In case you have not noticed, the influencer space has exploded these days. It's such a trend that there are people that call themselves by the title and add the word influencer to their name online and in their publications. Many of them are using the title like some would use any other professional or social title; like using Professor X, Officer X, Pastor X, Pastor X, Influencer X.
The age of the influencer is here to stay, if not forever, at least for the foreseeable future. These days anyone can call themselves an influencer and it seems like anyone and everyone is doing it. But what if you are an influencer? What if you were destined to be an influencer? What if you do have the power to influence others in a positive manner? If you have that voice inside of you, then this blog is for you.
I titled this blog How To Monetize Your Social Media Platforms? because I new if would get you to click on it. I'm sorry if my next sentence discourages you from continuing to read. This blog is NOT going to focus on the money side of social media platforms, but the influencer side. So, if all you cared about before clicking on this post was how to make money with your social media sites and accounts, can you please set that aside and continue reading? I promise you the money will come if you stop making it all about the money, and focus on what actually matters.
Let's face it; we need money to operate in this world. Yet money is not what will get you what you want. Money is a tool that comes after you've proven you have something valuable to offer those who are looking at you. So, if you want money, find influence. If you want influence, become valuable. If you want to become valuable, learn something of value. If you want to find something of value to learn, pray for the discernment to find the value in all things, big and small.
I said we need money. I'm sure you've heard about a real estate guru who wants to convince you that you can buy real estate without money. They get you to click on an ad and sign up for a seminar or webinar, and then let you know that you have to pay "x" amount to be a part of their coaching program so that you can learn how to purchase real estate without money. If money was not necessary and they had no need for it, why would they have to charge you to give you the secrets to their system?
Let me address this from a different angle. Are you paying to read this? I do not charge for the information I share in this blog and will not turn this into a paid subscription platform. You are free to read it, share it, quote it, borrow it, use it as your own and use it to help yourself and others to grow. This information is for you to use to your benefit.
Our business consulting firm, GC Rosario Group has been criticized by some of the giants in the industry because we give away more than that which we charge for. We have been attacked by consulting giants because we don't charge as much as they do for our services. Why do we do this? Because we are focused on helping people grow rather than pushing the small guys away to focus on the big guys. Our goal is to be influencers in the marketplace, helping start-ups and mid-level companies navigate the difficult road to the top so that they can play with the big power players.
How do we help you do this? We help you understand the truth of today's professional space, that social media is now the main platform where individuals, companies and brands concentrate their marketing strategy and budget. This is because we've recognized that social media's potential for reach, engagement and a whole new revenue stream is real, and here to stay.
How do we help you figure out how to make money online from your company’s pages, social media accounts, YouTube channels and public platforms? First we disprove the notion that you have to be independently wealthy or well funded in order to capitalize on the power of online marketing, specifically social media influencer marketing. You've probably been told that if you’re a small business with limited bandwidth and resources, you are probably not going to win against the big boys. Really?
I invite you to find any of the world's top consultants from the biggest firms, with the deepest pockets and the largest marketing budgets and Google that person's name. Then Google "George L. Rosario." Let's see if their deep pockets, huge companies, and large platforms match to my online presence. How many millions do you think I've spent to get my name in front of you? What if I told you I've made it a point to spend ZERO on my social media sites and online persona? Claudia and I started GC Rosario Group to help others do this. Do we charge for our services? YES. What we don't do is teach you to purchase your way to the top.
So, if you don't have a huge marketing budget, fear not. You are not alone. Many of the people we've worked with have walked the empty pocket, startup path before you. What they did to grow was to figure out some powerful strategies for earning some extra cash flow, all while strengthening their social media brand. We've met with some of the top experts in social media marketing to find out the best ways to monetize your social media without coming across like snake oil salespeople and wannabe gurus. How do you become a social media influencer without compromising your mission and vision?
When GC Rosario Group launched, we had $2 in our marketing budget. I'm not ashamed of that. We really had $2 in our marketing budget. Why? Because we decided to give it all back and give it all away before launching. We wanted to prove that our Bible based business strategies geared towards helping up and comers with limited budgets grow are so effective that they worked for us. It's very easy for a millionaire to buy influence. We believe that influence that is purchased does not last. We believe that influence that is earned raises real kingdom influencers.
By the way, why $2? $1 for Claudia and $1 for me to buy someone a $1 cup of coffee and start a conversation with. Talk about limited. What's that last time you were able to purchase a cup of coffee for $1? So for future reference, remember that GC Rosario Group, LLC had $2 in our marketing budget at the time of formation.
Let's get back into it. What are our top social media monetization strategies?
Have an Engaged Target Audience
Before you launch a social media campaign, make sure that you have an engaged and highly targeted audience. People used to focus a lot on the number of followers they had. This gave a rise to "marketing gurus" pushing products that promised to get you hundreds or even thousands of followers. In today's noisy online atmosphere, the number of followers you have is meaningless. Companies and brands that are looking for potential partnerships recognize that an account that boasts about having 100,000 followers, but which only gets 50 likes and 3 comments on their posts is less effective than account that has 50,000 followers and gets 500 likes and 100 comments on their posts.
What does this mean for you?
Stop worrying about gaining more and more followers on your social media. Love on those you already have. Engage with them. Answer their messages. Start a conversation. Visit their accounts and find something about it for you to like. Comment on their content. Reply to their comments on your accounts. If you are not engaging your audience, you are nothing more than another followers hoarder, and you will come across as inauthentic.
Furthermore, if your audience is not highly targeted, you will find it hard to capitalize on meaningful relationships. As a SEO pro, I say that the more specific your content is to one topic, the more you are capable of turning that topic into a revenue producing vehicle for your business. Know what your audience cares about. Share content that you truly care about and let the right followers find you. Don't recruit followers, attract followers. How? By sharing content that your followers want. Creators who have a high level of engagement and a localized and loyal following can be very valuable to those seeking to build business partnerships.
Create & Share High-Quality Content
All the greatest influencers are either great content creators, or have partnered with great content creators. You don't need to give up the shirt off your back to purchase expensive equipment for your website and for your social media sites. But, you need good, eye catching, thought provoking, action driven, inspiring, motivating, stirring content. You need content that will start a conversation.
Having an engaged and targeted audience is important to attracting brand partnerships, sponsored content, and followers that join you in your mission and vision. In recent years, the attention span of the audience has shifted. This is due to the overwhelming amount of content being thrown at folks on social media. So, it has never been more important to stand out from the crown. Creators know that in order to be influencers, they must influence their audience to become engaged and take action.
We are now part of a marketplace where brands seek influencers to bring attention to their brand's products and services. Brands are becoming increasingly dependent on creator-generated content to power their business and their market voice. If your content resonates with them, they will find you, hire you and pay you to partner up with them. See, you do not have to recruit partnerships, but rather attract them.
An influencer can create content for other brands, such as videos, blogs, ads, testimonials, podcast shoutouts, or simply show the world that they believe and use the brand's products and services. A simple post on an influencer's social media platforms can change your brand's awareness. This is how The Kardashians (who I do not like or endorse) can help a brand sell out a purse or a lipstick in seconds by simply posting a photo with that product on their Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook (Meta), LinkedIn, YouTube, WeChat, Snapchat, etc. accounts. I believe if you are more authentic than The Kardashians, you can grow past them in your online influence and move more products and services than they do. In the end, posting authentic and insightful content should come first.
What does this mean for you?
This means that you can get paid for making social media content for other people, but not unless you have an authentic audience base that is engaging with you. Our clients at GC Rosario Group quickly learn how important it is for them to invest in market research to decide which social media channels are the most effective and efficient to meet their goals. Instagram, FaceBook and YouTube have been the top choices for a long time, but we must admit that TikTok has quickly become a huge player in the marketplace.
Be Open To Accepting Commissions, Sponsorships, Partnerships & Guest Spots
Influencers and content creators became too comfortable in monetizing their own social media accounts until social media platforms started removing their easy and free monetization options. YouTube, Instagram and Facebook removed much of their free monetization capabilities, and turned them into paid options for content creators. This almost killed the influencer business.
Some savvy influencers, amazing content creators, and great business minded entrepreneurs found ways to capitalize on the move. has been through a combination of commissions, sponsorships and partnerships. They became open to online brand ambassadorships, commission through affiliate links and sponsored spots in various formats and across platforms. In other words, they open the door for others to reach out to them and ask them to partner up to cross brand across their social media pages.
What does this mean for you?
Stop pitching companies to become potential partners, but rather to become so attractive to them that they reach out to us directly to partner up with them. Become so attractive to others in your industry that they can't help but reach out to you to partner up. When you recruit, you give the recruit all the bargaining power. When you attract, you hold onto the power position during the negotiation period of forming a partnership. Let' them come to you. Be open to cross branding opportunities.
Once you have an engaged target audience, and you create, produce and share high-quality content with that target audience, other brands and potential partnerships will look to you to share (capitalize) from your influence as a loved content creator. Being an engaged influencer on your social media platforms will help you demonstrate to others the value-add they seek for their marketing strategy. Commissions, sponsorships, paid appearances and partnerships will surely follow. SHOW ME THE MONEY!!!
Be The CEO, CFO and Marketing Director of YOU
When you become the industry expert, you will not have to rely on paid partnerships to create revenue streams via your social media accounts. As an expert, you can monetize your social media platforms without collaborating with, or relying on other brands. As our very own COO & Co-Founder Claudia P. Rosario says, "You are the CEO, CFO and Marketing Director of you. If you believe in you enough to do it, who else will?" Your own personal brand is the first brand you have to grow.
You have no idea how many professionals, company owners and industry leaders have tried to "steal" our Claudia P. Rosario from GC Rosario Group. Why? Because she is a walking encyclopedia of industry knowledge. Brands seek her out to help them grow, and many have asked her to be a brand ambassador for them. She is in high demand because she has remained authentic in her own personal brand, and because of this she gets to only partner with those who fit her own vision and mission. That is what we meant by bargaining power.
What does this mean for you?
CONCLUSION:
By following all of this sound advice, most business owners will find their investment in social media far outweighs the risks and costs. We should start the conversation today. Let our team at GC Rosario Group help you do the research, come up with a customized social media strategy, find ways to become more engaged with your audience, and create a consistent cash flow for your business' online presence. We will help you every step of the way. Once we help you start earning revenue from your social media accounts, and you're ready to take your social media strategy to the next level, GC Rosario Group will help you recognize your talents and blessings, enlarge your territory, stay away from the pitfalls of social media negativity and toxicity, and enjoy the positivity-driven fruits of your labor.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
George L. Rosario is a Brooklyn NY born & raised businessman & entrepreneur turned consultant. He started GC Rosario Group with his lovely wife Claudia. With over 30 years of service to the marketplace in NYC, George has relocated and been graciously adopted by the business community of South Florida. He now travels the country helping businesses and organizations thrive in today’s noisy environment. The post-Covid era forced many to close their doors, but also opened new doors of opportunity, growth and prosperity for innovative thinkers. George & Claudia Rosario help companies, businesses, organizations and teams develop the necessary skillset and plan of action to not just survive, but thrive in this new world. GC Rosario Group helps both secular and Christian based institutions meet their goals.
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