HOW TO PLAY YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA GAMES RIGHT.

Winning a game involves that you know the hows and strategies to win that game. The same too applies to social media. It's no news that social media has come to stay, and in a couple of years to come, we would see social media evolve in ways we may not even expect. So, knowing how to play your games right will go a long way in helping you grow and more importantly, make some cool dollars (I'm sure you like the sound of that!).

Creatives, business owners, entrepreneurs and even individuals who decide to get into this game of social media must know how to play their games right. If not, being disqualified might be your lot. Having said that, there are very important things you must level up to, to get your games rolling well on social media.

I’ll be sharing 5 important games you must play well to get your social media games right. Every tip I’ll be sharing are social media strategies that have worked in the past and are still working.

HAVE A PLAN

Who starts something without having a plan? Who does that? The importance of having a plan cannot be overemphasized. Not one thrives on social media without having a well laid out plan. A social media plan will help you work towards things you need to focus on and ensure that every of your efforts are yielding results. To a very large extent, a plan will give you direction, keep you consistent and efficient.

More importantly, with a social media plan, you can create bigger and better campaigns.

HAVE AN UPDATED SOCIAL MEDIA PROFILE

Your social media profile serves as your business card. Don't just leave it unattended to and expect your target audience to assume what you do or are up to. Take out time to create a compelling profile that leaves your target audience awed. Stick to these tips to get a compelling profile.

• Let your username be similar to what you do (This is applicable for Instagram and Twitter)
• Let your paragraph be short and simple.
• Have a good profile picture of yourself or your brand.
• Add important details like your email, your other social media handles, your phone number (if you've to put it),and a link to your website.
• Have a good looking story highlight (For IG).

CREATE VALUABLE CONTENT

Nobody wants to sit and read content that doesn’t help them in any way. As they say, CONTENT IS KING. You should make creating valuable content one of your main priorities in getting your social media games right. If you desire to grow on social media and also earn some dollars, you have to create content consistently. Don’t create content today, and in the next 3 months, you’re nowhere to be found. No one thrives on social media with inconsistency.

Understand the needs of your audience, and channel your content to meet their needs. With time, you'll have gained the trust of your audience and they will always come when they have problems because your content offers solutions. Also know that content is not just about writing, you can create videos, ask questions, record a podcast, post testimonials and case studies. These are examples of content.

You can check other people's content to see how they write their content, and get creative by creating unique content, and not just create alone, get consistent. This is where a social media plan comes in.

N.B- Stay away from plagiarized content.

KNOW YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE

Knowing your target audience is another important thing you should do. Everybody is not your target audience. It's not possible to target everybody. You need to be very proactive when finding the right audience for your brand or your personal page. It's fine if everybody does not like you, that is why getting your own audience is important.

Before finding your target audience, know what you're putting out there. Figure out who will like what you're giving. You can even talk to them one on one to get further details on what they would like. Funny enough, social media has its own unique way to help you find people.

Social Mention is a major tool that you can use to find your target audience. You can also reach out to your personal contacts, your partners at work, your Facebook and WhatsApp neighbors. Your target audience will definitely be among those people.

More importantly, make sure you engage them and make them feel comfortable on your page.

BE CREATIVE

We're in an age where creativity is top of the game. You cannot afford to be slack. You can begin by looking at what other people have done, and now think of how you can do it better. If people are doing social media this way, what measures can I put in place to make sure that I stand out?

You shouldn’t get stereotyped. Spice things up, do unusual things that will make people see your page as a go-to anytime, anyday.

Creativity lies with you, use it to your advantage.

Each and everyday, social media is evolving with different strategies and patterns to get better. You cannot afford to stay behind. I also want you to know that social media is lot of work, don’t start if you are not willing to continue the game. Playing your social media games right is a continuous journey. And as they say, what is worth doing is worth doing well. If you want to do social media, do it well. Know your onions and play your social media strategies well enough to win the game in followership and cool dollars.