The new age we live in, often referred to as the new economy or the digital economy, is ever evolving. When looking at what this means, we increasingly perceive this as conducting business through markets based on the internet. Social media has transformed the way in which we do business – it connects us on an international scale and essentially eliminates the prior need for traditional media outlets because now, as individuals, we each have the power to create our own media content from our smartphones and instantly share it with the world.
Teenage entrepreneurs provide some great examples as to how the internet can be leveraged successfully and are constantly pushing boundaries. Anyone who has a skillset to share can become a leading authority, regardless of age. Generation Z, born between 1995 and 2012, is the first generation to have grown up with social media and the effects are beginning to show.
Now, instead of TV, we’re looking to social media outlets such as YouTube or online sites such as Netflix for our content. For business owners, this means thinking outside the box when it comes to advertising and creating more content in-house that appeals to your target audience.
I’ve leveraged a number of tools online to develop my presence and service offerings, including ClickFunnels and Kajabi; online marketing software designed to create beautiful, high converting sales funnels and membership platforms. Every business should be leveraging sales funnels within their online marketing strategy to generate targeted leads and convert them into customers through value-based content. Tools such as Canva.com, allow us to create stunning social media images that can attract and engage our audience when growing our social media following.
Today’s advanced technology means we all have the ability to create a successful, global business through leveraging the internet – even with little or no capital at all, if funds are limited. From teenage influencers to self-started marketing agencies, speakers gaining attention, authors building recognition and e-commerce stores growing exponentially, there are countless inspirational stories of young people who turned to the internet and built a successful business simply through having a great idea and the knowledge of how to execute it online. Many, like me, initially started off by creating an online presence simply to indulge our interests, rather than to develop a career as an entrepreneur. Passion is infectious however, and some of the best businesses haven grown organically from sharing that passion across the globe.
In this digital economy, you can use social media to attract a following, build a loyal audience and in turn, create a tribe of dedicated buyers. For instance, when I was 16 years old, I sold my first self-made program based on the topic of branding, to a seasoned businessperson in Australia. This demonstrates that whoever you are and wherever you are in the world, as long as you can help someone to solve a problem or achieve a specific result, you have a foundation upon which you can start and grow a successful business.
