7 Social Media Tips: How to Make an Impact (and Income!) From Your Phone
Jennifer Openshaw spoke with influencer Alexa Curtis on tips to make the most out of your social media
By Jody Bell
How much time a day do you spend on social media?
For most of GenZ, it’s about three hours a day. Apps like Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat have all been expanded to be full media consumption applications – and not just a way to chat with friends. As a generation, we’re having political discussions, looking at daily news, and connecting with one another in ways that were never possible before.
But, could social media be even more than that? Could social media be a viable way to create your own business, brand and income?
Jennifer Openshaw, Founder and CEO of Girls with Impact, chatted with Alexa Curtis to find out. Curtis is the Founder of Life Unfiltered with Alexa Curtis – a blog she started when she was just 12 years old! She is also the Founder of the Be Fearless Summit, which partners with college campuses to prepare young adults to land their dream jobs.
As an entrepreneur, Curtis started her journey on social media – here are her tips on how to make the most out of your social media pages.
Ways You Can Leverage Social Media
While you may use social media to communicate with friends, learn, or simply to entertain yourself, you’re barely scratching the surface of what’s capable on apps like TikTok and Instagram.
Start your own business – Social media is a great place to start building up awareness for a business. It is already connected to your personal network of friends, and it has user friend analytics so you can track how many people are interested in your venture and visiting your page. Plus, all these features are free!
Build your own personal brand – As Curtis stated, “you don’t have to build a brand on social media, but you can build yourself with the help of social media.” Your most powerful brand is always yourself, so try using platforms like LinkedIn to start promoting yourself and your accomplishments. Establishing a professional online presence early is a major advantage when applying for internships, scholarships, and even college.
Partner with other brands – Many companies are turning towards social media to advertise directly towards young people. Once you have a larger following you can partner with these brands and be paid to promote them – just make sure you discuss this with your parents first.
Share some positivity – If you aren’t interested in leveraging social media to make money, you can still use it to amplify your voice and maximize your impact. If you’re passionate about a social/political movement, try making a social media page dedicated to that topic. It’s a great way to learn more, meet like-minded people, and to share the message.
Tips on Starting Your Business on Social Media
Social media is the absolute hub for start-ups – here’s how you can start your very own business from the phone in your pocket.
See who’s interested – One of the key steps in starting a business is making sure that there is interest in the venture. Before you begin focusing on funding or a business plan, just make an Instagram or TikTok about your idea and see if people like it. Let the idea evolve and pivot – use the page to learn more about your potential consumers and what they would want out of your venture.
Get mentors and motivators – One of the hardest parts of starting a business is staying motivated when confronted with an obstacle. The absolute best way to overcome this is through having a circle of mentors and motivators who are interested in your venture and the problem it is trying to solve. Social media is a great place to start finding these like-minded people who can give you the guidance and reassurance needed to keep building your venture.
Focus on the journey – When using social media as a tool for launching a business, it is important to always be ready to pivot your idea. Explore the feedback you’re receiving on your page, and look at similar businesses and venture pages to find the balance between what you’re truly passionate about, and what consumers are interested in. Try to commit yourself to the journey, not the idea.
Curtis started her blog with a focus on fashion, and between age 12-18 it evolved to focus on social media and mental health “that's almost ten years where I figured out my purpose.”
What Happens Once You Reach Social Media Success?
While social media is a great place to make some money and build a business, it isn’t always a replacement for a more traditional career path.
If you’ve begun to make an income off social media that’s great – but that doesn’t mean it will last forever.
As Curtis puts it, “If you’ve got that instant viral fame at 22, 20, or even 16, by 30, unless you’ve really been able to figure out what you want to do, you still may be lacking your purpose. You may have a million dollars in your bank account, but now there’s someone else who has taken that viral spot”
Not only is influencer income usually temporary, but by perceiving yourself as already successful at a young age you may miss out on the journey that will teach you your purpose in life. So, if you were hoping to pursue internships and a college degree don’t change your plan just because of social media success.
As digital natives the internet is our home, and our social media pages are our second identities. Hopefully these tips will help you in making the most of this technology and maximizing your digital footprint.
Jody Bell, 19, is Girls With Impact’s Chief Editor and a program graduate. Girls With Impact is the nation’s only online, after-school, entrepreneurship program for teen girls, turning them into tomorrow’s business leaders and innovators.