The demand for online content is at an all-time high. With more people sending time at home, the amount of screen time the average person is consuming is steadily increasing. This has created additional opportunities for alternative revenue streams within the influencer marketing space.
Without brand sponsorships or live-events, influencers have to be innovative and diversify the content they offer their audiences. From monetizing their social media output to identifying opportunities for tangible goods and services, creators are finding ways to rev up their direct-to-consumer efforts.
We’ve compiled some of our favorite tips for enhancing your audience engagement:
Follow your followers
To best understand the interests of your audience, audit your content, and that of similar influencers in your industry. Make note of what posts have performed well, both in impressions and engagement, and plan content that fits these trends. If you haven’t already, identify your brand’s niche and the specific need you’re fulfilling within the influencer space.
You should also use this time to gain a better understanding of how to run ads and properly optimize your content for SEO. The content you post should serve a specific purpose, be rich with keywords, links, and mobile usability. Monitor your paid promotions, like Facebook ads, to see what your audience is liking and engaging with, and what copy and messaging resonates best. You can use the ad data to further refine your content and optimize for maximized reach and impact.
Create new products
With in-person experiences like shopping and education shifting online, there’s an opportunity to create and market tangible items for your audience to purchase. Whether it’s merchandise, an online course, or guide, identify opportunities to monetize your content. Sites like TeeSpring and Printful make it possible for you to upload custom designs and create high-quality apparel overnight. Kajabi, Udemy, Teachable, and Skillshare are great course building apps that help you program content and sell informational resources.
Be sure that whatever you’re offering will resonate well with your audience. You don’t want to rush to sell products that serve no purpose or risk appearing like a cash grab. See what the data tells you about your niche, your posts, and your followers, and then ask yourself: What does your audience need and want in their lives that you can provide?
Network
As long as you’ve been in the professional space, you’ve been told the importance of networking. It’s for good reason — the relationships you build across industries are often the starting point of many opportunities. But how do you still form meaningful business relationships in a completely virtual space?
Reach out to some of the accounts you enjoy. Use your value proposition as an incentive to build a relationship you can both leverage. Propose hosting a virtual event together, or do a podcast interview. Crossover content, like page takeovers, can capture the attention of both audiences, and potentially double your own following. Regardless of how you choose to collaborate, building your online network will lay the foundation for future growth.
Let Design Pickle Help
With every new piece of content that needs to be created, Design Pickle is equipped with the tools to help you execute your vision. From social media collateral to custom T-shirt designs and web page layouts, our team of designers is prepared to help you tackle new landscapes. With unlimited design requests and revisions, we’re confident you’ll find what works for your brand and audience — while saving a ton on marketing.
But we know that a business owner’s creative needs go way beyond individual pieces of content. That’s why we created The Definitive Guide to Building a Content Machine Inside Your Business. You can also check out our solutions for entrepreneurs to find out how to cut your creative costs by up to 70%, get your creative to market faster, and profitably grow your company.
