It started out as making silly videos for fun, and now it’s a big business venture for two brothers who are raking in cash, just for posting videos online.
Marcus and Cody Johns IMG: via Huffington Post Live
Vine is a Twitter-owned video platform where millions of users post six-second clips of anything they choose. Just over a year old, Vine is quickly growing traction in the marketing medium, with users like brothers Marcus and Cody Johns reaping the benefits.
At 24, Cody has managed to pay off his college tuition from just one Vine campaign. His younger brother Marcus, 20, has 4.1 million followers and has considered quitting school due to the amount of money he makes, which he attributes to his large Vine following.
“Someone with three million followers is going to make a lot more than someone with half-a-million,” he says. “There’s a tier of top twenty Viners who are definitely making a good living.”
It’s that good living that has led Cody and his friend, social media manager Rob Fishman, to start Niche, an advertising agency connecting brands with important online figures. Brands are now paying Niche $150,000 per month to create Vine (and other social media) campaigns for them.
Marcus’ Vine’s have made him an instant celebrity – he was invited to this year’s Academy Awards to “live vlog” the ceremony for his Vine page. From the beginning, he was hoping to create for himself this type of exposure.
“I started very intentionally,” he said. “I posted Vines at times when people weren’t posting them so they’d get exposure. The whole goal in the beginning was to get on the ‘popular’ page.”
And that popularity came in the form of more followers, and therefore, eager sponsors. Cody and Marcus Johns are just two examples of how social media can turn anyone’s life into a financial success.
