Six Ways to Grow and Earn Big on Social Media

Social media has grown to become the largest goldmine of modern times. Over a decade since innovations like Facebook and Twitter sprang up, hundreds of social media platforms have been created. These platforms not only connect the world and make information easier to share, but they also create opportunities for anyone to make big bucks; and it mostly just requires a message to share, dedication, marketing skills, and of course—a mobile device with the strongest of internet connections.

The richest and most popular influencers on social media platforms like Instagram & YouTube earn millions annually and have intimidating engagement rates. Some, like PewDePie (the famous Swedish YouTuber), actually dumped traditional jobs before growing big enough to earn exclusively from social media activity. Here, in Nigeria, it may seem that only those influencers in the business of creating fun & humorous content get to earn money. However, social media influencing and content creation derive from a wide spectrum of niches: skincare, lifestyle, fitness, literature, tech, beauty & skincare, art and so much more. 

The possibilities are endless, making it possible for even ordinary people without any expertise to make cool cash from social media, as long as they have good engagement on their platforms. This isn’t something anyone should take lightly or ignore, especially as marketers are projected to pump more money into social media influencing, causing it to swell into a $16.4 billion industry. At this point, it doesn’t matter if you’re interested in creating content or influencing; the staggering potential of social media activity can be helpful for your small business or skill.

Below are six sure ways you can explore to grow big and earn legit cash on social media.

Earn Commissions Through Sponsored Posts

Once you’ve got the sort of audience engagement that appeals to brands, you could float sponsored posts advertising products/services. Once a purchase is linked to anyone clicking on the ad you put up, it’s a no-brainer that this automatically translates to money for you, in the form of a commission. Platforms like Amazon Associate prioritise earned commissions: any sale linked to you guarantees a minute percentage in cash.

Sell Your Stuff, Sell Yourself

With a decent base of customers and the right connections, you can afford to turn your social media accounts into sales drivers for your products or skills. You simply can’t ignore the reach and effectiveness of social media numbers: Facebook boasts over 2 billion users, and Instagram is the most favoured platform for influencing/marketing. Apps like Facebook & WhatsApp even spot features that enable the promotion of businesses/services beyond regular social circles. Talk about user-friendliness! But even after you get to decide on the right platform for your skill/business/niche, you’ll still need to have built a substantial audience base—one that will patronise whatever you sell or draw brands your way.

Stay Active, Stay Content

If being constantly active was enough to earn easy money off social media, most of us would be raking in thousands of dollars monthly. Unsurprisingly, this isn’t how things work in reality. Apart from being constantly online to make sure nobody forgets you, you’d still need to churn out content like butter. Thankfully, content doesn’t necessarily mean essay-length paragraphs of words or costly but creative reels and hyperrealistic portraits; nowadays, content can be as simple as what propelled Khaby Lame to stardom. It doesn’t have to be exquisite or provocative. It could be a picture, a short live video, a unique expression of sentiments, or a simple reaction to trends that echo shared opinions. The trick is to be constantly active, to never run out of shareable content. Just keep at it, and always show up; the results often come from this sort of calculative doggedness.

Share What You Know

This isn’t just about the popularity of DIY hacks and How-To content by YouTubers and Tik-Tokers. This is about taking the right steps to share bits of expertise with a world constantly in need of trusted knowledge. Everyone likes to hear from an expert, as it is often assumed that such people know their stuff. You needn't wait until you become famous enough for Masterclass to contact you—you can begin sharing small bits of knowledge from your niche (Aproko Doctor’s healthcare reels are a perfect example here). And from here, after you have established yourself as a trusted authority on books, gaming, freelancing, nutrition, and what have you, you can float that course, publish that e-book or simply make the right connections.

Connect, Connect, Connect

Nobody can afford to be an island, especially on platforms that emphasise the value of connections. It is not just enough to only make social linkages to people you barely know in real life or to have a limited view of LinkedIn as the only space to make professional/career-based associations. Connect with those who share similar interests in your niche. Connect with influencers/brands outside of your field. Take advantage of new and existing platforms to like-minds, pitch ideas, and catch the eye of brands/marketers with striking content, or popularity. These connections can help broaden your sphere of influence and also help meld your niche with others: skincare-to-fitness, tech-to-gaming, etc. Connections—if done well enough—can translate to an additional flow of income and increased engagements. Consider the creative & promotional collaborations that happen between skit-making content creators/influencers.

Audience Matters

It has always been ancient wisdom to appreciate those who constantly interact with you or patronise your hustle. Giving back to your followers/fans/customers not only shows that you see them, but that you recognise the role they play in solidifying your reach and relevance. Giveaways, meet-and-greet events, Q&A sessions, and special shoutouts are a few of the ways through which you can connect deeply with audiences while creating an image that helps extend your influence. Without an audience base, there’s not much you can do to grow and earn from any social media platform.

Conclusion

It may not quickly bring you a flood of cash at first, but it costs little and requires a bit of dedicated effort to set yourself up for increased revenue generation from the ordinary magic of social media. With consistency, you too can develop your voice within a niche, promote and sell for profit, and probably even create the sort of brand that draws interest from huge marketing interests. 

If you’re willing to grow and earn on social media with the use of trusted techniques from experts, our Internet Money Series is just for you. Even more awesome? It’s all for FREE! 

Let us get you on the path to social media mastery and financial freedom.

Register for the Internet Money Series here