Believe it or not, making extra cash using social media is not as hard as it looks. As long as you have the right mindset and tools, everything’s possible!
As of January 2020, there are around 2.8 billion people from all over the world that are on social media. And since a big chunk of everyone is stuck inside their houses right now due to Covid-19, time spent on these platforms are also at an all-time high. This opens up a great opportunity for everyone to gain followers that you can monetize later on. But where do you start? How do you build the right image that will allow you to get the right followers? Which social media sites do you even build presence on?
Today, we provide you all the basic information you need to help you get started on making money using social media.
1. Start by choosing the right platform/s. In order to determine the right platform, ask yourself the following questions: What field of interest do I wish to pursue—is it food, beauty, fitness and wellness, homemaking? What are the biggest social media sites in my country—is it Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest? What am I good at—taking photos, explaining things via video, making witty captions? Once you have all the answers to these questions, you’ll have a pretty good idea where you want to be. Ideally, you will want to be in at least two platforms just because it will give you a better idea where your type of content will thrive more.
2. Have a clear idea of the image you want to project. Are you the young, aspirational, funny city girl, or are you more of the serious yet relatable guy who breaks down all the details so that your audience will have a better time understanding what you’re trying to explain? Perhaps, you’re the geeky guy who likes to use puns and make references to obscure fandoms with every post? Have a clear picture in your head of who you want people to see, and translate that to every aspect of your social media identity—from visuals to caption, even the way you engage your followers. And make sure that it’s true to who you are as a person. Not only will it make your life easier, most influencers would agree that the public in general would know if you’re faking it.
3. Understand what your audience likes to see. This is a great audience building, maintaining, and engaging strategy. Try to play around with the different types of content you are able to make and see how they react to it. And don’t just rely on the nature of your material, try to also analyze how they react to various formats and keep digging. Do they favor videos over static images? Once you’ve identified this, then go a bit further. Say, your audience reacts better to videos, what is the optimum length of the video they like seeing? What are the elements that they like to see in your videos? Understanding this formula will allow you to better create hardworking content that keeps your audience interested in what you post.
4. Test various promotional materials. Once you have your audience, it’s time to start making money. Even before you start selling to your followers or talking to advertisers, you will want to first understand how your audience reacts to various promotional materials. Are they more receptive to soft sell, personal recommendation types of promotion, or do they perhaps appreciate a review more? Will they be more likely to buy if the product is integrated into one of your usual content or are they fine with a straight promotional post? Doing this will allow you to come prepared when you start talking to advertisers, or even when you start selling, so that you lower the risk of losing followers as you try to make money.
5. Start an online store. Just in case you’ve found that your followers are stronger in one of your other social platforms and you find yourself asking “how to monetize Facebook better” then this is the answer. You’ll be surprised to know that many people these days are more open to buying from Facebook stores or sellers. And the reasons behind this are familiarity and norm. It’s become normal for people to promote and sell stuff on the platform and audiences have become more accepting of it. There are various ways to do it and they are all very easy.
6. Amplify testimonials. One of the best ways to convince people that what you’re promoting or selling is of good quality is by showing proof. And more often than not, the best proofs are testimonials from existing customers. Do not shy away from reposting these, just don’t overdo it. The same goes for promotional posts. Remember that you have your followers because of your content, and selling to them should only be your secondary priority. Otherwise you’ll lose your followers, which will also make it hard for you to make money.
7. Embrace technology. Keep learning of new ways to measure and grow both your reach and engagement. Keep experimenting with ways to promote or sell without losing the loyalty of your followers. Remember that we live at a time when trends come and go quicker than you can spell “sales pitch”, so always keep your eyes peeled and your mind open.
