Social media has quickly become the main source of news, adverts and opinion for the masses.
Sites such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram have replaced traditional forms of media. Local news can be found by subscribing to a Facebook group, rather than trawling a local site or worse, waiting for a paper to arrive. If you want the latest celebrity gossip, no need to wait for Hello or OK, instead just follow the person on Instagram. There is no longer a need for business pages either; a good social media presence can make or break your success if you’re a company owner. Local newspapers are folding, even magazines and traditional websites pale into insignificance when compared to social media.
One issue you may find when on social media are sponsored adverts that seemingly have little to do with your everyday life. You know the ones; you want to watch a video on YouTube and have a 30-second online poker advert to watch instead. There seems to be little relevance to your everyday life, but the poker industry can actually teach you a lot about social media. Why? Because the strategies poker players employ are a great blueprint for a successful social media campaign. We’re not suggesting you sign up and play online poker right away, but you should note these poker traits and how they apply to a successful social media presence.
Perception
Poker is all about perception; a bluff is a key poker term which is where you attempt to make a player believe your hand is better (or worse) than it is for the sake of winning that pot. While lying outright on social media is not advised, it is important to give the best version of yourself, occasionally bluff through certain things. We’re talking about touching up a picture here and there, smiling through a bad day or advertising your business in the best possible light. Think of it this way; if you sell hot tubs and you have one huge item in stock and a lot of smaller ones, you advertise the bigger one for a better image, just as you’d happily have people believe you have three-of-a-kind at poker, even if you only have a pair.
Study Your Competitors
The best poker players don’t just win because their hand is the strongest. They read the table, understand who they are playing against and formulate a strategy to suit that opponent. Following your competitors on social media gives you an insight into who they are and what they want to promote. This doesn’t just apply to business, but influencers too; if you’re a makeup influencer, you can see which videos are popular for your competitor and adjust your strategy accordingly. That’s the raw beauty of social media; you get a glimpse into what others are doing as well as selling yourself. The key is to have them believe one thing about you whilst you know everything about them, and that’s a core poker strategy too.
Be Patient
A poker hand takes a few minutes, maybe a bit more, but a poker game can last for hours; the WSOP main event is televised poker, and the coverage will last up to 15 hours this Fall. Think about that in terms of social media; a post might be immediate, like a poker hand, but the game is much longer. If you’re craving followers, as a poker player craves chips, you might not get them with your first post or hand. It might not come with your first ten, but you build slowly towards a crescendo. Winning isn’t about getting followers quickly; it is about playing a slower game, building a strong profile and a reputation as a steady, consistent social media outlet. That’s exactly what the best players do in poker; they’re not all-in from the first hand, but they’re still going strong after a long session.
