In the corona pandemic, some have more free time than they would like. Maybe surf the internet and imagine yourself to be one of those influencers you come across on social media.
Can you actually become an influencer and social media star out of nowhere?
“Yes, that is possible,” says social media expert and author * Wolfgang Deutschmann (29). “But you have to be very motivated and disciplined to implement it.” In principle, however, he believes that everyone has the potential to do so.
Deutschmann founded his first digital company Green Rocket at the age of 18 and has been in the internet business for over ten years. He has been running the social media consultancy ado New Media in Graz for five years.
So what does it take to make money on Facebook and other social media?
“Not much at first,” says Deutschmann in an interview with BILD. “First you have to decide which topic you want to work on.”
The right topic
What sounds simple, however, is an initial key decision, according to Deutschmann. “The choice of topic decides which people I attract and how motivated I do it myself.”
Because everyone has a special area that interests them and that they enjoy. “Anyone looking for a topic should ask themselves what they really enjoy doing and what they like to talk about with their friends, for example,” says Deutschmann. “For example, I am enthusiastic about cars and could talk about them for hours.”
Even apparently curious hobbies have what it takes to become an influencer. “There are definitely a few thousand or even a hundred thousand people on the Internet who are also interested in it.”
It is not a matter of necessarily filling a gap in the market, believes Deutschmann. “If there are already successful accounts in one area, it is enough to make slight changes to differentiate yourself,” says the expert. “You don’t have to do everything completely differently.”
The right platform
Once you have decided on a topic, you have to choose the medium in which the target group is at home. “If you want to use all social media, you will never finish,” warns Deutschmann. “Nobody can satisfy the algorithm equally everywhere, be it on Youtube, Instagram or Facebook.”
Instead, ask yourself where you can find out more about the chosen topic. Then the choice of the right network is made automatically.
Wolfgang Deutschmann advises on the right online strategy with his social media agency
The right content
Once the right medium has been identified, the first content can be created. “There is a golden rule, and it says: content that creates value.”
What kind of value can that be? “That can be information that helps, it can be news, but it can also be entertainment,” explains Deutschmann. This is what you should check every post for when you create it.
Videos and photos should be edited before they are published. “You shouldn’t overdo it with the filters,” advises Deutschmann.
Because people like to pay attention to people, you have a better chance of being noticed if you appear as a person in the posts, explains the expert. “If you feel uncomfortable with it, you’d better refrain from such contributions – otherwise you lose the fun and give up. In order to do this, all the better images of the product have to be shown. “
The right time
Even the timing of a post can have an impact on its success. “There are studies showing that certain topics work particularly well at certain times of the day,” reports Deutschmann. “Anyone who writes about building with Lego bricks, for example, tends to reach their target group in the evening.” In general, however, the following applies: “If you post something on Facebook or Instagram between 6pm and 10pm, you don’t do much wrong with it.”
In order to get the users’ attention, it is also important to take into account the special characteristics of the various social networks. “On Instagram, for example, it is important to work with hashtags because they can be used to reach new users in the network for organic growth.”
Deutschmann (29) founded his first internet company when he was just 18 years old
Placing advertising on Instagram, on the other hand, makes little sense to attract subscribers. “The algorithm is designed in such a way that you have to be active in order to get a lot of followers,” says Deutschmann. “On Facebook, on the other hand, the algorithm works differently. Anyone who wants to make users aware of their Facebook page is forced to spend money on advertising. “
The right business model
Once you have finally built up a number of followers, it goes to monetization. “There are many ways to make money with reach on social networks. You can run an online shop with products, sell internet seminars or offer e-books. If you deliver the offer in the same quality as the content on social media, then customers will also buy it, ”says Deutschmann.
But he warns against exaggerated hopes. “You can’t expect to have tons of followers after a month. You have to stick with it so that the algorithm also recognizes that you are delivering good content and that the followers linger for a long time. ”Those who follow this will also be successful.
But: “Becoming an influencer is like starting a business. Most of them fail because they stop too early or have not given enough thought to what value they want to create, ”says Deutschmann.
“And 90 percent fail in the first three years because they indulge the illusion that being an influencer is not work.” Instead, you have to be persistent and assume that you have to invest at least a year before the first one Fruits can be harvested.
If you persevere, you can generate sales with comparatively few followers. “I know micro-influencers with 2,000 to 10,000 subscribers who are already making money,” reports Deutschmann. “But only with hundreds of thousands of followers can you earn five-figure amounts a month.”
* More in: “Cashbook” by Wolfgang Deutschmann, 224 pages, 20 euros
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