In today’s world of online marketing, Learning how to effectively harness this power has seen people making social media their careers and earning incomes in excess of $850k from simply being seemly ‘themselves’ online. Social media and markedly Instagram has grown to be a powerful tool for creating a brand image but harnessing this power is where the real magic lies. We take a look at how we can use our already established social media platforms for global domination. Instagram has certainly increasingly become synonymous with LGBT culture and gay men have always been ahead of the curve in understanding social media’s uses. We then link our Instagram to our Grindr and enable guys to get a quick snapshot of who are and our compatibility. We use our selfies as advertising for our own unique brand image, what we wear, what we eat and what labels we associate ourselves with all work to create a snapshot of who we are. In the gay man’s world, social media is primarily used as a marketing tool for one’s own best assets. Where consumers gather, marketers are sure to follow, and social media is no exception.

Express’ Ash sat down with Samuel Levi a local social media influencer from Auckland who uses Instagram to show off his lifestyle and uses it to market his new watch start-up.