It’s finally happened, you’ve started your own business! You have a great website, business cards, and your trusty email.
So, how do we get people to actually find you exist in the sea of online business?
Being part of social media is becoming a necessity for businesses. Determining which social site is the right fit not only for YOU but for your customers and prospects is crucial. You will also need to develop a strategy for participation, along with goals you want to accomplish with your social media.
Many people starting out will no doubt come across the two major players in this space: Facebook and LinkedIn.
With that in mind, I thought it would be great to have some quick starting guidelines for creating your business pages on these platforms.
Facebook allows you to communicate with your followers and visitors by posting photos, videos, comments, and questions. Your posts are shown on the newsfeed area, which is where users spend the largest amount of time. Make sure to keep your posts short, and have engaging items, such as pictures, charts, and images to keep your updates fresh and inviting.
In order to create a Facebook company page, you must first have a personal account with Facebook. Login to https://www.facebook.com/pages/create and select ‘Company, Organization or Institution” to begin the process. When you create the page, by default you become the sites Administrator and have complete control.
Follow these tips when setting up/maintaining your company page on Facebook:
- Choose a page name that reflects your business. Getting the name changed afterwards can be a big hassle and can take a few days to accomplish (we know from experience). So make sure you know what name you want beforehand.
- Write a short summary about your business and what you are all about. This is your online representation after all.
- Upload a cover photo and profile picture; these images are the first thing people will see when they visit your page. Use your company logo or something recognizable to your branding.
- Once created, monitor your page for activity and respond to posts from visitors.
- Be sure to constantly update Facebook with posts/info, and of course be prompt replying to any and all questions that get posted to your wall.
LinkedIn, like Facebook, allows you to post news and updates, BUT it is more focused on sharing information about your business, brand, services, or products. Here you have the opportunity to add a products and services tab, which where you add specific information about your current service offerings. Customer recommendations can be featured as endorsements about your business, which is great for those who love real customer reviews and feedback. You can even post upcoming job opportunities. However, unlike Facebook, you will actually need a full-fledged company email, josh@mycompany.com for example, so be sure you have one setup before starting the process.
Follow these steps to get started setting up your company page on LinkedIn:
- Log in to LinkedIn.com and click “Interests” at the top of the page.
- Select “Companies.”
- At the top of the page click on “Add a Company.”
- Enter your company name and e-mail address.
- You will then be taken step by step through the User Confirmation setup.
- The unfortunate thing about LinkedIn is you cannot preview your page before hitting “Ok’. So PLEASE be sure everything looks right before submitting. Once you do hit submit, the page is immediately live.
If you have any questions about setting up your first social media page on Facebook or LinkedIn, or would like some advice moving forward, don’t hesitate to drop me a line. I too was once in your shoes, and can help you navigate the Social Media channels like a pro!
