Can You Monetise Your Social Media Platforms In Malaysia Without A Huge Following?
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Content creators or influencers is a generally new industry that harvests on the power of social media. Social media has long transcended its initial role, which was merely meant for communication, to become a tool that has birthed a new industry led by content creators and influencers for monetisation.
We see huge influencers and content creators from Jane Chuck to Neelofa to even the globally known Nigel Ng (creator behind the iconic character Uncle Roger), who has leverage on the platform to generate income.
Through their huge following base, they were able to expand their role and evolved from being mere social media content creators to starting their own businesses, whether it’s a beauty brand, fashion brand, or restaurant.
What other ways can you monetise your social media platform?
This begs the question: Can you only monetise your social media platform in Malaysia if you have a relatively large follower base?
While having a large follower base does give you more opportunities to monetise your social platform, there are other approaches content creators can take, including leveraging niche markets or tapping into various income streams like affiliate marketing and digital product sales.
This guide will offer you some insights into how you can leverage your social media platform to turn your passion into a profitable business.
1. Tapping into affiliate marketing
The idea behind affiliate marketing is very straightforward – think of an online salesperson. You promote the product of the brand you’re working with and earn a commission through each sale made through your affiliate link.
Some affiliate marketing programmes in Malaysia include:
| Affiliate marketing programmes | Commission rate |
|---|---|
| Shopee Affiliate Programme | Up to 10% per sale |
| Lazada Affiliate Programme | From 6% to 10% per sale |
| Klook Affiliate Programme | From 2% to 5% per sale |
| Zalora Affiliate Programme | From 4% to 6% per sale |
Tips:
- Only work with brands or products you truly like and enjoy
- Make full use of as many social media platforms as possible, from Instagram to TikTok or even Facebook, to engage your audience
- Always track your performance with the provided link trackers to optimise your content or strategy accordingly
2. Choose your niche!
This is one of the most important ways and should be your first step into monetising your social media platform – choosing a niche that aligns strongly with your interests and expertise. This is easier said than done, but if chosen properly, a well-established and defined niche will allow you to connect with the right audience and attract a group of dedicated communities that relate to your interest strongly.
Some popular niches in Malaysia include:
| Content creator niches | Notable influencers to learn from |
|---|---|
| Fashion and beauty | Jane Chuck Neelofa |
| Food | Khairul Amin Kamarulzaman Danieldineskl |
| Health and wellness | Kevin Zahri Jordan Yeah |
Tips:
- To get started on choosing your niche, learn about your passion and strengths first. A great place to start is from your hobby – because if you’re working on your hobby in your free time, that hobby is something you truly enjoy
- Rather than hopping on a popular niche, do your own market research and see if its a sustainable niche rather than time-relevant
- Don’t be afraid to explore and experiment with your niche where you gauge audience engagement and fine-tune your approach accordingly
3. Selling digital products and services
Think you have strong insights in a certain area? Why not make some profit out of it? By packaging these insights or knowledge into digital products or services, like e-books, online courses, or membership-based exclusive content, you can sell these products online to individuals who need guidance in your area of expertise.
Tips:
- When creating these digital products, think about how your content adds value to your audience. With information being so easily accessible, your content needs to stand out in order for users to want to purchase them
- Use social media to promote your product
- People love a good promotion! Consider bundling up your digital products (if you have many) and offering a special price to increase the value per purchase!
Yes, you can be a nano-influencer and make money from it!
When there’s a will, there’s a way! Keep your options open and be creative with what you have! Monetizing your social media platform without a huge following base depends largely on the right strategy being implemented. By focusing on engagement, choosing a profitable niche, and leveraging various monetisation methods, creating multiple streams of income online is very much possible.
The key is consistency, creativity and adaptability. Start small, be brave with experimenting and don’t be afraid to fail. Only then are you able to refine your strategy to create a profitable and sustainable online persona.
Read More: Finfluencers Will Be Classified As Advertisers From Nov 1
