In the ever-evolving realm of social media, brands have more and more ways to engage with their audiences and attract new customers. Yet cutting through the digital noise can be tricky. Gone are the days of in-your-face ads and super-salesy plugs. Instead, there is a plethora of authentic and successful ways to make money through social media. To help brands make the most of social media’s capabilities and generate revenue, here are some top tips. 

Monetising through Social Media Ads

Many brands use social media ads to reach wider audiences and generate sales. In fact, social media ads accounted for 28.8% of all digital advertising spend in 2023 alone. 

Social media advertising involves assigning some of your advertising budget to promote your product(s) or service(s) on social media. Social media ads, also known as paid ads, are designed to reach targeted audiences on social platforms. Paid ads fit under the umbrella of paid social, and should be utilised alongside organic social efforts as part of your social media strategy. 

Unlike organic social activity where you’re at the mercy of the algorithm, using paid ads ensures you reach your desired audience. From TikTok and Instagram to Facebook and Twitter, no matter which social media platform you’re using, paid ads will always appear with a label, such as “sponsored” or “promoted”, to let users know that it’s an advertisement. 

Creativity knows no bounds when you create ads on social media, from colourful carousels and snappy TikTok videos to engaging stories and influential reels. Thanks to the versatile nature of paid ads, they have the power to reach targeted and untapped audiences, driving traffic, increasing conversions, and aiding social media growth. 

Social Commerce and Direct Sales

Social commerce involves selling your product(s) directly via social media. From product discovery to checkout, social commerce encompasses the entire shopping experience. A plethora of social media platforms offer native social commerce features, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, and even Snapchat. So, no matter which platform performs best for your brand, you have plenty of choice when it comes to where you sell your products. 

Social commerce speeds up the consumer journey, making it all too tempting for visitors to make a purchase on an item they’ve just discovered. And people love it! In 2023, direct sales through social networks accounted for 18.5% of all online sales – a significant increase from just 5.5% in 2018. So if you’re not already taking advantage of social media’s shopping capabilities, get ahead of your competitors and give it a go!  

Influencer Collaborations for Brand Growth

Unfamiliar with influencer marketing? No problem! Influencer marketing involves collaborating with dedicated social media influencers and content creators to promote your brand, products, and services. Working with influencers allows you to reach relevant, untapped audiences on a grand scale, bolstering brand awareness and enhancing your online presence.  

In the realm of influencers, size really doesn’t matter. It’s all about relevancy! Choosing influencers who share your brand values and post quality content relevant to your sector will help you reach the right audiences. When both parties share the same values, the collaboration will come across as more natural. Authenticity is also important. Content will only ever resonate if it is authentic, which is why finding the right influencers to work with is key. 

From gifting and giveaways to sponsored posts, there are plenty of ways to collaborate with influencers and build your brand. Depending on your budget and audience interests, some strategies might work better than others. Don’t be afraid to mix it up and see what works. 

Collaborating with a blend of influencers can help you reach a variety of audiences, but it’s important to note that influencer marketing can be expensive. Usually, the more followers an influencer has, the more expensive they’ll be. To help you get to grips with the complex yet rewarding world of influencers, here is a rundown of the different types: 

• Nano-influencers have a relatively small yet super-targeted and dedicated social following of 10,000 or less. 
• Micro-influencers have a small yet highly engaged social following of between 10,000 and 100,000. 
• Macro-influencers usually have a larger and established social following of between 100,000 and 1 million. 
• Mega-influencers have a substantially large social following of more than 1 million. 

More money doesn’t always equal better performance. Sometimes, you’ll yield better results from micro- and nano-influencer collaborations due to their highly targeted, dedicated following. By working with relevant influencers to create content that resonates, you’ll be able to reach wider audiences and drive new leads and sales. 

Building a Community for Organic Growth

Utilising social media is one of the best ways to build a strong community and achieve organic growth. Building a dedicated following isn’t as easy as it seems, however. From establishing a comprehensive social media strategy to community management, building and growing a loyal community takes a lot of time and effort. But it’s worth it! Nurturing your community results in happier and more loyal customers, meaning more sales. 

To elevate your presence on social media, create authentic content that resonates – and post consistently. Posting quality content consistently shows you’re present and active on social media, making your followers feel as if they can reach you whenever they need you. While there is an array of content types you can include in your social media strategy, utilising user-generated content (UGC) is one of the best ways to build consumer trust and loyalty. This is because UGC is often seen as more authentic than content created by a brand. In fact, 86% of consumers say authenticity is important when deciding which brands they like and support, highlighting the effective nature of UGC. 

As well as creating content that resonates, building a dedicated community requires a robust community management strategy. From responding to comments and answering questions to posting polls and hosting giveaways, there are plenty of ways to engage with both new and existing customers on social media. Swiftly addressing customer pain points and providing great solutions to their problems can do wonders for garnering trust among your customers. This kind of activity helps to nurture and grow your brand organically, resulting in increased leads and sales.  

Utilising Data and Analytics for Optimised Campaigns

Analysing your current social media performance is vital for shaping future strategies. Crafting well-rounded social media strategies informed by data and performance insights will yield better results, whether it’s growing your following or garnering higher engagement rates. This in turn will result in more leads and sales. 

To accurately analyse current performance, you’ll need to monitor meaningful metrics. This means identifying the right metrics in line with your goals. For example, if your objective is to drive more traffic to your website, click-through rate (CTR) is a valuable metric to track and analyse. From likes, comments, reactions, and shares to conversion rate (CVR), there are plenty of metrics to consider.

Gathering reliable data will help you analyse the success of your social media strategy and then adapt, enhance, and evolve it. For example, the data might reveal that Instagram reels acquired twice as much engagement as Facebook videos. For your next strategy then, you might decide to focus your efforts on creating more Instagram reels and exploring this channel more. By measuring performance and implementing well-informed changes to your social media strategy, you’re likely to see better results and in turn, more sales.

Predicting ROI from Social Media Efforts

Predicting social media ROI is crucial for determining where you’re going to get the biggest bang for your buck, so to speak. For example, if you’re seeing a steady stream of sales from your TikTok shop or month-on-month traffic increases from Instagram, you might choose to assign more budget to those channels. 

Calculating social media ROI successfully involves establishing goals, monitoring and measuring metrics, and analysing expenses such as ad costs, time, and tools. Once you’re able to do this, you can effectively make predictions and shape your social strategies to maximise returns. 

Future Opportunities for Brand Monetisation

From influencer collaborations to paid ads, there are plenty of ways you can use social media for brand monetisation. In particular, social commerce is an avenue worth exploring before the competition creeps in. Already we’re seeing the use of Augmented Reality (AR) in social commerce, specifically on Snapchat. 

The app’s “Shopping Lens” feature allows brands to connect their catalogue through Snapchat, giving users the opportunity to “try on” clothes or visualise what products will look like in their houses. As AR technology rises in popularity, it’s highly likely that other social media platforms will adopt this. With this in mind, it’s crucial for brands to embrace the latest trends in social media to reach consumers on a grand level and increase revenue. 

If you’re not sure where to start, we’ve got you covered. With a team of seasoned social media experts and an array of social media marketing services to suit any brand, Social Chameleon can help enhance and evolve your social strategies.