4 Brilliant Ways to Get More People to Watch Your YouTube Video Ads

If you’re serious about growing your business or your online personal profile, I recommend using one of the most powerful technologies known to mankind: Videos.

According to Inc.com, people are 85 percent more likely to buy a product after viewing a product video -now that’s some serious stats!

A number of small businesses are currently investing time, money and resources into shooting, editing, and producing topnotch YouTube videos in the hopes of building awareness of their brand and engaging users, but unfortunately, none of them are getting any engagement at all from the viewers.

So how do you engage viewers and actually compel them to watch your video ads? Here’s how.

Make your ad look natural

Don’t use too much branding on your ad because you’ll just end up driving viewers away.

Instead, make your ad feel natural as possible – as if it’s actually not an ad so that you can reach your target audience and make them like your brand. A great example of this principle is this ad from Oreo featuring Youtube stars Dude Perfect. This ad involved Dude Perfect in an Oreo Dunk Challenge where they used nothing but ping pong balls. The ad looks totally natural and highly watchable.

Create A Call To Action

A call to action is the action you want a viewer to take after watching your ad. Your goal is to eventually have a viewer give you their contact information or convert them to become a lead by engaging them with your content.

As an entrepreneur, you need to decide how you want to direct the attention of your viewer once your advertisement is over. You want the consumer to act immediately after they have viewed your video so there should be a clear call to action in the ad, especially if you want to direct the viewers to do something.

A great example is this ad for Clash Royale, a multiplayer mobile game, there’s a call to action at the end of this ad which pushes viewers to download the game for free – that tactic is gold right there.

Catch Your Viewers Attention

You literally only have a few seconds to grab the attention of the viewer so you need to make it count.

One way to do this is to have an intro that’s eye-catching or even downright controversial. You can capitalize on a trend or produce something funny. You should use people in the first frames or even celebrities if you can manage it to engage the viewer on a more personal level.

Have a celebrity talk about their favorite food, for example. Close shots, as well as cropped shots, can also work wonders. If you’re using any thumbnails, make sure these are clear. The titles you use should also be clear and compel the viewer to want to click on them. You can even try to have playlists to connect the videos so that if a person watches one video, they can find related videos in your playlist.

A great example is this Apple commercial featuring Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson.  This ad was the brainchild of the agency, TBWA, and it apparently grossed more than 25 million views by the end of 2017. Using Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson in the ad was a smart move since he’s a huge Hollywood star and commands a strong presence onscreen.

Connect With Your Viewers

Use tools like YouTube analytics so you can see your view-through rates and where it may be dropping.

You might decide to do something different when it comes to editing your video to get viewers back to your ad. Thinks about your editing strategy as you create the videos. Your aim is to hook the viewer, so they stay glued to your ad.

There are two ways to hook your viewers, it’s either you make them laugh or you make them cry it’s as simple as that. Humor is always a crowd pleaser and it’s a great way to connect with viewers. Creating an emotional connection is the next best thing next to humor. You can try to come up with a touching story that goes beyond the brand message in the ad and watch the views skyrocket.

A great example of an effective commercial that uses humor is this awesome Mr. Clean ad. The man in the famous white muscle shirt never looked so attractive while mopping hardwood floor before.

In Conclusion

These are just four clever ways you can get more engagement with your video ads, there’s definitely plenty more out there. Try these methods and I bet you should start seeing better results with YouTube advertising.

Screenshot from Apple’s Youtube video

8 Legit And Realistic Ways To Make Money Online In 2018

You probably spend a great deal of time on social media every day so why not make money while you’re using Facebook, Instagram or Twitter?

Let’s face it; when you try to Google the words “how to make money online” you will most probably get close to a million search results on the topic. That number is hardly surprising as more and more people find that social media opens up ways to make some extra money or to even make a living.

Many naysayers will disagree but recent polls and trends have shown the exact opposite. Even just looking at the number of active users on social media can make your eyes pop out. Facebook has over 2 billion active users, Instagram has 800 million active users and Twitter has about 330 million monthly active users. Most people will say it is risky to try to make money online but that is the very nature of any business though – it’s all risky.

Bottomline, the internet, and social media have given you the opportunity to make money from your business idea via social media and it’s pretty much up to you to do something about it.

Here are a few ideas of how you can maximize social media for your monetary benefit.

1. Define your niche/target market

You need to give your business idea more specific definition.

Broad strokes are not useful when you’re trying to strategize for online success. Your business idea has to address a certain target market or niche.

First off, you need to decide on your target audience and be specific.

This may seem like a moot point but one that is constantly overlooked. The more specific your audience the more impact you will have.

Secondly, define the product or service you are offering to your audience.

You may find that you will need to structure your offering a bit more. For example, your business idea may be to venture into marketing. However, what type of marketing are you offering specifically?

Will you be offering digital services, traditional marketing or perhaps copywriting?

Each type of marketing speaks to a very different target market.

2. Figure out your ultimate goal

It is vital for you to decide what you really want from this exercise. Before you subscribe to any social platform or app you must know what it is you are aiming for.

For example, do you want to use social media to attract more traffic to your website, or do you want to become the next Instagram influencer?

Your goal will decide which strategy you’ll eventually employ. Once you have decided on the ‘why’ then commit it to paper. This will help keep you on track if you are on the path to success.

3. Test your hypothesis

Every successful growth hacker and digital influencer will tell you to test before hitting the throttle at full tilt.

Missing this crucial step will cause you to miss a few vital insights.

For example, are you sure your target market is big enough for monetary gains?

Also, the problem you are trying to solve, is there an actual market for it?

And finally, does your plan follow the precepts of your original goal?

Testing and validating your idea is a very important next step.

Search Google Trends to view your niche market

Punch in your niche keywords and hit search and a graph will pop up showing you the level of interest in that topic over a specified time.

The graph should give you a good indication regarding the interest level of your niche among your target audience.

Research any competitors

Competitors are a good indicator of whether there is a market for your business or not.

This should not be a negative factor as competition will highlight the demand for your product or service.

You can do a simple search on Amazon as book sales will also give you a good indication of demand.

A search on Udemy (an online learning platform) will also highlight a demand especially when there are loads of courses in your niche that are being offered.

YouTube is the most popular video platforms and if people are viewing your niche content then there is a clear demand. YouTube will also reflect the number of people viewing the content, this is a great indicator of demand.

Instagram is the second most popular app and a simple hashtag search will show you the number of posts in your niche. A big number of post is a good indicator of demand.

Once you have successfully validated your idea, you can go about monetizing the idea on social media.

4. Develop a content strategy

A content strategy is not a marketing strategy.

Social media relies on content to attract your audience. The type of platform you choose will determine how you deliver that content. For example, videos will work for YouTube and photos will work for Instagram because that’s what those two social media platforms cater for.

You need to research the content that is already out there to give you an idea of what works and what does not.

Determine what makes you different from the rest.

Use this element to make your content great. Finding out what your competitors are doing and making it better is one way of ensuring that people are attracted to your posts. Be sure to make it unique.

5. Monetize

Here are a few proven ideas of how to make money via social media:

Affiliate marketing

People in the blogging world have known about affiliate marketing for a while now. It has steadily made its way into the mainstream of social media marketing and monetizing.

Affiliate marketing involves a process where you promote other people’s products or services for a commission. You need to have a blog to get into affiliate marketing and as long as people click on the link you provide links to the Affiliate site you’ll be able to score a commission.

Affiliate marketing is all about trust, if people trust you online then they’ll most likely purchase whatever you’re pitching to them.

There are actually a lot of affiliate networks that you can become a part of, but some of the best ones out there are Amazon Associates, CJ Affiliate, and ShareASale.

If you’re thinking of posting affiliate links on Facebook or Instagram hoping that someone would click on it, you’re living in a fantasy world sparky. The best and most effective way of promoting affiliate products is through honest reviews.

If you’ve personally used a product and you honestly like it, and you also know that your followers can benefit from it, then write a review on your blog and then share a link to the product. The more honest you are the more people would trust you and buy whatever you’re promoting.

Just make sure that you are not selecting products that are unrelated to your niche. You’d run the risk of losing your followers trust. Don’t forget to tell your followers about your affiliate partnerships as well, transparency goes a long way with your followers.

Sponsored advertising or blog posts

This method is actually more popular on Instagram and not in blogging circles. This is where you will earn a fee for publishing a post or promoting a product on your account. Brands themselves will pay you for the post as long as you have a decent following.

A number of Instagram influencers who have more than 50,000 followers can easily earn $1,000 per post.

But if you’ve just started your Instagram account and you don’t have a lot of followers yet, you can still make money online, you just need to assure potential sponsors that you can offer them something of value.

Why don’t you offer an Instagram shoutout post and sweeten the deal by adding a blog review? If you have a Twitter account or a YouTube account you can also throw in a Twitter shoutout post or a YouTube vlog review. That should catch someone’s attention.

Provide informational products

Products as information are gaining incredible momentum. Providing an audience with product or service information is incredibly lucrative when done correctly.

Every single person is always searching online for information. For example, you can provide online events, courses or ebooks and you don’t even need a website to host this, you can just set up funnels using land pages and email management.

Keep in mind that quality is key to creating something people would want to pay to read.

Websites such as Gumroad, Sellfy and Amazon’s KDP program can make it easy for you to sell your books or videos as long as they can take a small commission.

Offer a service

If you have some sought-after skills, there will always be someone willing to pay for it. Use your skills and strengths to offer a service. For example, there is a huge demand for social media marketing or freelance writing so you can try and tap that niche if you have a background in it.

Sell your photos online

If you’re active on Facebook or Instagram and you love taking photos you can try selling your photos online. Just make sure you’re active on these two social media platforms and you’re engaging with your followers so that they’ll buy whatever you’re selling.

You can also use websites such Snapwire, Mobileprints or Twenty20 if you want to find buyers for your photos. There’s also the option of selling professional photos to stock photo websites like Shutterstock or Istockphoto.

6. Focus on a few social media platforms

It is just plain dumb to try and cover every single social media platform available. Unless you have nothing better to do then knock yourself out.

Instead, focus on a few social media platforms and focus on those. Most people will focus on the top three or five. You need to consider elements such as your target audience, your content, and what platform will work best for you content.

When it comes to social media platforms, you are spoilt for choice because there’s just so many out there.

7. Create a kickass profile online

Use your profile to attract clients and an audience. Gaining followers is a golden ticket to validation of your idea.

To make your profile stand out, ensure your profile photo is professionally done and add your chosen keywords with your name before you upload it.

Be sure to complete your profile. Do not leave any blanks and the more information you can give out online the better.

Don’t forget to add a message or note that will appeal to your target audience. Think of your profile as your billboard. Make sure it is unique and that it highlights your unique selling point.

And most importantly, you need to tell your audience what to do so you need to insert a call to action statement.

8. Do not overlook email list

An email list is like treasure to any entrepreneur. Successful marketers will use email marketing as their go-to marketing tool.

It is important to start compiling an email list from the very start. All you need to do is use a call to action asking online traffic to subscribe or sign up for a newsletter or blog. There are plenty of platforms out there that make email marketing simple, such as MailChimp so you need to start working on getting those targetted emails.

In conclusion

In today’s digital world anyone can make money online or via social media.

The question is, how far are you willing to go to make it happen for you?

Just like any business venture, it needs careful planning and strategy. Luckily, there are many tools available online to help you formulate and execute a clear path to success.

The one great thing about social media is that you don’t even need a website or a laptop, as you can do all you need with a smartphone or any mobile device. Long gone are the days where you need to be desk-bound to start a business and make a profit – welcome to the future!

Don’t forget to visit StarCentral Web if you want more tips and tricks when it comes to making money from your website.

The Complete Guide To Choosing The Best Social Media Platform For Your Business

Have you ever wondered Which social media platform is best for your business since there are so many out there?

Let’s face it, with the birth of social media platforms, laser-focusing on your prospective customers is so much easier than ten years ago. Small businesses now have the ability to market directly to their customers and reach out to them on a more personal level and at a fraction of the usual advertising price.

The beauty of social media is that it suits frugal entrepreneurs like myself. You don’t need to splash out a ton of money in advertising anymore to reach out to your prospective customers, you just need to be social media savvy and you’ll be able to reach your target market for FREE which means there’s more money in your pockets.

Cha-ching!

But how do you know which social media platforms are the best fit for your business? Which platform would effectively help you deliver an effective online marketing strategy? Well first, you have to familiarise yourself with how each platform works and then you can make a decision.

That said, below is a list of the seven best social media platforms that are widely used by other businesses.

1. Facebook

What type of business should use it: Every single business you can think of because everyone is on it even your cats and dogs.

With more than 2 billion users, Facebook is the undisputed king of social media platforms.

It’s an incredible social media platform that can connect businesses to its prospective customers from all over the world. Facebook is quite honestly the best equipped social media platform to spark interaction and conversation out Of all the other social media platforms out there.

Facebook also provides you with incredible data that’ll help you laser-focus on your target market. From age to relationship status, to hobbies and interests, you can literally zero in on your audience and serve them with content that’ll appeal to their needs.

One of the best things you can do on Facebook is to create a Facebook page for your business wherein Facebook can provide you with detailed data on how your audience is engaging with your brand. The data is so detailed that Facebook can even tell you what time of day it is best for you to reach your audience.

Keep in mind that you should never make your Facebook page look like a massive billboard advertising your business though. Rather, you should use it to engage with your customers and talk to them on a more personal level so that they’ll actively engage with your brand on a constant basis.

2. Instagram

What type of business should use it: fashion, events, travel, luxury brands, food, Lifestyle – basically any business that has a visually driven marketing strategy.

According to SEO guru Neil Patel, more than 800 million people all over the world use Instagram on a constant basis so it’s another force to be reckoned with next to Facebook.

Did you know that Instagrammers also use Instagram to shop?

According to Statista, Instagram will apparently generate $6.84 billion in mobile ad revenue in 2018 which is a massive increase from the $1.86 billion that they generated back in 2016.

Brands also receive four times more engagement on Instagram than they do on Facebook and as many as 14% of users are likely to buy items directly from Instagram itself.

So whether you just want to increase your revenue and sell your products directly to people or you just want to increase your brand’s exposure, Instagram should definitely be included in your list of social media platforms to include in your online marketing strategy.

3. Twitter

What type of business should use it: Every single business you can think of as well.

We all know that Twitter is Donald Trump’s favorite social media platform and so does a host of celebrities, but besides the obvious, this social media platform is also a huge asset in any entrepreneur’s social media strategy.

Twitter is the fastest way to get your message out there. Your aim as an entrepreneur is to use Twitter to deliver tweets that’ll hopefully encourage more people to share your posts and “retweet” your content resulting in more followers.

A majority of the biggest businesses and media companies use Twitter to announce press releases and post the latest news and updates.Hashtags are a huge deal on Twitter so you need to pay attention to what’s currently trending so that you can include relevant hashtags in your tweets.

4. YouTube

What type of business should use it: Businesses with video content. It’s great for businesses who want to establish their authority in their field by providing video tutorials.

YouTube is owned by Google and the second largest search engine which is the big reason why you need to tap on the power of YouTube if you want your business to thrive.

Furthermore, since Google owns YouTube, this social media platform is perfect if you want your website to be search engine friendly.

Did you notice that videos are more likely to appear in Google search results than any other websites? That’s another big reason why you need to include YoUTube in your social media strategy.

5. Pinterest

What type of business should use it: fashion, events, travel, luxury brands, food, Lifestyle – perfect for businesses who have female customers.

Pinterest is a bookmarking website and is actually one of the most popular social media platforms and most visited websites in the world. It has over 100 million active users and how it works is that people can pretty much “pin” whatever they found online on their Pinterest “boards.” People can either share their bookmarks, save it for later and you can also use the Pinterest search bar to find out what other people are bookmarking.

This social media platform is perfect for fashion retailers as it is visually driven and if you have some amazing high-quality images to share they are likely to go viral on this website. Same as with any other platform, if your image gets pinned by a member with a huge following then it has the potential to be viewed by millions of people.

Pinning and re-pinning on this social media platform frequently are quite necessary if you want your images to appear repeatedly within the results for a given search term.

6. Yelp

What type of business should use it: bloggers, restaurants, stores, travel – basically brick-and-mortar outlets

Yelp is very important for entrepreneurs because it can make or break your business.

You need to have a strategy in place that can help your business receive favorable reviews.You probably need to provide an incentive for your customers to leave positive reviews for you on Yelp just in case you have a bad one – at least the number of positive reviews can drown out the negative one.

Pay close attention to keywords when it comes to updating your information on Yelp because Yelp listings appear quite prominently in Google searches for local businesses. You need to constantly monitor customer feedback about your business and respond to any concerns a reviewer had so that your customers know that you care what they think.

A smart but sneaky tactic for Yelp is to offer your customers a discount on their next order if they decide to review your business. That should drive some positive reviews your way.

7. LinkedIn

What type of business should use it: Recruiters and B2B (business to business) service providers – it’s also perfect for Job-Seekers

This social media platform is perfect if your business is in the B2B field.

LinkedIn enables you to target businesses by industry, job title, and many others and it’s also about building connections and relationships similar to other social media platforms.

An awesome feature of LinkedIn is LinkedIn Groups wherein you can create groups in your niche or industry and then invite others related to your industry to join.

Businesses that are seeking clients or job seekers seeking employment should grow their LinkedIn networks by adding as many authentic connections as possible. You can also use your second and third-degree connections to possibly request personal introductions to enable you to gain some real connections.

8. Google+

What type of business should use it: bloggers, B2B service providers, and businesses who are already on the other major social networks

Google+ is Google’s answer to Facebook. Since this is a Google initiative, the use of keywords and search engine optimization techniques work well on this platform. If you have a Google+ account just make sure you often link to your website to maximize traffic potential.

You can also set up Google Authorship to enable your Google+ profile to follow your content from across the Web in the search results.

A search engine’s goal is to surface the best, most relevant results for your search query. The way they do that (after considering relevancy) is largely through evaluating authority and popularity signals.

Generally speaking, that means older websites that have been around and publishing on the same topic day in and day out for years tend to get the benefit of the doubt (over a brand new upstart).

Here’s a perfect example. Type in any search query into Google right now. Let’s do “grow a website,” because that’s generally what we’re talking about.

That doesn’t mean you should expect SEO to deliver new customers overnight suddenly.

One day it might, but right now, there’s going to be a tiny trickle (if any). There definitely won’t be enough to lift your business off the ground.

19 Incredible Facebook Statistics Every Entrepreneur MUST Know

With over a billion active users logging into Facebook daily, Facebook remains to be the undisputed king of social media platforms.

That’s why if you’re planning to drive sales to your business or traffic to your website then you definitely need to incorporate Facebook in your marketing strategy. If you’re still doubting what I just said because of all the new social media platforms out there that are popping up like mushrooms which seem cooler and hipper, here are seven actionable Facebook statistics from Wordstream that might change your mind.

1. 50 million businesses use Facebook Pages.

2.There are around 400 new users signing up for a Facebook account every minute. 

3. Users access their Facebook accounts at an average of eight times per day.

4. 35 million people update their statuses on Facebook every single day.

5. Facebook Messenger alone has over 1.2 billion monthly active users.

6. As of June 30, 2017, Facebook has a whopping 2.01 billion monthly active users.

7. Facebook is apparently the “most important” social platform for marketers.

Now that I’ve thrown in some mind-boggling stats, here are a few more statistics from Wordstream that will prove to you that Facebook is a marketing force to be reckoned with.

8. 36% of users confirm that they are Facebook friends with their neighbors, 83% of parents with a teen between the ages of 13 and 17 say that they are friends with their child on Facebook and 58% confirm they are connected to their work colleagues in Facebooks. Which means that pretty much EVERYONE is on Facebook so if you target a specific type of consumer you’ll be able to target their family, friends and even work colleagues as well.

9. Thursdays and Fridays between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. are considered by many to be the best times to post on Facebook so if you’re thinking of posting a new content from your website or Facebook page try to stick within these timeframes for maximum engagement.

10. 57% of consumers confirm that social media influences their shopping which is aptly led by Facebook at 44%. This means that if you have an online store then Facebook is the best bet when it comes to possibly doubling your revenue.

11. Facebook Pages with smaller followings generally have a higher reach and engagement rates which means that even it’s quality over quantity. Even if you have a small following on your Facebook page, as long as your followers engage with your brand on a constant basis then you’ll be well on your way to making a decent money online.

12. User-generated content tends to generate 6.9 times the engagement of brand-generated content which means that if your customers love your product and decided to be vocal about it online, they’ll most likely get their families and friends to like your brand as well.

13. The most effective length for an ad title on Facebook is four words to fifteen words for a link description so just make sure that you keep your ad titles short and sweet for maximum engagement.

14. Images account for 75-90% of Facebook Ad performance so if you’re planning to release a Facebook ad then you need a visually captivating image to draw potential customers to your brand.

15. 26% of Facebook users who clicked on a Facebook ad reportedly made a purchase so this is proof that Facebook ads do work as long as you know how to create an effective Facebook ad.

16. 83% of women and 75% of men use Facebook, 83% of Facebook users worldwide are under the age of 45, 44% of Facebook users 18 and older are women. while 56% are men and 39% of Facebook users are married, while another 39% are single. These are actionable statistics that you can use to laser-focus on your target market and increase your sales.

17. Facebook is the preferred social platform of supermarket shoppers, in fact, 89% use it. Which means that Facebook is a goldmine for supermarket owners.

18. Facebook gets over 8 billion average daily video views, over 75% of the world’s mobile data traffic will be video by 2020 and videos earn the highest engagement rate which means that if you’re serious about marketing your business then you should look at incorporating videos in your marketing strategy.

19. 42% of Facebook fans “like” a page with designs of getting a coupon or discount so if you want more likes on your Facebook page it’s probably a good idea to promote discounts as a marketing strategy.

How An Instagram Model Generated Over A MILLION Dollars From Instagram

Who would have ever imagined that in this day and age you could actually rake in millions just by using Instagram??

With over 800 million active monthly users, Instagram is one heck of a powerful marketing tool. And for frugal internet marketers like myself – the word ‘free’ is music to my ears so that I can maximize a marketing campaign’s profit potential.

I recently came across marketing Guru Neil Patel’s blog the other day and in one of his blog posts, he did a case study on a small business that ended up raking millions by leveraging the power of Instagram.

The case study revolved around Jessica Killings, the girlfriend of Dan Fleyshman who happens to be the co-founder of a company called Uwheels.

Jessica generated over a million dollars in revenue to Uwheels by using one single tactic: using Instagram influencers.

Granted, she did spend a considerable amount of money for this marketing campaign to work, but it was all worth it in the end because the company’s profit more than tripled due to her brilliant marketing campaign.

Here’s how she did it:

1. First, she commissioned a number of Instagram influencers such as Instagram models, athletes, rappers and singers to post about Uwheels when the product was initially released. Basically, she created a massive buzz around the product by getting a lot of influential people talk about it at the same time.

2. She focused on an effective message that would make the product unique compared to its many competitors so that the product would stand out from the rest of the pack. The message she used was, “Got my @Uwheels with the alarm and the Bluetooth speaker system. @Uwheels.” Check out the example below.

3. She continued to keep the buzz going by making sure that the Instagram influencers she commissioned kept posting about Uwheels in the coming months. This ensured that the buzz around the product kept on lingering even after the initial launch.

4. Besides Instagram she also commissioned Facebook pages of models with huge followings – she paid them cents for every click they drove to the Uwheels product. Now, this may have cost money to pay off models but in hindsight, it’s still a heck of a lot cheaper than paying for ads.

Bottom-line: Instagram is a force to be reckoned with. You can either keep up with Instagram or go back to the 80’s and call it a day.

With over 800 million monthly active users, Instagram actually ranks higher than other social media sites such as Tumblr, Twitter, Snapchat, Pinterest or LinkedIn.

People in general love visual-driven content so it would be a smart marketing move to include Instagram in your marketing efforts especially.

What about you? How have you used Instagram to increase revenue in your business?

Fake Vs. Authentic Followers: How To Actually Spot FAKE Instagram Influencers

Have you ever wondered how to actually spot fake influencers and find legitimate ones out of Instagram’s 700 million users?

According to Media Kix, the Instagram influencer-marketing industry is worth over $1 billion and a big-time Instagram Influencer can, in fact, charge thousands of dollars for a single post.

Case in point: According to HopperHq, Selena Gomez who is at the top of the Instagram rich list with a whopping 122 million followers charges $550,000 per post and the Kardashian’s are right behind her. Kim Kardashian charges $500,000 per post, Kylie Jenner charges $400,000 per post, Kendall Jenner charges $370,000 per post, Khloe Kardashian charges $250,000 per post and Kourtney Kardashian charges $250,000 per post.

Most online marketers and big companies would be aware that a great way of getting new leads and customers for your brand is by collaborating with popular Instagram influencers who can increase your brand’s reach and visibility. Your brand can definitely benefit from Instagram as long as you collaborate with the right influencers in your industry.

But, of course, if you’re on a tight budget, I doubt that you’ll be willing to pay someone half a million dollars for a single Instagram post! So if your marketing budget is next to nothing, then it’s best to look at the average cost of a sponsored post on Instagram which is most probably around the $200 to $300 mark depending on a person’s reach and influence.

Now because Instagram is such a huge media platform and you can make some decent money out of it, it was inevitable for some people to beef up their Instagram accounts by exaggerating their followers and influence.

A number of so-called “Instagram Influencers” purchase followers and likes from various black market websites so they can reach out to businesses and make some extra cash. Others just do it for vanity purposes to make themselves feel better.

These fake followers are most likely internet “Spambots” that actually add no legitimate value to your Instagram account and at the worse, buying followers can potentially lead to your Instagram account getting canceled.

So how can you spot the fake Instagram influencers?

First, you need to find the right Instagram influencers for your business so you can start by using BuzzSumo.

Write down the topic that relates to your industry, cruise over to the “Influencers” tab, and you’ll see a lot of related influencers in your industry.

Buzzsumo can actually give you detailed statistics about the Instagram influencer you are eyeing on including how many followers that person has.

Once you’ve found an influencer you want to work with for your brand then it’s time to determine whether that influencer has real or fake followers – just because a person has over 50,000 followers it doesn’t mean that person is legitimately an influencer because some of those followers can be fake.

I’ve seen a number of Instagram profiles with over 15,000 followers yet whenever they post something they get an average of 10 likes?? Obviously, if you have over 15,000 followers, you’re not getting over 10 likes and no one comments on your posts then it’s either you bought your followers or your followers just don’t give a sh*t about you.

The next step for you is to type your chosen influencer’s username on this website called Social Blade to view their stats.

If that person’s following is genuine then you should be able to see a steady rise in that person’s followers.

If there are a lot of rises and declines and you can see huge drops in that person’s stats, then they’ve most likely paid for a chunk of their followers.

It’s also a good idea to head down to that influencer’s Instagram account and browse through some of that person’s photos. The number of likes, comments, and engagements an influencer gets depends on the frequency and quality of that person’s posts. Honestly speaking, it’s quite difficult to pinpoint exactly how much feedback a person should get on their posts. An average engagement could be anywhere between 1.5% to 3% But in saying that, there are many factors that could affect this statistic such as quality and quantity of the posts and how much effort is that person putting forth to invite his/her followers to engage with them.

All in all, the higher an Instagram influencer’s following is, the more a sponsored post will of course cost. If you’re a frugal entrepreneur like myself then choosing an influencer with a humble but highly engaged following is the best way to go.

3 Easy Ways To Make Social Media Work For You And Your Business

The world of business is very competitive. It’s a dog eat dog kind of world and as they say “when the going gets tough, the tough get going”. That’s how one should condition his own mind if he wants to succeed and stay successful. No sulks or losers are allowed to dabble in the business world – might as well pack up and go home! Being on top would rake in more investors and the company’s monetary value will increase. It would also mean your business would expand, more branches/offices opening up and more responsibilities. But before all those can happen, let’s focus first on how we should market the business to gain its popularity.

Social Media, being one of the most popular mediums we have right now, can work very well for you and your business. It’s basically free advertising! Well, not all the time, but even if you do shell out a couple of bucks, it should be worth every cent of it since it’s got a wide coverage. It’s capability to reach out to your targeted audience and beyond that is a big help towards your business. Here are a few pointers on what you should basically keep in mind in your first step to advertising via social media:

1. No such thing as a (totally) free publicity

When we mention the word “spend”, we automatically think the cost might be too much. However, the type of spending you might do for social media marketing would surprise you compared to that when you spend it on print media—it would cost a lot less. Sure you have to spend for graphic artists, content writers and pay the social media sites to give your ads a bit of a boost, but when it comes down to cost cutting, social media marketing should be considered. The cost of having to put up billboards and signage for your business in different areas are ten folds larger than what it should cost you to pay for social media advertising!.

2. Be strategic because people still read

Yes, people read and appreciate, so hire the best graphic designers and content specialists/writers. Hire the right people to make your social media ads eye-catching. To attract audience your social media posts should be visually stimulating! People will not tolerate garbage content. They have to feel some sort of connection to the product they are seeing advertised on social medias and they have to be able to relate to it, so might as well consider being a bit realistic and don’t let your content writers and graphic artists go over the top in the marketing agenda. Provide contents that are informative, inspiring and entertaining at the same time. Be as realistic as possible without compromising the “charm” of your ad. Use taglines that are short yet catchy and can describe your business in less than, say, four words. Hashtags are useful tools for social media marketing, too, so you might want to use them (since everyone else does). Like taglines, they should be kept short and catchy, describing your business in just a few words and should also be unique as much as possible.

3. If you want to be heard, learn to listen too

Listen to your audience. Find out what they are saying and what they want so you can use that for your marketing strategies. Do not underestimate your audience and their expectations of what they might want to read. Social media has raised the bar of social awareness, therefore it would be very easy for the public to criticize and compare so be sensitive to your audience and their constructive criticisms.

Which Social Media Accounts Are The BEST For Your Brand And Why

If you are planning to launch a small business or you’ve started one just recently and you haven’t utilised the power of social media because you think it’s for teeny boppers only – then you’re dumber than I thought! You have probably encountered a load of information explaining how you can use social media to promote your business which makes sense because social media is a powerful money making machine as long as it’s utilised the right way. It doesn’t really matter if you think social media is for kids, bottom line, EVERYONE is on social media and it’s free communication.

Although there are millions of social media users all throughout the world, it is quite easy to get carried away by the number. Looking for the right social media sites to get your business promoted and maximize its potential is important to the success of a business, and it is the part where you should be concentrating your efforts.

What will your business gain from engaging in social media?

Social media is all about engaging through sharing, which means, in business, it’s targeting your services, your product range, or your articles at engaging a possible client base or customer. With millions of users worldwide, social media is covering every topic range that you would be able to think of.

Along with engaging a prospective client base and customer, social media also plays a big relevance to SEO. Social media has been a unique format because it is helping you promote your content directly to your audience, which in turn, would generate traffic through people who share your content with others, and through search engine optimization.

The most prominent social media sites and their uses:

Below are six of the most prominent and significant social media sites that you need to utilise right now if you want your business to succeed.

1. YouTube  – This site is about showcasing videos to a large range of audience. It is being utilized by businesses at all times to sell products and services. While YouTube is owned by Google, videos have a tendency of featuring prominently on the search engine results. You are even given chance to utilize the YouTube ads for making a secondary stream of income.

2. Google+ – It is in part a combination of Twitter and Facebook and has become essential for SEO, if nothing else.

3. Facebook – This social media site has been predominantly built for sharing. These can be articles, products, or services. It is for sharing your content with as many people as possible.

4. Twitter – It is about sharing news on any subject. You should not let the word “news” make you feel as if it does not apply for products. Twitter is good for new stock ready to be sold, new product launches, and other press releases.

5. Blogging – It is a great way of imparting expertise and news to your customer, client base, followers, and readership, offering a great way of attracting visitors to your website through search engines.

6. Instagram, Pinterest and other bookmarking sites – These social media sites are good to use when it comes to showcasing visual products. If your business is selling something on the web, make sure you post on Instagram, Pinterest and as many bookmarking sites as you can find.

These are just some of the basic advantages of social media, and the uses of each of the sites. Later on, I’ll get into detail how you can use your social media accounts to make decent money online.