How you make money from social media

A great question Robin.

I can only speak from the experiences we’ve had in the area of journalism, filmmaking, photography and creative writing and the people we work with, and alongside.

We view social media as a conduit. I can give some examples in all of the above and how it works for us.

In journalism it creates a medium to disseminate copy, articles, develop relationships with editors, publications, organisations and readers. This is accomplished mainly via awareness and presence online. We’ve been able to rapidly convey ideas. This, in turn, leads to opportunity to sell. Most importantly, it’s opened the global market and given journalists direct access to many more outlets (though you wouldn’t think so if you listen to the doom and gloom stories).

In filmmaking, there are so many opportunities for entrepreneurs to make money. Creating fan bases is one that springs to mind. We can speak directly to the audience. There is inclusivity, transparency and reciprocity. The main advantage that SM has is that it helps to build up loyalty and to sell the DVD, merchandising, etc. associated with any given film project.

Perhaps the most revolutionary area is that social media is a vehicle for securing investors in a film project. Something that was a long, laborious process of treading the conventional networking circuit (and something not for the faint-hearted). It’s still a skill, but there’s a global footprint 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

In photography, it’s another quick and rapid method of interacting with potential customers via a clear and concise loyalty base. For example, if a potential client can see that a photographer’s work is not only good, but popular, and that they have a fan base – then they’ll want to hire. There’s a benefit.

For authors and publishing there is another huge shift in the business of selling, not only the creative writing, but oneself. The same principles apply as in the earlier examples. But it’s even more exciting insomuch that authors can now, via a social media presence and loyalty, sell directly. eBook self-publishing is no longer a vanity issue. It’s a viable business. I could give so many great examples of how this is working but I’m aware I’m hogging the airwaves here.

On the subject of tweetups: we tend to avoid formal tweetups and work closely with individuals and organisations, production companies etc that we’ve connected with via social media. It works well for us. I’m not knocking other approaches. It all depends on what area of business you’re in and what, ultimately, you’re selling.

Best wishes

For my b2b clients using social media, it’s a mixed bag so far. For the most part, blogging and Twitter are the most effective, generating leads and establishing credibility. Lead generation from social media happens directly and indirectly – directly when people click through on Tweets, Facebook postings, etc., and indirectly because of the SEO effects of blogging. A well written and executed blog boosts search visibility and allows a smaller firm to outperform very big ones.