Whether you need to promote your brand, share event pictures, connect with your clients or create a buzz, social media marketing is a necessity and not an option any more.

An optimized social media profile shows your strong social media presence. But how do you elevate your social media profile to establish a strong connection with your fans?

Let’s explore two of the most popular social media platforms and how you can optimize them.

Facebook Optimization:

Your Facebook Profile Demands a Vanity URL

Select a unique username for your business page through www.facebook/username. This will be used for your unique Facebook URL.  However, once the name is chosen, it cannot be modified later, so be sure to check for errors.

Add a Professional Touch to Your Profile Image

Your profile image should only consist of your name and logo of the company. This helps to build brand awareness every time your business updates, comments and shares content on Facebook.

Be Creative With Your Cover Photo

Think of roadside billboards. Your cover photo should follow the same path. It should be eye catching and express your brand clearly:

• Highlight your team.
• Feature a promotion.
• Share a holiday message.
• Use collage images to showcase your products and services.
• Use fan photos shared with you of people enjoying your products, services, promotions, etc.

Use Apps

There are many Facebook applications that can help you promote links to your site, your articles and online retail space. Here are few commonly used ones:

• SlideShare
• Networked blogs
• Static FBML (Facebook HTML)
• Reviews

Update Your Business Status With Keywords and Visuals

Facebook pages are indexed by search engines. This means that public updates from your Facebook business page often show up in Google’s real time search results. So, next time you update something on your page, keep important keywords in mind.

And nothing is more boring than a page full of text so be sure to add images and videos.  Research shows that updates with images are clicked 54% more than text-only updates and 22% more with video updates.

Twitter Optimization:

Be Smart With Your Twitter Handle

What comes after the ‘@’ symbol is important. It should convey something to followers. For instance, an effective Twitter handle is your company name. However, keep in mind that your handle can only be 15 characters. So get creative if you have a lengthy name for your company.

Get Creative With Your Profile Image and Background

Your profile picture is attached to all tweets so keep it consistent with your business logo because it is the face of your brand. Twitter is all about what you have to say, so it should look like its coming directly from you and nowhere else. Be creative with how you present yourself. An engaging profile image should possess the following characteristics:

• Different from your competition.
• Visually engaging and professional.

An engaging image for your Twitter profile can make you stand out in a sea of thousands of tweets. Moreover, if you are successful with your universal value proposition and targeted value proposition, there are chances that lots of visitors will become your consistent followers because they identify with your overall value proposition.

Similarly, your background image can make a big difference in the conversion rate. Incorporating a compelling background image increases the amount of time visitors spend on your profile. Your Twitter background image should communicate and highlight your value proposition. Try some of the following ideas:

• Use custom call-to-action that converses directly with Twitter users.
• Share contact information including your phone number, social networks and blog.
• Offer promotions.
• Add testimonials.
• Crowd source photos from followers that use or show off your products.

Pay Attention to the Color of Your Header Image

Your header image should not overshadow your profile image. Keep it dark and muted. If your image is too bright, your profile may not be readable.

Develop a Great Bio

Every business is unique and so are its requirements. It is important to be interesting and engaging. Your bio should be a unique 160 character summary of your company’s mission. This reflects who you are, why people should follow you and the benefit of following you.  Make sure to display:

• What your business does.
• Your brand’s character.
• Who they are talking with.

Add Your Location and Link

This is the easiest thing to do and hopefully takes the least amount of time. If you do not want to add a specific location, pick a geographical location. Advanced search on Twitter allows users to search by location. Adding your location is a great way to connect with your local community.

Also add a link to your website. Chances are that the 160 character summary doesn’t explain everything you want to convey to someone who is genuinely interested in your company. Ideally, that is what your website does.

Courtsey: Small Biz Trends

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