Careers – Hello, Insta career!
Ka-ching! Use your Instagram account to create a second job based on the hobbies that make you happy.
Kim Kardashian West charges a whopping one million dollars to attach her name to a product, while the rest of the Kardashian-Jenner clan will make you pay anything between R100000 and R500 000 for a single tweet. You can do the same, and earn some serious cash in the process. Focussing on Instagram, we investigate how to make things work for you. Social media expert, Jenn Herman, says it’s important to understand why you are on social media before trying to make money off it. “Ask anyone who has seen success in social media and they will tell you that you need to have an effective strategy in order to get there. Instagram is no exception.
“Sure, you could go ahead and post a bunch of photos and videos and see what sticks. But that isn’t going to drive success in the long run,” she wrote on Maximizesocialbusiness.com.
Your audience doesn’t just stay on Instagram. They regularly interact on other social networks too, and that works in your favour. A fan on Instagram can be a fan on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and any number of other sites. Why does this matter? It gives you different forms of engagement, for one. “Who is your target audience? Are they on Instagram? What are they using Instagram for? What do they want to see from you? How often are they on Instagram? These factors will help you determine not only what to share, but how often to share it,” adds Heman.” People will often like a photo, but they won’t always comment. Using your Instagram to attract people to your, say, your Twitter (or vice versa) lends more power to your content.”
BUILD A PORTFOLIO
The most successful Instagrammers are those who know how to use their profiles as portfolios to find other work. Fitness trainers and fanatics, like Sibahle Mpisane, have used the space to showcase their work as a way to get in touch with people and brands that immediately fall in love with their work. This gets then them more followers and even endorsements.
You can do the same by creating high quality images that cater to the interests of your chosen target audience. You don’t have to be a model – designers, filmmakers, graphic designers, fitness instructors, nutritionists, chefs, choreographers, photographers, artists, and just about anyone else can benefit from an Insta portfolio. The key is knowing what to post for maximum engagement from your audience.
“Your content should reflect various aspects of your business, as well as your products or services,” says Herman. This can be achieved by sharing new product images, snaps of you providing your services, pictures of your customers purchasing or consuming your products and services, and even previews or teasers of new, upcoming items. You can share more about your business by showcasing your employees at work, things around your office or store, employee celebrations or company milestone events. You can also share behind-the-scenes images of how you do things. Try creating short video clips of you using or talking about your offering. You won’t have more than a few seconds, so you’ll have to be extra creative to pull it off.
BRAND PROMOTIONS
Once you start becoming more popular, you might find yourself getting messages from brands asking you if you are interested in trying a product and either being paid for a review, or getting something for free. Both of these are a great way to foster corporate relationships that might lead to future opportunities. How you display your promotions can impact how your audience reacts to these posts. Heman identifies a number ways you can go about this: “Know how often you’ll run these promotions and how to craft that content. Will you create unique images using desktop tools like Photoshop? Or will you overlay the information (via text or graphics) on existing or new product images?”
Alternatively, you could contact brands you use and ask them if they would be interested in doing a promotion with you. To find the contact info for a brand, visit their website, scroll to the bottom and look for a link labeled PR or Media for contact details.
If you’re new to doing sponsored posts you may have to begin with a lower than desired rate or accept products or
services as payment. Once your first campaign goes well you’ll have results that you can pitch to the next brand to potentially earn more money.
Don’t forget to disclaim any reimbursed promotions – you don’t want to lose your fans’ trust and respect.
KEEP IT PRETTY
Learn how to create the best post possible. Take the time to set up your surroundings, place your items strategically, check the lighting, and experiment with different angles. Choose the best picture to upload.
TRUE LOVE digital editor Amanda Ndlangisa says, “Don’t be a jack of all trades. Set your selling point and appeal to your target audience.” Because Instagram provides so much creative opportunity, it’s important to define your style. You may be retro and vintage or trendy and modern. You may use typically wide angle shots or prefer detailed close-ups. You might like to incorporate black and white images or you may favor high intensity colours. Whatever style you choose, it should reflect the image of your brand.
PLAN YOUR POSTS
Next is determining how frequently you’re going to post to Instagram. Choose a schedule that is both easy for you to maintain and that rewards your audience. It could be once a day or multiple times a day, even a couple of times a month. But make sure you stay consistent and post regularly. No one likes a dormant account. But, Ndlangisa says don’t flood your followers timeline too. “Posting frequently makes for a good online presence, but this doesn’t mean posting everything and anything. It’s quality over quantity.”
BE SMART TO EARN
Use a free site, like Iconosphere, to keep track of your followers. You can also see which posts generate the most engagement, and which times of the day are best for you to post.
Use this information to craft unique posts for maximum engagement. Once you’ve built a following, you’re ready to start earning through affiliate brands and reviews. Research people in your field and see what tips you can pick up from their strategies.