Brand leaders are welcoming a new term to the ecommerce landscape – “social-out”. This new type of marketing strategy is centered around social media content and utilizes other channels to tell its story. The term was introduced by Charles Ifegwu, Managing Director of The Fifth, a social creative agency. In this approach, social media becomes the primary focus of marketing strategies, acting as a central hub where culture is cultivated and amplified, thus increasing the effectiveness of other channels.
Though social-first and social-out strategies may seem similar, they are distinct. While social-first involves creating content for social platforms and driving key messages therein, social-out goes a step further. It leverages social media to create content that transcends its origin platform and impacts other channels. It encourages building a community and fostering audience engagement that drives behavior throughout their journey.
Influential brands are shifting towards a social-out methodology for continued relevance, especially as consumers move their attention to platforms like YouTube and TikTok. The strategy acknowledges that conversations can live across physical and digital touchpoints. Encouraging marketers to build momentum while prioritizing continuity and platform nuances, this approach allows strategists to tailor their messaging to enhance the impact of social onirrespective of traditional borders.
The influence of the social-out marketing strategy is underpinned by the metrics, and according to data, the average US TikTok users spend about 95 minutes per day on the platform. Meanwhile, YouTube retains the highest share of time spent watching videos amongst Gen Z and millennials. Brands that hinge their strategy on these attention-rich social platforms can effectively utilize this focus to impact audiences elsewhere thereby creating a cohesive marketing strategy across budgeted channels to drive ROI.
One factor acting as an accelerant to social-out adoption is the demise of the third-party cookie. The decay of third-party cookies has eroded brands’ capabilities to target ads based on user browsing histories. However, social media apps offer brands significant reach based on first-party data. Brands are gaining tremendous access to ultra-targeted audiences tuned to individual interests, particularly via platforms like TikTok and its algorithmic ‘For You’ feed.
Influence creation and brand building on social platforms are also moving upstream. Long-term brand building now necessitates partnering with influencers who align with a brand’s ethos and have the power to mold consumer values and establish trends. The kind of creator traction exemplified by TikTok sensation Charli D’Amelio signifies that tapping into cultural pulses rather than simply promoting products is crucial for a brand’s success.
The future of TikTok’s ad revenue looks bright, projected to reach $17.2 billion in 2024, marking a 30.7% increase from the previous year. However, merely spending money on the platform doesn’t ensure its full potential realization. As traditional media lags, new media ripples through the industry bid brands to rethink marketing campaign planning and executions.
Source: Why Leading Brands Should Adopt A Social-Out Approach To Marketing.
