Don't leave your business's social media profiles incomplete. Follow these five steps to ensure that your social media profiles are complete and look professional.
1. Perfect Your Images
You should have your logo as your profile profile picture on all of your accounts. If you don't have a professionally designed logo, you'll want to think about these concepts before you contact a graphic designer.
Does your logo look stretched or compressed? This could be because you uploaded a low quality image or you have not uploaded the appropriate size of image for display on the social media site you are using. Some social media platforms have banner images in addition to profile images. Here are links for popular social media sites that detail the appropriate dimensions for each image on your profile.
Image Size Recommendations: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn - YouTube
2. Customize the URLs
Facebook and LinkedIn allow you to change the unique URL of your profile. Try to get a URL with your business' name, for example: socialmedia.com/yourbusinessname. A custom URL looks more professional than random letters and numbers that most sites automatically assign. Here's how to change your Facebook URL and your LinkedIn URL. Twitter bases it's URL off of your Twitter handle: "@yourbusiness" so choose a handle that closely matches the name of your business.
3. Verify Your Accounts
Many social media platforms allow recognizable people and companies to have a designation that shows the profile is an official account. The verification check mark can give your profile a more professional appearance and depending on the platform, may improve your appearance in searches. Facebook has the easiest verification system which can be completed quickly. Twitter allows you to submit a request for verification, while other social media platforms will contact you for verification once you have reached a certain amount of interaction online.
4. Update Your Contact Information
All of your profiles should have the same up-to-date contact information. You don't want to lose business because of an old phone number or address. It can be confusing if you list different email addresses and phone numbers. Pick one phone number and email address to use for your business's online presence. This helps clients and prospects understand the best way to contact you. It also makes it easier for you to receive messages and respond.
5. Stay Active Online
A social media profile without much content, or one with only old and outdated content, isn't going to help grow your business. If you haven't touched your Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn account for weeks or even months, you need to be more involved. Social media is most effective when you share valuable content on a regular basis. Create new content from scratch or share content you think your clients or prospects will find valuable. Make sure to respond to any comments from potential clients and thank any praise you receive online.
Do you have an effective strategy to generate leads using social media? Request the free ebook, an Advisors Guide to Leveraging Social Media & Videos to Generate Leads, which details all of the steps you need to take to effectively use social media to market and grow your financial services business. Fill out the form below to request the ebook!
