One of the first things we do for our new clients is social media setup or an audit of their existing social media accounts. This is because once we start creating content for them or developing a new site, we want to have a solid social media foundation so they can create a social media audience.
We look at each social media network differently based on simply what people use the social media network for and what the client wants to get out of social media. Once that is established we can start to setup and audit each channel. While each network is different there are a few things we always check and setup to round out the network.
Typically we start our social media setup on Facebook as this is the biggest social network out there. We always recommend people set up Facebook business pages logging into their personal account rather than having a separate business account. Having a separate business account actually creates more problems down the road, like a disappearing search bar and problems having a business like another business.
For Facebook we always look for the following and try and fix quickly:
- No cover photo or one that does not represent the brand
- Incomplete about sections, such as website, phone numbers, locations, when you were founded which will allow you to schedule posts.
- A URL in the about section to make it easy to click onto your website from the Facebook page.
- Lastly, the use of imagery and videos and links in your Facebook timeline. Images and video are much more engaged by Facebookers and links help get people to your site.
For Twitter we looks to fix the following:
- Use of hashtags in the about section. Hashtags are topics in the Twitter world. Putting a hashtag in your about will help categorize your Twitter presence
- Have a website URL front and center
- Design of a background that is branded not one of the Twitter suggested backgrounds
- Make sure the account is conversational. People on Twitter should be using the “@” sign to engage with their fellow Twitterers on any number of subjects.
For Pinterest we look at the following:
- The right number of boards. When we take over a Pinterest board we sometimes see just one board, or we see more than a dozen. At this point we look to setup between 4-6 boards with 1-2 around the clients brands and the others around their industry or character.
- Ensure the profile has SEO turned on. We sometimes come across a Pinterest profile where someone has turned SEO off so Google won’t give the client’s Pinterest profile link credit in Google searches
- Has a number of pictures and links back to the main site
For YouTube we look at making sure the website and social media channels have YouTube settings set for sharing. While the other social media sites are great destinations, YouTube is a great utility for use on the website and to share on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest
- Make sure all videos are bite size, so under 3 minutes. The only exception is presentations
- Use of location and tagging of the video as these are used in Google search
- Ads turned on if the site is ad supported, ads turned off its a business site.
Getting social media setup correctly can have a great impact. For other social media marketing tips, download our social media marketing book.