of these additional business opportunities LinkedIn provides, it makes sense that posting and engagement match with the business hours.

Best Times to Post on LinkedIn by Industry

There’s no definitive answer to what the best times to post on LinkedIn are, and we can only offer insight with the data we have. Industry is just one factor that plays into the success of your social posts. Consider as well as your target audience, business goals and the content itself.

Use this industry-level data to help inform your publishing calendar, and test your own optimal send times with social experiments.

Best Times to Post on LinkedIn for Consumer Goods

• Best times to post on LinkedIn for Consumer Goods:
  • Mondays at 11 a.m.
• Best days to post on LinkedIn for Consumer Goods: Mondays and Tuesdays
• Worst days to post on LinkedIn for Consumer Goods: Saturdays and Sundays

The consumer goods industry covers a large portfolio of products, ranging from packaged food and beverages to clothing and accessories and everything in between. While the US was facing inflation at nearly 8.5%, US consumers spent 18% more in March 2022 than they did two years prior. After two years into the pandemic, consumers were ready to spend similar to their pre-pandemic habits and more in 2022.

For consumer goods businesses on LinkedIn, only very few days see any engagement. Based on our data, the best times to post on LinkedIn for consumer goods are Mondays at 11 a.m., and Mondays and Tuesdays as the best days to post. Be cautious if you’re a consumer goods business, but also be sure to test your own best times to post.

Consumer goods social media resources

• Solutions for Social Commerce
• How to master social media for retail and win more customers
• What is social commerce? Stats, examples & tips for your strategy
• Mobile commerce: what it is and why you should care

Best Times to Post on LinkedIn for Hospitals & Healthcare

• Best times to post on LinkedIn for Hospitals & Healthcare:
  • Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and at 6 p.m.
  • Wednesdays at 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 7 p.m.
• Best days to post on LinkedIn for Hospitals & Healthcare: Tuesdays through Fridays
• Worst days to post on LinkedIn for Hospitals & Healthcare: Sundays

Hospitals, clinics and healthcare providers have been put to work on social media the last few years, due to the pandemic. However, social media for healthcare is more than navigating healthcare crises. It’s about educating the public, helping patients feel more comfortable with healthcare visits and doctors’ appointments, promoting their programs for aspiring physicians and establishing themselves as pillars in the community.

Healthcare and hospitals on LinkedIn see consistent engagement nearly every single day starting at 7 a.m. seven days a week. However, the best times to post on LinkedIn for hospitals and healthcare are Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and at 6 p.m., as well as Wednesdays at 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. Consistent engagement can be seen Tuesdays through Fridays from 7 a.m. until 9 p.m.

Hospital and healthcare social media resources

• Social media and healthcare: how to keep patients engaged
• Why healthcare orgs should invest in social listening, stat
• Supporting HIPAA Compliance on social: a cheat sheet

Best Times to Post on LinkedIn for Hospitality

• Best times to post on LinkedIn for Hospitality:
  • Mondays from 10 a.m. to noon and at 1 p.m.
  • Fridays at 4 p.m.
• Best days to post on LinkedIn for Hospitality: Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays
• Worst days to post on LinkedIn for Hospitality: Sundays

As consumers crave some semblance of pre-pandemic life, ‘ businesses can also sense it. Hospitality businesses see higher engagement consistently throughout the day and into early evening hours during weekdays on LinkedIn.

The best times to post on LinkedIn for the hospitality industry are Mondays from 10 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. and Fridays at 4 p.m. However, businesses see consistent engagement throughout the day from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.

Hospitality social media resources

• Social media marketing tools for the travel industry
• How Allegiant Air’s customer relations team is taking flight with Sprout Social
• How Loews Hotels & Co succeeds at scale with Sprout Social’s all-in-one platform
• When to create separate social media accounts for your multilocation business [Free Worksheet]

Best Times to Post on LinkedIn for Media

• Best times to post on LinkedIn for Media:
  • Wednesdays at 11 a.m.
  • Thursdays at 9 a.m.
• Best days to post on LinkedIn for Media: Weekdays, especially Wednesdays
• Worst days to post on LinkedIn for Media: Sundays

The media and entertainment industry sees consistent engagement on LinkedIn. Media businesses should expect engagement from early weekday mornings through the afternoons. Major global events, political upheavals and business news have a relevant impact on media impressions on all networks, including LinkedIn. As a business and employment-focused social media platform, it makes sense that professionals come to engage in emerging news.

News travels quickly, and the best times to post on LinkedIn for the media and entertainment industry are Wednesdays at 11 a.m. and Thursdays at 9 a.m. However, posting between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. sees just as high engagement. Avoid posting on LinkedIn over the weekends, since there is limited engagement in this industry.

Media social media resources

• How to supercharge your media relations strategy with social
• How RADIO.COM used social listening to crown the #ArtistOfTheSummer
• Social media and journalism: how to effectively reach the public

Best Times to Post on LinkedIn for Nonprofit

• Best times to post on LinkedIn for Nonprofit:
  • Wednesdays at noon
• Best days to post on LinkedIn for Nonprofit: Tuesdays and Wednesdays
• Worst days to post on LinkedIn for Nonprofit: Saturday and Sundays

Our data for the best times to post on LinkedIn for nonprofits shows consistent engagement throughout the week during general business hours. The best times to post on LinkedIn for nonprofit organizations are Wednesdays at noon, but between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday through Fridays showing promising engagement as well.

However, even with the consistent audience engagement seen in the heatmap above, it’s important for nonprofits (and all businesses) to test their own best times to post. Whether it’s through social testing or using Sprout’s Optimal Send Times feature, find what times work best for your organization on LinkedIn.

Nonprofit social media resources

• Turning moments into momentum: How nonprofits can leverage #GivingTuesday year-round
• How this nonprofit institute boosts messaging reach with Employee Advocacy by Sprout Social
• The ultimate social media for museums guide

Best Times to Post on LinkedIn for Restaurants

• Best times to post on LinkedIn for Restaurants:
  • Tuesdays at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
• Best days to post on LinkedIn for Restaurants: Tuesdays through Fridays
• Worst days to post on LinkedIn for Restaurants: Saturdays and Sundays

In 2022, everyone was ready to get back to their pre-pandemic routines, and restaurants were ready with open doors. While online orders and delivery services may have become new offerings for some restaurant and bar locations, the desire to draw patrons has not. Target audience and platform goals factor into ways businesses connect with their customers. Many restaurant businesses used LinkedIn to promote job fairs, individual employment positions, as well as news articles highlighting their accolades.

Restaurants and bars on LinkedIn see decent engagement midday during the week between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. However, the peak engagement and best times to post on LinkedIn for restaurants and bars are Tuesdays at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Restaurant social media resources

• The complete guide to social media for restaurants & bars
• 5 tips from the man behind #Sprinklegate
• Auntie Anne’s SMM Bari’s TikTok Bootcamp [Webinar]

Best Times to Post on LinkedIn for Schools & Education

• Best times to post on LinkedIn for Schools & Education:
  • Tuesdays at 10 a.m.
  • Fridays at 6 a.m.
• Best days to post on LinkedIn for Schools & Education: Tuesdays through Thursdays
• Worst days to post on LinkedIn for Schools & Education: Saturday and Sundays

Universities, higher education institutions and schools didn’t see much engagement on LinkedIn compared to other social networks, despite there being 131,000 schools listed. Keep in mind that some schools manage multiple social profiles (per college, athletics, etc.) to meet these needs and effectively target distinct audiences at the right time.

Opportunities for engagement are sporadic during weekdays, and virtually nonexistent over the weekends. The best times to post on LinkedIn for education and schools are Tuesdays at 10 a.m. and Fridays at 6 a.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays see more engagement throughout the days, whereas Mondays and Fridays are relatively light.

From highlighting student life to sharing school updates, a social media strategy for education needs to fulfill multiple functions. Are you looking to engage with students past, present and future? Are you looking to keep a pulse on sentiment and brand health?

Schools and education social media resources

• Choose wisely: Higher education marketers take on College Decision Day
• All aboard: How Purdue University increased their social media engagement by 24%
• University branding: How to build your school’s brand on social media
• Higher ed playbook: Using social to unite your university
• LinkedIn for colleges: Best practices for higher education

Best Times to Post on LinkedIn for Travel & Tourism

• Best times to post on LinkedIn for Travel & Tourism:
  • Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m.
  • Thursdays at 10 a.m.
• Best days to post on LinkedIn for Travel & Tourism: Tuesdays through Thursdays
• Worst days to post on LinkedIn for Travel & Tourism: Weekends

Travel and tourism industries appear to have maximized their engagement on LinkedIn. As many travel restrictions continued to be lifted and the semblance of “normal” crept back into many peoples’ lives, travel and tourism businesses saw an opportunity to capitalize on the suppressed desires to travel.

The best times to post on LinkedIn for travel and tourism businesses are Tuesdays from 9 a.m. until noon then again at 1 p.m., as well as on Fridays at 10 a.m. However, these businesses see solid engagement almost every weekday from 8 a.m. until 7 p.m.

Travel and tourism social media resources

• How Allegiant Air’s customer relations team is taking flight with Sprout Social
• How to manage multiple social media accounts
• When to Create Separate Social Media Accounts for your Multilocation Business [Free Worksheet]

How to find your own best times to post on social media

Social marketers can plan content more effectively when they’re armed with data. And as platforms evolve, how brands and consumers use social will evolve with them, or vice versa. Staying aware of new content formats and trends might help you reach your audience in unexpected ways, or even find new segments and personas you weren’t focusing on before.

While you may be ready to jump in and post at these provided peak engagement times as part of your strategy, consider pairing this data with your own social media data analysis. You may discover that your specific target audience is active near the peak times we’ve outlined or hours earlier. If you use a LinkedIn analytics tool, it should contain a host of relevant data.

A social media management tool like Sprout Social can help you drill into your own analytics and develop tailored findings for your brand accounts across all networks, holistically and individually. Gain competitive insights by comparing your performance to your competitors, to find new opportunities for engagement.

With features like post tagging and cross-network reporting, you can separate different factors like post author or types of content, and drill down into how your posting time influenced your social success.

Sprout’s patented ViralPost® technology uses the same data we’ve used to look at all our customer accounts to determine the best time to post tailored for your individual account. ViralPost® algorithmically determines the results for our Optimal Send Times feature, a publishing option available in all plans. Our proprietary machine learning feature isn’t new, but we’re constantly learning and improving our product to help brands surface insights faster. Our goal is to help people who use our product work more effectively.

With Optimal Send Times, the specific times offered are based on when your own audience engages the most using your publishing history. ViralPost® also continually updates and refines to save you time from doing the repeated analysis yourself and allowing you more time to craft great content.

Want to see it in action? Sign up for a free 30-day trial of Sprout Social or request a personalized demo and try it for yourself.

Start a free Sprout Social trial

If you’re looking for more of our findings from this year’s study of our customer data, see what we learned about the best times to post across eight industries on these networks:

• Best times to post on Social Media 2023
• Best times to post on Facebook 2023
• Best times to post on Instagram 2023
• Best times to post on TikTok 2023
• Best times to post on Twitter 2023

How Sprout gathered the data

We understand that these reports can raise questions about just where the data is coming from. That’s why we want to be clear about the data we pulled and how we got here.

Sprout Social’s Data Science team gathers this information by analyzing nearly 2 billion engagements across 400,000 social profiles across Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest and TikTok.

Find your best time to post with Sprout

Now’s the time to test your content calendar. Are you posting when your followers are most active? Start your free trial of Sprout Social and discover the best times to post on social media today.

The post Best times to post on LinkedIn in 2023 appeared first on Sprout Social.