The world has been made smaller with the advent of social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Social media has come to stay and more platforms keep popping up on daily basis for our use and convenience.

When prominent social media platforms like Facebook came on board, it was basically just a platform to connect with friends, loved ones, acquaintances who are far away, reconnecting with long lost colleagues and so on. It was mostly all fun, banter and entertainment. However, businesses and entrepreneurs all over the world have so far, jumped on the amazing opportunities social media offers and monetized them.

One of the challenges budding entrepreneurs used to have back in the day was the high cost of advertising on radio, TV and newspapers. And even then, there was no guarantee that one would optimally reach his or her preferred target market. With proper utilization of social media platforms, this is no longer an excuse. You can basically sell products, services; get investors and so on with the proper utilization of these social media platforms.

In essence, in this day and age, if you are a student, entrepreneur, career man or woman who still sees social media as a mere tool to chat with friends, post pictures and so on, then I can unapologetically tell you that the world has left you behind. In Nigerian parlance, we would say you are ‘dulling’.

However, it’s not too late to jump on the band-wagon. In this post, I’ll be addressing some important foundational things that you need to do on your social media platforms in order to attract the kind of customers, clients and investors that you require. Also, if you have made efforts to advertise on social media platforms in the past without any positive response, this post will also address the foundational mistakes you may have made and how to better position your personal brand for acceptability.

These are simple but overlooked things that have worked for me and I’ll be sharing them with you below:

Use your real name and picture

As simple as this may seem, this is a common mistake a lot of folks make on the internet. I’m baffled when I see someone who bears the name Olumide using ‘Horlumeeday’ as his social media name or Chinyere using ‘itz da damzel’ as her social media identity. Personally, I wouldn’t want to do business with anyone online who bears nicknames or fake names; and this is a general consensus. This is because; your real name is the first step towards authenticity online. No matter how much you advertise, people will only part with their money if they trust you. Even if the potential client decides to pay a percentage upfront for a product or service, when they realize that your account details does not correspond with the name you bear online, they can pull out of the deal at the last minute.

There are a lot of fraudsters out there and people have become wary of them; which is why any slight pointer on your profile which suggests you may not be real can put off your potential clients regardless of the quality you have on offer. Also, your name is an important part of your personal brand. So, why not use it and be proud of it?

Optimize your Social Media Account/Profile

If you want to make money from social media, then it’s important that you let the world know what you do. If you are a decorator, food vendor, music producer and so on, make sure it is stated on your profile. Here’s what my profile on Twitter looks like.

How disappointing can it be to miss out on opportunities because your friends and followers are not aware that you offer a product or service? I’m not sure there is any of my follower online who does not know I’m a Content Writer and Business Developer among other things I do. More often than not, when an opportunity pops up in my field, at least one of friends/followers must forward it to me or tag me. One of the essay competitions I participated in and won started from the moment someone sent the link to me and was like ‘Osita, have you seen this’?

Keep your channels of communication open

One of the things my clients love about me is that I’m reachable anytime. I came across a tweet by a prominent businessman who after checking out a profile and deciding that the person was the right fit for a job could not reach the person because she locked her inbox (DM). Except you are a billionaire superstar who has a management team, I don’t see any reason why your inbox should be locked. You can’t make money from social media when you are difficult to reach. Opportunities will pass you by in a flash.

Below is a screenshot of one of my clients who after checking out my profile, was able to reach out to me to deliver a service.

We went on to have a profitable business relationship. Just imagine missing out on this opportunity because my DM was locked for no reason.

Deliver on your promise

When you finally start getting clients and customers online, make sure they are satisfied. An unsatisfied client can post a negative review on your product or service that can kill your business even before it has an opportunity to thrive. I have made it a habit to under-promise and over-deliver when it comes to my clients. What do I mean? Well I once had a client who needed a concept note and business plan delivered in 14 working days; I delivered it in 7 days. I do this all the time.

It is very important that your product/service is satisfactory and delivered in good time as this can bring about a positive ripple effect that can boost your brand online. A satisfied customer will tell a friend who tells another friend about how good your product/service is; and in the long run, this translates to more money.

Make friends with your competitors

This is a business strategy that helps you learn from those who offer the same product and service as you. In my article Be a Copy Cat, I opined that you can take someone’s idea and make it even better. This is how you do it! Get closer to your competitors, share ideas, and learn.

You can also make money from your competitors. For instance, a content writer got a job to deliver a number of articles in 1 week. He could not meet up, so he reached out to me to take a share of the work load and of course, I was paid for it even though I didn’t have a direct relationship with the original client.

When a bulk job lands, your competitor can reach out to you to participate. This applies to all fields.

In Conclusion,

Don’t dull!

Turn your social media accounts to a money-making machine.