If you have ever seen the movie Shark Tank you will know exactly what kind of business we are talking about. For those of you who haven’t seen the movie yet, Shark Tank is a popular ABC show where incredible entrepreneurs come face to face with some of the biggest names in business. The show features famous faces like Mark Cuban, Kevin O’Leary, and Barbara Corcoran. There is also a whole lot of money changing hands.
The format of the show is pretty unique in that it allows for both individuals and businesses to pitch their products or services to a group of well-known business moguls called’sharks’. If a shark decides to purchase your product or service, you can win a big chunk of change. The catch is that you need to come up with a small fortune to buy a ticket to the fair isle of Lemons and get a chance to pitch your idea to a panel of sharks. The person whose product or service the sharks decide to buy first wins. It is called ‘Shark Tank’ for a reason.
What if there was a way for you to participate in the Shark Tank concept, but from the comfort of your home? We couldn’t think of a better way to make some extra cash than to take advantage of the pandora’s box that is online marketing, and use the power of social media to our advantage.
In today’s world, having a social media account is more necessary than ever before. If you have an Instagram or Twitter account, you are basically forced to use it. So what can we do with these accounts?
Show the World You Are Ready For The Job
If you have a generic social media account, it probably doesn’t do much for your business. You don’t have a unique voice or style that is going to make your followers want to hear what you have to say. For this reason, we suggest creating separate accounts for your business and your personal life. Having separate accounts shows that you are a genuine person who is also skilled in business. This is important because people might question your business acumen if your personal Instagram account is full of selfies and cheesecake shots.
One of the best things about having a business account, is being able to use the account to put out quality content day in and day out. The content might not be flashy, but it needs to be informative and worth their time. This is why we love the quote by Mike Koenigs:
“I think that what sets a successful business apart from an unsuccessful one is not the product or the service that they offer, but rather the passion that they showcase.”
Build A Profile That Is Second To None
If you are new to social media, building a profile is probably a daunting task. There are so many platforms to choose from and, as mentioned by Nicki Swift in her article for Entrepreneur Magazine, “It’s overwhelming, really.”
If you want to build a profile that is going to stand out, you are going to have to put in the work. While there are a variety of tools that can help you automate this process, we suggest doing it manually. Start by having a look at the profiles of some of your favorite professionals. Create a list of everything you admire about their profile and use that as a starting point for your own.
After you have your basic profile written, take some time to study the techniques that the famous people you admire use. Do you notice any themes or patterns in the way they engage with their audience? Use that to guide your own strategy. Don’t be afraid to be creative and come up with unique ways to engage with your followers. You can use tools like Hootsuite to help you manage your social media channels, but you must be proactive in creating content for each platform individually.
Use Analytics To Your Advantage
If you are looking to take your marketing to the next level, chances are, you are already using analytics. Analytics allows you to study the behavior of thousands of people across the globe and use that to your advantage. It is a great way to figure out what is and isn’t working and, more importantly, it allows you to find out what is motivating them to action.
If you have been using analytics for a while and have noticed a few different campaigns that are performing well, try to figure out what is motivating those actions. Is it the video content that you are using? The type of offer that you are presenting? The look and feel of your website?
Whatever it may be, figure out what is working and create a new strategy around that. Coming up with a new marketing idea every couple of months is great if it is working well, but can be a pain if it isn’t. Taking the time to regroup and analyze the data from your last campaign will help you move forward with greater confidence.
Make Money With Affiliate Marketing
If you are looking to make money online, affiliate marketing is one of the simplest and most effective ways to go about it. Simply find a legitimate affiliate program that fits your niche and then, once you have signed up to an affiliate program, follow the steps to make money online.
Most affiliate programs will tell you what types of products or services they promote and give you an overview of how much money you can make, but it is up to you to find the right product or service for your audience. Are they looking for digital nomads seeking to build a career in marketing? Or, are they interested in buying a luxury lifestyle product?
Finding a product that fits your niche is of paramount importance and will determine the success of your affiliate marketing plan. Once you find that sweet spot, the rest is simply following the steps to make money online. You can use tools like Amazon’s Associates to find products that fit your niche and then, using tools like Google’s Adsense, you can find affiliate programs that will pay you for promoting their products.
If you want to master affiliate marketing and build a reputable brand, we suggest reading some of the best books on the subject. One of the best books to help you is Affiliate Marketing – An Easy Guide to Commence and Manage By by Gail Evans. Not only will it teach you the ins and outs of affiliate marketing, but it will also give you a clear roadmap for taking the first steps toward building a successful business.
Create Free Blogs And Start Engaging With Your Audience
Blogs are a great way to get in touch with your audience and build a relationship. Having a blog doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to write about content that is paid for. You can use your blog as a way to communicate with your audience and interact with them on a regular basis. You can take advantage of tools like Hootsuite to help you manage your blog content.
If you are looking for a free blogging platform, we suggest using WordPress. Not only is it one of the most popular platforms, but it is also extremely easy to use and set up. The best part is that you can use the free version to build a solid platform from which to launch your paid content.
If you are really passionate about blogging and want to make money off the blog, you can use affiliate marketing to help you do that. Just pick a few blogs that you enjoy reading and then find affiliate programs that you can associate with those blogs. Once you have signed up to an affiliate program, you can use your blog to promote the products or services of the brand. You will usually earn a commission on any sales that are made as a result of your blog posts. Don’t worry about making a profit right away because, as mentioned by Chris Guillebeau in his book ‘The $100 Startup’, the key to entrepreneurial success is ‘always being willing to experiment’. If you are willing to try something new, you can always find a way to make money online.