Managing social networking profiles is important

Social media has the potential to help you in building brand name recognition. With so many different social media outlets it can be difficult to keep all of your information up to date, however as more people look to social media to find out information about you, it is vital that your social media profile is current and active. Having good social media profiles can get you more exposure online, help you connect with your fans or customers, and improve your online reputation. Unless you have a major site associated with your name, your social media profiles are usually the first results Google shows when someone searches for you. Start thinking of each social media profile you create as a landing page for your personal brand. Your social media profiles are possibly the first encounter that someone is going to have with your brand, and you want that first impression to make the visitor interested in knowing more about you. Your Name on Social Media is very important: The name that displays on your social media profile should just be your own name. However, sometimes that doesn’t make the most sense. On platforms like Twitter, where you don’t have to use a real name, a pseudonym might make more sense. But it will be best to display your profile with your own name so that it will be easy for others to recognize you.
Your Social Media Profile Picture; Should you go with a logo or a personal picture? Of course, if it’s for a personal account, you should almost always go with a headshot. However it depends on your goals. If you run a smaller operation or are the face of your company, include a headshot of you. It is also a good idea to stick with the same (or at least a similar) photo across different social networks. That way you’re easier to recognize on different platforms.
Important Areas When Managing Your Social Networks: If you are new to social media, or you are not seeing the success you would like, here are some important areas to pay attention to when managing your social networks.
1. Know your target audience.
• Understand who the target audience is that you want to reach.
• Learn what social networks they are most active on.
2. Choose wisely the social networks you will be active on.
• Don’t try to do it all – unless you have the resources to do so.
• Learn about the social networks you choose to be active on and how they work.
• Choose the right social networks for your area of specialization and your available resources.
3. Set up complete social network profiles.
• Create a branded website address for each social network.
• Use high quality images for your profile picture, cover image, etc.
• Use your branding elements (fonts, colours, images, tag lines) where at all possible.
• Include your website address, contact information and the addresses of your other social networks.
4. Share content that appeals to your target audience.
• Share content that your target audience will find helpful, interesting, valuable and/or humorous.
• Post regularly to each social network. Research what works best for each different social network and share accordingly. Monitor and adjust as appropriate.
• Use visuals that are high quality and text that is well-written.
• Use Social Media Management Tools for scheduling in advance content to share. If your only network is Facebook, you can schedule content in advance. Look for the ‘Publishing Tools’ link at the top of your Facebook Page, to the right of ‘Insights.’
• Monitor and track activity on your social media accounts using analytic/insight features provided by the network itself and/or by using a social media management tool.
5. Respond to those who comment on what you share.
• Respond to comments and inquiries in a timely manner. Each social network is different and consumer expectations are high in this area.
• ‘Like’ (Facebook, , Instagram, Google+) or ‘favourite’ (Twitter) comments, where appropriate.
• Don’t ignore challenging or awkward questions or comments. Handle them with tact and diplomacy and avoid becoming defensive or being seen as rude. Tact and humility will win respect for your brand.
6. Make it easy for people to know where to find you online.
• Add your social networks as clickable links to your email signature.
• Have icons and links to your social networks on your website.
• Show links to your key social networks on each of your different social networks.
• Include your website and social network addresses on your print material (including statements, invoices, quotes, newsletters, flyers, business cards.)
The beauty of social media is that you can share content that is helpful to those you hope to reach, while at the same time building brand name recognition for your business and greater trust with your target audience. This allows your target audience to see you as a resource and makes it much more likely they’ll think of you when they’re ready to buy what you are offering.
Most importantly Publish relevant content: Make sure you post about interesting things, whether it is your own content or retweeting on other people’s content, posting news /stories from your profile or simply updating your status to let others know about you. The best way to maintain your social media profile is to be active. It is more likely that you will impress others if you have a vibrant profile, rather than with a profile that sporadically gets updated. By following these tips you can maintain a professional image online, which will hopefully reflect the professional image you have.
( The author is a teacher at Govt High School Brakpora Anantnag. Views are his own)
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