How Pharmacists Can Make Money as Social Media Influencers

Social media marketing has grown tremendously over the past few years. In 2018, Linqia Research reported that 86% of marketers and advertising agencies utilized influencer marketing as part of their outreach strategy.

Social media influencers are often used by brands as an invaluable trust mechanism to target specific niche markets. Insider reported that in 2022, influencer marketing would reach an estimated $15 billion.

All in all, consumers are going to social media to get recommendations, answer questions and solve a particular problem. Being able to create a product or join a brand to essentially solve a consumer dilemma is the key to monetizing a social media platform.

How Do Influencers Make Money

If your dream is to be an influencer so that you can quickly amass a 6-figure salary and steady work opportunities, just remember that is rarely the case. Many people use their job as an influencer to supplement their income. Others use it to break into an industry that may have been trickier before (Justin Bieber got his start on YouTube).

Over time, people can transition from working traditional full-time jobs to doing social media full-time if that’s their goal, but it’s not an overnight change.

There are many outlets available to influencers and I will summarize a list here:

1. Digital Products: Downloadables, packages, memberships, and eBooks are all ways that influencers can connect with their audience, offer them value, and generate some income at the same time. An example of some of these are resume templates, courses (check out Teachable for some good examples), and membership-only fitness groups.
2. Podcasts and Webinars: Free or paid podcasts and webinars can include sponsored ads that generate money or they may charge a small fee to access the content. Many influencers will offer free introductory webinars where they talk about their paid services at the close of the presentation.
3. Brand Ambassador Work: When an influencer is employed by a company to use their platform to increase awareness of the company and boost their sales. A lot of fitness companies use this strategy.
4. Sponsored Social Posts: When an influencer pairs up with a brand to promote a specific item or concept. They are paid to post content specific content that is approved by the company. You can see examples of this all over social media. Influencers will tag #ad or include words such as “paid partnership” in their copy.
5. Sponsored Blog Posts: Similar to sponsored social posts, sponsored blogs feature a product or concept that the influencer is being paid to promote.
6. Physical Products: Merchandise, notebooks, shirts, and anything else that you feel confident will help your audience should they choose to support your brand with a purchase.
7. Affiliate Marketing: When an influencer receives a discount code or link to purchase an item from another company. The more purchases that come from their specific link or code, the more the influencer will earn. Many major retailers have programs such as this, including Amazon.
8. Events: With a large enough audience, some influencers may be able to do in-store events, meet and greets, or speaking engagements. When you’ve established a name for yourself, keynote speaking events are a great way to not only spread your message, but reach and inspire others.

Becoming an influencer can allow you to manage your own career, connect with thousands of like-minded people, and build an income for yourself. Even though social media is sort of like the Wild West right now, it pays to be strategic.

Take careful first steps to make sure that you are on the right path to success by building valuable content that connects with your audience. In the end, your brand and position as an influencer can be a reflection on your own expertise and that should always help lift up the community you work with too.

Side note: Ultimately, your worth and influence DO NOT depend on how many likes, brand sponsorships, or followers you have. Getting caught up in that metric is not healthy or in many ways, in your control. Social media is just one of many tools that can help you get closer to achieving your goals.

In conclusion, what matters most? Staying true to yourself, developing relationships and finding ways in which you can combine your passion with something your audience needs.