According to Oberlo, social media’s infiltration into the lives of Internet users has been on the rise. The latest figures show that there are expected to be 3.96 billion social media users worldwide in 2022—a 4.8 per cent increase from a year ago.
Going forward, while the number of social media users will continue to increase, growth is expected to plateau.
The average annual growth rate from 2023 to 2025 is forecast at 3.7 per cent.
Social media refers to the means of interaction among people in which they create, share and or exchange information and ideas in virtual communities and networks.
Tufts University identifies four key principles for social media user
1) Social media is about conversations, community, connecting with the audience and building relationships. It is not just a broadcast channel or a sales and marketing tool.
2) Authenticity, honesty and open dialogue are key.
3) Social media not only allows you to hear what people say about you, but enables you to respond. Listen first, speak second.
4) Be compelling, useful, relevant and engaging. Do not be afraid to try new things, but think through your efforts before kicking them off.
We must establish that there are many social media applications, but there few that are the most popular social media tools and platforms:
i. Blogs: A platform for casual dialogue and discussions on a specific topic or opinion.
ii. Facebook: The world’s largest social network, with more than 1.55 billion monthly active users (as of the third quarter of 2015). Users create a personal profile, add other users as friends and exchange messages, including status updates. Brands create pages and Facebook users can “like” brands’ pages.
iii. Twitter: A social networking/micro-blogging platform that allows groups and individuals to stay connected through the exchange of short status messages (140 character limit).
iv. YouTube/Vimeo: Video hosting and watching websites.
v. Flickr: An image and video hosting website and online community.
Pictures can be shared on Facebook and Twitter and other social networking sites.
vi. Instagram is a free photo and video sharing application that allows users to apply digital filters, frames and special effects to their pictures and then share them on a variety of social networking sites.
vii. LinkedIn is a place where groups of professionals with similar areas of interest can share information and participate in a conversations.
While the tools of social media are easily accessible, the rules are not necessarily intuitive.
It is a new communications landscape with tremendous opportunities but also a lot to learn.
Now that we have set clear background, it is very like that you have one or more accounts from each of the different social media platforms mentioned above.
I would like to walk you through basics best practices.
All you need is to answer the questions in a way that appeals to you.
There are many questions which can form the basis for your best practices, but I just selected five.
- When do I post? During day time or night?
There are no rules which specify when to post.
This may depend on your preferences.
If you are running a business page or account, you would have to set a time when you can capture your targeted audience.
You may even choose the time that suits your social media activities.
One of the social media influencers said he likes posting his content in the morning because he knows that people want to check their social media accounts when they are just from bed.
He said his post would go viral quickly.
Another influencer said he likes posting in the evening.
Use your common sense so that you do not become unproductive from other activities.
If you are in employment and the nature of your job does not require you to be frequently on social media, you need to find the best time for your social media activities.
This also applies to you if you are a student. - How do I post, tailor drive awareness, etc?
This depends on your goal or goals of being on social media.
You can create your posts maybe to raise awareness on an important subject.
You may post to make a sale or to retain your followers.
You can choose the social media sites which you are comfortable with;
Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and many more.
You can link your accounts so that every post will also automatically appear on each account. - Where do I post? Who is going to write?
We have established that you post your content on your account.
It is important to find a person who can manage your account or page if you are a busy person.
A lot of celebrities, politicians, business people and many others have employed a manager to look after their social media pages.
Sometimes you can share the pages, websites and blogs of other people on your page. - What do I post? Content you post e.g. text, video, photo, live, audio or combinations
I cannot tell you what to post because you know why you have created a social media account.
I can tell you that you can post text.
This is just plain text.
Remember, you text should not be too long unless you are a good writer who will write for people to have the interest to read.
You can also make shot videos.
Longer videos may not be encouraged.
You can post a photo only.
Very often “a picture is worth a thousand words”.
When you combine technology so well, you can combine text, video, photo, live, audio in a shot clip.
In order to get the best from social media, you need to form the right strategy.
The few questions we looked at can help you do much more and have a successful experience.
If you are an individual, small business or corporation, it is very easy to drive traffic and achieve your goals.
If you are marketing and selling a product or service, let your social media drive awareness, which leads to engagement and buying.
(The author is a speaker, mentor, educator, trainer, professional and community leader, IT and cybersecurity leader. For comments email: ICTMatters@kingston.co.zm; www.kingston.co.zm.)
