Five Tips for Optimizing Your Social Media Profiles

When you’re just getting started using social media for business it’s difficult to know what to do. How do you balance business with personal? How often can you talk about your business without annoying friends and family? How do you even use social media for business?

Why You Should Optimize Your Social Media Profiles

If you’re wondering how established businesses generate leads they’ll tell you it’s by presenting an authentic brand personality and developing relationships with their customers. Even if you’re just starting out this is possible for you too, the trick is letting people know you exist so they think of you when an opportunity comes up.

The best way to let people know you’re in business is by saying it. It’s easy to look at your social media profiles as places where friends and family connect with you, so there’s no reason to talk about your business (don’t they already know what you do?) but what better place to find new customers than your friends and family list?

And don’t assume they’re aware of what you do or even understand it. Do you know the details of your entire network? I don’t. Take assumption out of the picture and optimize your social profiles for your freelance writing business. Lay it out for them so it’s easy for them to think of you the next time they’re in need of your product or service.

Another reason to optimize your social media profiles is because your reach is wide on social. A potential customer is more likely to run across you on Twitter or LinkedIn before ever seeing your website. You want to ensure you tell any potential customer who you are, what you do, and why they should do business with you.

Five Tips for Optimizing Your Social Media Profile

Five tips for optimizing your social media profiles

Choose a professional/standout profile picture and cover photo

Your profile photo should be high quality, square, reflect your brand, stand out in news feeds, and be a picture of you.

Your cover photo (on applicable platforms) should be high quality and represent the core values of your brand.

The more consistent your images are across platforms, the better.

Make it easy for people to know who you are/what you do

If you want to capture leads from your social profiles then use your full name or business name. Nothing cute here. A great social media bio explains who you are and what you do, shares your personality, and targets your niche audience with keywords. Think of it as an amped-up elevator pitch.

Link to your website

Some gurus teach linking to your professional Facebook page and if that’s where you prefer doing business I won’t stop you. But don’t leave the URL section blank. Think about it this way, where do you want your prospective clients to go? Send them there. I want them to go to my website so I can showcase the best of my work on a property I own and control.

Include keywords about your services

If someone is searching on Twitter for someone like you, what will they search for? Make sure those words show up in your profile in a non-spammy way. Avoid buzz words, use terms your ideal client would use, be concise, and mention the benefits of what you do.

Be clear on your location/contact info

If you work from home you may not want your address listed for the world to see, but how about your city or region? Adding your location helps potential clients discover you. And what about your contact details? Make it easy for people to get in touch, but only share what you’re comfortable with. Adding a phone number may be too much, but what about your work email address? If you want people to contact you with work, tell them how to reach you.

Now get out there and be social!

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