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It is no longer news that the most
successful brands in the world now engage daily with clients and prospects via
social media. The social media is now a connected world where everyone has a
say! Through the social media, brands can now interact with multiple customers
at various locations around the world in real time and split seconds!
In my 12 months of being a self-made Social
Media Manager/Consultant, I have learnt some of the secrets of the most
successful brands on social media, how they attract and engage of millions of
people around the world and why their fans are so loyal. It doesn't matter if
you are a start-up or big organisation, you can start building follower-ship on
social media and gaining attention of new prospects and clients daily. These
tips can be used freely and trust me, you will get the same results as the big
successful brands. Let’s start with originality.
1. Be 100% Original and stay Consistent.
Originality and Consistency are key to
building a good reputation on social media. If you want your followers to trust
you/your content then you must start by being original. This simply means being
you! Find your style and use it effectively. Your audience will keep coming
back because they can’t get what you’re giving, elsewhere.
2. Be Brief and straight to
point!
Do not try to say too much
at once! Have you ever wondered why twitter limits your tweet to 140 characters
per tweet? People engage more with shorter posts than longer ones! Also, most
people visit social media sites when they are bored or on break. They just want
to catch up on what’s going on and I bet you do not want to bore your
fans/followers at such moments! Break your blog posts into bits before sharing
them systematically on your social media pages.
3. Speak the language of the
people!
Why speak French to
Nigerians when you can speak “pidgin”? In order to connect with your intended
audience, you must speak their language! You also must use their vocabulary.
You can find out how to speak the language of your audience by researching on
their most frequently asked questions, their likes and related interests.
4. Use High Quality Pictures and Graphics
effectively!
Pictures speak louder than
words on social media, so use them effectively. You will always have a wider reach
when posting with pictures on Facebook and Twitter. People will naturally be
attracted to other people, so post pictures of yourself, or your staff or
customers using your products often! Picture quotes are another good way of
reaching out to your audience. For graphics, colours mean everything! Hot
colours tend to get more attention than cool colours but be sure to choose
colours that resonate with the message you are trying to send to your target
audience.
5. Give Free Tips, Ideas,
Insight and Motivation.
To get, you must give!
Give FREE tips, eBooks, Ideas and even free products via your social media
channels! Everybody likes free stuff and when your followers get quality free
stuff from you, it makes them hungry for more! Also, give encouragement and motivation
to your followers at least once a week!
6. Sell Subtly.
Every post should not be a
“sales letter”! Be subtle and use the methods that work best for you. Always
tell your clients what they will GET from every product you are advertising on
social media. Testimonials are invaluable social proof! Use them effectively
too!
7. Be Interactive.
Nobody wants to engage
with a “dormant” brand on social media. Reply to comments on Facebook or give a
LIKE at least! Retweet/Favourite on twitter and reply as well! This makes your
followers feel appreciated and spurs them to engage more in the future.
8. Do not put me to sleep! Be
fun!
Your fans/followers are
online mainly to get fun! Why bore them? Make some funny posts from time to
time. People tend to share jokes on Facebook more often.
9. Use Hashtags.
It’s amazing how hashtags
have become so viral over the last year! You do not want to be left out, so
make new hashtags for your social media campaigns and learn to use them side by
side old hashtags.
10. Use the Magic Word as
often as possible.
Here’s the last tip from me:
Say THANK YOU as often as possible!
It shows your audience that you are grateful to have their attention and
followership! Saying Thank You is the biggest way to show your customers and
clients that you appreciate them! Say Thank You for every milestone you hit!
There is hardly any successful brand that wouldn’t say a simple Thank You to
their followers especially on social media.
To learn more about various ways the social
media can be of help to you, your company or brand, I strongly recommend that you be a part of the upcoming
Social Media Week Lagos!
Go sign up here: www.socialmediaweek.org/Lagos
and follow the conversation on Facebook here: www.facebook.com/SMWLagos and
Twitter here: www.twitter.com/SMWLagos!
