Why big brands should adopt a social out approach to marketing

Brand leaders are embracing the new paradigm of e-commerce, and a new term has entered the zeitgeist to capture it: social outreach..

Social-out marketing is a strategy that puts social media content and delivery formats at the core, while leveraging other channels to extend your storytelling.

“Social-out marketing puts social media at the heart of your marketing strategy, not as an appendage,” says Charles Ifeagwu, managing director of The Fifth, the social creative agency that coined the term. “Today, social media is where culture is formed, and where culture is amplified to increase the effectiveness of other channel marketing execution.”

As consumer attention shifts to platforms like YouTube and TikTok, big brands are pivoting to social outreach to stay relevant. Here's what marketing leaders need to know.

Social First vs. Social Out

Brands and their agency partners have been talking about “social first” for a while now – in this paradigm, brands live on social and invest in creating content aimed at communicating key messages on those platforms.

What sets Social Out apart is the recognition that social can be used to create groundbreaking content that transcends the original platform and ultimately influences and lives on in other channels. It focuses on building community and driving ownership and buy-in from audiences that drive action throughout the customer journey.

“My day-to-day work is no longer focused on using social media to drive brand health,” says Tatiana Holifield, vice president of content and growth marketing at SiriusXM and Pandora. “Social media is the distribution platform with the easiest access to a massive audience and can unlock the next wave of subscriber growth for our app products. We leverage social content marketing to drive brand awareness at the top of the funnel, drive consideration in the mid-funnel, and move potential subscribers downstream to convert them into paying customers who are loyal to our brand and content for the long term.”

This methodology also takes into account the notion that conversations can live across digital and physical touchpoints. This allows marketers to build, continue and strengthen momentum while prioritizing continuity and platform nuances. Strategists can adjust messaging based on consideration and execution to leverage the influence of social beyond traditional boundaries.

The power of attention across platforms

The numbers show why social-out marketing has become essential. It comes down to intent and attention. U.S. TikTok users now spend an average of 95 minutes per day on the platform. YouTube still accounts for the largest share of video viewing time among Gen Z and Millennials. Building your marketing strategy around high-attention social platforms and using that attention to grow your influence elsewhere can help tie together your holistic marketing strategy across budgeted channels and improve your ROI.

Direct-to-consumer brands that previously relied heavily on search are now heavily focused on platforms like TikTok and Snapchat. These brands were built on a performance marketing model driven by keywords. Social media has transformed marketing. Now, awareness drives discovery and performance, not the other way around.

While search remains essential, search and discovery behavior is changing, with younger generations discovering more products through social channels.

Third Party Cookies and Algorithms

While a significant increase in time spent on social apps is driving the adoption of social outings, another factor is also acting as a catalyst: the demise of third-party cookies is reducing brands’ ability to target ads across the open web based on users’ browsing history.

“Meanwhile, the walled gardens of social media apps offer brands massive reach based on their own, first-party data,” Ifeagwu says. “This culminates with TikTok.” TikTok's algorithmically-driven “For You” feed (the first feed you see when you open TikTok) gives brands access to ultra-targeted audiences tailored to their individual interests. Compare this to the diminishing opportunities to precisely target consumers elsewhere.

Upstream influence

Brand building on social platforms is spreading influence upstream from sales-focused key opinion leaders to brand builders who create culture and community.

“Sales-focused influencers who tout deals still have a role to play in strategic campaigns,” Ifeagwu acknowledges, “but long-term brand building requires partnering with influencers who set trends and shape consumer values ​​while also aligning with the ethos and philosophy of the brands you collaborate with. This allows for a seamless, authentic connection between your audience and your brand.”

The creator following garnered by Charli D'Amelio, for example, whose dance videos have gone viral on TikTok, spawning thousands of variations and memes, shows the importance of keeping one's finger on the cultural pulse rather than just promoting a product.

TikTok's advertising revenue is expected to reach $17.2 billion in 2024, up 30.7% from last year. But spending on the platform alone won't be enough to realize its full potential.

Brand building through traditional media is slowly fading as new media emerge and change the way brands plan and execute their marketing campaigns.