Identify key social media platforms

It’s important to identify which social media sites will work for your business.  Facebook is the top social networking site in the world [1] and Instagram, Linked In and Twitter all have massive followings. But it’s fair to say that each site has a different demographic of users (some of the facts might surprise you) so think seriously about your target audience.  If in doubt start with Facebook, however you should aim to deliver a consistent profile across all 4 networks, if resource and time allows.

A picture paints a thousand words

You will need to add good quality images for your logo, cover photos and any images you regularly post on.  Large corporates tend to use logo’s, logo’s, logo’s, but as a small business, you can add a little more personality, fun and perhaps show the human face of your business.

Image Sizes:

Profile pictures – should be at least 180 pixels wide by 180 pixels high

Cover photo dimensions are 851 pixels x 315 pixels, but only the centre 563 x 315 portion of the picture appears, so choose an image which has interest in the centre rather than one that has detail on the edges of the image.  You can play around with this until you find the one that best projects your bushiness brand.

Bringing your business to life

Think of your social profiles as your shop window.  It needs to be professional and give the customer a view of what your business offers/sells and how it can benefit them.  But don’t be boring – avoid lengthy analysis and dull company descriptions. Instead focus on your values and your identity. Your profile should bring your company to life, demonstrate your credentials, convey your values and appeal to your target audience.    Look at other profiles of firms that connect with you for guidance and inspiration, whilst remembering that you are probably NOT the target audience.

Enabling inbound communication

As soon as you have set your pages up, you’ll want to adjust your message settings to be bespoke to your business and the way in which you want to communicate with your customers.  Enabling your profiles to receive inbound communications will ensure that there’s a way in which potential customers can get hold of you should they wish to.  It also provides a call to action for any customers wanting to buy.

Get your customers to “Like” you

Once you’ve created your page, invite your friends, family and existing customers to like your page.  It’s really easy and will get you your first likes!  Encourage them to invite their friends and family and so on.  This can be executed in the form of a competition where people who like your profiles are given the chance to win a prize.  This could be one of your products or services, or the prize could be based around a seasonal theme or event.

Make your posts interesting and relevant to the customer

You will need to create a steady flow of information and posts for your customers to ensure that you deliver an “always on” approach.  Plan on 1-2 posts per week per social profile and think about the quality of information that you post to your page.  Ensure the information is relevant, current and topical and that your customers will be interested in it.  This could be a post about a new product you are launching, an offer you are running, a key feature of one of your products or an article about the industry you compete in.  The key here is to communicate regularly and with information that is relevant to your audience.  Replicating the same content and imagery across platforms will create a more consistent approach to your social strategy.

Using video as standard

Content using video is increasingly the absolute minimum standard, unless you are an industry with a long history in photography such as fashion – but the maxim that quality counts remains. Those who can use developing technology such as AI, or use the tools that Facebook and Instagram provides such as the Carousel Ads, will engage potential customers looking for a much more meaningful engagement than perhaps might have previously been the case.

So there you have it, our checklist to help you deliver an effective social media profile for your business.  Best of luck!

[1] https://social-media.co.uk/list-popular-social-networking-websites