If you're a content creator, chances are you've thought about how to monetize your work. However, relying on ads or social media platforms to make money from your content is not sustainable in the long run.
Even after optimizing your landing pages and growing your social media following, you're still at the mercy of these platforms. So how can you ensure you're in control of your content and income?
The answer lies in building a community instead of just an audience and finding a way to monetize it. But what’s the difference between the two?
Your audience comprises people who consume your content but are not necessarily invested in you or your work. A community, on the other hand, is made up of people who are interested in what you have to say and want to be a part of the conversation. The difference shows that owning your audience is the first step to building a community and monetizing your content.
And while building a community takes time and effort, it can be a powerful tool for monetizing your content and turning your passion into a sustainable business. Here are four ways you can do it.
How to Turn Your Community Into Currency
While social media is a great way to reach new people, it’s not necessarily the best way to monetize your content.
TikTok’s Creator Next monetization program will only pay you if your content is successful. If you choose to monetize your Instagram content, you will only earn money from the Instagram Reels Play bonus program when you amass over 9 million views. And in YouTube Shorts, you can only earn money from external brand deals, which are not guaranteed.
The problem with social media is that you don’t own your audience. These platforms can change their rules anytime, directly impacting how much money you make from your content.
That’s why it’s essential to focus on building a community and try to monetize it in other ways. The following four tips will help you do just that:
Sell Paid Memberships or Subscriptions to Exclusive Content or Experiences
If you have built a community, there’s a good chance they’ll be willing to pay for exclusive content or access to exceptional experiences. However, you should ensure that your content or experiences are valuable and worth the price. A paid membership is a sustainable income source because your members will continue to pay as long as you continue to provide value.
Take The Wave Podcasting's Surf Club membership, for example. The private membership community provides value by guiding female podcasters to take their shows to the next level. Members can access resources like tutorials, checklists, and templates and learn about community activities that can help them soar higher.
Once you launch your program, market it to your community and let them know what they’ll gain from joining. Focus on using the best digital marketing tools and techniques to reach as many potential members as possible.
Create Online Courses
If you’re an expert in your field, you can create online courses and sell them to your community. Courses are a great way to monetize your content because they allow you to package all your best information into one comprehensive product.
Creator-educators are already finding success because their community finds more value in the content they create. They capitalize on their niche, allowing them to connect better with other like-minded individuals.
You can draw inspiration from the Paid to Create Challenge when designing your online course. The platform’s creator-educators train service providers, experts, and coaches to help them create their first online course and presell it.
To get clients for your online course, you can use CRM and landing page marketing to attract high-quality leads. You can also use social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook to drive traffic to your landing pages.
Host Live Events Online (and Offline)
Live events are another excellent way to monetize your content and connect with your community. You can host virtual events, such as webinars or even physical events if you have the resources.
The best thing about live events is that they allow you to interact with your audience and get real-time feedback. You can also use live events to promote other products, like your online courses, and drive sales.
Black Girl Magik is an excellent example of a live event that’s doing well. The event helps black women heal from within through education. The live event attracts community members willing to pay because it fills a gap related to the lack of practitioners who can empower black women to awaken the healer within them.
Create Branded Digital Goods or Products
If you have a knack for design or know how to code, you can create branded digital goods or products and sell them online. This could be anything from website templates to apps and everything in between.
You can also partner with other creatives to help you with the development process. Once the product is complete, you can launch it on your website or a third-party platform like Etsy.
Ilovecreatives is a great example of a brand that sells branded digital goods. The company sells digital goods like Squarespace templates, code snippets, and font books.
When selling digital goods, it’s essential to focus on quality and ensure that your products solve your audience's problems. Use the best marketing tools and techniques, like emailing software and SMS marketing, to reach your target market.
Conclusion
There are many ways to monetize your content, but finding the best method for you and your community is crucial. Consider the type of content you create, your target, and what they’re willing to pay for. With a little trial and error, you’ll be able to find the perfect way to monetize your content and make a profit.
It can be overwhelming to know where to start monetizing your content. But with a platform like Norby, you'll have everything you need to build your brand and advance in your content monetization journey with ease.
At Norby, we pride ourselves on helping small business owners like you unlock their digital marketing know-how using the best tools and techniques. We've got everything, including landing pages, link-in bios, text message marketing, analytics, and the best email blast services, to help you succeed.
Join Norby today and get started on your content monetization journey.
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