There are various ways to begin your journey of working with brands and getting paid on social media. You can advertise products or companies in alignment with your niche and style, and create content for that company to use on their own terms. Some creators make content for the company to use in different forms of advertising beyond their social media accounts. This could be for their own posters, emails, etc. Many companies pay for influencers to advertise on their own platforms, on IG posts, stories, and in their blogs. To see an example of a partnership I did with The Equus Hotel in Hawai’i, click here.
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What is an Influencer?:
The definition of an influencer is ‘one who exerts influence, a person who inspires or guides the actions of others. Often, specifically a person who is able to generate interest in something (such as a consumer product) by posting about it on social media.’ (merriam-webster.com)
I work with brands like Southwest Airlines, The Madison Hotel, Salt Lake City Tourism Board, Taggarb Bnb in Naples, Italy, and many more. I choose to work with companies who have morals that align with my own. I started working with brands by learning about how I can help SELL their products or stays.
Types of Influencers:
Nano Influencer: Creators on social media platforms who have between 1 and 10k followers.
Micro Influencer: Creators on social media platforms who have between 10,000 and 50,000 followers.
Macro Influencer: Creators on social media platforms who have between 50k and 1 million plus followers.
You don’t need a lot of followers to begin working with brands. Micro-Influencers tend to convert more sales than macro-influencers, because they often times have a more niched audience.
In the beginning, start by finding your stylistic niche, and your mission behind your page.
What is your message? The more clear it is to you, the clearer you can make it for brands.
You can begin by posting products from a brand you like, and tagging them. Make a genuine connection with the brand and find a way to stand out.
Focus on Community:
Working with brands is a result of building your brand, and showing them that you can and WILL help them sell their products. When you connect with other influencers in your niche, you get more exposure. Plus, networking is one of the best ways to grow your brand!
Do’s and Don’ts of Working with Brands:
Do: Stay within your niche, don’t waste your time cold messaging brands that have nothing to do with your brand.
When working towards working with brands, don’t just slide into their DMs with an informal pitch. Rather, try sending them an introductory email and establishing a genuine relationship with them. Tell them why you love their products or place and make it personal.
Do: Leave a lasting impression.
Then at a later time, send them a professional pitch through email. This keeps track of everything, and always look professional in all of your engagements.
Don’t: I recommend not sending flat rates to brands, as the type and amount of content varies greatly from one to another.
Do: Be creative, and put your own spin on things.
Assistance Getting Started:
If you are really interested in working with brands and profiting off of your social media, my course IFC is perfect for you. I developed IFC because I wished there was someone to explain it all to me in the beginning. I’ve put IFC together for people like you to feel less stressed and have complete support when beginning the journey of working with brands.
Influence For Change:
My course, Influence for Change (IFC), is an online course with 6 major modules. IFC takes you through finding and setting up your own personal branding, and growing your brand. It teaches you how to expand your community and find your specific niche to land deals working with brands.
IFC is also an online community with a facebook group, where you can grow with like minded people. This creates a place to encourage one another, share wins, and ask questions. To read more about what’s inside of Influence for Change or sign up now, click here.
As always, if you have any questions, comment them below!
I’m over here cheering you on.
All my love,
Samantha