Social media has always been a great way to connect with friends, stay up to date on what is going on in the world, or even a great way to network with other. BUT more recently, social media sites have turned into great (or sometimes not so great) places for people, especially celebrities, to self-market themselves, or in other words, it is a great place for those to seek attention – but seeking attention in order to make money. According to Marwick, “Self-branding is primarily a series of marketing strategies applied to the individual. It is a set of practices and a mindset, a way of thinking about the self as a salable commodity that can tempt a potential employer”. So like Marwick is explaining, self-branding is a way that many celebrities make their money. Kylie Jenner is such a good example of this. Kylie Jenner was originally known because of her famous family, but now – she has built an entire empire built around herself because of how she chose to market herself. She is now known for her sultry pictures and documenting her life via social media. The boom of Kylie Jenner originally started because of her infamous lip injections. When she posted the first picture of her lips after her lip injections, the world went crazy. But she was smart and developed her brand off of the attention she was seeking. Kylie has now turned into an internet sensation. She now has an entire makeup line which sells out insanely fast because she knows how to market herself and develop brand.
While Kylie is flourishing in the world, she is not the only celebrity who uses social media to their advantage. Beyoncé (QUEEN BEY), also self-markets everything through social media now. Beyoncé uses social media to her advantage because she doesn’t put herself in the lime light as she used to before. She is very private and meticulous with how she handles her business. For example, her self-titled album went platinum after posting that her album was on iTunes via Instagram. Since that day, her Instagram has truly been her primary marketing strategy for her business. Whether she’s promoting her album or promoting her documentaries days before they premier, she uses social media to her best abilities.
Celebrities aren’t the only ones who take marketing and branding into their own hands. I too, have actually developed my own brand and have begun to market my photography business via social media. I made a separate Instagram page (@ShotByJos) to post pictures from photoshoots, in hopes to pull in more clientele and turn my small photography business into an empire. I started this around this time last year because I’ve come to realize that social media can really work in your favor and you can really start from nothing and grow into something. So, hopefully my business will continue to grow.
The media just proves that Marwick was right! Regardless of if you are showing off your body, asset, and lips like Kylie Jenner, surprising the world with a CLASSIC album like Beyoncé, or even just trying to chase your dreams like me, social media is currently a great tool to use to market yourself and build your brand!
Works Cited
Knowles-Carter, Beyoncé (Beyonce). “Surprise!” 13 Dec 2014. 12:00 a.m. Instagram.
Wilburn, Joslyn (ShotbyJos). 19 Feb 2017. Instagram.
“Kylie Jenner Lips – Plastic Surgery Before and After Injections”. Plastic Surgery Gal, 25 June 2016, http://plasticsurgerygal.com/lip-injections/kylie-jenner-lips-plastic-surgery-before-and-after-injections.
Marwick, Alice E. Status Update: Celebrity, Publicity, and Branding in the Social Media Age. Yale University Press, 2013. 19 Feb 2017. Web.
Professional Uses of Social Media 