Let’s be honest. Marketing on Instagram these days isn’t really the cheapest. In fact, prices these days are soaring, what with most of the world’s businesses vying for people’s attention online. So if you’re just starting out on Instagram, you might be hesitant about the costs of hiring a social media marketing agency to help you grow your brand on the platform.
The good news is that there are budget-friendly and safe options that you can look into. Viral Sweep, for example, offers its marketing services at a relatively low rate. For as low as $49 Viral Sweep can already run contests and sweepstakes on Instagram to promote your brand.
Unfortunately, despite the contests and sweepstakes that Viral Sweep runs, they cannot guarantee you a specific number of sign-ups or followers for your account. The new followers you get will still depend on whether people actually like your giveaways or not.
So if you’re looking for a budget-friendly alternative for Viral Sweep that could guarantee you more followers for your business, you’ve come to the right page.
Read on to find out the top 3 platforms that have made it to our list.
1- Social Sensei
Interested in leveraging the power of influencer and celebrity Instagram marketing for your online brand? Social Sensei is a social media marketing agency that specializes in driving real traffic to Instagram accounts by teaming up with influencers for various promotional campaigns. It is the only giveaway platform so far that bases their pricing on the outputs they can give rather than on the influencers they are partnering with. Results are guaranteed, which means users get exactly what they pay for.
Their platform also guarantees account safety for all those who avail of their plans, which means users do not have to worry about their account privacy, or about getting their accounts shadow banned or action blocked.
Social Sensei caters to a relatively large customer base and has already garnered five-star reviews both on Google and on Trustpilot for their influencer marketing services. Users who sign up for their influencer marketing services can opt for U.S., European, or Global Audiences, depending on their market preferences and business goals.
One downside to this platform is that they do not offer free trials for their services, although their pricing scheme has been designed with both business startups and established brands in mind. Prices for their influencer marketing plans start at $299 to $50,000+.
Another downside is that Social Sensei does not guarantee engagement. Engagement rates will still depend on the user’s content marketing strategies.
2- Upfluence
Upfluence is a platform that mainly targets people who run a business or agencies who are interested in promoting their brand or product through influencer marketing. Its core values reside on organic connections and true collaborations between brands and influencers.
What’s great about Upfluence is that it provides a platform that collates all the information about influencers that brands can collaborate with. This information includes price suggestions for influencers, as well as influencer statistics and audience reach.
Upfluence also provides a platform where users can conduct and run campaigns with their chosen influencer. And once they run their campaigns, users have the option to track affiliate sales they’ve generated from the campaign.
To help clients achieve their business goals, Upfluence makes use of several features such as influencer search and discovery, campaign management, third party analytics, and relationship management, among others.
However, several users have noted that the user interface was not really user-friendly and setting up a marketing campaign on the platform takes a lot of time. The influencers on their platform are also not very responsive and had to be contacted one at a time instead of mass time-saving campaigns.
With regards to pricing, Upfluence follows a subscription model starting at $59 per month.
3- Aspire
Aspire is yet another alternative for SocialGiveaways.org. This is an influencer marketing platform built mainly for enterprise, DTC (Direct-to-Consumer), and SMB (small to medium businesses) brands and agencies.
A quick scan through their website shows that they cater to high profile clientele and that they provide large scale influencer marketing on their platform. Case studies, blogs, and online courses are also available on their site for individuals who are interested in getting into specific industries.
Influencer campaigns are designed on a long-term basis and are well-detailed, right from ideation to execution, with the end goal of helping brands connect and strategize with influencers.
However, some users report few glitches on the platform, with some creators not taking campaign agreements as seriously as expected. Another common complaint is that the system recommended influencers are not always relevant to the user’s brand. And some users report difficulties in submitting content attachments for review on the platform.
With regards to pricing, Aspire follows a subscription model starting at $19 per month.
Which is the best alternative?
If you’re looking for a mix of value and affordability without risking your investment as well as account security, the best option among the three presented would be Social Sensei.
Again, keep in mind that with so many social media marketing platforms offering influencer marketing services, it is important that you look for companies that have already established their reputation for their marketing services. That way you get to really make the most out of your Instagram account.