If you’re looking for a way to make money online, you might have heard of Outfluense, the new platform that connects freelancers with clients who need online marketing services.

Outfluense is different from other freelance websites because it focuses on quality over quantity, and rewards freelancers who deliver results for their clients. Outfluense also offers a variety of online marketing gigs, from social media management to SEO to content creation.

But how do you find and land your dream freelance online marketing gig on Outfluense in 2024?

Here are some tips to help you succeed.

1. Create a professional profile. Your profile is your first impression on Outfluense, so make sure it showcases your skills, experience, and personality. Include a catchy headline, a clear photo, a brief introduction, and some samples of your previous work. You can also add testimonials from your past clients, or link to your portfolio or website.
2. Choose your niche. Online marketing is a broad field, and you can’t be an expert in everything. To stand out from the crowd, you need to choose a specific niche that matches your skills and interests. For example, if you’re good at writing engaging blog posts, you can focus on content marketing. If you’re good at creating viral videos, you can focus on video marketing. By choosing a niche, you can target clients who are looking for your specific service and charge higher rates for your expertise.
3. Browse and apply for gigs. Outfluense has a simple and intuitive interface that lets you browse and apply for gigs in minutes. You can filter gigs by category, budget, deadline, and rating. You can also search for keywords related to your niche or service. When you find a gig that interests you, click on it to see the details and the client’s profile. Then, write a personalized proposal that explains why you’re the best fit for the job, and how you can help the client achieve their goals. Be clear, concise, and professional, and avoid generic or spammy messages.
4. Deliver quality work and get feedback. Once you land a gig, it’s time to deliver quality work that meets or exceeds the client’s expectations. Communicate with the client regularly, update them on your progress, and ask for feedback or clarification if needed. Deliver the work on time and according to the instructions. After the work is done, ask the client to rate and review your service on Outfluense. This will help you build your reputation and credibility on the platform and attract more clients in the future.
5. Repeat and scale up. The more gigs you complete on Outfluense, the more opportunities you’ll have to find and land your dream freelance online marketing gig in 2024. You can also increase your rates as you gain more experience and skills and offer additional services or packages to upsell your clients. You can also network with other freelancers and clients on Outfluense and get referrals or recommendations for more gigs.

Outfluense is an amazing platform that can help you turn your online marketing skills into a profitable freelance business. By following these tips, you can find and land your dream freelance online marketing gig on Outfluense in 2024 and enjoy the freedom and flexibility of working online.

The post How to Find and Land Your Dream Online Marketing Gig in 2024 first appeared on Crowdol Institute.

How do you disclose your partnerships with brands, without losing your credibility or annoying your followers?

How do you avoid endorsing products that are harmful, illegal, or unethical?

These are some of the questions that influencers face every day, and there are no easy answers. Some influencers may follow the guidelines that require them to clearly and conspicuously disclose any material connection with a brand. Others may use hashtags like #ad, #sponsored, or #partner to indicate their relationship with a brand. And some may not disclose anything at all, hoping that their followers won’t notice or care.

But what are the consequences of these choices?

Influencers who don’t disclose their partnerships may risk losing the interest of their audience or even facing backlash from the brands. And influencers who endorse products that are harmful, illegal, or unethical may risk damaging their reputation or even harming their followers.

So how can influencers navigate these gray areas, while still being ethical and effective?

Here are some tips:

1. Be transparent: Always disclose your relationship with a brand, and be honest about your opinions. Don’t say you love a product if you don’t, or if you haven’t tried it. Don’t say you use a product if you don’t, or if you only use it once. Don’t say a product is safe, effective, or legal if you don’t know for sure.
2. Be selective: Choose your partnerships carefully, and only work with brands that align with your values and niche. Don’t promote products that are irrelevant, low-quality, or controversial. Don’t promote products that you wouldn’t use yourself, or that you wouldn’t recommend to your friends or family.
3. Be respectful: Respect your audience, and don’t spam them with too many ads or sponsored posts. Respect your brand partners, and don’t badmouth them or their competitors. Respect yourself, and don’t compromise your integrity or authenticity for money.
4. The use of hashtags: Influencers often use hashtags to promote products or services. However, it is important to disclose when hashtags are being used for commercial purposes.
5. The use of sponsored posts: Sponsored posts are a common way for influencers to promote products or services. However, it is important to make sure that sponsored posts are clearly labeled.
6. The use of gifting: Influencers are often gifted products or services in exchange for promotion. However, it is important to disclose when gifts have been received.
7. The use of affiliate links: Affiliate links are a way for influencers to earn money by promoting products or services. However, it is important to disclose when affiliate links are being used.

How to navigate the gray areas

There are a number of things that influencers and businesses can do to navigate the gray areas of influencer marketing ethics. Some of the most important include:

1. Establishing clear guidelines: Influencers and businesses should establish clear guidelines for influencer marketing campaigns. These guidelines should cover everything from disclosure requirements to the use of hashtags and sponsored posts.
2. Communicating openly: Influencers and businesses should communicate openly with each other about their expectations. This will help to avoid misunderstandings and ensure that both parties are on the same page.
3. Being transparent: Influencers and businesses should be transparent with their audience about their relationships with each other. This will help to build trust and credibility.
4. Being mindful of social responsibility: Influencers and businesses should be mindful of the social impact of their marketing campaigns. They should avoid promoting products or services that are harmful or unethical.

Influencer marketing can be a rewarding and lucrative career, but it also comes with responsibilities and challenges. By following these tips, you can navigate the gray areas of influencer marketing ethics, and create content that is both fun and ethical.

The post Influencer Marketing Ethics: Navigating the Gray Areas first appeared on Crowdol Institute.

• Platforms and apps: These are the tools that help you find, connect, and collaborate with brands and other influencers. Some of the most popular ones are AspireIQ, Upfluence, FameBit, and Outfluense. They allow you to browse and apply for opportunities, manage your campaigns, track your performance, and get paid. Some of them also offer features like content creation, analytics, and influencer discovery.
• Guides and courses: These are the resources that help you learn and improve your influencer marketing skills and knowledge. Some of the best ones are Influencer Marketing Hub, Later, Social Media Examiner, and Udemy. They offer free and paid guides, courses, webinars, podcasts, and blogs on topics like influencer marketing strategy, best practices, trends, tips, case studies, and more.
• Other resources: These are the tools and services that help you with other aspects of influencer marketing, such as content creation, editing, scheduling, legal issues, taxes, etc. Some of the most useful ones are Canva, Adobe Spark, Buffer, Hootsuite, LegalZoom, TurboTax, and PayPal. They help you create stunning visuals, edit your videos and photos, schedule your posts across different platforms, handle contracts and agreements, file your taxes, and receive payments.

These are some of the must-have resources for influencer marketing that we recommend. Of course, there are many more out there that you can explore and use according to your needs and preferences. The important thing is to always keep learning and experimenting with new tools and techniques to grow your influence and reach your goals.

How to measure the success of your influencer marketing campaigns

There are a number of different ways to measure the success of your influencer marketing campaigns. Some of the most common metrics include:

• Reach: The number of people who have seen your influencer marketing content.
• Engagement: The number of people who have interacted with your influencer marketing content.
• Conversions: The number of people who have taken a desired action after seeing your influencer marketing content.

In addition to these metrics, you should also track the following:

• The quality of the content that your influencers are creating.
• The overall sentiment of the audience towards your brand.
• The return on investment (ROI) of your influencer marketing campaigns.

By tracking these metrics, you can ensure that your influencer marketing campaigns are successful and that you are getting the most out of your investment.

Conclusion

Influencer marketing can be a powerful tool for businesses of all sizes. By using the resources in this blog post, you can learn how to find influencers, manage your campaigns, and track your results.

With a little effort, you can use influencer marketing to achieve your marketing goals and grow your business.

The post Influencer Marketing Toolbox: Must-Have Resources first appeared on Crowdol Institute.

In this guide, we will share some tips and best practices for crafting effective influencer campaigns that will boost your brand awareness, generate leads, and increase conversions.

Here are the steps to follow:

1. Define your campaign objectives and KPIs.

What do you want to achieve with your influencer campaign? Do you want to increase brand awareness, drive traffic, generate leads, or boost sales? How will you measure the success of your campaign? What are the key performance indicators (KPIs) that you will track and analyze? Having clear and specific objectives and KPIs will help you plan, execute, and optimize your influencer campaign.

2. Identify your target audience and ideal influencers.

Who are you trying to reach with your influencer campaign? What are their demographics, interests, preferences, and pain points? How do they consume content and make purchase decisions? Based on your target audience, who are the influencers that can influence them? What are their niches, audiences, styles, and values? How do they align with your brand identity and message? Finding the right influencers for your campaign is crucial for maximizing your reach and engagement.

3. Choose your campaign type and format.

What type of influencer campaign do you want to run? Do you want to collaborate with influencers on sponsored posts, product reviews, giveaways, contests, live events, or something else? What format of content do you want them to create? Do you want them to use photos, videos, stories, reels, blogs, podcasts, or something else? Depending on your campaign objectives and audience preferences, you should choose the most suitable type and format of influencer content.

4. Set your budget and compensation.

How much are you willing to spend on your influencer campaign? How will you compensate the influencers for their work? Will you pay them a fixed fee, a commission, a free product, or a combination of these? How will you negotiate the terms and conditions of the collaboration? You should have a realistic budget and a fair compensation plan that reflects the value and effort of the influencers.

5. Reach out to the influencers and establish a relationship.

How will you contact the influencers and pitch them your campaign idea? What are the key points that you want to communicate to them? How will you convince them to work with you? How will you maintain a good rapport and communication with them throughout the campaign? You should have a personalized and professional outreach strategy that builds trust and rapport with the influencers.

6. Provide clear guidelines and expectations.

What are the specific requirements and expectations that you have for the influencers? What are the deliverables, deadlines, hashtags, keywords, links, disclosures, and other details that they need to follow? How will you monitor and approve their content before they publish it? You should provide clear and detailed guidelines and expectations to the influencers to ensure quality and consistency of their content.

7. Track and measure your campaign performance.

How will you track and measure the performance of your influencer campaign? What tools and metrics will you use to collect and analyze the data? How will you evaluate the effectiveness and ROI of your campaign? How will you report and share the results with your stakeholders? You should have a robust tracking and measurement system that helps you optimize your campaign performance.

8. Follow up and maintain the relationship.

How will you thank the influencers for their work and feedback? How will you show appreciation and recognition to them? How will you maintain the relationship with them for future collaborations? You should have a follow-up strategy that nurtures and strengthens your relationship with the influencers.

The post Crafting Effective Influencer Campaigns – A Strategic Guide first appeared on Crowdol Institute.

First, AI may be great at crunching numbers and analyzing data, but it lacks humans’ emotional intelligence and creativity. For instance, imagine asking an AI to write a love letter. It might come up with something like:

“Dear Denis, my algorithms have calculated that we have a 99.9% compatibility rate. Therefore, I have concluded that I love you.”

Not exactly the most romantic thing you’ve ever heard, right?

Secondly, AI is designed to augment human capabilities, not replace them. Think of it like a hammer. A hammer is a tool that makes it easier for us to do certain tasks, like hammering nails into a wall. But just because we have hammers doesn’t mean we no longer need carpenters. Similarly, AI can assist us with tasks such as data analysis and scheduling, but it doesn’t mean we no longer need humans to do those jobs.

Thirdly, the development and deployment of AI systems are subject to human decisions, values, and ethics. In other words, we’re the ones calling the shots. It’s like having a pet robot dog. Sure, it can fetch your slippers and bark on command, but you’re holding the remote control at the end of the day.

In conclusion, while AI has the potential to automate specific tasks currently performed by humans, it will probably only partially replace us. We still need humans for their creativity, emotional intelligence, and decision-making abilities. So don’t worry about robots taking over the world anytime soon – unless they develop a sense of humor and tell better jokes than us. Then we might be in trouble.

But wait, there’s more! Here are some additional reasons why AI won’t replace humans:

• AI can’t appreciate art or music. Sure, it can analyze patterns and generate content based on data, but it can’t feel the emotions or meanings behind them. Imagine asking an AI to critique a painting or a song. It might say, “This painting has a high contrast ratio and uses complementary colors. This song has a catchy melody and a simple chord progression.” But it won’t be able to tell you why the painting or the song is beautiful or meaningful to you.
• AI can’t handle ambiguity or uncertainty. AI works best with clear rules and objectives, but life is not always like that. Sometimes we have to deal with complex, unpredictable, or contradictory situations. For example, imagine asking an AI to plan a surprise party for your friend. It might ask you questions like “What is the date and time of the party? Who are the guests? What is the budget? What are the preferences of the friend?” But it won’t be able to handle surprises or changes that might occur along the way.
• AI can’t empathize or sympathize with others. AI can simulate emotions and responses based on data and algorithms but can’t truly understand how others feel or what they need. For example, imagine asking an AI to comfort someone sad or angry. It might say, “I’m sorry you feel this way. Would you like to talk about it? Here are some suggestions to make you feel better.” But it won’t be able to hug them or make them laugh or cry with them.

So there you have it – why AI won’t replace humans anytime soon. I hope you enjoyed this humorous take on a serious topic. And remember – don’t let the robots get you down!

The post Why AI Won’t Replace Us, Yet: A Humorous Take from an Expert first appeared on Crowdol Institute.

As we’ve seen over the past few years, global technological advances can change how we run businesses and develop new ideas. While cybersecurity and the cost of digital transition stand out as the most significant challenges faced by MSMEs in Kenya, it’s essential to take stock of what embracing the digital realm means in terms of overall growth and development for both businesses and their customers.

Almost every part of the economy is affected by digital changes that cause real, measurable disruption. As such, Kenyan businesses should be aware of the digital trends set to impact the landscape in 2023. The more you know, the better you can prepare for change.

Cloud computing set to accelerate growth across Kenya

One of the most significant technological trends of the last few years has been the move to cloud computing. Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, Dropbox, Hubspot, Netflix, Apple, Fitbit, and eBay all use it. Although owning and running one’s data center was once the norm for businesses, we’ve reached a point where using the cloud is necessary to stay competitive. The question facing companies in Kenya is no longer whether they should be moving to the cloud but when and how.

Using big data, the Internet of Things (IoT), and the cloud together means businesses – big and small – can have successful communication, connection, and data transference between devices. This synergy also leads to a scalable, reliable, and agile enterprise solution. Any company with a large customer base or an ecosystem of suppliers and clients must embrace the cloud to operate efficiently and cost-effectively.

Whether your business is scaling up or down, a cloud computing solution gives you the protection you need. By scaling up the cloud solution, you can prevent server crashes during periods of high demand. Then scale back at slower times to save money.

AI – An integral part of the journey to digital transformation

Just like cloud computing, AI is everywhere. If it hasn’t already arrived, it’s coming to your industry soon. AI adoption is integral for businesses that want to get ahead and stay ahead in a rapidly changing and competitive landscape.

AI can help companies identify new opportunities for growth and innovation by analyzing data, predicting trends, and giving organizations a competitive advantage by capitalizing on emerging trends and customer needs. It can help optimize operations and processes by automating routine tasks and identifying inefficiencies, which helps save time and money and improve the quality of products and services. Leveraging AI helps businesses personalize customer interactions and improve the overall customer experience. Finally, AI can help companies to stay agile and responsive to changes in the market by providing real-time insights and analyses.

In terms of cybersecurity, AI uses machine learning and deep learning to identify patterns on a network and cluster them, meaning that deviations or security incidents will be detected. These patterns can then help improve security in the future, making it possible to see similar threats and block them.  

IoT – Turning the future into the present

IoT, big data, and cloud computing all benefit each other, giving your business access to actionable insights. The most compelling reasons to leverage IoT technologies include improved efficiency and productivity. Companies can make operations run more smoothly and reduce manual work by connecting devices and systems and automating processes. IoT leads directly to better customer experiences, enabling businesses to gather data about customers’ behavior and preferences, which can be used to provide more personalized and relevant experiences. In an industry such as e-commerce, this is integral. It also opens new revenue streams, such as providing new services enabled by IoT devices and systems and, ultimately, leveraging the power of IoT results in gaining a competitive advantage.

Customized endpoint security solutions are increasingly being offered by cybersecurity specialists and device manufacturers leveraging AI and machine learning applications. Because IoT devices are so widespread, AI can provide a scalable, customized cybersecurity solution.

Not being online is no longer an option for businesses.

 Every business must use technologies like cloud computing, AI, and IoT to run efficiently. However, companies should work with trusted, established technology partners that can minimize the risks associated with a move to the cloud, help businesses comb through the clutter of a fast-evolving world, as well as provide the necessary connectivity and level of innovation needed to leverage the potential benefits of cloud computing, AI, and IoT. The advantages of cutting-edge digital technologies are too compelling to ignore.

By Patrick Ndegwa, SEACOM Business Sales Lead for SEACOM East Africa.

The post Time to Get on Board: Tech Trends That will Change the way you do Business in 2023 first appeared on Crowdol Institute.