Florence Ifeoluwa Otedola popularly known as DJ Cuppy broke Nigerian Twitter yesterday with her one sentence tweet announcing she got a new Ferrari courtesy of her Dad. Nigerians responded in all shades, from congratulatory messages to jokes and a few outbursts of anger which I will term ‘poverty mentality’ and jealousy. But this is not the point of this short article. I am intrigued by Cuppy’s understanding of social media and how she uses it to promote her work and causes she is passionate about, to the extent that her followers and fans feel a sense of belonging to a tribe she calls ‘Cupcakes’.
Here are a few lessons social media influencers and brand ambassadors can learn from DJ Cuppy.
- Social media favours originality. If you follow DJ Cuppy on Twitter or Instagram, you will see that her posts on these platforms are very original. She is neither trying to please anyone, no rub her lifestyle in anyone’s face. She is just being herself. While I know that there are things she keeps to herself, it almost does not seem that way on her handles. As an influencer your audiences want to feel like they are a part of your life and that they know everything about you. Once they get hooked, they will subconsciously listen to what you have to say and give you the power to influence their choices.
- Be deliberate about every post you make public. DJ Cuppy is very deliberate and it is obvious. She does not jump on every trend online, she sticks to the things that are of interest to her and align with her goals of promoting her brand and causes she is passionate about. I have overheard social media influencers discuss about jumping on trending topics just for clout not necessarily because they are knowledgeable or passionate about the topic. This is a mistake I think most ‘influencers’ especially on twitter make. When a brand cannot easily connect your brand to a particular theme or industry, you will only get jobs to promote a new product or an event because you have a large following but might not get real endorsements like brand ambassadorship.
- Timing is everything. Cuppy understands what works and when she is ready to shut down the internet she does it so very well. I don’t think Femi Otedola got his children the Ferraris the day Cuppy posted the pictures. She waited for a good time to make that information public. Timing is a very important factor in executing a successful campaign. DJ Cuppy has just released a new album and I think she used the new car post to promote her new music. Understand your audience; keep your content which has the potential of going viral for the right time.
- This space is for you to add your tip
There will certainly be more to learn but these are the few I have to share. I will be glad to hear your take on these points.
