ST. GEORGE — When it comes to social media, everyone is an influencer of sorts. This has produced a crop of content producers who are making money from videos posted online.
Some of the videos that go viral are entertaining, while others promote a product or service. St. George News is taking a peek behind the lens of these creators to find out how they tick, or TikTok, to be more precise.
Social media and business
Having a presence on social media and interacting with potential customers are important components of many businesses, even for people who don’t seem like they would need this kind of casual interaction. Take the NFL for example.
The Kelce brothers are well known for their social media presence, and other players are trying to follow suit.
Sadie Peterson runs a photography company in St. George. In addition to promoting her own services, Peterson has also done some contract work coaching former NFL players on how to score social media points. Peterson said she helped players monetize their platforms so they were no longer just “social.”
“I think anyone who owns a business recognizes the power of social media,” Peterson said.
There are numerous platforms for reaching tons of viewers: Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, LinkedIn and the social media platform X to name a few. Peterson said Instagram has proven to be an effective site for her family photography business because she can show would-be clients the different places she likes to shoot, the kinds of activities families engage in during the session and her particular way of editing photos. For Peterson, Instagram “reels” are a great way to accomplish this.
“They found that most of the time, Reels that are between five and seven seconds perform the best, but you can do up to a 60-second reel right now,” Peterson said.
An example of how Peterson might use a reel is to create a “point of view” video depicting a location where a client might want to have photos taken. In Peterson’s business, Snow Canyon State Park is a favored shoot location.
In addition to reels, Peterson also posts Instagram stories several times a day. Stories is an Instagram tool that allows users to share everyday moments using photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours. Peterson said she believes stories are an effective way to let potential clients take a glimpse behind the scenes of her photography business.
Micro-influencers
Creators don’t have to have millions of followers in order to be an effective social media influencer. Jessica Orvin, an agent with Red Rock Real Estate, said regardless of the number of followers a person has, social media platforms can put their content in front of a potentially endless audience.
“Because of the way the social media algorithm is, it can push that footage out to other people,” Orvin said.
Orvin said the most effective social media creators are the ones who highlight their authentic personalities. Business is about relationships and videos and photos are an effective way to get them started.
“That’s been a great way for people to connect before hiring me,” Orvin said. “It gives them the confidence to hire me when they are in the position to buy or sell a home.”
Orvin’s videos have resonated with more than just potential real estate clients. For example, Orvin posted a video explaining something embarrassing that happened while she was working with a client. That video received more than 105,000 views. While the video wasn’t specifically about real estate, Orvin said it proved to be a great conversation starter.
Showcasing her personality online has led to other financial opportunities for Orvin, such as prompting job opportunities for modeling.
“When someone can see you on social media, they’re seeing what you look like, how you act, your personality,” Orvin said.
Orvin said she concentrates on posting to Instagram, Facebook and a little bit on TikTok. However, she said other realtors have also had success using platforms such as LinkedIn and YouTube.
TikTok
TikTok seems to be the “it” platform these days with more than 1.5 billion monthly active users. Stacy Hughes helps retailers who sell wedding dresses from Maggie Sottero Designs unlock the power of TikTok. Hughes said the best way for her to truly understand the platform was to start her own channel called “Belle Valise.”
“I created the Belle Valise TikTok channel so I could show people the back end of TikTok,” Hughes said. “We know in the bridal industry that the under-30 consumer is really spending their time on TikTok, but TikTok has a fairly steep learning curve.”
Hughes’s personal channel focuses on travel since she flies around the globe meeting with clients. Her channel rates her experiences at different airports along with other interesting tidbits she encounters along the way. In Paris, Hughes did a video showing her trying a local custom that involved eating butter on a radish. That 15-second video garnered almost 4 million views.
“It has a little bit of controversy, a little bit of playfulness and then it had a lot of texture,” Hughes said.
Because the radish video was under a minute, it didn’t earn any money through the TikTok monetization program. Hughes said videos that pay show up on users’ “For You” pages and need to be viewed for at least 60 seconds. This payoff goes even higher when people post comments about the video.
While there are numerous platforms available for influencers, Hughes said she believes TikTok gets the most bang for the buck. However, in order to be effective, Hughes said TikTok videos need to be posted on a regular basis. She recommends at least three posts per day that are a minute or longer in length.
“Right now, TikTok is the most downloaded social media platform with the highest dwell rate,” Hughes said.
TikTok doesn’t come without controversy. The platform is owned by a foreign company called ByteDance. A bill passed by Congress gives TikTok until January 2025 to sell its platform to a U.S.-based company or be banned over concerns about how user data is handled.
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2024, all rights reserved.