Social media is now an essential part of your marketing and while you may labour over what to tweet and the best way to keep up to date with all your accounts, it’s still important to have the basics set up correctly.
A summer review of accounts will help you get the most out of them. The quality of your social media starts with your profile.
Thankfully, there are simple yet effective ways for you to make improvements. And these will make a positive difference to how your followers see your accounts which in turn will help you build new followers.
In this blog we identify these improvements and provide tips on how you can boost the quality of your social profiles.
Your @Username
Your username is important because it’s how people find you. It has to be relevant and as close as possible to your business name. Even better, make it exactly the same.
This will improve the professionalism and make it easier to find from the start. For brand consistency, It’s best to get the same username across all platforms.
Here’s Jaguars handle across their different social media accounts:
Twitter:
Instagram:
Facebook:
If you need to change the name to apply consistency then it is well worth considering.
Profile Images
Your profile image is a highly visible part of your profile. Whether it’s your logo or an image of your retailer, it needs to look good and be kept up to date. This will ensure you give the best first impression to your followers.
If it’s a picture of your showroom, it’s important to update it if the retailer moves or has an upgrade.
A good quality, clear image is important. Psychological Science explain that we draw conclusions about other people based on a photo in 40 milliseconds.
And this isn’t just the case for pictures of people. A bad profile image can be the quickest way to lose a potential customer. Trust is really important with your social media accounts and a good picture instils trust, especially with new followers.
Jaguar UK uses the Jaguar logo and the company name making it easy for all users to know who the account is for straight away.
It’s also important to get the correct size for your images as they may blur or become distorted especially on mobiles or tablets.
The Header Image
The header image is also important and can be a missed opportunity. Jaguar UK use their header image to display a high quality image. It shows a great display image of the new i-pace, a new model that will be on sale later this year.
Another option could be to show examples of the work that your company produces. This is what we do here at GSD, as you can see below:
Page Information
Like the display images, your profile page information needs to be kept up to date.
A simple description of your business is enough for the biography section but if you can be creative then even better.
The guys over at Authority Marketing hit the nail on the head when they say attempting to write your own profile often comes off as:
“It sounds flakey”
“It sounds like I’m bragging too much”
“I don’t want to look like a know-it-all”
They continue: “Your professional bio on social media is akin to your elevator pitch, it’s what people use to gauge whether they want to follow you or not. In Twitter, it’s your 160-word bio, in Facebook, it’s the short description at the side of your page, and in LinkedIn it’s the headline beside your profile picture.
Your bio needs to make a big impression in a short span of time. You only have five to ten seconds or two to three sentences, or, as in the case of Twitter, 160 characters. Cut the buzzwords and empty claims; go straight to the value you deliver.”
To this we’d add using numbers, stats or awards to support any major claims.
It’s important to include your location and a link to a relevant part of your website. Create a landing page that followers can find on your profile. This could include something they can download by adding their email. Free guides, discounts, VIP clubs or reports still work well. People are more then willing to provide their email for something they value.
Also include trackable phone numbers and ideally a unique contact email so you know where email enquiries come from. This makes it easy for people to get in touch and means you can track activity and even ROI from your social media.
The Land Rover profile provides clear information, choosing to include a customer service contact number in their bio. Interestingly, they choose to direct people over to Facebook rather then their website.
Pin content to the top of the page
A great little feature in Twitter is the ability to pin a tweet to the top of the page. This means it will stay at the top of your profile until you decide to unpin it.
This is a great way to direct attention to a new offer, a new model or an event that followers can attend. If you do this, make sure you also continue to update it so the information remains relevant.
Regular updates
An important part of your profile is the first impression it gives. Ensure there are recent updates at the top of your feed. If people visit for the first time and see you haven’t posted recently they will be less inclined to follow you.
The key point for your social media profiles is to keep them up to date with a consistent handle across all the platforms. Some may claim that content is key, and while that may be true, getting off to a good start with a strong profile and presence is just as important.
Followers/Following
There’s no denying, the more followers the better. But if you’ve spent ages following or liking 1,000s of accounts, make sure that your follower count is high too.
Ideally you will have many more followers then you are following but if not, it’s worth unfollowing a few people. This will even it out. Start with accounts that are inactive or least relevant to your business.
Check it on different devices
Although many people check out their social media on mobile devices, we can’t assume everyone uses an Android or iPhone. Test to see what your accounts look like on different mobile devices. Don’t forget desktop and tablets too.
Hopefully these tips will help you get more from your social media marketing. If you have any tips we’d love to hear about them and if you want help with your social media campaigns please feel free to get in touch on 020 7287 9233 or email at info@goldsanddigital.com.
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