Likes and snaps and tweets…oh my! Managing social media can seem overwhelming at times. How do you know you’re taking all the right steps for your business when it comes to social media management? Don’t panic! We have a social media sanity check to help take the stress out of social.

Does your business have the right social media profiles created?

Not all social channels make sense for every business. No matter your industry, the top hitters that we recommend for any business are as follows:

Facebook

With nearly two billion monthly users, Facebook boasts the biggest social media user base and incredible targeting capabilities. It can also add a personal touch to your business, promote your fan base, and help boost SEO for your website.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is the largest professional network online. It’s great for making new connections, generating leads, and building your brand. This platform is ideal for nearly all businesses but is a game-changer for B2B companies.

Twitter

Twitter is ideal for live communication, brand awareness, and blog promotion. It’s also a very affordable way for small businesses to market products.

YouTube

YouTube is the second largest search engine with more than three billion unique visitors a month. Because YouTube is part of Google, having a presence here can also add SEO value to your business’s website. The drawbacks to using YouTube include high competition and allocating the resources to create valuable videos.

Does your business have the bandwidth to effectively maintain your profiles?

Staying current on social media calls for regular activity and for content that will interest your readers.

Frequency

Each channel requires a different level of posting activity. Here are our guidelines for keeping your social pages active and maintaining users’ awareness of your business:

• Facebook: 1 to 2 times per day
• LinkedIn: 1 time per day
• Twitter: 3 to 5 times per day
• YouTube: 1 to 4 times per month
• Google+: 2 to 3 times per day
• Pinterest: 5 times per day
• Instagram: 1 to 2 times per day

Creative

Each social channel you use needs individual ad copy and creative. This includes the actual text within your posts, as well as videos and images. Numerous studies have proven that posts including visuals such as images and videos promote higher engagement metrics. Keep this in mind when strategizing and scheduling posts for your social media profiles.

How will your business engage with users on social media?

Customers routinely use social media to reach and review businesses. Social media is an easy way for customers to boast about great service they received, and to air their complaints. Fortunately, social media is also an easy way for your business to communicate back. Nothing looks more unprofessional than a business profile with customer feedback that hasn’t been responded to. Use automatic alerts and notifications to stay on top of these posts and comments (the positive and negative ones), and designate a person on your team to respond swiftly and professionally to customer questions and feedback.

Does your business have the right tools to keep on track?

You most certainly would not send a plumber to fix a leaking faucet without his or her tools. Social media is no different. We’re not sure which job is dirtier, but either way, someone has to do it. Having the right tools in place to help you track, monitor, and automate is the safest and cleanest way to success. Here are a couple of tools to consider adding to your social media kit: Hootsuite, Buffer and Sprout. It’s amazing to see the evolution of social media and the impact it has on our lives and businesses. The amount of work that goes into social media can feel overwhelming, and sometimes it requires reinforcements. Fortunately, there is plenty of support out there to help manage social media campaigns, and it often pays to turn to the experts. Our partner Deluxe has a passion for small businesses and offers specialized services in social media management, helping grow your social media profiles and create digital word-of-mouth for your business.

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