http://youtu.be/HeXa4RE24Uw

Make your social media great

Profile Pic

You profile pic is the picture that shows up beside your name when you post something.  It is usually pretty small.  My suggestion is to create an image based on the suggested size of the social media.  Don’t get too fancy.  A picture mainly of your face works great.  If you want to use your business logo, make sure it is formatted to fit the square or circle size of this image.  You don’t want a long logo showing up tiny in the middle of the square.

Header Image

Header image is the image that is larger and at the top of your social profile.  I suggest using an image that represents your personality or ‘culture.’  Sure pictures of beaches look good, but they don’t tell a story.  You want to tell a story and show why people should relate to you.  Make it interesting and include your business or you in that picture.  You can also go for funny or serious.  The key is to tell a story using that image so people know what to expect from you.

About

The ‘About’ page is one of the most underutilized parts of a profile.  These are the places where you tell why you have that social media and what you want to do with it.  I suggest using your values proposition.  A value proposition tells why you do what you do and who you do it for.  If you don’t have one, here is a link with some free templates to get you started. (http://torgronsund.com/2011/11/29/7-proven-templates-for-creating-value-propositions-that-work/) On your about page make it narrative.  Here is my suggestion: Tell what problem you solve.  Tell how you solve it.  Tell who you solve it for.  Tell about your company, yourself, your passion, or any other tidbit you want to stand out.  Remember, this is written for people so make it conversational.  Search engines will sometimes see this information also, so make sure you include keywords naturally.

Picking what to post

Introduction to CURATION Many people think they can’t use social media because they don’t have anything to post.  Well, let me introduce curation.  Basically, curation means sharing something that someone else has shared, but putting your unique twist on it.  You want to add value to show your expertise. There are many sites where you can find topic.  One, you can go to AllTop.com you can find trending topics in a bunch of different industries and interests.  Two, you can set up a Google Alert for words related to your industry or topics of interest, Google will tell you any time someone uses that word online. In essence, you can use tools to show relevant information that you can use in social media.  Then, you can set up a strategy and post for the entire week with just a few minutes of work. BONUS: 30 minute a week social media strategy:

• Set up Google Alerts or All Top to attain relevant information each week.
• Pick 5-10 topics you find interesting and review them.
• Add an interesting headline or insight about the each topic.
• Use a tool like Hootesuite to post all of those items on a specific schedule to the specific social media you choose.
• Posts are automatically posted all week for you, so all you have to do is respond to anyone who comments.

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