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The alphabets of social media

A- Accept the reality and usefulness of social media

Many individuals or businesses in this age of technology and innovation may doubt the power of social media to start a conversation and spark a revolution. Social media, which imitate our social network and interactions, has billions of users the world over. 

Research shows that it took radio 38 years to have 50 million listeners and television had 50 million viewers in 13 years. But it took four years to have the same number of people online. 

Most popular social media include Facebook, Google Plus, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram and Pinterest. Others include WhatsApp, Line, Viber and BBM. 

Some of the benefits of using social media include it serving as a platform to build a strong online brand visibility, serve customers, have one-to-one communication, publicly relate, build loyalty, develop innovations, acquire and sustain customers, undertake market research, optimise engine search and is cost effective.

B- Build social networks offline to strengthen social media presence

Social networking is the lifeline of social media. We are members of unique social communities with intricate social networks with other members within a social framework– social identities, interests, trends and actions. We identify ourselves by our tribes, gender, social status, nationality, educational qualification, culture, religion, political ideology and many more. These identities form our primary connections in our complex social network. Social media only replicates your offline social network. Your presence will be stronger online when you have a stronger network offline.

C- Create and share contents that are contextual and engaging

Contents are the blood of social media. Without content it will be difficult to engage on social media. Contents are the encoded formats of messages which relate to our social framework– social identities, interests, trends and actions. We share our beliefs, views and interests in texts, images, audios and videos. Context is the social framework within which contents are positioned. Whatever content you share must be within the social framework of your target. If you post or share contents that do not relate to your target by way of their interests, they may not engage with it as much as you would want. 

D- Design a strategy for your social media accounts and interactions

Most people, businesses, brands and organisations get trapped in the same mistake of creating social media account without any strategy. Creating a social media account is free. But managing it to get the best result from the investment of time, human resource and money cannot be free. Since it requires some costly inputs you must have a clear strategy to work with. If you do not have strategy, your social media efforts will be a tragedy. You will even discount the effectiveness of the platform.

E- Extend your social network beyond your immediate friends and family

Don’t get trapped in the immediate circles of friends and family. Connect with people who share a common identity and interest. Engage with people from similar professional backgrounds or religious sects to extend your social network.

F- Find creative ways to share your contents

Avoid the monotony of sharing the same content every time. Vary the content you share and the style of content package. You don’t need to be always detailed and wordy. Simple words and concise phrases have the power to trigger conversation and engagement faster than longer and grammar-heavy ones. Remember you are conversing.

G- Gather around common interests with actual and virtual friends

We have people who love what we love and also share our interests. Join conversations which talk about your interests with your online friends, fans or followers. They don’t need to be your actual friends alone. Engage the virtual friends as well. You can discuss a trending offline event on the various social media platforms as and when it is happening.  

H- Have a clear idea of what to post or share before you do it

If in doubt about what you want to post, don’t post anything. You have to be sure of what you want to share on your page every time. It will go against you if you just post anything to stay active on your social media platform. Think through the content you want to post and be sure of the effect you want to create with the content you want to post before you do it.

I- Inspire trust and hope most times in people on the platform 

Most often we all need a shot in the arm to take through the day or night. Share inspirational contents with your friends. You don’t need to be serious all the time. Have fun too. Post a joke, a funny video or picture. Inspirational quotes also do the magic. Arouse positive emotions in your friends, fans and followers, and see them love you more.

J- Join conversations you can usefully contribute to at the right time

It is good to socialise with friends but it is better if you have something to contribute to the ensuing conversation. Don’t be in a rush to babble if you have no clear idea of what is being discussed or have no insights to share. Join at the right time too. People seldom regroup around ‘zombie’ conversations which are weeks or months old unless they are still relevant or trending.

K- Keep your expressions simple and succinct

Simplicity does the magic on social media. Say what is on your mind in the simplest way or words possible. Clarity of thought projects your personality on social media when your posts are succinct and unambiguous. Keep your thoughts simple and concise. GB

L- Learn from others and from your mistakes

Sharing and interacting with others help you learn more secrets about social media interaction. You will know what your community of friends love and what they dislike. Learn from the mistakes that you or others make so you can become a better social media user.

M- Master the art of conversing intelligently and instantaneously

I say “Hello!”. You say “Hi”. Social media thrives on your ability to start and sustain conversations. If you cannot converse intelligently you will have problems interacting with other people. You have to learn to be spontaneous with your conversations as well. The more you converse, the more quickly you must learn, so you become better.

N- Never disrespect or disregard your friends on social media

Value and respect your network of friends on social media. Respect the views and opinions of other people. Correct them maturely when necessary. Avoid being rude and arrogant with your comments and posts. Your friends are the human connections on social media.

O- Open your mind to learn new things and find trends from others

Be a learner on social media. It will amaze you the kind of information and knowledge you will acquire with an open mind. Follow people based on their expertise and professional experiences in various fields, so you can learn from them.

P- Present your opinions and views wisely and at the right time

Your perspective or views may not be right all times, neither will they be absolute truths, so present them in a friendly and wise manner at the right time. Don’t be in a hurry to express your views. Know the right time to make them know.

Q- Quickly compliment or praise people when necessary

Don’t hesitate to compliment the efforts or intelligence of people. Praise them for what they have done for themselves and others, as well as for you. Be grateful and gracious. People may not want to be worshipped with praises or compliments, so know those people who do not want it.

R- Reach out to people in need of help (know them by their posts)

A community built around social interests must support themselves and offer helping hands to one another. People may ask for help to enable them to find the best restaurant to eat, where to buy a cartridge for their printer or some other help. Be ready to offer it if it is within your power to do so. It builds your social value.

S- Sell your personality or product at the right time

As you socialise, you are forming your social personality and building your network virtually. Individuals market themselves by the content they share and engage with. As a business, you must first socialise with your customers on social media before you sell your products to them. Relationship is key to negotiation.

T- Tell your success stories to inspire people but not to show off

Be measured in how you praise yourself or publish your success stories. Do it with a sense of humility. Avoid sounding arrogant and proud about your success stories. Share them to inspire people not to spite or despise them. Showing off puts most people off.

U- Use humour to connect emotionally and positively with friends online

Emotional connection creates warmth and a sense of belongingness with your social network. As must as possible, employ humour in what you share or post. It works wonders. It calms nerves and builds bonds that are human and worth remembering. People do not forget how you make them feel. 

V- Vent out your anger and disagreements respectfully

During interactions, people may step on your nerves or make you angry. You must learn how to control your anger and show it dispassionately without any disrespect. We will disagree all the time but it must not always warrant disrespect and inhuman expression of anger. Be slow to anger.

W- Write in clear grammatical constructions or known lingo

Whatever language you want to use, it must be the one your target can read and understand. It must follow basic rules of grammatical construction. Your expression in any language can be formal or informal but let it be clear and comprehensible to the reader. If you want to use some street language or words, make sure people understand it. Use correct punctuations and check your spellings.

X- ‘Xtreme opinions and ideas must be fact-based or totally avoided

Sometimes we make extreme opinions and express some ideas which may be beyond general knowledge of our community of friends, fans or followers. It is best to support them with facts and figures to avoid doubts. Avoid extreme opinions that have no basis and those you cannot substantiate. Don’t do it often because it puts people off or touches on the sensitivity of people.

Y-Yearn to connect with more people who will add to your social value

Just like in real life, you must be selective about who becomes your friend on social media. It is necessary to target real people with credibility and physical identity. They must be people who will make you a better social media user and a socially valuable personality offline. Be friends to those who will add value to you. Your social value is directly related to your social relevance.

Z- Zealously guard against expressing your ignorance frequently

Having the wrong information is not as harmful as expressing your ignorance frequently and confidently. People hate ignorant people who are also confident. If you do not know the theme of any conversation, don’t become an active discussant because people will know you don’t know what is being discussed. Guard against revealing your ignorant self on social media. 

 

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