7 ways to connect, engage and remain relevant on social media

Relevance is the key word in surviving in the technology industry and social media. The competition is fierce and your target audience is bombarded with several status updates and tweets every other minute. If you wish to get the attention of your fans and sustain it, here are 5 simple things to do. 

(1) Innovate or be stagnated: Innovation on Facebook refers to looking at a famous story from a different angle. Fans are tired of seeing the same old storyline, plot, picture and pattern. They yearn for novelty, for something new, for something outside the box. If you can provide this, you will hold them in stitches.

If you are breaking news for instance, chances are, your fans have heard about that same story on blogs, news websites and social media. Facebook authorities have learnt to judiciously twist stories making them more memorable and engaging. 

(2) Be Consistent: Many people have the starting power, but few have the staying power. The number of hours you spend on social media engaging with your fans will affect the activities on your page.

Consistency here means you have to always be on your toes. Always write new posts that solve people’s problem. 

(3) Get trained: We can never rule out the place of informal education. It is good to attend social media oriented events and trainings like the social media week. You can take that to the next level by getting a mentor. A mentor in this context should be a renowned social media expert with proofs and results who will guide you all the way.

(4) Read books: Experts have said that a week’s worth of the New York Times contains more information than a person is likely to come across in a life time in the 18th century. Authorities on social media including artiste are seen as thought leaders. You must be a step ahead of your fans in terms of learning if you want to share highly informative content with them. Read quality books, newspapers, magazines and blogs for new content.

(5) Embrace constant improvement: becoming relevant can be achieved by a stroke of luck. Staying relevant is a different ball game. It is a conscious effort. It is a journey, not a destination. Understand that we are living in exponential times. Professional competence now doubles every two years. For a student starting a four year university degree, half of what they learn in their first year of study will be out-dated by their third year. You must strive to post fresh contents. If you don’t, your fans and friends will look for someone who can.

(6) Manage your time: If you always have a busy schedule, carve out few minutes for social media daily and be consistent about it. Fans use pattern recognition to determine when they will likely see a new status update from you.

(7) Ask meaningful questions: Lately I am beginning to believe that some questions are more powerful than their answers. When you ask intelligent questions you will get intelligent answers thereby increasing engagement on social media. The world is always moving. You can choose to either move or risk being left behind.

Source:  Agbolade Omowole, vanguardngr.com/