Have you often wondered just how you can make your social media profile awesome? Or have you been waiting to create profiles simply because you aren't sure just what to do?
We're presenting a list of awesome, tried-and-true tips to help you create an expertly crafted social media profile no matter which channel you plan on using. Let's take a look to see which can benefit you and get your social media campaign off the ground and soaring into the sunset of success.
1. Use Your Business Name for the Social Profile. When you craft your social media page, you should use your business name as the name of the page. While this might seem like common sense, there are many businesses that will create a different profile page for various products, hoping to gain likes and follows for that specific product. They end up hoping to get likes on several different product profiles, but customers just aren't that keen on following hundreds of different pages for just one business. Knowing this, always make sure you create one page for your business and utilize only your business's name for the page name. This will help create a central location for your followers and allow you to promote more than just one product on the page.
2. Choose a Memorable Username. Another great tip, according to Kissmetrics, is to choose a username that reflects your business, but is also memorable for clients. This can help you gather more followers and likes if you give your profile username out, and it can also help clients remember what your page is called. You may even find they are more willing to mention your business in a comment if they can remember the username easily. Most businesses simply choose their own name for this, but if you can't do that or have to limit the amount of characters in the username, find something that works perfectly.
3. Keep the Same Username Across All Platforms. When you create your username, it is a good idea to check its availability on all platforms you plan on using. You will most likely start out on Facebook, Twitter, and Google Plus. However, you should think about other sites you might want to use in the future and claim your username before it gets taken. A few other sites to consider using are, Pinterest, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Decide if these platforms are for you, and go ahead and claim your username. You can always make the profile private until you are ready to publish to it. If you can't keep your username the same across all platforms, try to make them as similar to each other as possible.
4. Always Use a Profile Image. You don't want to be a faceless Twitter egg, do you? Then upload a profile image on all of your social profiles. This is a great way to help clients find your social sites quickly and easily while also making sure people know your site isn't a spam site.
Now you might be wondering if you should use a photograph of your face for your various profiles or a brand logo. According to the Kissmetrics post I shared in point 2, this depends on the business you are running. If your business is more of a personal one such as a musician or motivational speaker, then you can use an image of yourself or of a person people will connect with. However, it is usually a good idea to brand your profile photograph and use a company logo or design for other businesses. You don't need to put your company name into the image, however. Just come up with a clever design!
5. When Available, Use Those Cover Images. The majority of social media sites are making way for cover photos now, which helps add a great flair to your site. Many businesses just opt for a stock photo, which can always work, but as I mentioned in point 4, branding your photos is a great idea. Again, you can use a company logo or you might be able to use your company's name in the design, but try to find images that are more spacious and aren't very busy with type. Get together with a graphic artist to come up with a great image! This will help make all of your social profiles look complete, and professional.
6. Add Your Link to the Profile Page. Don't miss out on the opportunity to use your website link on your profile page. The great thing about most of the major social media platforms out there is that they provide you with the ability to put your link in a prominent place on the profile. This makes it easier for followers to click the link and head to your site. However, don't just use it in the designated slot on profile page; use it several times by posting various links to blogs and products or services when you post updates. This will help promote more clicks to your site, giving your audience the ability to read more from your company and directing them to specific locations, encouraging them to purchase items from you.
7. Write a Professional Bio on All Social Sites. A bio is an important part of any social site, whether you can write a lengthy one or one with a character limit such as Twitter. Buffer gives some great ideas on how to write a professional bio, which includes:
· Showing people what you have accomplished instead of telling people about yourself.
· Make sure your keywords are specific to your audience.
· Avoid using overused words in your bio, and craft something that is fresh while also professional.
· Always answer a question for the reader to encourage them to follow your social page.
· Consider hiring a funny person to write a line or two at the end of the bio or add a personal touch yourself. This can help encourage people to follow the site.
· Make sure you look over your bio regularly and make changes as needed. A fresh bio is a great idea, just like having fresh web content is. Keep things new for your readers!
8. Make Sure All Images Follow the Sizing Rules for the Site. Each social channel has different photo sizing rules for their profile photos, cover images, and any photographs you load on the site. Sometimes, the channels might resize the image for you, which can cause blurriness or other problems, so you should always aim to stick to the rules. It can be hard to remember the image sizes you will need for each, but Hootsuite offers a great guide at the end of their social media template guide. Take a look and make sure all of your social platforms have images that fit the sizing rules.
9. Utilize SEO (or SMO) Tactics for Social Media Profiles. When it comes to your social profiles, you have an incredible chance to further SEO for your site. According to Search Engine Examiner, this is called social media optimization or SMO. Remember, each online element you utilize is just one more way to help you rank. You know the keywords that will help people find your website and blogs, and you've already implemented them. Now it is time to implement those same keywords into your social profile, and your social media markup tags. Use them in your bio, and use a few throughout the posts you use. However, you should always remember to avoid keyword stuffing. It can still get you a penalty if you stuff your social profile with keywords!
10. Link to Your Other Social Media Platforms. When you create a new social profile, let people know and link to the other social site. This will also work if you have one site that doesn't have very many followers. For example, if you have several followers on Facebook and only a handful of followers on Twitter, then make an update on Facebook encouraging people to follow your Twitter account. Include links within your profile, if possible, to other social channels or regularly promote the different channels. You should definitely do this if you have just started up an Instagram or Pinterest profile to get people to follow quickly.
11. Stay Consistent With All of Your Information. A great tip that many social media experts give is to keep all of your information consistent across all platforms. Consistent information and branding across different platforms creates a very professional look and feel, especially if it is consistent with your website as well. This can create a sense of familiarity with your followers and can even bring in new customers. On that note, you should also always make sure your content and information is up-to-date. Yes, it can be time-consuming to keep your profile current, but it is a great idea!
Now, Make Awesome Social Profiles Happen!
If you are still hesitant about building a social profile or haven't done much with your existing ones, now is the time to make it happen! Use these suggestions to craft excellent profiles that are sure to help bring in customers and revenue for your business. Having an expertly crafted social profile is just one more way to boost your company and have it become the successful endeavor it deserves!