Social media will soon provide ad-free memberships.
Snapchat was one of the first social media networks to offer a monthly membership, beginning in 2022. Its $3.99 Snapchat+ package offers customers unique, experimental, and prerelease features (but still includes advertisements). Snapchat+ has 11 million customers in August 2024, a 6 million increase from September 2023.
Then, late last year, Meta unveiled intentions to charge European users a $14 monthly membership fee to access ad-free versions of Facebook and Instagram, unless they agree to let Meta use their personal information to target adverts.
Meanwhile, TikTok is piloting a $4.99 per month ad-free membership. Snapchat has launched a new $10.50 monthly ad-free membership option. And YouTube already offers Premium, an ad-free subscription service that just topped 100 million worldwide users (including trials).
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With an increasing number of social media users paying for a premium, generally ad-free service, how can marketers engage these individuals?
Work with influencers.
The simplest approach to get paid social media followers is via content generated by creators and influencers. When they publish posts and videos about your company, they will seem as organic content rather than advertisements.
Influencers may charge more to reach paid social media users if they are unable to include promotional links in their material, allowing them to make more affiliate money.
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Given the ongoing expansion of influencer and creator marketing, if sponsored social media subscribers reach scale on platforms such as Instagram and TikTok, marketers will need to devote a major percentage of their marketing expenditures to influencer campaigns on these platforms.
Create a community using first-party data.
Since Apple eliminated app monitoring in 2021, most marketers have been focusing on creating consumer connections and using first-party data into their marketing strategies. Marketers may use first-party data to directly contact, communicate, and market to their consumers, eliminating the need for social media sites.
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