Influencer marketing is exploding in South Africa (finally) but it has been the go to tool for overseas businesses for a considerably longer time.
I’m regularly approached by international businesses to run sponsored posts on Tech Girl. However, the initial excitement of landing a paid for blogging job from an international business is very quickly replaced by concern. Is this a scam? Will I be paid? Do I really want to hand my banking details over to someone who might be more interested in emptying my account and far less interested in actually paying me for the content I’m producing?
These are all concerns that niggle at my thoughts and, in the past, caused me to turn down fantastic opportunities. The fear of sending off my banking details and having international funds entering my account put me off… until I started using PAYPAL.
There are certain perks when it comes to using PayPal to invoice and receive payments from overseas clients. The portal lets me invoice, receive money and then easily link it to my bank account via FNB if I want to withdraw the cash.
I’m not the only one who has started using the payment gateway to make business dealings a little easier. Shelf Life, a streetwear and sneaker store based in Cape Town, has also employed PayPal in their online store. Shelf Life supplies limited edition sneakers to the world and has access to some of the biggest brands in the world, including Nike, Adidas and Puma. Their clients’ biggest concern is that they’re purchasing the real deal and not getting ripped off.
Nick Herbert, the owner of Shelf Life, says PayPal’s Buyer Protection has been instrumental in reassuring customers from around the world that their purchase of exclusive sneakers from South Africa (a country they’ve likely never visited) is the real deal.
“We stake our reputation on the authenticity of our sneakers,” said Herbert. “PayPal’s Buyer Protection is a way to prove that to our customers: if they don’t get what they ordered, PayPal can help them to get their money back. This gives them the confidence to buy from us.”
I find international business is far keener to embark on a transaction with a South African blogger when they are able to use PAYPAL. It’s also just far easier. From an admin point of view I can use the PayPal site to invoice my clients simply by filling in some details. Once they receive an invoice they can simply click on the ‘Checkout with Paypal’ button which redirects them to the PayPal page were they can view the details of the transaction. As their financial information is already stored in their PayPal account, all they need to do is login, review and confirm the transaction.
Herbert says he uses PayPal for the following reasons, as a small entrepreneur (yup, I just referred to Tech Girl as a business. We’re growing up!), I find the benefits are suited to me as well:
1. It’s more secure
2. It’s easier to use
3. Customers expect it
4. It makes outgoing foreign payments easier
5. It helps build trust in the authenticity of Shelf Life’s products
6. It can helps boost online sales
If you want to attract international business to your blog and want to avoid the admin, ensure your clients are happy to hand over cash and avoid being scammed – accepting PayPal payments is probably the best way forward.
Have questions? Contact PAYPAL or drop them in the comments below.
