By Boitshoko Mohale
Social media has been growing rapidly over the past five years. According to Statista, in 2022, global social media usage was 3.96 billion users and is estimated to reach 4.41 billion in 2025. In South Africa, there were 24.2m Facebook users, 6.2m Instagrammers, 25,3 m YouTubers and 6.4m TikTokkers. These social media audiences offer a wide range of ways that you can use to monetise your social media profiles through content creation, Instagram store, marketing profile, YouTube and Humanz app. Here are some ideas for side hustles using your mobile and social media.
1. Content creation
Create content for different social media platforms and earn money. According to IOL, Lesego “Thick Leeyonce” Legobane (29) harnessed the power of her 600 000 followers to earn about R27 867,08 per post in 2020.To create content, you need to have a niche like beauty, travel, fitness or skincare.
For example, if a clothing brand just released a new range, they often reach out to content creators to let their audience know. The brands send PR packages to share the product with influencers who they want to inform the market by sharing photos and videos with their social media followers. That is content creation.
“The term content creation is actually misunderstood, it takes a lot more than just taking photos and videos and posting them on Youtube. It takes time, patience, and creativity,” says Ciah Hlophe (24). Hlophe is a full-time award-winning fashion designer, creative director, scriptwriter, author, and a new YouTube content creator.
Another way to get brands’ attention is to write a letter of collaboration to the brand you will like to work with telling them your intentions and highlighting what they would benefit from working with you.
2. Instagram store
Create an Instagram store by starting and Instagram account with the name of your enterprise. Next, create content with pictures or video the products that potential clients can see and buy. A perfect example would be the lee_bex, a plus-size clothing store by Thick Leeyonce which has 111 000 Instagram followers. Each stylised post which is liked and shared by followers includes details to buy clothing from her online store.
3. Social media marketing
Create a marketing profile and offering a wide range of services such as social media marketing and campaign management. Social media marketing is when the distribution of content for a brand is done by someone else using a strategy tailored specifically for the brand’s audience in collaboration with content creators to help spread that content to reach the target audience. Campaign management is when a media organization runs a campaign for a certain brand, monitoring the content consumed by the audience distributed by the content creators the organization is working with.
With 34 000 followers, Nkgudisheng Makgopa, known as Madam CEO (@kgudie) on Twitter, created a media organization named Kgudisa Peu Media.
In 2020, I created another one, posted more and more content and it is doing well, currently sitting at 1071 subscribers. All I need is 4000 watch hours then I will be monetized and I will start earning money.”
Ciah Hlophe, YouTuber
Makgopa employed content creators to work with her in offering services such as social media marketing, influencer management, and campaign management to potential clients and getting paid for the services. She created a marketing profile for the organization on Twitter. Makgopa manages the content that should be distributed by the content creators and negotiates with them for collaboration with brands.
4. YouTube Channel
According to WeAreSocial 2022, YouTube is South Africa’s biggest social medium. Earn money by creating a YouTube channel and posting videos of anything that does not violate the platforms terms and conditions. To earn money you need to have a minimum of 1000 subscribers and 4000 watch hours.
“The best advice is to keep going and never give up the fact that you thought about it. …I created my first YouTube Channel six years ago and I never put effort. In 2020, I created another one, posted more and more content and it is doing well, currently sitting at 1071 subscribers. All I need is 4000 watch hours then I will be monetized and I will start earning money,” says Hlophe.
5. Humanz app
Humanz app shows you the brands that have campaigns where they are looking for content creators with a certain number of followers on social media platforms like Twitter and Instagram, to set their bid should it be accepted. You will be contacted to create the content they instruct and then get paid for it. The app is available on the Google Play store and iStore.