We already told you that social media is important, so let’s get to the nitty gritty about how the right social media can benefit your business.
Before we get started, here’s a tip: try to make all of your social media handles the same (or as similar as possible) to keep your branding consistent throughout the world wide web! For example, you’ll find us on your preferred social platform as @goharvardmedia!
When we say social media, one of the first things that come to mind is Facebook. The reigning champion of social media. Facebook is ever-evolving and with that comes complexities that you will need to deal with. Your business needs to be on Facebook.
Let’s start with the basics. Create your page. When you’re creating your business page, make sure it is an actual page. Not an event or group or /shudder/ a personal profile adding “friends” as followers of your business. There are benefits to each type of “profile” but when it comes to our team of experts coming in and helping with launching ads or social media, you do not want your personal profile to be the login information you’re giving out. Facebook has a great way of adding people to pages instead of sharing login info with people (and having to deal with changing passwords or removing access when people leave the job).
You’ll have to add in all the relevant information – name, address, phone, website – but it will be much nicer knowing that your personal profile will be separate. Add a bio, update your cover and profile photo and then invite people to like your page! This will begin the process of gathering followers.
Tip: Keep your profile relevant to the business; a logo is the best bet for something recognizable that will help build your brand awareness of your profiles.
Instagram was originally the visual platform where users could share photos. It has since evolved and video (Reels) are taking over. It’s fairly easy to create an Instagram account, the *fun* part is making sure your Facebook and Instagram accounts are connected in Meta.
Instagram is definitely more of a mobile experience so take out your phone and download the app if you don’t have it, or select “Sign up with email or phone number” (Android) or “Create new account” (Apple). Once you’ve registered the email or phone number, create your username, password, and fill in all the required information.
You can also register with Facebook, just select the “Log in with Facebook” option. Once you’re in, update your profile photo and bio, and make sure your account is “professional” for a business. This will unlock insights and information not available to regular profiles.
Once you’re logged in, you can switch between profiles (personal and your business) by holding your profile photo on the bottom right for an extra second. It will pop up with any accounts you’ve signed into.
Other Platforms To Serve Your Business
There are so many platforms out there that it’s hard to list them all in one place (without overwhelming you) so we’ll simplify a few more.
TikTok is BOOMING right now with easily-digestible videos that people love to share and mimic. TikTok is great for relating to your audience, mostly younger – under 35 – with bite-size content that offers funny or informative content.
Pinterest has been around for a while now and it’s mostly visual content that people save for later. Projects, DIYs, recipes, exercises – there’s so much here! Since the site revolves around saving images or videos, your business can benefit if your website is image-heavy. When you click through on Pinterest and land on a site, it’s almost always a blog with specific information. If this is your business’s forté, we say go for it!
LinkedIn is a professional networking community that is perfect for B2B companies. You’ll meet people interested in your services, your employment opportunities, and more!