Social media: building your business profile

Whatever your business, you need to build a presence online because that’s where the majority of Australians access their news, and connect with their personal and professional communities.

With a few hints and tips, it doesn’t need to take a lot of time, but you do need to have a plan.

Which platform?

First, decide which social media platforms your customers are on already. Facebook is a must have - 9 million Aussies check their feed every day. With a bit of creativity, it’s easy to build a community and for a modest investment you can ‘boost’ your work to selected audiences.

Twitter is a great tool for breaking news, but it does require monitoring and can be incredibly time-consuming. Unless you have a dedicated staff member who can tweet and monitor other tweets, this is one to explore later on in your business journey.Instagram is another great social media tool and users continue to grow in number – up to 4 million –plus, we all know that a picture paints a thousand words. It’s easy to link your Instagram account to your Facebook page and remember to use popular hashtags (for example, #imb).

Deciding on your character

The next step is to decide on the ‘character’ of your communication. Like choosing what to wear, what you say and show needs a personality. Keep your customers in mind. What do they like? What do they want?

Avoid making everything you post promotional as this can have the opposite effect to what you’re hoping to achieve. Be witty and amusing, use your specialist knowledge to give them useful insight, and run competitions or a Q&A session.

Remember, your goal is to add value and build a community, so get creative and have some fun. Don’t be afraid to use other people’s content; in most cases, they’ll be pleased for the extra free promotion!

In Summary

We all manage to keep in touch with family and friends. Harnessing the power of social media will keep you in touch with – and your business offering in front of – a dedicated clientele who appreciate what you do for them. Using their case studies, as well as your free advice will build followers.

Sound like a lot of time? Not really – aim to do a little well rather than a lot badly. Now get strategic and unleash your own social media shine!

Written by Lisa Burling of LBPR LBPR is an award-winning PR, media and events consultancy that partners with individuals, charities and businesses to help them tell their story in a compelling way. Visit www.lbpr.com.au for more information.

_{This article has been written by an independent author.  Any views and opinions expressed in this article belong solely to the author and do not necessarily reflect those of IMB.}