Struggling to grow on Instagram? We get you. It can be a real challenge trying to figure out how to beat the algorithm when it seems to be constantly changing. So it’s great that we have Instagram experts that could help us out in this area.
The thing is, enlisting the help of a social media agency for your Instagram marketing campaigns can be a little bit pricey. And sometimes, the results you get don’t always match the expectations you may have of the service you signed up for.
But there are great and reliable social media marketing agencies out there. Trusy Social is a social media marketing agency that specializes in Instagram growth that unfortunately hasn’t built the best reputation for itself. Looking for a safe alternative to Trusy? You’ve come to the right page!
Read on to know the Top 5 alternatives to Trusy Social
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- Viral Sweep
Users who are looking for a third-party platform where they can easily set up and run giveaways, contests, and sweepstakes to drive new traffic and engagement to their accounts on Instagram might want to check out Viral Sweep.
Viral Sweep is a SaaS that’s perfect for brands who are keen on converting their followers into hot leads. It is largely known for its Sweepstakes campaigns on Instagram, which plays a big role in brand awareness which helps brands gain traction right at the start of their campaigns.
But Viral Sweep’s campaign strategies do not end with Sweepstakes. They also offer various contests and widgets that help brands gain user engagement. Plus, these contests are highly effective if you’re interested in curating User Generated Content.
The downside to these strategies is that users are not guaranteed an exact number of sign-ups for the contests or the sweepstakes they run, simply because the number of sign-ups will ultimately depend on how many people are interested in the giveaways.
As for pricing, Viral Sweep’s plans start at $49 for the Starter plan, $199 for their Business plan, and $399 for their Pro plan.
3- Aspire
Aspire is yet another alternative for Trusy Social. 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.
4- 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.
Last but not the least in our list of alternatives is TapInfluence, which is a platform for influencer search and campaign management. This platform strongly caters to brands in the food, beauty, lifestyle, and fashion niches.
What’s great about TapInfluence is that it offers keyword search, influencer profiles, audience data and insights, lists and visual search for potential clients who want to collaborate with an influencer in promoting their brand.
It also provides campaign automations, including open bidding, direct offers & negotiation between influencers and clients, scheduling & tracking, in-platform communication, CRM & notes. Users also get access to page analytics such as API, click traffic tracking, campaign & project performance, as well as exportable reports.
The major downside for this platform is that it’s pricey compared to the other alternatives listed above. Standard plans start at $1,999 a month, which may not be affordable for business startups. While this is understandable considering that the platform has been designed for enterprise level purchasing and re-licensing out to clients, their pricing can be very prohibitive to clients who want to see results without cashing out a huge sum of money as an initial investment.
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 five 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.