Have you ever gone through several in-depth marketing guides and blogs online when, really, ALL you needed was a nice, basic, down to earth guide on how to achieve something simply?The past three blogs on Local Marketing have been groundbreaking for my clients and readers. I have received so many great responses from people who signed up to Google My Business, investigated Local PPC campaigns and read through the 8 other sources of Local Traffic article that we mentioned in previous blogs.
However, I kind of made an honest mistake…
When I was reviewing the past three posts we made for the Local Marketing Series this month, I noticed a very important trend: Social Media Networks.
Although I touch on this theme regularly in most of my blogs, I failed to realise that some of my blog readers might still be trying to untangle all the wires and setup their social media for business, including for Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google Plus.
How could I have forgotten something so simple but so very important too?
I’m sorry guys and gals. And, to demonstrate how genuine my apology is, I have dedicated the final week of my Local Marketing series by providing you with a step by step guide in setting up your social media business pages, which can help improve your local visibility in the social sphere.
But why is getting your business onto social media so important?
When the internet first came about, the only way people could find you was if they had the exact address of your site. But, eventually, search engines like Lycos, Yahoo! and Google came out to help all of us find what we wanted.
However, since then, the internet has exploded with different ways to search and find all the products and services we need. Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn give people different ways to find their favourite companies.
If you’re not on those social media platforms, the chances are that your potential customers – who use all those methods of looking for a product – simply won’t find you. And you don’t want that!
So, without further ado, let’s help you gear up for social media!
How to setup a business page on Facebook
Facebook has set the bar high in social media. With over 1.23 BILLION active users, they are the must-have marketing tool for your business – not just an option. No wonder every business – big or small – wants to get into this pool of leads!
To get your business to Facebook, follow these steps:
Step 1: Go to Facebook Create Page.
Step 2: Choose the type of page you want to create.
The six different types of pages in Facebook are the following:
- Local Business or Place
- Company, Organization, or Institution (sic)
- Brand or Product
- Artist, Band, or Public Figure
- Entertainment
- Cause or Community
For the purpose of this guide, we have selected a Brand or Product.
Step 3: Fill in the necessary fields and click the “Get Started” button.
Step 4: Type out some basic information about your business.
Your page description doesn’t always need to be a statement about the background of your company. It could be a promotion you will be launching or a new product, etc.
This short description will show on the right sidebar of your page and will be directly visible to your fans. A longer description for your company background could be added later and will appear on the “About” tab of your page.
Moreover, in the field “Enter an address for your Page”, you must think of a short and unique username for your business as this will become your Facebook URL. Be careful when typing in a username as you’ll only be able to change it once!
Step 5: “Prettify” your page.
Upload some images for your profile picture and cover photo (background). When that’s done, add all the other details you’ll need, such as the official telephone number, complete address, etc.
When uploading your cover photo, make sure that the image shows some branding and some call-to-action text. Your cover photo is very important because it’s the image that is seen in the news feed of the friends of your new fans.
You’re done with Facebook! You’re now ready to share some engaging posts, gain more fans and make some sales! Now, let’s build your Twitter business page…
How to setup a business page on Twitter
Twitter, although with less users compared to Facebook, is still considered a social media for business giant! On March 21, 2012, Twitter announced that it already had 140 million users and, since then, it has continued to grow and grow and grow to over 500 million users!
*Phew!* That’s a big number!
Twitter have adopted an advertising model that has become more and more sophisticated. It has allowed marketers to spread their message to a wider range of Twitter users and this has proven to be just as effective as Google Adwords and Facebook as a means of reaching potential customers.
Here is how you set up a business account on Twitter:
Step 1: Go to Twitter and add your details in the boxes below the “New to Twitter? Sign Up” header.
Since you’re creating this one for your business, you will have to input your business name under the “Full Name” field. Then, type in your email and create a strong password.
Step 2: After clicking on the “Sign up for Twitter” button, you will then be redirected to a page where you can choose your username.
You must be very careful when choosing your username. Although you can change this later, it’s best that you start off with the best and final name, which your followers will remember.
Here are some tips for creating your username:
- Try to keep it short, but do not overly abbreviate your brand. Make sure it’s still easily recognizable. Think like a customer. If you were to tag your business on Twitter, what’s the first guess you’d have for a username?
- If possible, do not include an underscore ( _ ) or any numeric data in your username, unless it’s an essential part of your business name. (Case in point: Web123.com.au!) Superfluous numerical data would make your account look unprofessional and would make it much harder for you to be found and remembered by your followers.
- If the username you like is taken, add identifiers like your location (AU) or the word “Official”.
Step 3: Add your phone number for verification.
Once you click on “Verify phone number”, you will receive a text in less than a minute and will be directed to the next page to input the code.
Step 4: Your account is now created! You may now follow through the steps to completely make your account ready.
After you click the “Let’s go” button, you may choose to go through the next steps, but we strongly suggest that you move on to the following step first…
Step 5: Verify your email!
After you click on “Let’s Go”, you can go directly to this page by clicking on the Twitter logo. Once there, you will be asked to confirm your email by logging in to your email dashboard and clicking on the link sent to you.
You are also asked to upload a profile and cover photo, as well as write a short biography of your company.
You’re done! Now all you have to do is creatively share your campaign in 140 words or less! Let’s now move forward to LinkedIn Business pages.
How to set up a business page on LinkedIn
LinkedIn is the most popular social media for business professionals, boasting 259 million users in more than 200 countries and territories.
Although not as widely popular as Facebook and Twitter, what makes LinkedIn a Social Media giant is the quality of the network you can create through use of the site. With all users representing themselves in a professional capacity, gaining leads is easier than ever!
Here are the steps towards setting up a company page on Linkedin:
Step 1: Go to LinkedIn Company pages and click on Get Started.
Step 2: Add your company/business.
To add your company/business, fill in the required fields as shown in the image above. Your email address must be an official company email. For example, [email protected].
Step 3: Check the verification code sent to your email.
Step 4: Fill in the field for the company page overview.
After verifying the link found in your email by clicking on it, you will be asked to log in again before being redirected to your company page. When done, you will gain access to the following options:
- Assign co-admins.
- Add company description.
- Input basic company information such as company type, size, website, industry, operating status and year founded.
- Add Featured Groups.
Step 5: Upload your company logo.
Step 6: Click on Publish!
Your Linkedin Business Page is now Live. Congratulations!
And as for Google+…
If you followed the tips from the earlier blog, entitled ‘Google My Business,’ you’ll already be set up with Google+. Don’t worry if you missed it, the instructions for how to signup to ‘Google My Business’ is located right here. Just follow the instructions and you’ll find yourself in Google heaven!
Now you’re ready to take on your social media for business.
Now that we’ve finally discussed the steps in creating a business page in all the social media networks, we hope this guide will help you in bringing your brand/business to a whole new audience.
New faces and strategies, more leads and sales!
Do you have a business page on all four social media network giants? Did you find this review helpful? Do you have more to add? Please share your thoughts below.