When you work in marketing, you’re constantly making decisions that could go either way. Should that CTA say “Get Started” or “Try It Free”? Should the landing page headline focus on value or urgency? I’ve lost count of how many times I thought I knew what would convert better… only to be proven wrong by the data.
That’s why the best A/B testing tools aren’t just nice to have, they’re essential. Whether you’re tweaking headlines, testing button colors, or experimenting with entire page layouts, these tools take the guesswork out of optimization.
When you work in marketing, you’re constantly making decisions that could go either way. Should that CTA say “Get Started” or “Try It Free”? Should the landing page headline focus on value or urgency? I’ve lost count of how many times I thought I knew what would convert better… only to be proven wrong by the data.
That’s why the best A/B testing tools aren’t just nice to have, they’re essential. Whether you’re tweaking headlines, testing button colors, or experimenting with entire page layouts, these tools take the guesswork out of optimization.
We’ve just turning a completed book to our publisher, entitled The “Hidden” Drivers Behind Every Successful Project (co-written with my client, Kursten Faller). Our emphasis is mainly on human behavior and judgment.
On Saturday I went to our local bank where I keep personal and business checking accounts. I saw men outside laying sod, as part of the bank’s beautification project. I told the tellers, whom I know well, that the sod looked pretty bad.
“Oh, that’s because it died and they’re pulling it up to put down new sod,” they explained. I assumed it was poor original installation until they explained the following, which I am not making up.
Originally, the grass in front died because it was never watered. So the bank put down sod with an irrigation system. That sod died because the irrigation system was never connected to a water supply. When a new company was hired to pull up that sod and replace it, they saw the old water outlets and assumed a working sprinkler system. However, that system would not work and could not be fixed. In came another company, and up came that sod.
This newest sod also died because while the irrigation system was new and connected, no one was in charge of monitoring it, it was believed to be automatic, and it was never triggered. As you can predict, that sod died, and is the sod I saw being removed on Saturday. New sod will follow today, Monday, as you read this.
I am not placing bets on its longevity. And I do not have any of my investment accounts with this bank. Project management: behavior and judgment. Don’t keep replacing the sod in your life because you’re inadvertently killing it!
When a management with a reputation for brilliance tackles a business with a reputation for bad economics, it is the reputation of the business that remains intact. —Warren Buffett
Failing to plan is planning to fail. —Alan Lakein
The planning fallacy is that you make a plan, which is usually a best-case scenario. Then you assume that the outcome will follow your plan, even when you should know better. —Daniel Kahneman
The Fishbowl: In January I’ll be starting a year-long, monthly, “live” coaching session whereby one member of the group will be coached by me for 45 minutes on a current issue of theirs, we’ll deconstruct what happened, and then have 45 minutes of Q&A. This is a variation of the very popular “fishbowl” technique I ran a few years ago.
You may volunteer to be the person coached or simply watch. You needn’t attend every session and I will provide video to everyone afterwards along with written commentary. This should build your coaching prowess considerably.
This will be $500 for the year and I’m offering it to you, here, first, because I’ll obviously have limited participation. My offer to you is $400. (An hour of my “situational coaching” on my site is $2,500, so this is a hell of a deal if you choose to be coached or even just observe.)
I’ll cut off registration in December, but if you wait and we’re filled, I can only put you on a waiting list. If for any reason I don’t run it, you’ll receive a full refund prior to the end of this year.
The Proof Behind Social Proof
Has anyone ever asked you, “Give me an example of your point?” and you suddenly forgot how to speak? Or have you said, “Let me give you an example…,” and then have immediately gone into brain freeze without any ice cream? “Social Proof” comprises pragmatic examples that others can readily relate to which reinforce your point instantly.
When you “open the hood” on social proof, beneath is actually a psychological dynamic which creates normative pressure assuring that the actions of others are appropriate and should be imitated. A desire to “fit in” is created.
Join me for 90 minutes and fill your conversations, narrative, and collateral with social proof that will build your brand and fill your bank account. People ask what research I invest in for my success. I don’t. Then they ask what my investigative habits are. I don’t have any. “So what DO you do?” they ask.
BOOK SPRINT begins Nov. 3, 60-minute weekly call to create a completed, professional book proposal in the following 60 days. I have an 80%+ record placing these books with publishers for the last five years. I will introduce the proposal to agents and publishers (and so can you) and provide an additional 30 days of support for the book. The fee is only $4,500. Stop procrastinating and produce your first (or next) book, which is how I’ve attracted well over 90% of my business over the years. Register here and I’ll send the simple prep work: https://alanweiss.com/store/quick-pay/
But I have a modest following across all three platforms, which I have been able to monetize.
I’m what some influencer marketers might call a nano-influencer, comfortably in that under-10K follower range. (I prefer the term nano-creator, but potato, potahto.)
It’s not a full-time income — this year, I’ve netted around $3,000 directly from my content. But that’s if you don’t consider the spin-off work that has come from my social media presence, like freelance writing gigs and podcast hosting.
Since I create content outside of my full-time job at Buffer and don’t spend more than a couple of hours a week on it, I’m pretty proud of that.
Even more so because I haven’t been focused on it for very long. I started getting a bit more serious about monetizing my work in 2024, a little over a year ago.
I’ve always loved creating content and had already built up a modest following on Instagram and a growing one on LinkedIn. I’d also just started experimenting with TikTok (you can read more about how I got to my first 1,000 followers on TikTok here).
In that short time, I’ve learned a lot about monetizing as a nano-creator. I thought I’d unpack some of that here.
So: if you’ve ever wondered whether it’s possible to turn a small, engaged audience into income — it is! You don’t need a massive audience, but you do need strategy, consistency, and a strong, authentic voice.
I’m not rushing to ‘beat the algorithm’ or ‘maximize my growth.’ That’s because I feel like I’ve found a sweet spot in the nano-influencer category, at least for my bandwidth.
I have the capacity for around three posts across platforms per week. This, I’ve found, is enough for modest growth on Instagram and TikTok, and moderate on LinkedIn.
Keeping within this cadence — and therefore, follower range — also allows me to actually connect with the folks who enjoy my content. I can thoughtfully respond to messages and comments, rather than post and ghost.
Which means my engagement rate is really good, if I do say so myself. For example, the engagement rate for my last sponsored post on Instagram was around 5.8%. According to Buffer’s Instagram Benchmarks data, the median engagement rate for my follower category is around 4.1%.
Many brands find the higher engagement rates that smaller creators can offer to be far more beneficial than dizzying follower counts.
That’s not the only reason to partner with nano-creators, either. Let’s review them all:
High engagement rates. As I unpacked above, a smaller audience usually means a tighter-knit community.
Authenticity. People follow nano-creators because they’re relatable. We’re not “influencers” in the celebrity sense — we’re friends who happen to share tips, reviews, or behind-the-scenes peeks.
Cost-effectiveness. To be candid, we’re more budget-friendly for brands that don’t have much money to spend on influencer campaigns. For a brand, working with 20 nano-creators might bring better ROI (return on investment) than one big influencer.
The main ways I make money as a nano-influencer
There are loads of ways to monetize on Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, and beyond. Think affiliate programs, brand partnerships, or even direct monetization on the platform.
I’ve not fully explored all of them yet, so this overview is not the be-all and end-all (definitely check out the guides linked above for more ideas). Rather, it’s a look at what’s working for me right now.
Brand partnerships and sponsored posts
This is the most obvious (and most talked about) income stream, so let’s start here.
I have dabbled in sponsored content on Instagram over the years, but it was inconsistent and never amounted to much. More often than not, it was a product-for-post trade exchange.
(Now that I’ve wised up a bit, I’m hesitant about deals like this. Free leggings are great, but they aren’t going to pay the bills! I’ll touch on this again later.)
Also, Instagram is no longer my heavy hitter. There’s been a boom in interest in LinkedIn creators over the past few years. I’ve seen relatively fast growth there, and it’s my primary platform right now.
LinkedIn has really started investing in creator functionality (which I chatted about with Callie Schweitzer, LinkedIn’s Head of Scaled Programs, about in this episode of Buffer Chat podcast). This, in turn, has opened doors for both creators and brands, on a platform where users tend to have more buying power.
In other words, it’s a fast-growth space that influencer marketers are keeping a close eye on.
So it’s no surprise that investing in LinkedIn growth kicked off my monetization journey, and it was pretty organic, too.
Over the past few months, I’ve partnered with several brands, all of which contacted me (more on this below). They were mostly interested in my LinkedIn content, but most of them were keen to bundle Instagram and TikTok into the deal as well.
Freelance opportunities
This is more of an indirect win of my social media presence, but it has afforded me opportunities I’d not have had without it. Being a nano-influencer has helped me land freelance work.
That’s not just content writing, either. My content about podcasting and brand communities has helped me land a steady, part-time gig as a podcast host and community advisor.
For me, freelance services often bring in more income than partnerships do. If you’re a nano-creator with another skillset (design, copywriting, photography, etc.), lean into this. Share your work publicly, and you might be surprised at who comes knocking.
Affiliate marketing
My affiliate marketing earnings have been small — seriously, like under $5. Still, this feels like an area of untapped potential for me, particularly since income here is a little more passive.
It also lends itself super well to content I love creating about my cosy desk set-up.
Before I get ahead of myself: Affiliate marketing is a system where you earn a commission when someone buys a product or service through your unique referral link. The customer gets a recommendation they trust, the brand benefits from the sale, and you pocket a small percentage.
Win-win-win.
I’ve set myself up on Amazon Associates, which allows me to create tracking links for the products I share. I’ve created a little storefront of products I love and would wholeheartedly recommend on my Buffer Start Page. (You can create your own Start Page for free, by the way!)
If someone buys a product after following one of my affiliate links, I’ll earn a small percentage of that sale.
Amazon Associates does have some fairly low rates (I won’t earn more than 3–4% for most sales), but it’s tough to beat for ease of use. Most folks already have Amazon accounts, and there’s little to no friction for them when it comes to buying.
The downside is that I’m based in South Africa, and there’s no local version of the program. My SA followers make up a good chunk of my audience and are less inclined to shop there. US, UK, and EU-based creators will definitely have more luck here.
And Amazon is far from the only option — I’m actively exploring affiliate programs offered by my favorite tools and tech, where the rates are far better for creators. I’ll be sure to share when I have cracked that!
How I find brand partnerships (or how they find me)
Brand partnerships are my most direct and lucrative source of income and non-creator, so let’s dig in here a bit. The $3,000 I mentioned at the top of this article? All earned from brand partnerships in 2025.
You’re probably thinking this involved a fair bit of cold outreach — but it didn’t, interestingly enough. I’ve never actually landed a brand partnership from pitching a brand. I have done so here and there, but never successfully. (My phenomenal teammate Tami Oladipo has, though — more on that in her guide to landing your first LinkedIn partnership here.)
Pitching might still be absolutely worthwhile for you, so definitely give it a bash if you’re just starting out with monetizing.
For me, though, there are a few things that have worked far better for landing brand partnerships. Here is what I recommend for nano-creators looking to work with brands.
1. Get clear on your niche(s)
There’s a reason you hear this advice from loads of creators. It works! Still, choosing a niche doesn’t have to mean painting yourself into a corner.
Even if it’s several connected niches (you could call these content pillars, too!). For me, that’s marketing, remote work, productivity, and tech/tools. They’re connected enough to make sense under one brand (me), but give me the freedom to experiment.
For example, if a productivity software brand were looking for creators to partner with and came across my profile, they wouldn’t be put off by my posts about cozy working or my home office.
But if they find themselves bogged down by a mishmash of content about gaming, books, and musical theatre (some of the other great loves of my life), they might question brand alignment.
2. Post about brands you already love
Your pitch is going to reach a very crowded inbox. But an engaging reel about a brand you’d love to partner with? That will definitely make their team sit up and take notice.
I’ve found that tagging brands in authentic, non-sponsored content often sparks a conversation. For example, sharing how I use a particular tool in my workflow or why I swear by a certain product has led to reposts, DMs, and eventually paid partnerships.
It’s essentially a live demo of how you’d showcase them if they did pay you. From the other side of the fence (I’ve worked on influencer campaigns as a marketer), partnerships are just so much better when the creator genuinely loves the brand. If I were kicking off a new campaign, I’d pick a small, sincere creator over a macro-influencer who has never heard of my product every single time.
So post about your favorite products, services, and brands. It’s great content anyway, and it might get you on their partnership team’s radar.
3. Be as professional as you would in your day job
Once you’ve kicked off a conversation with brands (or vice versa!), be professional.
I learned this from another Buffer Chat episode with Jayde I. Powell. She touched on how brands were surprised when she behaved professionally, and it stuck with me (thanks, Jayde!).
That means:
Reply timeously.
Meet deadlines.
Have a professional system for your ideas and content reviews (really — don’t copy and paste things into DMs where there is no way for the brand to comment or make suggestions).
Follow up. Share links to posts when they are live, share post performance before brands ask you for numbers.
It might sound really obvious. But when creator work is not your 9 to 5, it’s really easy to slip into quick, casual responses via DMs, and missing deadlines.
Basic professionalism is the table stakes for closing a deal. Or, as happened in my case, booking a new, longer-term partnership after a smooth first collaboration. Yay!
4. Try a creator marketplace
A huge unlock for me has been signing up for Passionfroot.
Passionfroot is a marketplace that connects creators with brands. You set up a profile like mine that acts almost like a digital media kit, list your rates and offerings, and brands can reach out directly with collaboration opportunities.
It streamlines the back-and-forth (think contracts, briefs, and payments) so you’re not juggling everything over email or DMs.
A screenshot of my Passionfroot storefront
It’s not the only option out there, either. Platforms like Aspire, Collabstr, and Grin also act as intermediaries between creators and brands, each with slightly different features. Some take a commission, while others charge brands to list opportunities — so it’s worth experimenting with a few to see which feels right for you.
Through Passionfroot, I’ve already completed one partnership with a brand that found me on there. I’ve also received about a dozen more requests — most of which I turned down because they weren’t a good fit or I simply didn’t have the time. Still, it’s been brilliant in terms of visibility and options.
⚡
Multiple channels like me? I rely on Buffer to help me crosspost and minimize the admin! Get Buffer for free →
What I’ve learned about pricing and value
One of the trickiest parts of making money as a nano-influencer is figuring out how much to charge.
I’ve made mistakes here — underpricing myself, saying yes to free products when I should have asked for payment, and comparing my rates to creators in totally different niches.
For transparency, my rates typically fall between $300 and $600 per post, depending on the scope.
Here’s what I’ve learned:
Know your worth, but stay flexible. A smaller budget isn’t always a dealbreaker if the brand offers something else valuable (like visibility or long-term partnership potential).
If a product exchange is good for you, go for it! It’s not my thing right now, but it might work for you. It can also be a lightweight way to start building a portfolio.
Packages are a great way to boost income. This could look like sharing three posts at a slightly lower rate over several weeks, or throwing in another platform or two at a slightly higher rate. In the case of the latter, it won’t involve much extra work for you, but could double or triple exposure for the brand (which is why you can charge more — win-win).
Be clear on usage rights. Sponsored posts don’t automatically mean brands get to use your content in their own ads. It’s standard to charge extra for ad usage — after all, the brand is leveraging your likeness, tone, and trust. A good rule of thumb is to charge 50–100% of your base rate per month of usage (so if you charge $400 for a post, you’d add another $200–$400 for each month the brand wants to run it as an ad).
Don’t let imposter syndrome get in your way
Whether you have 1,000 followers or 10,000, if you’ve nurtured that community, that is enough!
It’s easy to feel like having a smaller following isn’t worth much, but I’d argue that, in some ways, it’s worth way more.
If you take one thing away from this article, let it be this: don’t let imposter syndrome stop you from getting started.
If you have any questions about getting started with monetization as a nano-creator, I’d love to help! You can find me (of course!) on LinkedIn, TikTok, and Instagram, as well as Threads.
The antitrust ruling keeps Google intact but rewires the search marketplace. How should marketers plan for AI assistants, auctions, and rising TAC costs?
Affordable Web Design in Sulphur Springs, TX for Small Businesses
Affordable Web Design in Sulphur Springs, TX for Small Businesses
Your website is usually the first impression a customer gets. If it’s slow or outdated, people leave. Our affordable web design in Sulphur Springs, TX creates fast, mobile-friendly sites that turn visitors into customers. The best part? It’s designed for small businesses on a budget.
What Affordable Web Design Really Means
Affordable should never mean “cheap” or “cookie-cutter.” At TrendwiseCo, we focus on keeping costs reasonable without cutting corners. We do this by streamlining the process and avoiding waste. You get a professional site that looks great and performs well.
Core Benefits of Our Web Design Services
Fast load times: Websites built for speed rank higher and keep visitors engaged.
Mobile-first layouts: More than 70% of local users search on phones.
Conversion-focused design: Clear calls to action, forms, and trust elements.
SEO-ready structure: Optimized titles, headings, and metadata for Google visibility.
Easy editing: WordPress websites you can update yourself.
Who Benefits Most in Sulphur Springs?
Small businesses of all kinds: HVAC contractors, roofers, plumbers, landscapers, restaurants, and retail shops. If you’re new or running an outdated site, a modern redesign makes a big difference. An experienced web design company in Sulphur Springs, TX can transform how customers see your brand.
Affordable Web Design Packages
We tailor projects to fit your budget and goals. Here’s what most small businesses choose:
Starter: 1–3 pages. A clean and simple site to get online fast.
Growth: 5–8 pages. Includes services, about, reviews, blog, and contact.
Pro: 10+ pages. Ideal for businesses with multiple services or advanced needs.
Most sites take 2–6 weeks depending on content and features.
Real Results from Sulphur Springs
One local contractor switched from a slow, outdated template to our modern design. Page load speed dropped from 6 seconds to under 2. In just two months, calls increased by 32%. That’s the power of an affordable, SEO-ready redesign.
Why SEO-Ready Design Matters
Pretty websites don’t rank by themselves. We build your site with SEO baked in—clean URLs, optimized headings, internal links, and schema. Combined with local optimization, you’ll show up in searches when people are ready to buy. That’s why partnering with a digital marketing and web design expert in Sulphur Springs matters.
Ongoing Care After Launch
Your site isn’t “set it and forget it.” We provide hosting, security, backups, and updates. Our care plans keep your site running smoothly. You focus on business, while we handle the tech.
FAQs About Affordable Web Design in Sulphur Springs
How much does it cost?
Most small business sites cost between $1,500 and $5,000 depending on features. We’ll create a plan that matches your budget.
How long will it take?
Simple sites can be ready in two weeks. Larger builds may take four to six weeks. The timeline depends on content and approvals.
Will I lose SEO if I redesign?
No. We handle migrations carefully with redirects and technical setup to preserve rankings while improving performance.
Can I update my site myself?
Yes. You’ll get a WordPress site that’s easy to edit, plus training so you can manage updates.
Local Resources
Want to learn more about Sulphur Springs? Visit the Official City of Sulphur Springs website. We often include local events and landmarks in site content to strengthen search relevance.
Get a Free Web Design Quote
Ready for a modern site that works as hard as you do? Contact our Sulphur Springs web design specialists for a free proposal. We’ll review your goals, your current site, and deliver a plan that fits.
