3.6 Billion People.
It’s the number of people worldwide that use social media.
Luckily, you can harness the power of social media to drive traffic to your website. Double lucky, it’s free! And turning your social media followers into website users doesn’t have to be hard — if you know what you are doing.
It all starts with finding the social media platforms that work for your business and your followers.
Social Media for Business, But Which Platforms?
From link and update sharing to photo sharing to video clips, social media runs the gamut. And not all the platforms will work for your business.
So, which platforms should you start with?
- Facebook – the largest platform. Facebook is a great way to connect with followers as it allows you to share posts that link directly to your website, Events, Groups/Communities. All posts are easily shareable as well, making expanding your presence easier.
- LinkedIn – for professional businesses, LinkedIn is a must. A great networking tool, LinkedIn excels with creating professional relationships.
- Twitter – quick and easy announcements. Bonus points for personality, Twitter Users love a little humor with their tweets.
- Instagram – let the photos sell your business. Great for restaurants, boutiques, veterinarians, and any place that can easily take pictures of their day-to-day that are meaningful and impactful.
We always like the advice to start small and build, so we suggest starting with two social media platforms and growing as you have the time and need.
However, there are two more platforms that every business needs to be involved in.
Google Business Listings and Yelp!
Especially crucial for companies with a physical address, Google Business Listings, and Yelp! Profiles are what people land on when searching for local businesses. They also help you jump up in the rankings. As we said, every business should prioritize setting up their Google Business Listings and Yelp! Accounts.
Now that you settled on the platforms, what’s needed for setup?
Setting Up Your Social Media Business Profiles
When it comes to setting up your profiles, you want to add enough information so folks can get a feel for who you are. But without overwhelming them.
It starts with your profile picture and cover photo. Your profile picture for professional businesses is typically a version of your logo, usually the icon version, as it must fit easily in a small space. For more informal companies, many have success with using an image of the owners or storefront as it connects the users to your profile in a more personal way. For the cover image, use a relevant photo to your business. Make sure to add your phone number and website somewhere to the image, so it’s easily found.
Make sure to tailor the images to each profile as each profile has unique dimensions for the photos.
After the images are taken care of, it’s all about giving the people what they want: easy access to your hours and contact information.
Especially in COVID-19 times, people use the Internet to find out if places are open before leaving their houses. This includes social media. Make sure to have your hours of business, website, and phone number readily available. After that, create a short bio that highlights your business without taking up too much space — social media real estate is coveted. Keep it short, sweet, and efficient.
What Should You Be Posting – Using Social Media to Drive Website Traffic
Each profile is unique, so often, the postings will vary. The biggest thing to keep in mind? You want to post USEFUL information. Your followers will stop following you unless your posts bring value to them, whether it’s giving an insight into who you are or tips they can use.
Now, let’s take a look at the Big 5: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and Google Business.
Facebook is all about connecting with the community.
They also utilize great link previews that are perfect for adding posts that send your followers back to your website.
The perfect posting combo? Using links that send folks back to your website (hopefully, you have a few relevant blog posts), sharing images of your business and your in-person customers (when appropriate), and sharing industry articles that share some insight.
Closely related to the posting etiquette of Facebook, LinkedIn takes a bit more of a business approach.
Folks on LinkedIn usually are business professionals or people looking for jobs, not your mom and pop wanting to connect. So when posting, keep it more professional and think of it as a networking opportunity.
280 characters.
When it comes to Twitter, you can let your personality shine — but in short bursts. Twitter is great for sharing images of what’s happening behind the scenes at your event or the store. Share quick news updates. Retweet funny, relevant posts.
Short and sweet is the name of the Twitter game.
All those photos saved in your camera roll, those are meant for Instagram (as long as they aren’t blurry, dark, or have your finger in the way).
On Instagram, your photos do all the talking. Most times, folks won’t even click to read the caption unless the images are intriguing. So make sure you are posting click-worthy photos.
What are those?
Photos of your delicious new dish if you’re a restaurant. Pictures of a hilarious behind the scenes image of your employees. Maybe a snap of your 1,000th customer.
Good photos. With good stories that give your followers insight into who you are.
Google Business Listing
With Google Business, it’s not so much what you post, just the fact you are posting. Showing Google — we mean your followers — that you’re active.
It’s more important that all of your business information (hours, website, phone number) is current.
How Often Should You Be Posting to Your Social Media Business Pages?
As often as possible. When starting, we suggest at least two-to-three posts per week, eventually ramping up to posting daily.
When it comes to posting, it’s often time that is the most significant factor. When you’re running your business, it’s sometimes hard to find the time to post to social media, often slipping your mind.
It’s an excellent opportunity to get your employees involved, having them snap some shots and post to your profiles when they can.
