Industry Voices: Jade Beason

What is your single biggest source of motivation?

I recently came across a statistic that stated only 12% of full-time Creators earn more than or around $50K a year, while 46% of Creators earn less than $1K in annual revenue. This statistic is what motivates me. 

It’s astounding to me how many Creators are not earning a decent living from their content, despite the booming Creator economy, increasing influencer budgets, and there being more opportunities than ever to earn a respectable income.

Three months after launching an Instagram account, I was able to monetize it, even though it had fewer than 3,000 followers. I was able to achieve this due to my experience in marketing and content creation. So in 2020, I set out to share my knowledge, skills, and experience with Creators who needed them, and I haven’t stopped since.

Which social platform are you loving right now and why?

YouTube has been my favorite channel for years, both from a Creator’s perspective and as a viewer. I’m a sucker for long-form content. I love to talk and immerse myself in other people’s lives. As you can probably guess, I watch a lot of vlogs!

What are the top 3 tools that you can’t live without as a Marketer?

• Asana is my current go-to for all things project management and has been essential as my business has scaled. 
• Frame.io allows my team and me to provide feedback on video edits created by my editor. 
• I use Later to schedule my Instagram content across @JadeBeason and @TheCreatorProject_. Since I share a lot of content on a daily basis, I would be nowhere without the ability to schedule in advance!

What’s one thing every Creator should know about brand campaigns?

A good brand partnership campaign is a win-win for both the brand and the Creator. When you truly understand that value must be provided on both sides, you’ll be able to foster amazing brand relationships and long-term partnerships.

If you could give brands or Creators one social media tip right now, what would it be?

Stop running away from short-form video content! It can be tempting to stick with what you know, which for many of us is long-form video content or photos (I’m sure my fellow millennials can relate!). 

The truth is, short-form video content is here to stay. It doesn’t have to replace your existing strategy, but it has the power to enhance it. The sooner we all adopt it and get familiar with the format, the better.

What does the word “authenticity” mean to you?

Buzzword of the year! 

Being authentic means showing up as your true self online. A common misconception is that you need to film yourself crying and post it online to be truly ‘authentic.’ If you wouldn’t usually share content of yourself going through a tough time (which is totally fine, by the way), then forcing yourself to share it against your true brand is, by definition, inauthentic! 

Whether you only share parts of your life, cry on your Instagram stories, joke around a lot, or are super serious—no one type of content is authentic. What’s authentic is whatever aligns with you.

Which 3ish Creators do you think are truly killing the game right now?

Ali Abdaal, Colin and Samir, and Steven Bartlett have all mastered the art of sharing extremely high-quality, informative content in a way that is entertaining and maintains a story arc. 

Speaking from someone in a similar niche, this is no easy feat!

How do you stay ahead of fast-moving social media trends without losing focus on your current goals and objectives?

Your social media strategy, goals, and objectives should sit above your day-to-day content and work as a guide for all future activities. Trends are only passing moments of popularity. 

When you view all trends through this lens, it becomes easier to see how they fit within your broader social channel.

What’s your biggest social media/marketing prediction for this year? What trend or upcoming changes should everyone know about and prepare for?

You can probably guess what I’m about to say here…the use of AI in content creation. I’m a firm believer that AI can’t replace you or a team member, but it can certainly speed up the content creation process. 

You might be hesitant to adopt this new technology, but the truth is that those who don’t may get left behind.

Ok, here’s a fun one! If money were no object and you could move to any city in the world for as long as you wanted, where would you go?

I honestly don’t think I would move anywhere! Wild, I know. I LOVE London. I was born here, and while I spent four years in the Midlands for university, London has always remained my favorite place. It’s vibrant, busy, multicultural, the list goes on. I mean, the weather could definitely be better, but I don’t do well in the heat anyway!