Have you ever thought about taking over social media?
Social media takeover is when you give posting privileges to someone you care about, such as an influencer, expert, or professional. While takeovers are most popular on Instagram and Snapchat, they can be hosted on any social platform.
This guide will cover how your brand can benefit from a social media takeover. It will also show you step-by-step how to run your own takeover. And inspire you from other successful social media takeovers.
Why are you running a social media takeover?
There are many reasons to host the social media takeover. They can help you increase awareness of your brand, open new audiences, engage your existing followers, and more.
Increase exposure
Social algorithms change often, but a general rule of thumb is the more engagement your post gets, the more likely it is to be seen by others. Whether you tap into a macro-influencer with a large audience or a micro-influencer with a dedicated base, increased exposure can bring more engagement, sales and followers to your account.
Ethical fashion brand Everlane teamed up with Teen Vogue beauty editor and stylist Michelle Li for expert advice on how to style their strands.
Get new followers
One of the primary benefits of increased exposure is new followers.
If you can find an inherited host that appeals to your target demographic, they are more likely to be interested in hearing more from your brand. But acquisitions can also be an effective way to enter new markets.
Are you opening a store in a new city? Starting a menswear line? Find a host who will dominate your new target market and can introduce you to new potential followers.
To announce that it offers free worldwide shipping on orders, Reformation asked British influencer Lucy Williams to take over Instagram Stories and model her pieces in London.
Build brand affinity
Takeover servers can have a halo effect for your brand. If an influencer is trusted by his audience, a vote of confidence can go a long way in establishing your brand’s credibility.
But definitely don’t think of takeovers as endorsements. Takeover hosts can show a more personal or ethical side of your brand.
For example, if you want to promote your sustainable practices, get a homeowner who is a recognized advocate for the environment. Do you want to prove that your products can be worn by people of all ages and body types? Find inheritance hosts of different ages and body types.
To take over Twitter, Mastercard asked its summer interns what they were passionate about. While promoting the brand’s #pricelesssummer campaign, the campaign also shared a more personal side.
As a Sponsorship trainee, Esha attends great global events like the GRAMMY Awards! But unfortunately his internship will not include participation in the upcoming Rugby World Cup 😢 pic.twitter.com/qNDocEbfBd
— We are Mastercard (@wearemastercard) 24 July 2019
Share different perspectives
Unique perspectives can resonate with different followers. Social media managers should always work to include and account for different perspectives, and takeovers can help fill in gaps or amplify certain voices.
Do a social media audit and see if your content truly reflects your audience, customers or employees. If not, consider taking over social media as a way to promote new faces, ideas, and experiences.
Washington Post travel brand By The Way has recruited 50 local reporters and writers from around the world to take over Instagram Stories. Being local in the context of travel provides authenticity as well as diversity.
Kanchan Koya’s perspective as a molecular biologist/mother colored her takeover of @BuzzfeedTasty with clues only she could offer.
Make the most of special events
Whether you’re launching a new campaign or sponsoring an event, a takeover can help your brand seize the moment on social media. And special events often result in fun content that your brand and takeover can be creative with.
If this is a high profile event, be sure to use relevant hashtags that will help you gain extra exposure.
Also, be mindful of social media holidays. If you manufacture cat products and plan to take over from a pet influencer, #InternationalCatDay might be a good day for it.
Red Bull and Red Bull Photography teamed up during the #RedBowlRippers event, taking over photographer Teddy Morellec. The takeover has garnered attention with the hashtag #WorldPhotographyDay, in addition to its own rippin event.
How to take over social media in 5 steps?
- Define your goals
- Find the right creators
- Set inheritance parameters
- Encourage takeover
- Track your success
Social media takeovers don’t have to be complicated. Follow these steps to make sure your inheritance checks all the right boxes.
Along the way, we’ve included examples to inspire social media takeover ideas.
1. Define your goals
If you think it’s right to take over social media for your brand, start by creating a plan. What do you hope to achieve with an acquisition? How will you do it? when will you do it How will you define success?
Here’s a clever way to answer these questions with the SMART rubric:
- Special: Clearly state your campaign intentions.
- measurable: Define the metrics you will use to monitor performance.
- accessible: Be realistic. Don’t prepare yourself for failure.
- Relating to: Make sure the acquisition is linked to broader business goals.
- on time: Set appropriate deadlines for your team and social calendar.
By focusing your goals more clearly, you’ll be in a better position to answer key social media takeover questions like:
- What channels will you use for your takeover?
- Will your takeover have a theme?
- What types of creators would be eligible?
2. Find the right creators
Once your goals are defined, you will need to find people who can help you achieve them.
Partnering with an influencer is a popular choice, as good creators will have large and loyal audiences.
If you go this route, check out who they’ve partnered with in the past. Look at the engagement on their campaigns and learn about their personalities.
Pro tip: Watch out for things that could be red flags for your brand, such as previous partnerships with a competitor or promoting views that your company does not support.
Still, not all social media takeovers require influencers. Consider partnering with people who have a unique and knowledgeable perspective.
For example, on Instagram, each week @newyorkerphoto hands over the limelight to a different photographer. These photographers may not have a huge audience, but they create work that The New Yorker audience will find interesting.
The performing arts center offers behind-the-scenes tours taken over from its stars to promote new shows at the Kennedy Center.
On Snapchat, the Tony Awards chose Simba from The Lion King to host the event on social media.
Or maybe you want to show people what’s behind your brand. An employee takeover can be a great way to showcase your in-house expertise, customer service, corporate values and more.
A little monkey business is fair game too. Just ask the gorilla ranger at the Durrell Wildlife Trust and Jersey Zoo.
3. Set the inheritance parameters
This is where you get into the details.
Before we go too far, it’s important to determine who will create and publish what content. In many cases, the takeover host is featured on the content, which means control can be held within your brand’s social media team.
If your host is creating the content, set a schedule for review and publication. You can delegate access to your account or ask them to provide it and post on their behalf – unless your takeover is on Snapchat, then you’ll have to delegate access.
If you have a brand or social media style guide, be sure to provide it to your host.
Other things to discuss are:
- On which platforms will the takeover be made? (Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter etc.)
- When and how long will the takeover take? Factor in metrics like your influencer’s audience location and the time of day they get the most engagement.
- What types of media will be shared? Photos, Boomerangs, videos, etc. Is the host responsible for writing copies as well?
- Will takeover posts include stories, IGTV, or YouTube videos?
- How many posts will the takeover involve?
- Will the takeover promote a hashtag? Should it also include another hashtag?
- Should the content include other elements such as stickers, filters, or polls? Will links be added as well?
Depending on the platform you choose, some details will be more important than others. For example, Irene Kim’s takeover of Seoul Fashion Week Snapchat for Vogue took some logistical planning, but the content was more off-the-headline than polished.
Meanwhile, The North Face’s hyper-bright, multi-channel takeover campaign featuring professional skiers would require much more planning and discussion.
4. Encourage takeover
When you’re planning a takeover, it’s a good idea to let people know.
If you have hired an impressive talent, ask them to promote the acquisition in their personal account. Depending on what you agree on, they may impersonate content on the specified social platforms before and during the takeover. Make sure they include your handle and/or hashtag when they do.
Just because the takeover is happening on Instagram doesn’t mean you should only promote it there. Go to Twitter, Snapchat, LinkedIn, and channels that seem relevant to keep your audience aware of it.
If you send out a newsletter or run a blog, consider sharing it there as well.
If you’re messing around with the inheritance beforehand, be sure to include the date and time they should set – especially if your inheritance is a temporary Story or Instant.
You can also highlight inheritance on Instagram if it’s not time sensitive. If it’s on Snapchat, make sure you get screenshots and a video that you can post on YouTube or elsewhere.
Set up tomorrow for our Singapore summer intern Twitter takeover! pic.twitter.com/8mwIj7VE0l
— We are Mastercard (@wearemastercard) 23 July 2019
5. Track your success
No social media takeover is complete without reviewing its performance. Depending on your takeover goals, different metrics will be more important than others.
Use the analytics tools at your disposal (many platforms offer metrics for businesses) to measure follower growth, engagement, views, click-through rates, and more.
If your host has posted content on their account, ask them to share their metrics as well.
Be sure to document your success, especially when it comes to expired content. Find out what works and what doesn’t so your next social media takeover will be even more successful.
Use Moyens I/O to manage your next social media takeover. Post on all major social channels, respond to comments and messages, and track the success of your campaign from the same dashboard. Try it for free today.
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