Social Media Week was a blast and it got me thinking about how social media has made a huge impact in my life, personally and career-wise.
I decided that, this week, I would s.h.a.r.e ten simple tips on making social media platforms work for you.
10. Be regular and consistent
People wonder how to build followers and likes. One simple guaranteed way is to be consistent and regular. One quality post on Facebook or Google + daily, two to three tweets on twitter, and one or two instagram posts a day goes a long way!
Don't post on Monday then come back a month later. Do it daily!
9. Be funny
No one's asking you to be a comedian but you can make your responses to tweets or your observations witty. It helps you to stand out from the crowd.
8. People love inspiration
You know all those 'Get up and Go!' posts? They never get old. People like inspiration so, from time to time, give them what they want! You can also inspire others with personal stories of triumph. Don't over do it — there's a thin line between inspiring and boasting.
7. Teach
Have a skill? Then let social media be your voice. Give tips on 'how to' do things and find articles that help people learn something.
Focus on your area of expertise and knock 'em dead!
6. Wash your hands!
Yoruba people have a proverb, 'omo to ba f'owo, a ba agbalagba jeun' which loosely translates to, 'if a child washes his hands, he'll eat with adults'.
In the world of social media, this just means be polite, don't try to get follows and likes by being obnoxious, and act decently and you'll be treated same.
5. Nothing matters the next day… Almost.
When I first got on twitter, tweet-fights were the rave. People loved to do battle over a couple of tweets and I always wondered if it was ever worth it.
Truth is, no matter how mean someone is to you online, for the most part, unless they cross over to stalking or illegal lengths, it blows over by the next day.
Keep arguments polite as much as you can and, remember, some things (and people), are just not worth it!
4. Engage
Engage with people. Don't make your social media platform just about talking to people, make it about talking with people.
Ask questions and respond to others.
3. Visuals
While platforms like Instagram and Pinterest are all about the images, visuals should not be ignored with the others either.
You actually get better responses, especially on Google + and Facebook, when you include an image with your post. Say for example, you want to talk about Monday, a visual with a Monday-based quote would work perfectly.
2. Consolidate
Did you hear about my ten twitter accounts?
I kid you not.
While the actual number of twitter accounts I once had was grossly exaggerated, I did have more than three.
But I'm a hoarder and it reflects via social media as well. I have like five yahoo emails alone, two facebook profiles, and of course, the thousand twitter handles.
You know what I realised? The more you have, the more you divide.
Instead of one twitter handle for everything you do, consolidate your accounts.
Also make great use of links. For example, link your facebook to your twitter, your instagram to your twitter and so on.
1. Monetise
Finally, remember, you can monetise via your social media.
Youtube, for example, allows you partner and monetise your videos; you can run google and other ads on your blog posts; post paid tweets or on facebook and so on.
There's a number 0: have fun!!!
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