Like most big events this year, Halloween 2020 is going to look different from years past. As COVID-19 cases continue to rise across the country, traditional activities like trick-or-treating are on hold and parties are strongly discouraged. One study even found more than 75% of consumers say the pandemic has impacted their celebrations, leaving some people asking, “Is Halloween 2020 cancelled?” As it turns out, the answer is no. Because if there’s one thing we’ve learned from this year, it’s that people are willing and able to adapt to make the best of the situation. … [Read more...]

Creating equity is about how we engage with the world and the community around us. In that spirit, Sprout Social kickstarted an initiative that goes beyond our internal diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) education, and ensures we’re using our privilege and resources to support the communities we live in.  Since officially launching Sprout Serves in fall 2019, team members across the organization have rallied to reach out to nonprofits, volunteer their time and make an impact on the communities they live in.  How we made volunteering a priority  The same way that … [Read more...]

These days, everyone is a publisher. Brands, consumers, businesses and agencies alike are creating digital content at a speed that far outpaces our ability to consume these messages. Some publishers attempt to solve this problem strictly with creativity. While creativity is a component of high-performing content, it’s not the only factor to keep in mind. Another way to win attention in noisy social feeds is by being highly relevant. In order to stand out, it’s important that posts reach the right segments of an intended audience. This is why audience targeting has … [Read more...]

Managing reviews can be a challenge for businesses with a single location, so when you have multiple locations or a franchise model, the effort is multiplied. Responding to reviews is an important task in maintaining your brand’s reputation. Fortunately, with a well-planned strategy, you can make tackling the challenges of managing reviews across multiple locations easier for your team. According to BrightLocal’s 2019 consumer review survey, 82% of consumers read online reviews for local businesses and of those who read them, 97% read the businesses’ responses to … [Read more...]

If you had told me at the beginning of 2020 that it would be the year that reinvigorated the American pastime of going to the drive-in, I wouldn’t have believed you. But 10 months and a pandemic into the year, I found myself watching the Drop Dead Drag Pageant at the Lakeshore Drive-In in Chicago. As the drag queens danced in their Halloween eleganza, cars honked and I sipped the brand-sponsored drinks supplied, I grew curious about what other socially distanced drive-in events people are flocking to. Social media data confirmed that movies, political rallies, sports … [Read more...]

The events of 2020 disrupted the status quo for many industries, but few have been hit as hard as those that rely on face-to-face interactions and in-person experiences. Museum visits are mostly on-hold, live entertainment (e.g. concerts) are a no-go and sporting events are nearly shut out to anyone who isn’t a player. As a result, brands have accelerated their digital transformation and realized the impact of social media on customer experience. With social media, brands can bring entertaining experiences into their audience’s homes and keep fans engaged until things … [Read more...]

Deciding to study computer science was one of the bravest and hardest things I have done. My family wanted me to study something that—as they saw it back then—would guarantee a better future for me. Coupled with the fact that I would be the first person in my family to go college, I was under enormous pressure to be successful.  My shyness and social awkwardness have always been my Achilles’ heel, but I ended up attending Texas Tech University and found myself in a lecture hall filled with almost thirty men and one other woman. I remember my professor making a point of … [Read more...]

On Instagram, first impressions are everything. It’s why influencers spend so much time curating their grids and ensuring every post looks like it belongs to one cohesive, thematic collection. It’s why people like you and I think twice before posting something to our feed, just in case it deviates from everything else on our grids (and yes, people will notice). Influencers have even found a way to package and sell their preset filters so others can easily create their own aesthetically pleasing Instagram grids. Anyone can add a domestic cozy or millennial pink filter … [Read more...]

Your employees can make or break the reputation of your company. Similar to researching a vacation or a restaurant with online reviews, job seekers (in addition to potential customers) look to websites like Glassdoor to inform their decisions. By reading employee reviews, they get an authentic look into the culture that powers your company. How does that relate to social media? It connects to a shared goal: employer branding. A close look at your audience shows the worlds of social, recruiting and inbound marketing are intertwined. A prospect sees posts about you on … [Read more...]

How do you run content marketing campaigns for your business in 2021 when the competition is fiercer than ever? Content marketing has been proven to produce amazing results for businesses. For instance, a good content marketing plan will generate you ….. The post How to create a content marketing plan for 2021 appeared first on Smart Insights. … [Read more...]