In TikTok’s early days of most commonly dance demanding situations and lip-syncing exchanges, Shola West, a Gen Z profession suggest, speaker and educator, noticed an opening.
“I determined I sought after to return at the platform to proportion pointers and tips from my profession running within the media trade,” she says.
Now affectionately referred to as the “Large Sis to Younger Creatives” — with accolades together with Forbes 30 Underneath 30 — West is development a virtual emblem round offering profession recommendation to emerging execs.
![Download Now: The 2025 State of Social Media Trends [Free Report]](https://wpfixall.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/3dc1dfd9-2cb4-4498-8c57-19dbb5671820.png.webp)
“I didn’t cross into it pondering it could be a social media industry in line with se,” says West. “It used to be about including cost.”
Now, it’s her full-time industry.
The social media entrepreneur makes her cash from emblem partnerships, workshops, and different aligned collaborations.
Wish to be informed extra? You’re in good fortune. I chatted with one of the most best possible in social media entrepreneurship and I’m diving into developments, pointers, and extra beneath.
Desk of Contents
What’s social media entrepreneurship?
Social media entrepreneurship includes development a industry the usage of social media because the principal approach of riding gross sales and advertising.
The concept that is going hand-in-hand with a surging “author economic system” — the time period used to explain influencers or content material creators who leverage their virtual platforms to supply, distribute, and monetize their content material, steadily producing income from emblem partnerships, paid ads, and associate hyperlinks.
Different varieties of social media marketers would possibly have companies in sectors akin to ecommerce, consulting, and past.
Why is social media entrepreneurship so fashionable?
It’s uncommon to stumble upon a industry that’s now not tapping into social media someway. Within the U.S. by myself, 77% of small companies use social media for crucial purposes like gross sales, advertising, and customer support.
It’s no marvel, as those similar on-line platforms are the searching grounds for consumers: One in 4 shoppers favor on the lookout for manufacturers on social media platforms over engines like google. And in the case of how shoppers cost particular person creators, 49% make day-to-day, weekly, or per thirty days purchases according to influencer posts.
I feel it’s protected to mention social media is a profitable channel for marketers. It’s additionally a low cost, high-reward industry instrument for other folks with inventive minds however tight budgets.
Most sensible Social Media Entrepreneurship Tendencies
1. Brief-form video is dominating.
Around the board, social media platforms are actually pushing and prioritizing video presently. Brief-form video is the fastest-growing content material class on LinkedIn, and the platform just lately began trying out a vertical video feed (very similar to the codecs on Instagram and TikTok).
“I’ve been seeing an explosion of video podcast interviews,” says Gigi Robinson, founding father of Hosts of Affect. “It’s allowed for alternatives the place you’ll be able to higher relate to a emblem, or a founding father of a emblem, which can make you a extra unswerving buyer.
2. Folks need to see behind-the-scenes.
On a equivalent notice, how-the-sausage-is-made content material is booming.
“Some manufacturers do that slightly effectively,” says Emma Sneddon, a contract social media supervisor, referencing examples like REFY and Loose Soul.
Within the Loose Soul put up beneath, the logo celebrated Global Ladies’s Day with quite a lot of occasions — and a video that showcased now not best what the logo is ready however the other folks at the back of it.
“Somewhat than purely announcing, ‘Right here‘s our product, please purchase it,’ they’re appearing extra behind-the-scenes content material. They are getting their workers concerned.”
3. There’s a upward push in influencer advertising.
“We are transferring in opposition to extra authenticity over aesthetics,” Sneddon additionally shared with me. “Social media marketers are beginning to concentrate on uncooked, relatable, extra personality-related content material.”
As manufacturers catch on, many are turning to micro-influencers (creators with 10,000 to 99,999 fans) relatively than celebrities to exhibit their services via authentic content material.
Sixty-four % of entrepreneurs have labored with micro-influencers within the closing 12 months, and 47% say this team generated essentially the most advertising good fortune.
“Again within the day, other folks felt such as you needed to have one million fans to get partnerships, to land emblem offers, to get alternatives,” says West. “That’s now not the case anymore. When you’ve got a powerful area of interest and a well-engaged group, despite the fact that you’ve 5k fans, you might be nonetheless ready to realize get admission to.”
Guidelines for Social Media Marketers
1. Don’t be afraid to carve out a distinct segment.
In a saturated trade, presenting one thing contemporary via leaning into your distinctive revel in, experience, and pursuits is what is going to set you aside. That’s what West did, and he or she tells me it’s running in her desire.
In a similar way, my e-newsletter, podcast, and group platform Stella is a community in particular connecting Black girls in media. That’s via design — and it really works: Area of interest communities can foster better person engagement and loyalty. Additionally they sell a more potent sense of belonging and relatability.
2. Be adaptable.
A part of mastering social media is experimenting throughout platforms.
“I feel platform diversification is essential,” says Robinson. Don’t be afraid so as to add and evolve — oftentimes, what’s ready are huge rewards and new consumers. Don’t be afraid to pivot, both.”
For instance, Substack introduced the Writer Accelerator Fund, which incentivized creators emigrate their subscriber communities to its platform, providing a bunch of equipment and products and services.
3. Be constant however intentional.
Broaden a social media posting agenda that most closely fits your corporation type — and persist with it. However don’t get slowed down via the perception that you wish to have to put up at a definite cadence simply since you’re seeing it from someone else or emblem.
“Consistency for everybody seems to be other,” Sneddon tells me. “I at all times say high quality over amount. You need your posts to be value-driven and to in truth upload one thing for your target market. You do not need to be posting on a daily basis simply to check out and stay constant.”
Without reference to the frequency, social media upkeep can get tedious. Schedulers like Vista Social and Buffer are useful choices to guide posting, and I do know a large number of corporations and creators who’ve had nice effects with them.
Additionally, maximum social media platforms have integrated scheduling equipment you’ll be able to faucet into.
And when you’re ever feeling burned out creatively, West has a tip: She says that AI, when used responsibly, is usually a nice useful resource to assist generate new content material concepts.
For instance, HubSpot has an AI-powered weblog thought generator instrument that permit you to brainstorm concepts while you’re caught or hone an concept into one thing you’ll be able to paintings with.
4. Accumulate your individual knowledge.
If there’s the rest we discovered from TikTok’s brief U.S. ban, it’s that we will’t think platforms — and the knowledge that incorporates it — will exist endlessly.
Create your individual electronic mail advertising device to make sure you’re accumulating emails and different pertinent knowledge out of your on-line group.
5. Construct a group.
A success social media marketers, says Robinson, know the variation between an target market and a group. The largest differentiator lies in engagement.
“Your target market is the folks which might be steadily supporting you, however your communities are the folks that purchase into you. When you’ll be able to achieve success with social media, you‘re ready to transform, and also you’re ready to earn cash as a result of other folks need get admission to to you.”
In different phrases, group is central to conversions.
Sneddon is of the same opinion. She says you will have to be continuously “enticing along with your target market, asking them questions, and replying to feedback.”
She provides, “This may increasingly construct your group and feature other folks coming again for your web page as a result of they know you’ll engage.”
Don’t be afraid to self-promote.
If I may proportion one major takeaway from those conversations — and my very own studies — it could be that it’s important to power your corporation ahead your self. Because of this one of the most best possible methods for maintaining a profession as a social media entrepreneur is self-promotion.
“Closed mouths don’t get fed,” says Robinson. She’s locked in 15 gigs for the reason that get started of 2025 via sharing her previous paintings loudly throughout her social media channels. Paintings, in the end, ends up in new paintings.
