May 04--I'm often asked for the best place to start after signing up for a social media account. It's a good question, and I have some suggestions for four of the biggest platforms to put you on the road toward success, whether you are signing up for business or pleasure. Keep in mind that these are far from the only things you should do, so add it to a well-balanced social media strategy.
For a platform focused on 140 characters, jumping into Twitter on day one can be confusing. The company has helped recently by offering suggested people to follow based on interests, and you can even view those before taking the plunge and signing up. But the thing I'd recommend before following a single person or business is to do a search (look for the magnifying glass) for what you think you'll talk about the most. This lets you survey the conversation and find the right accounts to follow. In other words: Listen first, post later.
I don't know a lot of people who are just now signing up for Facebook for personal use, but if you are you should immediately check out how your high school friends look 20 years later.
Kidding. Everyone knows you do that second.
In all seriousness, if it's a personal account you have more freedom to just look around. If you are signing up for a business page, your profile is especially important. You want as much information out there as possible to ensure people can find you. And before you shout from the rooftops that your page is live, add some content. Then, add a really good cover photo that fits the space; start with Facebook's help pages at http://www.facebook.com/help. Once you've done all that, let people know via email or share on your personal Facebook page.
For personal use, the hardest part is getting used to the cropping constraints, as everything has to be a square or some part of your photo will be cut off. For businesses, make sure the username you choose clearly represents your brand. This is one place where you don't want to confuse people. Add a profile photo and a link to your website in your bio. Note that this is the only place on Instagram where you can currently hyperlink to anything, so having an address is a must. You can link your account to Facebook, which I would recommend to increase visibility. Hashtags are important on Instagram, so become familiar with how other businesses use hashtags to their advantage. Another good source of information on hashtags and Instagram's general best practices is Instagram's blog at http://blog.instagram.com.
Here, content that is beautiful and shareable is repinned and shared most often. While photos normally come to find, graphics do quite well too. If you want to see a business that hits a home run every time on Pinterest, search for Whole Foods and take a tour of its boards. Speaking of food, if you own a restaurant or if your business is food related in any way, start thinking now about your best photos. I believe that every restaurant should showcase its menu in glorious, mouthwatering color on Pinterest -- not doing so is a missed opportunity.
Additionally, I like how Pinterest helps businesses get started with its help pages. Go to https://business.pinterest.com for some really helpful tips, including getting your website verified. There are also videos and guides you'll want to view at least once.
Reach out to me if you have specific questions about other platforms; I'm always happy to help. And remember to use other platforms to steer others to where you are just starting out. There's nothing wrong with tweeting about a new Facebook page or Instagram account, as long as you don't overdo it.
What questions do you have about social media? Tweet them to @scottkleinberg. He might select yours for use in a future column.
