In today’s market, consumers need full information before buying any merchandise, whether large or small. You must have checked reviews for a $10 spare part for a skateboard before buying it. 

Advertisements can only introduce your product to the audiences, but it is relevant and authentic information that actually sells it.

This makes information the best marketer! 

Sponsored posts are great ways to convey your product information to potential buyers. 

Universal McCann published a report on the “impact of social media” some years back, claiming that 71 percent of active internet users read blogs.

And this number has been growing since then!

So, you need sponsored posts, whether you’re a blogger or a social media influencer.

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What are sponsored posts?

We define a sponsored post as “consumer-generated advertising content”. 

In the words of Dilip S. Mutum and Qing Wang (renowned writers on social media influence and patterns), sponsored posts are “promoted blog entries or posts that contain links that point to the home page or specific product pages of the website of the sponsor for which the blogger receives compensation in the form of money, products, services or in other ways”.

You can download their original research paper from semanticscholar.org. 

How Sponsored Posts Can Influence Traffic and Revenue

Sponsored posts sit at the apex of the large affiliate marketing network.

Sponsored posts extensively review or market a product on different social media platforms. These posts have links to the buying page of that specific product. 

Consumers read this information, and if they like the product or want to know more about it, they click the link, which directs them to the seller. 

This can generate a lot of traffic on the business’ website. This traffic then gets converted into revenue. 

Amazon.com runs one of the most successful affiliate marketing campaigns.

The retail giant is believed to have 900,000 affiliates, all working to redirect potential buyers toward Amazon. 

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In November 2022, Amazon received 2.6 billion visits to its website. 

“Referrals”, “search”, “social,” and “display” accounted for “5.74 %”, “26.03%”, “4.58%” and “0.33%” of the total searches, respectively.

And all these mediums (referrals, search, social, and display) use sponsored content in one way or another!

Calculate (roughly around) 37% of the 2.6 billion total visits in a month! 

Just imagine the revenue amazon.com might be generating even if a margin of this traffic gets converted into sales. 

These calculations show the influence of Sponsored posts on traffic and revenue.

Check out amazon.com’s detailed traffic analysis report here.      

And a sponsored post is not always for attracting traffic and generating revenue. Information on these posts go a long way. Activecampaign.com points out the other benefits of sponsored content:  

• Brand awareness
• Relevance
• Trust
• Leads
• Conversions
• Customers

Of all the benefits pointed out above – brand awareness and trust stand out. 

Detailing information and reviews, listing pros and cons, and linking to genuine buyer comments in a sponsored post, give the much-needed trust to consumers. 

Traditional advertising methods largely lack this.

Ads are believed to disrupt user experiences. On the other hand, sponsored posts largely enhance user experience. 

Advertisements, brand endorsements by celebrities and famous figures, or putting 3d ads on billboards are not going to give buyers confidence in a product.

But relevant and authoritative information will.

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And for this reason, SEO (search engine optimization) is regarded as one of the highest ROI marketing channels. 

A perfectly tailored sponsored post, having relevant information and a mix of SEO keywords, can largely impact your social media handles and can put you on top of the map.

Sponsored Posts for Websites, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and Linkedin

You can broadly classify sponsored posts into two types. 

Posts having a written (word) base. They can be articles, listicles, blogs, and tweets.

Posts that have a visual and auditory base (this is a big family). These are photos, infographics, pins (like on Pinterest), videos, Facebook, Snapchat stories, and podcasts.

Different kinds of sponsored posts work differently for different social media channels.

Putting an in-length article on your Facebook page or Instagram post will do more harm than benefit. 

Selecting the relevant sponsored post type for your social handle is very important. 

How do sponsored posts to look on websites and blogs

Web pages should have detailed information and a formal description of the product you are marketing. 

Try to keep an average of 1200 – 2000 word count for an article. This is the least if you want to get it ranked anywhere on Google.

This is where blogs become different. 

In blogging, you should use an informal tone because the readers first connect with the writer’s story and then with the product.

Your post should be optimized for search engines. This will help you rank better and faster.

Check out our guide on “How to Use SEO to Gain More Engagement on Social Media”. 

Add photos and videos to make your articles and blogs more appealing. Search engines favor a user-friendly interface. 

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How do sponsored posts look on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok

Your posts (photos, videos, stories, and even podcasts) on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok should be visually appealing and have an artistic approach. 

Text should only appear where necessary. On these platforms, most of the expressions are conveyed by emojis. Use them wisely.

Use hashtags. They make your post more discoverable and ensure optimal engagement. 

These are some of the tips. Check out other tips to make better content by the Instagram influencer Kristel Andraos.

Some of the Best Sponsored Posts Network You should Join

Because sponsored posts offer a very promising ROI, many brands utilize them for brand and sales marketing. 

But doing it all alone can be time consuming, especially if you have to manage production, quality and other business variables. 

Capitalizing on the demand for sponsored posts, many influencer marketing agencies now offer end-to-end influencer programs management.

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Below are some of the best names in the market.

Clever – Clever has been in this business since 2009, and is doing sponsored posts and influencer program management for some of the renowned brands like Nicks Ice Cream and Village Harvest. 

SHE Media – SHE Media Collective is a group of brands specifically designed for women enterprises. We liked their description which reads “Our next-gen targeting is engineered to deliver the right message to the right consumer at the right time to ensure optimal engagement and outcome.”

Adsy –  Adsy is a dedicated guest posting service provider. You can purchase DA40+ guest posts for your brand from them. Their rates are very economical, which seems surprising. Because, generally, sponsored posts and influencer marketing can be very costly.

How to get Sponsored Posts with $0 Budget

Shopify reports that in “2021 the average cost for an Instagram post was $1170 and $906 for an Instagram story”. (Check the original report here) 

Although sponsored content has a promising ROI, procuring initial funds can be very difficult for new brands and startups. 

But you do not always need to pay in dollars for the content. There are many other ways to get sponsored posts with a $0 Budget.

You can offer shop credits or free samples in return for these posts. 

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You can also look out for guest-post writers, who will create content in exchange for some backlinks on your channels. 

You definitely need sponsored posts for your social media handles. They are an excellent way to generate revenue from your existing audience.