With more than 50% of people worldwide actively using social media, more people are using the various platforms not only for entertainment but also to build their business. As Cherry Dana, an Instagram model and business owner, knows only too well, your social media pages can quickly develop your career if used well. 

Dana, born Dana Grigg in Newcastle, did not initially start as a model. At the age of 19, Dana moved to Mexico to pursue dance, becoming a well-known figure in stage shows across various Mexican resorts. After two years of dancing, she moved back home for a year, then moved to Sydney, Australia, to study dance and fitness. While working part-time as a lingerie waitress to supplement her income, Dana started an Instagram account, @cherrydana27, and with time, the account amassed a large following. Her account currently has about a million followers. She later started a Snapchat account that went viral.  

With such popular social media accounts, Dana saw a business opportunity and ran with it. As a model, Instagram was the perfect platform to expand her profile. Dana says that the first step to becoming a successful social media model is defining your personal style and investing in clothes that display the style. To showcase your style, you should invest in a couple of professional photoshoots with different looks that can be posted on different days on your social media platforms. These photos, combined with ones taken on your phone (whether full-length photos or selfies), become your online portfolio. Dana also advises models, especially upcoming ones, to reach out to more established and popular models and photographers to collaborate on projects with them. This widens your reach and increases the chances of their followers following you too. According to Dana, engaging with your audience is vital while building your profile. This involves replying to some of their comments, asking them for opinions on your outfits, or occasionally having competitions where the winner gets a prize. This makes your audience feel as if they are your friends, not just random strangers.  

Social media is a useful tool that, if used wisely, will propel your career as a model. Taking the advice of Cherry Dana, a model with over eight years of experience on social media is useful for any model who wants career advancement.