Welcome to Episode 11 of The Cs of Social Media.

So far, we’ve covered Concept, Context, Curation, Contributors and Creativity. We’ve also explored Channel, Calendar, Consistency, Content and Community. (The 10 previous editions are on this blog).

Today, I’ll focus on how to generate and drive conversations on social media. There are 3 strategic reasons for developing conversations – Agenda, Amplification and Influence.

If you have a burning message, ideology or persona to share with the world, this is your agenda. For example, Esther Agbarakwe educates the youth on Climate Change; Leke Alder champions wholesome relationships while Jason Njoku is interested in changing the way Africans think of and approach entrepreneurship.

If you have content to share and wish to piggyback on the followership of others, then you want to amplify. #Bufferchat, the Tweet Chat by Buffer amplifies trends and innovations on social media through the contributions of others, during the chats.

If you want to develop a reputation for a specific subject or within a particular industry, then you’re seeking influence. Many political and cultural commentators wield significant online influence and have the ability to shape behaviour.

To drive effective conversation on social media, be mindful of Who, How and When.

WHO

Identify online influencers and idea shapers in your industry you can engage with. Using search tools (explained in an earlier post); create lists. Also create a separate list for people who are interested in your subject matter (though not influencers) and potential customers.

HOW

Engage people by bringing to their attention something they might be interested in. Comment on and amplify their own content as well. It’s a quid pro quo strategy.  You may choose to have a regular Tweet Storm or Tweet Chat to spike or crowdsource contributions.

WHEN

Know the best time to start a conversation . This will be when your audience is most available. In an earlier post, I discussed tools to help you identity when your audience is most active online.

Now remember, do not be a nuisance – no unnecessary tagging or mentions. Be polite. Conversation online pretty much follows the same rules as offline ones. Humour and value of information go a long way.

I hope this has been useful to you. Until my next post, I wish you success on your social media journey.