Getting on social media

VIEW TRANSCRIPT

There are lots of different social networks out there, and knowing your business goals, and how you want to incorporate social into your strategy, will help you decide which ones are right for you.

Once you decide, you’ll need to join and establish your presence in your chosen networks. Each one is different, but there are some common elements.

First, social networks for businesses can be a little different than social networks for individuals. For example, you might have a personal Facebook account where you connect and share with your personal friends and family, but the platform also offers pages specifically designed for businesses.

Other networks don’t look all that different whether you’re a business or an individual.

Before you sign up, check into whether the network you’re joining distinguishes between businesses and individuals, and make sure you set up the right one.

Once you’ve got this figured out, it’s time to sign up. This usually means creating an account. Generally, it’s best to use your business email address to do this so you can keep your personal and professional accounts separate.

Next, start loading up information. Now, every social network is going to be different, but there are some universal things, like your business name, a description of who you are and what you do, your address, your email address, and your phone number. These are all pretty standard, and you may even be able to upload an image of your business’s logo.

Many networks will use this information to create a profile page for you, which is kind of like your homepage within the network itself.

Different social networks offer different things, so take some time to explore your options, not forgetting your plan.

Remember the tone of voice you decided to use and the business goals you want to support. This will help you as you write the descriptions of your business, as you list your products, choose the images or videos you want to showcase, and even personalise your profile page with background images.

Your profile page is often the place where you’ll be sharing your content, having conversations, and displaying your activity. Generally, all that information you’ve entered about yourself will be accessible to people when they visit this page, and all the things you’re posting and sharing, along with the comments and activity on those posts, will show up here as well. This creates a kind of living history of your business’s virtual life in the network.

Also, don’t forget many of these profile pages are also accessible by search engines, so the more great content you provide here, the better the chances that your social pages might even show up when people are searching on search engines!

Whether people find you through search or by seeing something they’re interested in that you shared, they’ll likely click over to this profile page, and it can give them a great overview of who you are and what you offer. Even better, they’ll be able to easily interact with you, and hopefully become your next customer!

Finally, many social networks offer advertising opportunities, or special features for a price. For example, you may be able to pay for the right to see who else in the network has been looking at you, or you may be able to pay to put the content you’re sharing in front of specific groups of people on those networks. Have a look at the paid programs offered by your social networks, and see if they’re valuable to you.

Creating your business’s presence on the networks you’ll be using, always keeping your goals in mind, is an essential step on the path to social success!