The Power of Social Media Takeovers: Examples and Benefits

Have you ever launched a social media takeover? Do you know how this type of influencer campaign can benefit your brand?

If not, or even if you have but you’re looking for tips to help you optimize your next campaign, then you’ve come to the right place.

In today’s article, we’ll explore the concept of social media takeovers and highlight a few real-life social media takeover examples. We will also discuss the benefits of takeovers, such as increased engagement and brand exposure, and share a few tips to help you plan and execute your own successful social media takeover.

What Is a Social Media Takeover?

A social media takeover is a collaborative marketing strategy where an individual, such as an influencer, celebrity, or brand ambassador, temporarily takes control of a brand’s social media accounts. During the takeover, the guest publisher creates and shares content on behalf of the brand, engaging with the brand's audience and offering a unique perspective or experience. 

Social media takeovers are typically used to create buzz, promote special events or campaigns, and foster authentic connections with the target audience. By tapping into the influencer's expertise, creativity, and established online presence in this way, social media takeovers can help brands expand their reach, increase brand awareness, drive engagement, and generate a return on investment (ROI) from their online campaigns.

Benefits of Social Media Takeovers

Before we explore a few well-known, successful social media takeover examples, let’s take a look at some of the benefits of using this marketing strategy in a bit more detail.

• Takeovers bring new perspectives, creativity, and content styles to a brand's social media platforms. This can break the monotony of brand-generated content and provide your audience with a fresh, engaging online experience.
• When a guest contributor takes over a brand's social media account, their own audience often follows them. This can help you expose your brand to a wider audience who may not have been aware of your brand previously.
• If you pick an established and respected influencer for your takeover campaign, it can help you develop brand credibility and authenticity. This is because online users are more likely to trust and buy into your brand if they see that the promoting influencer values it.
• Social media takeovers generate excitement and encourage audience participation. This can lead to increased engagement and help you build a sense of community around your brand.
• By closely monitoring campaign performance during a takeover, you can gain valuable insights into the preferences, interests, and behaviors of your audience. You can then use this information to optimize future marketing strategies and content creation efforts.

Social Media Takeover Examples 

When it comes to takeovers, there are many different types of social media ads that you can use as part of your campaign. This includes contests, giveaways, product reviews, and sponsored posts. The best type of ad for your brand will depend on the specific objectives of your influencer marketing strategy.

Let’s explore a few real-life social media takeover examples to showcase the results that different types of takeover campaigns can generate:

Adidas and David Beckham

Soccer legend David Beckham took over Adidas' Twitter account during the launch of a new collection. Through a series of tweets and behind-the-scenes content, Beckham shared his personal connection to the brand and generated excitement among his massive following, resulting in increased brand exposure and positive brand sentiment.

Sephora and NikkieTutorials

Sephora, a renowned beauty retailer, collaborated with makeup artist and influencer Nikkie de Jager, known as NikkieTutorials, for a social media takeover. Nikkie took over Sephora's Instagram account, showcasing her favorite products and sharing makeup tutorials. The takeover allowed Sephora to tap into Nikkie's large and dedicated fan base, increasing brand visibility and engagement.

Starbucks and Tyler Oakley

Starbucks invited popular YouTuber and influencer Tyler Oakley to take over their Snapchat account for a day. Oakley documented his Starbucks experience, engaged with followers, and encouraged them to visit their local Starbucks for a chance to be featured on the account. This social media takeover not only generated a wealth of user-generated content, but it also strengthened the brand's connection with its audience.

Revolve and Aimee Song

Fashion influencer Aimee Song took over Revolve's Instagram account for a day and hosted a giveaway where followers had the opportunity to win a shopping spree on the Revolve website. During the takeover, Aimee shared her favorite Revolve outfits and styling tips, and engaged with the brand’s audience through live Q&A sessions. She encouraged followers to participate in the giveaway by liking the post, following both Revolve and Aimee, and tagging friends in the comments. 

The takeover not only increased brand visibility and engagement but it also created a sense of anticipation and excitement among Aimee's followers as they had the chance to win a coveted shopping spree from a popular fashion retailer.

Tips: How to Plan and Execute a Takeover

We are going to finish today’s post by sharing a few tips and best practices to help you plan and execute your own social media takeover.

• Make sure you set clear objectives for your takeover. Whether it's increasing brand awareness, reaching a new audience, or driving engagement, having clear goals will make it easier to plan and execute your campaign.
• Select a guest contributor whose values, expertise, and audience align with your brand. Research their previous work, engagement rates, and audience demographics to ensure a good fit.
• Establish and communicate clear guidelines, expectations, and content requirements to the guest contributor. This includes key messaging, brand tone, and any specific topics, themes, or CTAs that you want them to promote.
• Build anticipation and generate excitement by promoting the takeover across your social media channels in advance. Teasers, countdowns, and sneak peeks can pique your audience's interest and encourage them to participate.
• Closely monitor the content being shared during the takeover. Track campaign performance and analyze results. Above all, make sure your guest contributor engages with your audience and responds to comments and messages promptly. As we saw in the social media takeover examples above, the more engaged and enthusiastic a contributor is, the more likely that users will participate in the event and buy into your brand.