Will Post for Profit: How Brands and Influencers Are Cashing In on Social Media

by Justin Blaney D.M., Kate Fleming

Overview

How to earn a profit on social media.

Since the rise of social media, Influencer Marketing has emerged as one of the most powerful alternatives to traditional marketing channels that have become too expensive and ineffective for the majority of businesses today. Between 2016 and 2019, spending on Influencer Marketing tripled to over $6 billion. This has created a gold rush of opportunity for those on the cutting edge. However, few resources are available to guide influencers and brands through this rapidly evolving landscape. As a result, millions of dollars in profits are being wasted.

Will Post for Profit unpacks the critical components that are necessary to successfully navigate today’s complex digital world, in an in-depth, how-to, and easily digestible format—exploring topics like how to select a platform, FTC compliance, ethics, audience growth strategy, designing successful campaigns, finding brands or influencers to work with, contracts, key performance indicators (KPIs), and more. Included are more than a dozen interviews with successful brands and influencers who reveal their top secrets to success and biggest mistakes to avoid.

Whether brand or influencer, just starting out or a well-seasoned social guru, Will Post for Profit will leave readers with the necessary tools and understanding to grow their audience, make the most of their campaigns or collaborations, and ultimately generate profit from social influence.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781642935462
Publisher:	Post Hill Press
Publication date:	10/13/2020
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Justin Blaney, D.M. is the bestselling author of fifteen books including his most recent, Will Post for Profit: How Brands and Influencers Are Cashing In on Social Media. He is followed by more than one million on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @justinblaney. He publishes an app that features his writing, which can be found at www.justinblaney.com/app. Justin teaches at the University of Washington and lives in Capitol Hill, Seattle.

Table of Contents

Foreword xi

Introduction xiii

1 History of Influencer Marketing 1

Examples of Influencer Marketing Campaigns 3

Influencer Marketing Compared to Other Forms of Advertising 4

Influences Are Different Than Celebrities 9

Types of Influences 10

Audience Size Categories 18

Summary 25

2 Becoming an Influencer 29

Why Become an Influencer? 29

Finding Your Niche 32

Platform Selection 37

When Can You Expect to Start Making Money? 50

Summary 54

3 Growth 57

Authenticity 57

Consistency 59

Niche 60

Audience Growth Sources 61

Summary 70

4 Evaluating the Performance of Your Social Presence 73

Metrics 74

Summary 79

5 Content Strategy 81

Goals 81

Boost Engagement with Content Strategy 82

Consistency and Frequency 84

Summary 88

6 Your Social Influencer Marketing Plan 89

7 Collaborations 93

Finding Brands or Influences to Work With 97

Media Kits 103

Rates 105

Contracts 109

8 Creating a Successful Influencer Marketing Campaign 113

Types of Campaigns 115

Compliance and When Campaigns Go Wrong 120

Pre-Campaign Checklist 126

Summary 130

9 Campaign Metrics and Analytics 131

How and What to Measure 132

Tools You Should Be Aware of to Help You Track Key Performance Indicators and Improve Your Performance 138

Summary 140

10 Ethics and the Dark Side of Social Media 143

Fake News 143

Click bait 144

Harassment and Bullying 144

Ethics 145

Avoiding PR Problems 147

Summary 149

11 The Future of Influencer Marketing 153

Where Is This Going? 153

How Can I Protect Myself from Losing My Investments? 154

Summary 155

12 Conclusion 161

Appendices 171

Appendix A Sample Simple Contract with Content Guidelines 171

Appendix B Example Marketing Plan for Send It Records 174

Appendix C Glossary of Terms 187

Appendix D Tools 190

Appendix E Influencer Spotlights 195

Appendix F Brand Spotlights 221

About the Authors 239