Tag: Instagram

  • 3 Red Flags To Watch Out For When Looking At Deals On Social Media

    Unlike in the past where freelancers and business owners went out searching for deals via the search engines and social media, deals are now searching for freelancers and business people. In many occasions the deals that comes looking for them are too sweet for them to ignore.

    On the other hand the deals that you find via the search feature on social media platforms like YouTube, Telegram, Facebook, Instagram looks very appealing and easy to start earning from.

    What stands between you and the deals is the judgement you make. Also the financial position you are at the time of finding the deals plays a major role. Are the bills at hand overwhelming you?

    For instance if you are compelled to search for these deals at a time when you are broke and have no money, the probability of you falling into them is high.

    So what are the red flags you should watch out for when deals comes looking for you or the deal you find on your search adventure is so sweet?

    On this blogpost, I will share with you 3 red flags to watch out for when looking at deals on online.

    The Project Manager Is Claiming to Be The Director of A Popular Company

    This trick is very popular on Telegram groups and Facebook. The conversation starts when a person offering a job that requires the skills that you have posts on the group. You start the conversation and they tell you he/she is the project manager at a Freelancing platform you know e.g. Upwork, Toptal, Appen e.t.c.

    And for them to award you the contract, you will need to sign a contract they send you in PDF or .JPEG:-). Contract presented to you in .jpeg is a biggest red flag I have seen so far.

    A closer look at the contract letterhead shows the name of a popular company you have been wanting to work for. That’s another red flag. Freelancing platforms don’t hire people that way. They use their secure platform with escrow payment to do that.

    If you find a sweet deal with characteristics like these posted on Freelance group on social media, take you time to analyze before committing.

    You can only accept a deal if the person offering it is subcontracting the work to you. For such, the terms are clear and straight forward. You can tell this from the deal amount and how they intend to pay you.

    The Job is Easy and pays 3 Times The Market Rate

    Before I expound on this, I have a disclaimer. You can be paid any amount to complete an assignment. Its up to the client to decide. But think about this.

    A prospect posts a job on a freelancers group on social media. He/she is looking for help to post jobs on the popular freelancing platforms like Upwork, Fiverr, Freelancer e.t.c. They offer $1000-2000 weekly to do this job. For one to qualify, they need to have an account of 2-3 months old.

    Imagine this offer is posted on a Telegram group that has more than 1000 freelancers.

    How many freelancer do you think will DM the person who posted this? Several right. This is a good deal if you think about it.

    If you are a member of the freelance group, you will find the same person posting the same thing everyday.

    When you express interest, they send you a contract document that requires you to fill all your personal data and sign. In the contract, you agree that you will be paid after the job is done and approved.

    Question is, how sure are you that you will be paid despite their assurance? How sure are you that the same job has not been given to other freelancers same as yourself?

    Incase you are not paid, what will you do? Will the contract help? Do the client have a website? Did the client agree to do a video call with you?

    Do they use escrow payment? All this questions unanswered are red flags. Run before they varnish with the completed work.

    Ask these questions before spending your time to do the job. Otherwise, you may waste your time and end up not getting paid despite giving out all your personal data.

    They Want Logins To Your Cryptocurrency Account

    Nearly every freelancer or business person who works remotely have a cryptocurrency account even if they don’t use it. On occasions as an account holder, you look for deals that pays in cryptocurrency. The popular cryptocurrency platforms here in Kenya is Binance and Paxful.

    If you join groups with users in either of these cryptocurrency platforms, you will see users post juicy deals. I decided to try one of them with my Paxful account and ended up getting my account suspended.

    So on a Telegram group a guy posted that he wanted someone with an account with good reviews to help him transfer $3,000 USDT. At the end, the holder will get a commission for the help. So he wanted logins so that he can load the money from his Visa card.

    I have never seen something like this on Paxful where one loads money using a card but out of curiosity, I went ahead with this deal despite the red flag.

    With 2FA activated, I gave him my login details. The guy logged in from Accra Ghana. That means he was a Ghanian.

    I was to wait for 6 hours for his funds to reflect and we could finish the deal. 3 hours later, I receive an e-mail from Paxful that my account has been restricted for attempting to defraud users through trade.

    On contacting the guy, he never replied to my calls or messages. That was when I knew he was a scammer who wanted to use my account to defraud others.

    Conclusion

    Don’t let your financial situation dictate the decisions you make. You will end losing more instantly than what you were to gain from the deal. Be patient and honor your instincts when you spot a red flag. As you look at deals online, always know that your personal data, your money and your reputation is at stake. Handle yourself with care.

    You have the power to protect yourself online by shunning away fraudulent deals even if its presented to you by your relative.

    And that is it from me.

    What are those red flags that you watch out for when looking for deals online on social media or when the deals are presented to you by prospects on social media?

    Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

    And if you need help to produce video content, let me know about your deal by reaching out to me here:-).

    Until next time, bye bye and take care.

    Follow me on twitter @cheptiony.

  • Why Content Creation Process For Your Brand Needs To Be Continuous Activity

    Before you venture into content creation for your brand, it is important to keep in mind that there is no stopping once you start. If you are working on a budget, decide on the content you will want to focus on based on the cost.

    Now the cost for this will vary. If you are a content creator by profession, then it will only cost you your time to create the content you want. On the contrary, if you are planning to hire someone to help you to create the content, then you need to have a plan. Planning is important for any long term investment that has a recurring expense at the beginning before it reaps returns.

    Watch Video

    But the big question here is, why should the process be continuous? It’s simple. Content is for marketing a business and marketing is a continuous process.

    Its like a shop owner who opens his/her shop everyday. If they fail to do so, do you think customers will trust their business? The answer is absolutely NO.

    That is the same with creating marketing content. You have to constantly come up with content in order to build trust with your customers.

    Before I continue, here are some common useful content that you can think about creating for your brand or business.

    1. Blog posts.
    2. YouTube Videos.
    3. Social media shorts for Twitter, Instagram, Facebook & Tiktok.
    4. Graphics designs.
    5. Guest posts.
    6. Photos.
    7. Answering to Frequently Asked Questions.
    8. Technical Articles (Support Articles).

    With this said, lets now dive in and talk about some of the reasons you need to regularly create content for your brand.

    Sharing Content Regularly is Like Opening A Shop on a Daily Basis

    Online space is a completely different market aside the physical location your business is operating from. Your customers therefore need to know that you are always there for them. Having a website is the first step to getting your brand ready to venture into the new marketplace. But is that all?

    No, its not.

    According to Siteefy, every minute, 175 websites are created. You are competing with many other businesses like yours. Currently, there are 1.14 billion websites in the world.

    The only way to stand out from others is through content. Of course there is advertising which is expensive if you don’t have the money.

    happy asian woman walking with boyfriend in countryside
    Photo by Rio Kuncoro on Pexels.com

    Contents Are Lead Magnets

    One way of directing people to your business is advertising. If it’s a physical business, then available forms of advertising is on signboards or billboards. That’s the same as a well branded website. That’s not all, there are many free ways to achieve the results you desire online via content. Content is the best means to direct customers to a business.

    If you create content and people like them and find them helpful, they will be curious to find out about the source. And when they arrive at your website, they will get to know about your product. If you have an opt-in form, the will not mind sharing with your their e-mail address for updates.

    It doesn’t matter where they find the content, be it social media or SEO, the customer will be on your site because of the content they found about you online.

    Marketing Using Content is The Future

    The future of marketing a brand, company or business is in the content they share. How connected is the content you share to your business?

    Individuals should always think about this during the creation process. The only way to create and leave a lasting impressions on people is through the content you share on public.

    Content is duplicable and compoundable. Once you share your content online it remains there. The more you create the same content around a given theme, the more you gain momentum.

    In no time, there will be several keywords around business on the internet. This in turn will direct more people to your business. When more people visits your business, you grow.

    Content Can Be Used To Retain Customers

    Going by the fact that there are many businesses same as yours being set up online everyday does not mean that your customers will leave you for them.

    But think about this;

    If your customers are aware of your latest services, products, plans or see you announce changes you are making on your business online, will they have a different view of your brand or business? Of course they will and a positive one for that matter.

    Even if a customer may leave you for the competitors services or products, they will have a good memory of your business and will be back if something bad happens to them there.

    So when planning to create content, think about it as a means of retaining customers.

    Conclusion

    Whatever type of content you choose to start with, have a budget for it. Also look at the content creation process in a long term perspective. What expectations do you have from the content you create and share?

    Also, imagine how much content your customers will access talking about your business if you regularly and consistently create and share.

    More than enough right?

    What will that mean to your business?

    It will mean many things. First, you will have happy and satisfied customers.

    Secondly, the trust that your customers will have on your brand or business will be unmatched.

    Lastly, the same customers will recommend more people to your business.

    There is a lot that one gains from content in a long term.

    Do you think content creation process has to be a continuous?

    Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.

    And if you need help to produce professional video tutorials for your tech product, you can request a quote here.

    On the other hand, if you need help to kickstart the video creation process for your brand or business you can contact me here.

    Until next time, bye bye and take care.

    Follow me on twitter @cheptiony.