It’s official, the side hustle is real. In the U.S., 38 percent of adults work a side hustle, spending anywhere from 5 to 34 percent of their time on it. Of those side hustlers, a special report by Adobe learned 74 percent of all those surveyed use social media to market their side hustle. Not only that, but 62 percent hope to transition that side dream into a full-time deal. The takeaway: people are moving and shaking and they’re using social media to do it.
Let 2020 be the year you take your side hustle mainstream–or at least maximize your social media marketing investment by knowing where to invest and how. We’ve got strategies, tools, and tips to help the time-strapped entrepreneur become the efficient multi-channel marketer today’s side hustle landscape requires.
The Most Common Kinds of Side Hustles
While companies like TaskRabbit and Uber are stoking the gig economy and providing people with more ways to earn money on the side, many of you are launching products, offering your creative services, and becoming influencers. Solopreneur coach and social media expert Roberto Blake coaches those looking to bust out of the traditional 9-5 to consider hustles such as social media marketing, graphic design, and freelance writing because they require little more than a smartphone and wifi connection. “Today we have so many opportunities. We have technology in our pocket that used to be reserved for people who owned media companies,” says Blake. “Social Media has given everyday people powerful tools to build their brands and businesses online.”
For those kinds of side hustles, creating a memorable brand and standing out on social media is paramount to converting your side hustle into a full-time business. But as platforms multiply, where should the boot-strapped entrepreneur focus their time moving forward?
What Social Media Networks Are Side Hustlers Using?
The Side Hustle Report showed that side hustlers are already actively using social media, with Facebook and Instagram leading the pack as the social media networks of choice. Roberto’s advice? Don’t spread yourself too thing. Pick a couple platforms where your target customers gravitate and invest in building a community there by sharing helpful content, advertising your services, and engaging new and existing customers or colleagues. He stresses the importance of building community and dialogue in your professional networks and leaving the traditional advertising in the past.
Blake says starting a Facebook group is one of the smartest things anyone can do on social today. “You want your Facebook group to stay active and engaged. Build a community of like-minded professionals or audience so you are building your own network.” Facebook has limited organic reach for regular posts, but starting a group allows you to create your own network, he says.
Read more: The Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Strong Marketing Strategy
What to Create for Social Media
It all comes down to the goals of your business. Launching a new product or service requires a slightly different approach than promoting yourself as a thought leader or building a community around a topic that interests you. No matter what your side hustle dreams are, Blake notes video will continue to reign supreme for communicating effectively on social networks and that consistent posting is crucial to building a brand online. But it doesn’t have to be intimidating or take a lot of time. From how often to post to social media to the tools you need to get professional-looking content done, we’ve got you covered with strategies and playbooks for every kind of entrepreneur.
Download Adobe Spark‘s Social Media Playbooks:
Click into the Spark Page below, find the goal that best reflects your business or brand and let us guide you to creating a sustainable social media strategy that supports your dreams.
How to Get Started Marketing Your Side Hustle
Marketing a brand on social media is a lot like working on your health and wellness—it takes consistency. Staying top-of-mind (and top-of-feed), getting the word out about your offerings, engaging your audience and convincing stakeholders of your solution… It’s a lot and it takes discipline and routine to really see results. Lightweight tools help, too. So we’ve created a 10 short tutorials that cover how to whip your marketing into shape and use Spark for all your content needs.
Are you side hustling? Share your work with us on social media by using #adobespark.