Mastering Social Media for Money

If you’ve ever surfed through the millions of attractive photos on Instagram, or spent hours staring at YouTube videos, you’ve probably seen something “sponsored”. It could have been  a “detox tea”, or a cocoa exfoliate, gummy bears that grow your hair or even morning sickness medication that requires FDA explanations (see Kim to the left). Sponsorships seem to be the new “it” thing in advertising, and it’s obvious why. We know that conventional advertising methods can often lose viewers attention quickly, and cost insane amounts of money. On top of that, many people have lost trust in advertisements, considering them to just be overdone, overused and too loud. Advertisers began to question how to utilize social media to gain new, loyal customers. The answer to that: sponsorships.

There are popular trendy people all over social media. These include instagramers, youtubers, bloggers, tweeters, and celebrities (The Kardashians being one of the prime examples of this). These are people that viewers often trust and feel connected to. If you watch Nikki Tutorials (above) videos every Wednesday, it’s likely you feel connected to her. She speaks right to you. Or if you follow, say, Annalovesu on Instagram, her constant beautiful photos and uplifting stories allow you to feel like you know and look up to her. Trust is built through mutual appreciation between the social media

star and the viewer quickly, because they are both presenting themselves as human beings looking to connect. By the time a social media star has built their site with thousands of viewers, they have also already built a rapport with their as someone trustworthy, likable, and potentially even inspiring. That’ why these people are ideal for new companies trying to get their name out there.

How it happens: Once a social media star has built enough followers, companies will reach out to them and offer their product for free and potentially some money. While on television they know an advertisement may be fast forwarded or muted, they see a persons following as a number who genuinely care and are interested in what the star has to say. This places social media sponsorships as a more effective and cheaper way to reach their audience. Sponsorships seem to be mutually beneficial for companies and social media stars, but are they for the consumer? That is for you to decide. You can learn more about the positive side to sponsorships here however:

Advertisements always seem to lead to criticism however. Many viewers speak out against sponsorships because they feel it lowers their trust in the social media stars. While many claim that they will only sponsor products that they personally like, it’s hard to trust coming from the seller. I know I personally am more influenced by a social media stars suggestion than an advertisement, even though I know that they are likely getting paid. I'm curious of what others think though. Is this a good way to advertise that ensures the products are truly liked by those reviewing them? Or is it no different than your day to day commercial?