No matter how experienced you are with personal social media accounts, business accounts are a different animal. We’re not even talking about social media marketing: most social media platforms have different rules for business accounts. Today we’ll share the best practices for each of the most popular social media networks.

General tips:

• First and foremost, follow the basic rules for content marketing. That means aim for quality over quantity, provide valuable content for your audience, and stick to a consistent posting schedule. 
• Sign up for (or convert your personal account into) a business account. This is recommended–and often explicitly required–by every platform. Social media networks usually have different rules for business entities than for personal accounts, and most networks are very strict about keeping business and personal accounts separate. Business accounts often have access to tools and perks that a personal user would never need.
• Carefully review and follow each platform’s Terms of Service. What one network considers acceptable, another network may find objectionable. You need to make sure that you follow not only the rules for that network, but also its rules specific to business accounts.
• Your profile matters. Make sure that your profile is completely filled out and contains all the relevant information your consumers might want. Include clear images of your company’s logo. Your branding should guide your profile’s design: colors and fonts should be consistent with your other branding materials!
• Don’t forget about SEO! The format might be different, but you can still optimize your social media presence for search results! Utilize SEO in your profile’s About section, your posts, and your descriptions. 
• Take advantage of the platform’s analytical tools. Most social media networks offer analytical tools for free. These tools are not offered to personal or non-commercial users, which is another good reason to sign up for a business account.
• Engage with your audience! Social media marketing (like all quality content marketing) is about connecting with your customers, so respond to all comments and answer their questions. 
• Confirm that all of your images adhere to the network’s size restrictions. An infographic that took your team hours to design will be worthless if automatic resizing makes it indecipherable.
• Your posting schedule should be dictated by your audience. Schedule your posts for whenever your audience is most likely to be online and/or on that site. Different networks have different peak times, as do different demographics. 
• Tailor your profile and content to each network. Every individual social media platform was created for a specific audience and purpose. You should customize your content, message, and branding for each platform. 

Facebook

• Make your profile pop! Always include images and your logo whenever possible. Your profile picture should clearly display your logo or brand.
• The design of your page can drive engagement. Install a Call to Action button on your profile, near your header image. Pin important posts to the top of your page.
• Reach out to your followers! Surveys and polls are gold for engagement. Include a Call to Action in your posts or descriptions. 
• Crowdsource your content! Ask followers to share photos or stories that involve your brand (a maker of yoga gear might ask followers to take pictures of themselves wearing the brand while doing yoga in untraditional places, for instance). Are you trying to choose a new design, flavor, or product? Ask your followers for their opinions!
• Don’t forget about hashtags! These handy tools aren’t just for Twitter and Instagram! Hashtag the relevant keywords in your posts and captions. Don’t go overboard, though: two hashtags should suffice.

YouTube

• Your content should be current and relevant. You don’t have to jump on every trend, but don’t be the last to join either. Likewise, avoid format trends that don’t apply to your brand. Just as some industries/products/services are suitable for a tutorial video, the same format would not work as easily for other specialities.
• Titles should be clear and concise. Put keywords before branding in your titles (i.e., the video’s subject matter, then your company’s name). Titles need to clearly describe video content. 
• Tags still matter, even though you can’t see them. Tags are not visible on the view page, but you can download an extension that reveals them. Remember to list the most important tags first, as the first tags are prioritized in search results.
• Take advantage of captions and transcriptions! Not only does closed captioning make your videos more convenient and accessible, it improves your SEO rankings! Likewise, including a transcription of the video in the description is another opportunity for SEO. Beware the auto-captioning tool, though: garbled captions will make your brand look clueless. Double check the captions and translations before you post your videos!
• Descriptions should be short and informative. The first three sentences of your description will be displayed in the search results, so make sure that they include the most relevant information. Mention your value proposition in those sentences. Include a call to action in the description as well.

Pinterest

• Curate as well as create. Pin things from related brands. This will drive engagement and spread your brand’s message.
• Use Boards to your advantage! Create boards around your lesser-known products or services. Repin content from your popular boards to your lesser-known boards.
• SEO still matters. Optimize your descriptions and your “About” section. Use keywords for Board titles. Use descriptive names and alt-text for your pins.
• People love infographics. Infographics are great everywhere, but Pinners in particular adore this content! Created or curated, make sure that you include a few wherever possible!

As we said earlier, social media marketing is an offshoot of content marketing. If you follow the same general rules for good content marketing, you should see good results. Pinterest is just now receiving recognition for the marketing opportunities it provides, so your brand should definitely take advantage before it’s too late. 

Don’t miss our next blog, which will cover LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter!

Need help navigating social media? The Go! Agency is at your service! Visit our site to schedule your free consultation!

 

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