Category: IM Tool News

“How Influencers are Revolutionizing Live Brand Engagements and Events”

Creators and influencers have transcended the limitations of social media platforms and are now making significant contributions in the entertainment sector, playing a vital role in real-life events. They have established themselves as influential participants in live brand activations and entertainment happenings that go beyond conventional marketing.

Live activations are evolving into cultural events that generate substantial conversation online. As the boundaries between digital and physical realms continue to blur, creators are driving these activations, infusing their distinct audiences and inventive energy into the mix.
Influencers are now seen on the red carpet at major award ceremonies, engaging in exclusive brand trips, hosting temporary storefronts, among other activities. They have advanced beyond social media and become an integral part of our cultural landscape.

Consequently, brands must adopt experiential and omnichannel marketing tactics that include influencer marketing. The involvement of creators in live activations can amplify your brand message, foster genuine connections, and generate significant ROI.

This article will delve into how these partnerships are redefining live brand activations and provide guidance on how to effectively utilize the right influencers to maximize impact and engagement.

Bonus Resource: Optimize your influencer marketing approach with our comprehensive toolkit. Access a ready-to-use brief template, a flexible contract template, and exclusive research on successful influencer partnerships—all in one convenient location.

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The Emergence of Influencers in Entertainment and Brand Activations

The role of influencers in live events has significantly progressed in recent times. Once recognized for their niche content and online profiles, influencers have increasingly taken on vital roles in brand activations, live events, and even in public relations.

Influencers entered the live event scene through collaborations, such as LaurDIY’s partnership with Starbucks for their Sparkle Shop pop-ups in Canada. These initial activations showcased the ability of creators to attract crowds and generate excitement around a brand experience.

As social media content has evolved to include education and entertainment, influencers like Leo González have taken on roles that were traditionally filled by entertainment journalists, providing red carpet coverage for high-profile events such as the SAG Awards, Golden Globes, and Netflix premieres. González has expanded his influence beyond coverage, presenting at events like the Producers Guild and hosting the VerizonAccess Concert Series.

Instagram post from Leo Gonzales at VerizonAccess Concert Series

UK influencer Amelia Dimoldenberg exemplifies how creators can transition into entertainment figures by making an impact at significant events. She made her mark covering the British GQ Man of the Year event, leveraging her distinct viewpoint and substantial following on the red carpet.

TikTok post from the Oscars with Amelia Dimoldenberg interviewing on red carpet

Influencers also play a role in significant industry events, contributing valuable insights and sharing their knowledge. Marketing guru Lia Haberman attended SXSW, hosting a breakfast event with us and sharing key insights from her experience there.

Lia Haberman hosting creators at SXSW Sprout Social Breakfast

These instances highlight a wider phenomenon: influencers who initially rose to fame through specialized online content are now entering into large-scale brand collaborations and live marketing initiatives. This evolution underscores the growing acknowledgment that influencers are more than mere content creators; they are potent brand evangelists and experiential marketers.

The Increasing Significance of Live Brand Activations and the Role of Influencers

Live brand activations represent a vital aspect of experiential marketing. These occasions offer brands a unique opportunity to engage with their audience on a more personal level, crafting unforgettable, immersive experiences.

This is an opportunity to showcase who you are and what your brand stands for in a tangible manner, fostering a deeper bond with consumers.

Influencers and creators contribute an authentic and innovative flair that enhances the entire live experience. They assist brands in reinventing their presence at significant occasions and create entirely new live adventures. Their ability to connect with dedicated followings makes them ideal partners to ignite cultural moments that provide lasting significance to your events.

Influencers help cut through the clutter by curating content in real-time and providing exclusive behind-the-scenes insights while engaging with their audiences who may not be present physically.

Involving influencers in your events enables an omnichannel experience that can elevate levels of engagement and interaction. Their presence at your event lends credibility and forms genuine connections with their followers, which can dramatically amplify your brand’s online visibility and reach, creating a cascade of awareness and interest.

Essential Components of Live Marketing Activations with Influencers

Designing immersive experiences and partnering with the right influencers can significantly enhance the reach and cultural significance of your live brand activations. Here are some guidelines to consider when organizing your IRL events.

Clarify and Communicate Your Objectives

What are your goals? Brand visibility? Lead generation? Content development? Focus on how your activation can engage audiences, align with business objectives, and show ROI.

After establishing your objectives, utilize them to guide your influencer selection and activation approach. Incorporate these goals into your brand pitch and set clear expectations from the outset. Both you and the influencer should fully understand the goals, deliverables, and timelines. This clarity is vital to prevent miscommunication and ensure everyone is aligned, leading to a more fruitful partnership.

Utilize the Right Influencers and Creators for Maximum Exposure

The right influencers can significantly enhance the reach of your brand activations.

Whether you’re seeking niche or entertainment influencers, consider aspects such as audience interests, engagement metrics, and brand synergy.

By examining your audience’s interests, you may uncover creative partnership opportunities that can reframe your brand’s identity.

Brand safety and alignment are imperative for a successful collaboration. Choose influencers whose values and content resonate with your brand’s ethos. For instance, a health and wellness brand may collaborate with a lifestyle influencer who advocates for healthy living. This partnership feels more authentic and organic to the audience.

Also assess factors like content quality and audience engagement. An influencer or creator with a solid engagement record can effectively connect your brand with your target audience in a timely manner.

Make Event Planning a Collaborative Effort

The unique views, audience insights, and creative energy that influencers offer can assist brands in developing experiences that truly resonate, surprise, and delight. Collaborating with creators during the planning process can enhance audience satisfaction by better aligning with audience expectations.

Throughout your collaboration, maintaining effective communication will be vital for a successful partnership. Ensure the influencer is well-prepared and that their content matches your brand’s vision.

Establishing a relationship based on mutual respect is crucial. By valuing their insights and suggestions, you foster a positive partnership that leads to more impactful and successful live activations.

Develop Immersive Experiences

Being present or discussing the event isn’t sufficient. You need to offer the audience (both in-person and virtual) and the creator something to interact with.

Interactive displays are an excellent way to engage attendees at live events. For example, at Cannes, Pinterest hosted the Manifestival, which featured various interactive booths aligned with the platform’s trends and features. Attendees were able to create everything from charm bracelets to tie-dye shoes and receive custom tattoos. These activities brought Pinterest’s online community to life, captivating audiences while generating valuable user-generated content (UGC) for social media sharing.

Instagram post from Adweek about Pinterest Manifestival at Cannes

UGC extends the lifespan of your activations by bringing live events into the digital realm, providing attendees something to share on their feeds before and after the event. If fortunate, your audience might help create a viral effect that intertwines the live brand activation with social media culture. Don’t let this or the influencer’s content fade after the event; instead, repurpose their posts, stories, and videos across your brand’s social media, website, and additional marketing channels.

Social gatherings also offer an opportunity to create immersive experiences. Reflecting back on our SXSW example, with Lia Haberman as the host, our breakfast event connected attendees through a shared interest: the creator economy. Lia facilitated real-world relationships and knowledge sharing, moving online conversations offline. We provided attendees a platform to express their thoughts during and after the event, integrating them and their followers into the experience.

LinkedIn post from SXSW Sprout Social breakfast attendee.

Employ Technology to Elevate Experiences

Technology plays a significant role in the advancement of immersive fan experiences, and its influence will only increase. Augmented reality (AR) and gamification are leading this trend, transforming spectators into active participants.

An example of this transformation is the NBA’s All-Star Weekend application, where fans could earn points by engaging with challenges and installations throughout the event. This increased overall participation and enjoyment, while also providing the NBA with a wealth of user-generated content (UGC) to leverage across their social media platforms.

Beyond AR and gamification, various technologies enhance live events. Virtual reality (VR) can offer fans unique experiences, such as courtside views or backstage access, without requiring their physical presence. Wearable technology, such as smart wristbands, can personalize experiences by tracking fan preferences and providing tailored content and interactions. Furthermore, 5G connectivity will facilitate seamless streaming and instantaneous engagement, further blending the physical and digital experiences.

Don’t overlook the features available within your social networks. Custom stickers, filters, sounds, and more can significantly enhance the experience with exclusive content for influencers and fans to explore.

Capitalize on the Influence of Niche Creators for Memorable Brand Experiences

Influencers have evolved from mere content creators to architects of experience, storytellers, and cultural intermediaries between brands and their audiences. By embracing this new reality, you can create genuinely impactful and memorable brand experiences that resonate far beyond a single social media post.

However, quantifying the value of influencer marketing, particularly regarding live marketing activations, can be challenging. Monitoring key metrics like reach, engagement, attendance, and website traffic is a solid starting point for evaluating the success of your influencer activation. To establish connections between social engagement and overall business impact, you must analyze the data illustrating how these activations contribute to business results.

Explore our framework for optimizing influencer marketing ROI at each phase of the customer journey.

The post IRL takeovers: Influencers are reshaping live brand activations and events appeared first on Sprout Social.

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An All-Encompassing Manual for Pinterest Videos in 2025

An image conveys a multitude of meanings, but on Pinterest, a video can convey even more. Identified as one of the surging social media platforms by Statista, Pinterest has made remarkable strides.

A major leap for the platform was the launch of Pinterest videos in late 2018, which now play a crucial role in Pinterest marketing. With their striking visual narratives and engaging imagery, Pinterest videos not only attract attention—they prompt purchases. As per Sprout’s 2024 Content Benchmarks Report, 81% of consumers expressed a desire for more short-form videos from brands. Therefore, if you’re in search of innovative methods to convert interest into sales, consider using video Pins.

This article will explore everything necessary regarding Pinterest videos and illustrate why they should be part of your social media plan.

What constitutes a video Pin?

A video Pin is a visual marker on Pinterest that showcases one or several videos and images. These Pins play automatically within users’ home feeds and feature cover images designed to grab attention. Video Pins can also be enhanced with effects like stickers and animations.

Description of video Pins: A video Pin is a visual bookmark on Pinterest that features one or multiple videos and images. They play automatically in users’ feeds and incorporate cover images for maximum attention.

<p Much like platforms such as Instagram and TikTok, Pinterest videos are crafted with a mobile focus. Overall, Pinterest users—referred to as Pinners—should utilize vertical images and aspect ratios suitable for mobile viewing.

In contrast to other social platforms, Pinterest videos emphasize visuals over audio. For instance, Instagram and TikTok videos often rely on popular sounds or music. However, because of Pinterest’s Autoplay feature, videos typically play without sound on both desktop and mobile devices. Consequently, Pinners should prioritize visual assets—such as high-definition footage, captivating images, and text overlays—to effectively engage users.

Reasons to create Pinterest video Pins

Utilizing Pinterest for your business provides a variety of advantages, all of which enhance your comprehensive social media strategy. Whether you’re a neighborhood service or an international e-commerce entity, here are several reasons to tap into Pinterest’s potential.

Enhance brand visibility

Pinterest is structured for exploration.

An impressive 96% of Pinterest searches go unbranded. Generally, Pinners are on the lookout for inspiration and ideas rather than specific brands. This has resulted in 80% of weekly users discovering a new product or brand on the platform.

Increase site traffic

Pinterest permits you to attach links to your Pins, making it simpler to channel traffic to your site. Whether it’s your blog, product page, or booking form, you can direct users to precisely where you want them to navigate next.

With a business account, you can also monitor how many people click these links through Pinterest analytics.

A Sephora Pin showcasing scented products like shower oil and perfume, featuring the overlay text ‘Viral Fragrance Must-Haves’

Boost engagement

Pinterest has an active base of 553 million monthly users who are among the most engaged individuals online. This engagement extends beyond likes and comments; it also encompasses conversions. Specifically, Pinners are 1.4 times more likely to engage in shopping-related actions compared to users on alternative social media platforms.

Pinterest videos are particularly effective. The viewability rate of Pinterest video ads is three times greater than average across social media networks, while completion rates for videos are twice as high.

Enhance sales

Understanding how to leverage Pinterest for sales could bolster your revenue. Pinterest ranks as the fifth most utilized platform for social commerce, following Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and messaging platforms.

Pinterest also reaches some of the wealthiest demographics. In the U.S., it engages 40% of households with annual incomes exceeding $150K. A recent study indicated that about one-third of luxury shoppers on Pinterest earn over US$100K per year.

With increased disposable income, Pinners tend to spend more than the typical social shopper. On average, Pinterest shoppers invest twice the monthly amount compared to users on other platforms.

Best practices for Pinterest videos for brands

To begin reaping the benefits for your business, follow these best practices for Pinterest videos.

Adhere to optimal lengths and formats

When crafting video Pins, you can choose between two formats: standard width and max width.

Standard-width Pinterest videos are identical in size to regular Pins. Max width videos expand to wrap a user’s entire screen on mobile, offering a more immersive experience. Note that max width formatting is available only for paid video ads on Pinterest.

Here are the specifications for each format:

Chart detailing optimal lengths and formats for Pinterest videos along with other specifications

Repurpose existing content

Repurposing your videos from other social media platforms allows you to maximize efficiency without increasing workload.

One significant benefit of repurposing for Pinterest is the uniformity it ensures. Consistent messaging builds brand recognition, promotes authenticity, and encourages customer loyalty.

Repurposing content also conserves time. Instead of shooting, editing, and creating specific videos for each platform, you can leverage the same material across multiple channels. For example, you could repurpose footage from an Instagram Reel or TikTok video. This is exactly what the luxury luggage brand BÉIS did to showcase its limited-edition Wicked collection. The same video was shared to announce the launch across Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest.

A Pinterest video promoting BÉIS’ Wicked collection, showcasing pink and green suitcases, handbags, and cardholders.

Using a third-party video editing tool such as Adobe Premiere Pro, Canva, or CapCut can simplify formatting for Pinterest. These tools enable you to resize videos specifically for Pinterest while maintaining quality and avoiding watermarks.

Focus on accessibility

To promote inclusivity, your Pinterest videos must be accessible to all users. For instance, integrating captions helps ensure that your content is comprehensible, even in silence.

Your visuals must also be accessible. Utilize high-contrast color combinations (preferably a 4.5:1 ratio), especially in text overlays, to ensure visibility for all users, including those with visual impairments.

Incorporate a call to action (CTA)

Whether it’s for purchasing a product, booking a consultation, or subscribing to a newsletter, the primary aim of Pinterest videos is to drive specific actions. By clearly articulating those desirable actions through a call to action (CTA), you enhance the effectiveness of your Pinterest videos.

For organic Pinterest videos, you can add a link to any site of your choosing; however, the visible CTA text can only read as Visit site. To personalize your CTA, include it in your description or text overlay.

For Pinterest video ads, you may select from the following available CTA texts:

Chart displaying CTA texts available for Pinterest video ads

Monitor video performance

Tracking key metrics—like engagement rate, save rate, and average viewing time—is the optimal way to identify which videos resonate most with your audience.

Pinterest’s video-specific metrics provide valuable insights for future video content. For example, you can see how many viewers watched your video for at least 10 seconds and the number who viewed 95% of its content.

This information allows you to refine your content strategy. For instance, if a video maintains a high view count up to 95% of its length, you might replicate that editing style, include the same collaborators, or transform the video into a series covering relevant themes.

Utilize templates for efficiency

Among the most impactful tips for Pinterest content, leveraging templates stands out. Using templates enables you to create more Pinterest videos with less time and effort involved. These templates—available on Canva—already feature appealing designs, overlay text, elements, and animations. All that’s necessary is to customize them to match your brand.

A Canva webpage showcasing templates for Pinterest video Pins that marketers can adapt for their upcoming designs.

Affirm is among the top brands on Pinterest making effective use of templates. In numerous Pins, the brand incorporates text at the top and a colored box at the bottom showcasing its logo. Maintaining the same format not only simplifies content creation but also ensures cohesion. Such consistency helps audiences quickly identify your brand and understand what to expect, fostering trust and loyalty.

Affirm’s Pinterest profile, featuring several Pins using identical templates to highlight various travel destinations.

How to share a video on Pinterest

Sharing a video on Pinterest is straightforward. Follow these steps for posting directly from a desktop or mobile device.

Uploading a video to Pinterest from desktop

To create a video Pin on desktop, adhere to these instructions:

  • Log in to your Pinterest account.
  • From the left-hand menu, click on Create. For business accounts, click on the hamburger icon. Under Create, select Create Pin.
  • Click on the upload window and choose up to 10 videos from your computer.

Note: Each video you select will result in a separate Pin. To combine multiple images and videos into one video Pin, utilize the Pinterest mobile app.

  • Provide details for your video Pin, including its title, description, and link.
  • Click Done.
  • Hit Publish.

Uploading videos to Pinterest from mobile

To create a video Pin on mobile (iOS or Android), follow these steps:

  • Log in to your Pinterest app account.
  • Tap the + icon at the bottom of your screen.
  • Choose Pin.
  • Select up to 10 videos from your device or tap the camera icon to film a new video.

Note: If you select multiple visuals, they will be combined into one video Pin.

  • Tap Next.
  • Use the toolbar at the bottom to edit your video, add text, or insert other effects.
  • Press Next.
  • Provide information about your video Pin, including its title, description, and link.
  • Click Create.

Stay ahead and connected with Pinterest videos

With a vast, engaged, and affluent audience, Pinterest is filled with opportunities for brands. Whether your goal is to enhance brand visibility, boost sales, or distinguish yourself from the competition, Pinterest videos can provide a pathway to reach this unique audience and fulfill these objectives.

To maximize the impact of your Pinterest videos, make use of Pinterest analytics. The data will give you insights into content that captivates and resonates with your audience. Using these insights, you will be better equipped to replicate successful strategies and observe your brand’s growth.

 

The post Pinterest videos: A complete guide for 2025 appeared first on Sprout Social.

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Promoting Improved Social Media Technology by 2025

What is social media technology?

At its essence, social media technology refers to software that helps manage a business’s social media profiles across various platforms. However, as social media has progressed, management platforms have developed capabilities that go well beyond this fundamental role, offering significantly more to brands and their representatives.

Indeed, brands leveraging specialized social media management platforms report a noticeable impact on their financial performance. The 2024 Social Media Productivity Report revealed that 55% of social media marketers utilizing these tools believe their work greatly enhances revenue—over twice the 23% of those not using such tools.

From advanced data analytics to improved customer service functionalities and influencer marketing resources, social teams and business leaders have increasingly depended on social media technology.

How social media technology has evolved

More than 5 billion individuals actively use social media around the globe, with 30% of users intending to increase their social media engagement in 2025. From new platforms to well-known networks, audiences have an almost unquenchable thirst for social media content across different channels. Consequently, social media networks are continuously evolving to keep pace with the changing preferences of their expanding user base.

A chart ranking the factors that consumers say make their favorite brands stand out on social.

 

As platforms innovate, social media technology has progressed accordingly—ensuring that practitioners can continue to engage where and how their audiences anticipate. According to the latest Sprout Social Index™, consumers identify the key elements that help brands distinguish themselves on social media as:

  • Quality of their product or service (63%)
  • Uniqueness of their content (46%)
  • Interaction with their followers (36%)
  • Speed of customer responses (24%)

Social media technology has advanced significantly since its inception. Beyond its fundamental role in facilitating content scheduling and cross-posting, it has become crucial in improving customer experiences, enabling timelier responses to customers, and leveraging performance metrics to shape content strategies.

Social media tools also:

  • Create operational efficiencies
  • Allow teams to engage with audiences on a large scale
  • Analyze performance data
  • Provide insights into customers at every stage of their journey
  • Incorporate emerging technologies, such as AI, into team workflows
  • Equip leaders with crucial market intelligence
  • Demonstrate the significance and value of social media to the organization
The Sprout Social Profile Performance Report, which displays impressions, engagements, post link clicks and changes in audience growth.

There is no definitive guide for how networks will evolve over the next five years. However, social media technology ensures that your brand is not just managing social presence but effectively maximizing it, aligning with the rapid development pace of the industry.

The role of social media technology at your organization

Social media serves as far more than a promotional outlet: It’s a direct link to your customers.

According to Deloitte’s research from January 2024, “Brands that prioritize social media are centralizing it in their overall brand and customer experience, making it a crucial factor in strategic objectives across the entire C-suite—from commerce and customer care to risk management and product development, among others.”

With the right social media technology, you can streamline manual processes and manage all your use cases while uncovering valuable customer insights for your entire organization. Social media tools prepare your team to be at the vanguard of the future.

Make time for more impactful work with AI and automation

Without an efficient management platform, executing a social strategy that includes publishing, reporting, customer service, influencer marketing, and data analysis is exceedingly complex. Teams lacking the appropriate dedicated software often find themselves bogged down by repetitive manual tasks while relying on various tools, spreadsheets, and email correspondence, which consumes valuable time and resources (not to mention the heightened risk of errors during reporting).

Fortunately, AI and automation are transforming the workflows of social teams. The 2025 Index indicates that 97% of marketing leaders view AI proficiency as essential for marketers. Yet, many social teams continue to face challenges from time-consuming, repetitive tasks that hinder their focus on impactful, strategic initiatives. In fact, 63% of social marketers report that manual tasks restrict their ability to produce significant business outcomes.

Automation helps remove these hurdles. The Social Media Productivity Report indicates that marketers using dedicated social media management platforms—many of which feature AI-driven capabilities—are nearly twice as likely to feel they have sufficient time to accomplish their tasks. These teams can redirect their attention toward more strategic initiatives, such as influencer marketing, employee advocacy, and enhanced customer support.

By integrating AI and automation into their procedures, brands can save time and enhance efficiency. For instance, Sprout Social helped the Salesforce team save 12,000 hours by automating routine tasks, allowing them to focus more on building and strengthening relationships with clients.

Elevate customer experiences

Social media technology empowers you to deliver unparalleled customer experiences and cultivate enduring customer relationships—ensuring that no message or brand mention goes unnoticed and providing the appropriate level of support throughout.

Sprout consolidates all incoming messages into a Smart Inbox, allowing you to oversee discussions, respond promptly, and prioritize pressing customer requirements using AI-driven sentiment analysis. With Enhance by AI Assist—integrated with Sprout’s OpenAI—you can fine-tune responses in the Smart Inbox by selecting from four different stylistic tones. If a message needs a more personal touch, it can be transformed into a Case and assigned to the appropriate customer service representative.

A 2025 commissioned Total Economic Impact™ study by Forrester Consulting discovered that Sprout aided customer service specialists from a composite organization in achieving a 10% productivity increase using Smart Inbox functionalities. The findings suggested that the streamlined Inbox enhances the customer experience by facilitating quicker response times and establishing brand credibility through dependable social support.

The Sprout Social Smart Inbox offers a unified interface to respond to messages across social platforms

 

Social technology gathers data from customer interactions, shedding light on needs and issues that can enhance customer care responses, while fostering loyalty and advocacy. This is vital for meeting consumer expectations. Recent Index findings indicate that consumers believe personalized customer service should be a primary focus for companies in 2025.

For instance, through Sprout’s collaboration with Salesforce, you can empower your service team by incorporating social insights into customer profiles—providing a cohesive experience for your clients (and easing the workload of your customer support team simultaneously).

The contact view in the Smart Inbox. You can see the Sprout user responding to a customer, and the customer's Salesforce information in the panel on the right side of the screen.

Centralize and distribute data-driven insights

Social media’s influence has extended far beyond marketing, impacting almost every aspect of a business. One of the primary internal metrics that social marketers track to evaluate their success is the number of teams utilizing social data to guide their work, as noted in the Index.

An advanced platform integrates your social presence with your existing technology stack—collating data from various sources and making it readily available beyond the marketing department. By incorporating social data into “state of the business” reports, you can provide a comprehensive view of your business performance, collect customer insights for R&D product decisions, and share essential market research to assist leadership in overcoming market challenges and uncertainties.

Using Sprout’s Listening solution and Analytics tools, brands can monitor their performance, analyze what competitors are doing, and recognize industry-wide trends. Sprout’s automated, presentation-ready reports remove the burden of manual data compilation, enabling social marketers to craft a compelling narrative about their brand and market.

The Total Economic Impact™ study of Sprout Social found that adopting Sprout helped decrease time spent on social media reporting by 80%, resulting in $38,000 in savings over three years for the composite entity.

Assist social teams in generating greater pipeline and revenue impact

The right social media management tool can directly connect social activities to revenue, empowering teams to refine their strategies for enhanced outcomes.

At Sprout, we’ve utilized multi-touch attribution to identify which content drives pipeline revenue, revealing the messaging elements that significantly influence performance. With this insight, we have been able to demonstrate the ROI of our top-performing content and key messaging campaigns—resulting in increased budgets for team expansion, broadened influencer marketing efforts, and even securing approval for Sprout’s inaugural brand activation at Design Miami 2024.

A proactive investment in social media technology can lay the groundwork for future team investments. Linking social efforts to pipeline revenue cannot be achieved through native tools alone—it necessitates integrated solutions that align seamlessly with your marketing technology stack, allowing you to create a transparent and accurate illustration of how your team’s contributions drive revenue.

Why invest in social media technology

When social teams are provided with the appropriate tools, they can add value not just to the marketing department, but to the entire organization.

Investing in a social media management platform equips your business with the necessary tools to develop or sustain brand relevance. Social data serves as a reliable foundation that will assist your company in honing product development, boosting your employer brand, and attracting top talent—while directly contributing to revenue.

In challenging economic times and tight budgets, investing in social media offers a competitive edge.

Pro tip: Not all social media management platforms are created equal

While there are hundreds of platforms available, many do not have the vision or dedication to meet a business’s long-term needs. For instance, certain platforms’ mergers and acquisitions have resulted in mismatched offerings that create a challenging user experience for sophisticated teams.

In contrast, Sprout Social has intentionally acquired companies like Repustate and Influencer Marketing (formerly Tagger) to enhance our clients’ abilities to derive deeper insights from social media and expand their brand footprint. We do not merely append or compartmentalize an acquired company; instead, we thoughtfully integrate them into the customer experience to guarantee seamless service delivery.

Where others may prioritize short-lived cost reductions, Sprout is designed to foster long-term success. Through integrations with platforms like Salesforce, Tableau, Shopify, and Zendesk, we dismantle silos, unify teams, and provide actionable insights across your entire organization—from customer service to sales. Our platform connects data in real-time, enabling teams to make informed, data-driven decisions.

Sprout’s AI, powered by OpenAI and social data, generates tailored insights that enhance strategy and streamline campaign management. With a focus on privacy and trust, we ensure that your data is protected while continuously innovating responsibly.

Your selected platform should be user-friendly and offer dedicated and consistent support, while also maintaining a clear product vision and relationships with major networks. The social media technology you choose should prioritize innovation without overly complicating processes or requiring cumbersome retraining that consumes your business’s time and resources.

Without social media technology, your brand leaves revenue opportunities on the table

Social media’s role in business success is more crucial than ever.

Yet, without the proper technology, social teams can become overwhelmed—putting companies at risk of overlooking essential insights. To fully harness the potential of social media, you require a management platform that enhances workflow efficiency, scales customer interactions, and elevates audience insights.

Request a personalized demo to see Sprout’s powerful data, adaptable tools, and intuitive user experience in action. We are eager to demonstrate how our platform can assist you in connecting with your audience on a larger scale and gathering vital insights that drive your business forward.

Schedule a demo

The post The case for better social media technology in 2025 appeared first on Sprout Social.

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“Key LinkedIn Metrics for Marketers to Understand in 2025”

In terms of connecting with professionals and B2B buyers, LinkedIn stands out as a top choice. Given that the platform is tailored for professional interactions and networking, you might not be using it just like a standard social network. In fact, it’s one of the rare places where written content outshines visuals, as noted in the 2024 Social Media Content Strategy Report.

This underscores the importance of grasping LinkedIn statistics to determine the most effective strategies for the network.

This article presents 28 essential social media statistics relevant to LinkedIn, helping you maximize your platform usage.

Key LinkedIn statistics you should be aware of

  • LinkedIn boasts 1.2 billion members.
  • In February 2025, LinkedIn.com recorded 1.77 billion monthly visits.
  • The user demographic is predominantly aged 25 to 34.
  • The platform is favored by male users, making up 56.9% of its community.
  • 25% of users engage with brand content daily.

LinkedIn usage statistics

1. LinkedIn has reached 1.2 billion members

As LinkedIn maintains its status as a go-to platform for professional networking, it continues to experience steady growth. According to recent data from DataReportal, there are currently 1.2 billion members on LinkedIn. This aligns with the company’s own assertion of having over 1 billion members, making it the largest network for professionals.

Given such an extensive reach, a robust LinkedIn marketing approach can assist in attracting B2B audiences, potential connections, and thought leaders.

2. LinkedIn.com records 1.77 billion visits monthly

The platform enjoys significant traffic each month, indicating a highly active user base. Semrush reported 1.77 billion visits in February 2025.

3. 43% of consumers maintain a LinkedIn profile

While LinkedIn primarily targets professional networking, it also experiences considerable consumer engagement. As per the 2025 Sprout Social Index™, 43% of consumers possess a profile on the platform, placing it seventh among the most utilized social networks by consumers.

4. 25% of users engage with brand content on a daily basis

Users actively participate on LinkedIn. DataReportal reveals that an average user spends around 48 hours a month on the platform via mobile. Although this figure isn’t exceedingly high, many engage frequently enough to log in daily.

The 2024 Social Media Content Strategy Report highlighted that a quarter of users engage with brand content daily, while the remaining half use LinkedIn more casually, logging in a few times a week or bi-weekly.

LinkedIn user and demographics statistics

5. LinkedIn is especially popular among the 25-34 age group

Given the platform’s professional orientation, it’s expected that LinkedIn appeals most to young professionals. Over 47% of LinkedIn users fall within the 25 to 34 age range. The next most populous age group is 18 to 24, nearly comprising 29% of its user base. Over 20% of LinkedIn users are aged between 35 and 54.

chart showing the distribution of LinkedIn users by age group as of February 2025

Source: Statista

This closely corresponds with findings from the 2024 Social Media Content Strategy Report, which indicates that LinkedIn is predominantly favored by Gen X and Millennials, who represent the core of the workforce, hence explaining their dominance on the platform.

Yet, as shown by the Statista report, a noticeable shift towards younger users is occurring, coinciding with Gen Z entering the workforce.

6. There are more male users on LinkedIn than female

Globally, male users tend to outnumber female users on LinkedIn. As of February 2025, 56.9% of users were male, and 43.1% were female.

Note: Sprout Social recognizes gender inclusivity beyond just male and female; however, we present the statistics as reported by the source. Statista limits its gender analysis to these two categories.

7. The US has over 234 million LinkedIn members

The United States holds the title for most LinkedIn members. Yet, the Asia Pacific (APAC) region tops by member count at 326 million, with North America (NAM) following at 260 million members.

8. Over half of LinkedIn members come from households earning more than $100,000

LinkedIn attracts high-income users. A study by the Pew Research Center found that 53% of its users belong to households with earnings exceeding $100,000.

Additionally, 34% hail from households earning upwards of $70,000.

9. More than half of LinkedIn members hold at least a bachelor’s degree

These income-related statistics are logical when considering the platform’s education data. As of February 2025, one-third of LinkedIn members possess a bachelor’s degree or a similar qualification, with an additional 18% holding a master’s degree or its equivalent.

10. LinkedIn favors suburban and urban residents

The Pew Research Center study mentioned earlier established that 32% of LinkedIn users are situated in urban locales. Conversely, it finds its strongest popularity in suburban areas, where 39% reside, while only 19% of users live in rural regions.

LinkedIn advertising and marketing statistics

11. LinkedIn holds the title for the foremost B2B marketing platform

For B2B marketing, LinkedIn reigns supreme. A global survey shows that 44% of B2B professionals regard it as the top social media platform.

This status is partly attributable to LinkedIn’s capacity to connect with decision-makers. According to the platform, four out of five members influence business decisions. Additionally, LinkedIn’s audience boasts double the purchasing power of the average online audience.

Hence, it’s unsurprising that 57% of marketers plan to enhance their organic marketing initiatives on LinkedIn.

12. The platform leads in B2B marketing usage

In correlation with the previous findings, LinkedIn is widely utilized for B2B marketing. Statista asserts that 86% of B2B marketers utilize LinkedIn, establishing it as the most preferred social media platform among this demographic.

13. LinkedIn ads perform remarkably well

LinkedIn advertisements yield a 33% rise in purchase intention for brands. Advertising on LinkedIn can lead to a 2–3x increase in brand metrics, with marketers experiencing conversion rates that can be up to 2x higher compared to other platforms. Furthermore, users exposed to brand messages on LinkedIn are 6x more likely to convert, all of which support a successful LinkedIn advertising campaign.

14. It serves as a potent lead generation channel

According to company data, 40% of B2B marketers classify LinkedIn as the most effective channel for generating high-quality leads. In fact, 89% of B2B marketers use LinkedIn for lead generation efforts, with 62% confirming it successfully generates leads for them. Additionally, LinkedIn’s cost per lead is 28% lower compared to Google AdWords.

Considering all that LinkedIn offers marketers, it’s no surprise that 97% of B2B marketers utilize LinkedIn for their content marketing initiatives.

15. LinkedIn users desire brands to provide educational content

Marketing on LinkedIn extends beyond merely promoting products and services. Users prefer brands to offer educational insights, whether regarding products or the industry overall.

The 2024 Social Media Content Strategy Report revealed that this is the primary way users want brands to engage on LinkedIn. Consider crafting informative LinkedIn carousels and videos aimed at educating your audience.

Moreover, users also anticipate brands to cultivate community and offer customer support.

LinkedIn engagement statistics

16. Fully completed LinkedIn pages attract more views

Profiles with comprehensive information receive 30% more weekly views. A recommended best practice on LinkedIn is to provide all the information that users might need to know about your business. Beyond your logo and cover image, elaborate on all components of your company description.

Keep in mind, members can search for you using keywords, so having a complete and relevant profile is essential for visibility.

17. Text posts dominate the platform

While visual and video content reign on many social networks today, LinkedIn tells a different story, as highlighted in the 2024 Social Media Content Strategy Report. When it comes to interacting with brands, users predominantly engage with text posts.

Static images follow close behind, revealing that video might not be the most effective way to reach LinkedIn users. If incorporating videos, ensure they are the correct size using our helpful image size guide.

Nonetheless, videos still hold potential; if used, aim for brief clips (preferably under 15 seconds) to drive higher engagement.

18. Optimal posting days are from Tuesday to Thursday

The LinkedIn algorithm operates similarly to other social media platforms when it comes to ranking content. It considers engagement factors to determine which posts appear in a user’s feed.

Timing is crucial if you’re aiming to boost interaction on your posts. Posting while your followers are active enhances visibility and engagement.

The 2024 Social Media Content Strategy Report suggests that the ideal days to post are Tuesday through Thursday, with mornings being generally favorable. Our study on the best times to post on LinkedIn found that peak engagement occurs around 10 a.m.

heatmap showing LinkedIn global engagement patterns for 2025

However, don’t solely rely on these findings. Leverage insights from your LinkedIn analytics to assess what works specifically for your audience. Our recommended posting times can be a starting point for experimenting with different posting schedules.

LinkedIn video statistics

19. Shorter videos tend to engage more than longer formats

We exist in the era of short-form video, where consumer preference leans towards brief video content. The shorter, the more effective.

This trend holds true on LinkedIn as well, as seen in the 2024 Social Media Content Strategy Report. Users are inclined to interact with videos that are less than 15 seconds, rather than those lasting 15-30 seconds.

20. Video ranks as the most shared type of content

A Socialinsider study indicated that video content garners the most shares on LinkedIn. The more shares a post receives, the broader its reach. Thus, even though users engage more with text posts, videos can still have a significant impact.

21. Users create videos at double the rate of other content

Thanks to the strong impact of videos, it’s no wonder LinkedIn users are increasing their video production. The platform notes that video content creation is advancing at twice the pace of other formats.

LinkedIn recruiting and job statistics

22. Job searching is the primary reason users visit LinkedIn

With countless organizations utilizing LinkedIn for recruitment, it comes as no surprise that job hunting is the leading reason individuals use the platform. The 2024 Social Media Content Strategy Report uncovered that users predominantly turn to LinkedIn for job searches. Additionally, they seek networking and career advancement opportunities.

23. Over 11,000 members apply for jobs every minute

In line with this observation, users are actively applying for jobs on the platform. The company reports that more than 11,000 members submit job applications every minute.

24. Hiring rates are becoming more stable

Economic upheaval and fluctuating job markets have influenced hiring patterns on LinkedIn. Hiring rates began declining in 2022. Nevertheless, the March 2025 LinkedIn Workforce Report indicates signs of a stabilizing job market.

Hiring trends across sectors remained nearly unchanged from January to February (+0.3%), marking the second consecutive month of minimal hiring declines since 2022.

25. Posts without degree requirements are on the rise

There’s a growing inclination among employers to prioritize candidates’ abilities over their educational background. In fact, 26% of paid LinkedIn job listings in 2023 did not require a college degree, reflecting a 16% increase since 2020.

This shift broadens employers’ talent access while aligning candidates with suitable roles. Consequently, companies can achieve improved quality hires and experience long-term recruitment success.

LinkedIn company statistics

26. LinkedIn operates offices in 38 global cities

LinkedIn maintains offices in 38 cities worldwide, including over 10 in the U.S. and more than 20 in significant cities like Amsterdam, Beijing, London, Milan, and Tokyo.

27. LinkedIn is offered in 36 languages

LinkedIn is continuously enhancing its accessibility across the globe. It is now available in 36 languages, including Bangla, Czech, Malay, Persian, Telugu, and Thai.

28. The premium subscription base is increasing

As professionals seek vital networking tools, LinkedIn Premium sees growing adoption. The company reports a 50% increase in Premium subscribers over the last two years, with Premium surpassing $2 billion in annual revenue by Q2 of 2025.

Enhance your LinkedIn marketing strategy for 2025

The LinkedIn statistics discussed above indicate that marketing on the platform transcends simply sharing leadership thoughts; people are interested in educational content and brands actively participating in community engagement.

Now that you have these insights, you can formulate an effective strategy targeting key decision-makers. Download our complimentary LinkedIn strategy worksheet to begin.

The article 28 LinkedIn statistics that marketers must know in 2025 was originally published on Sprout Social.

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