One of the biggest assets you have in your social media #socialmedia arsenal is your profile. It is a powerful business tool and probably the most important factor that will determine whether someone is going to follow you. No matter which networks you are using or how you are using them, your profile must wow prospective customers and clients.
The amount of money small businesses are spending on social media is on the increase, therefore the need to attract consumers with a compelling social media profile is critical to return on that investment. A study of small businesses by Ad-ology Research highlighted the change in social media marketing #socialmediamarketing spending in 2013 from the previous year:
- 20.5% of respondents will spend more on social advertising
- 8.7% will spend more on promoted posts or sponsored tweets
- 7.3% will spend more on Facebook widget/app development
- 6.2% will spend more on reputation management services
- 5.7% will spend more on social media games/contests
More than likely your social media profile page will be the first meaningful interaction that potential followers have with you. Therefore, getting it right matters. First impressions count, and a limp, lacklustre and partially written profile is going to hurt your brand. The more effective your profile the more likely you are to forge valuable connections and achieve your social media goals.
Follow these tips to help you make the best impression:
Ensure your profile is complete – nothing screams “I really can’t be bothered” than an incomplete profile. You will have an uphill struggle convincing others you are the best at what you do if your profile is half empty.
Include a great profile photo – don’t hide behind your company’s logo. People cannot form a relationship with a sign or a symbol. Anything other than a photograph creates a barrier between you and your audience. Your followers want to see who they are going to be doing business with.
If you are a small business owner, use a professional looking head and shoulders shot or a nice picture of you and your team. Although social media is a casual medium, don’t be too informal. That means no pictures of the office Christmas party after several bottles of wine have been consumed.
Use an eye-catching headline – instead of a job title or industry genre, think of a catchy and snappy phrase. For example, ‘Acme Publicity, Social Media Agency’ doesn’t really say a great deal. However, ‘Acme Publicity – We will increase your visibility to grow your Business’ is along the right lines.
Be professional not too personal – whilst some personal information is a good idea to inform customers they are dealing with real humans, don’t go over the top. The audience doesn’t really want to know that you love dressing your cat up in costumes or that your vacation home enjoys pleasant views of the mountains. Everything in your profile should reflect your professional skills and what your company can do for people.
Increase your chances of being found – include relevant keywords in your profile as they will turn up in search engine results.
Don’t treat your profile as a resume – there’s no need to pad out your profile with a long list of everything you have done. Only include the information that reinforces the story you want to tell about your company.
From MavSocial | Social Media Marketing Software for Business
