SOCIAL MEDIA BEST PRACTICES for small businesses by

In today’s digital age, the importance of using social media for your business should not be taken lightly. More traffic, increased visibility, lead generation and a higher search ranking are just a few of the numerous benefits your business could take away from including social media into your digital marketing strategy.

Okay, so maybe you already know how important social media is – but do you know how to use the most popular platforms effectively?

If you’re ready to launch your business’s first social media sites, or give existing accounts a virtual makeover, take a look at our best practices for the top eight social networks. Facebook Known as the “king of all social networks,” Facebook is the largest social network with over 1.07 billion users, 23% of whom check their account more than five times a day.

Users are exposed to 1,500 pieces of potential content every day and approximately 7.5 million sites contain the Facebook “like” or “share” buttons.

If you don’t have a Facebook for your business, it’s time to hop on the bandwagon. If you do, review these best practices to make sure your business is up to speed.

• Post every day, but not more than twice per day. Posting more than twice will cause your engagement to drop.

• The best times of the day to post are between 8 and 10, 12-2, and 5-7 on weekdays (on the way in and out of work and during lunch). Also, don’t forget to schedule a few weekend posts!

• Engagement is higher on Thursdays and Fridays, when the workweek is winding down (sorry bosses!)

• Allow at least three hours between posts, otherwise they’re competing against each other in News Feed.

• Engage readers by asking questions starting with “What” or “Would” – they see 40% 1 more engagement!

• Add photos – Facebook users love to see them! In fact, there are 350 million photos uploaded daily! Photo posts get 39% more interaction! 2

• Know when your fans are engaging with you most by monitoring Insights.

• Keep posts short and sweet. Like tweets, try to keep them under 140 characters. Shorter posts see 23% more engagement! 3

• Promote your other social networks in your posts.

• If a customer reaches out to you, respond quickly (within 24 hours!)

• Use shortened URLs to track and measure how many clicks your link receives (plus, it looks better!)

• Show the “behind the scenes” of your business.

Want to see who’s doing it right? Check out Starbucks, Skittles, and Lay’s. youtube Though not typically thought of as a social network by most, it most certainly has the elements of one. YouTube is insanely popular with over one billion users, and allows people to have followers and subscribers as well as share content and comments. It also reaches more U.S. adults between 18-34 than any cable network today.

If your business isn’t on YouTube or you’ve just let it fall to the wayside, give it a try with these helpful tips.

• Upload regularly.

• Create and manage playlists for your videos.

• Include calls-to-action to direct viewers during the video to take actions that can help build audiences.

• Write optimized titles, tags and descriptions so your videos can be found in search.

• Create high quality, customized thumbnails for your videos that accurately represent the content within.

• Cross-promote content with other brands between channels.

• Use annotations on your videos to increase viewership, engagement and subscribers.

• Take advantage of YouTube’s video editor and combine existing videos to create a new video that shows your product in action.

Want to see who’s doing it right? Check out GoPro, ADT and PlayStation. google plus Though only launching in 2011, Google+ already has 540 million active users, making it one of the top three largest social networks being used today.

Google+ is a great place for brands to share their content and show their personality. In fact, 70% of brands have already made a presence on Google+!

Not sure how to use this relatively new network? Take a look at some of our recommended actions below.

• Create a custom URL for your business’s page.

• Use circles to segment your audience and tailor content to differentgroups.

• Post at least once a day.

• Cross post with your business’s YouTube account.

• Post rich content such as beautiful photos, inspiring videos, informative charts and infographics.

• Use Events to launch a new product or hangouts to converse face to face with your followers.

• Use Ripples to see how your posts spread across Google+ and identify brand advocates.

Want to see who’s doing it right? Check out Toyota, Cadbury, and H&M. twitter With 271 million active users, a mind-blowing 300 million Tweets have been sent since the first one on March 21, 2006, making Twitter another social media giant.

Twitter is a great way for businesses to interact with their consumers as it allows brands to expose a wittier side of their personality, due to the infamous 140-character limit. If your Twitter account needs a boost, check out these best practices.

• Create Tweets that stick by combining exciting, original and informative content with an engaging, unique tone appropriate for your audience.

• Try to keep them short and sweet – yes, there’s already a 140 character limit, but try to keep them under 100 characters to boost engagement by up to 17%! 4

• Timing matters, especially for breaking news and live tweeting, so post in real-time.

• Tweet often – at least three to five times per day. But you’ll have to test out different times to see how your audience reacts.

• Follow interests related to your business. It’ll help inspire ideas for future Tweets and keep you updated on the latest industry trends.

• @Reply, mention & retweet to communicate with people in your industry and share your thoughts.

• Participate in Twitter trends to join regional, national or global conversations – and find a way to relate it to your business (or just participate for fun!)

• Have some type of call-to-action by telling followers what to do next. Tell them to click, watch, check out, etc.

• Be strategic with hashtags – it’s a fun and useful little tool, but don’t overdo it. Tip: capitalize individual words for easy reading.

• Attach an image and see up to 35% more retweets! 5

• Retweet others who tweet about you to show humanity, gratitude and transparency.

• Thank your customers and fans, and be prompt (within 24 hours) when responding to inquiries.

• Check organic Tweet Analytics regularly to adjust your strategy and see the reach of individual Tweets.

Want to see who’s doing it right? Check out Huffington Post, Taco Bell, and Victoria’s Secret. instagram With 200 million active users, 50 million of them joining in the past six months, this photo-based social network is growing at rapid speed! Not to mention, 75 million people use the network daily. Instagram is a great way to show the more colorful side of your business.

New to the network? Choose a filter and take our tips into consideration:

• Balance fun images with pictures of your business and products.

• Connect your company’s Facebook/Twitter and use relevant, popular hashtags.

• Follow Trends such as #ThrowBackThursday and #SelfieSunday to reach more people and engage with followers.

• Engage by following other users, and liking/commenting their posts when they tag your brand. Show that your brand is human!

• Show photos of your employees and events at the workplace to give followers a special, behind-the-scenes view.

• You don’t have to post everyday, but creating a posting schedule may help your brand stay on top of it.

• Encourage users to use branded hashtags and upload photos at your events.

• Pay attention to what users like the most, and incorporate similar posts into your strategy.

• Take beautiful pictures by paying attention to lighting, atmosphere and any other design elements.

• Tell your brands story through images and witty captions.

Want to see who’s doing it right? Check out Subaru, Nike and Michael Kors. LINKEDIN This is the one social network that is essential for professionals to be participating on. LinkedIn is the place for reading thought provoking articles, catching up on the latest industry news and trends and connecting with intellectuals in your networks of interest.

For businesses, relationships matter more than ever. LinkedIn members are almost 50% more likely to buy from a company they engage with on LinkedIn. In addition, a massive 80% of LinkedIn members want to connect with companies because those connections can help to enhance their professional decision-making skills. 6

Take a look at some ways to improve your connectivity.

• Tailor your content to specific audiences/groups.

• Drop the sales pitch – be helpful and friendly!

• Post once per weekday – either early in the morning or after business hours.

• Link to great content from outside sources.

• Try promoting your best content and offers with “Sponsored Updates.”

• Engage locally.

• Provide expert tips and insights.

• Link to “best of” or “top 10” articles and see up to 40% more engagement. 7

• Take advantage of the new “publish” feature to publish content right on LinkedIn.

Want to see who’s doing it right? Check out Adobe, Coca Cola and IBM. PINTEREST This growing social network was actually the fastest one to hit the 10 million-visitor mark. Pinterest’s main demographic ranges between the ages of 25-34, with an average household income of $100,000! Shoppers referred to a site from Pinterest are 10% more likely to buy, so it’s time to create a Pinterest for your business! Here’s what to do:

• Add the “Pin It” button to your website to make it easier for your audience to pin.

• Create and organize boards that showcase your brand’s personality and taste (but make sure each board has enough pins to make it substantial!)

• Brand pins with your logo to create visual reminders.

• Share aspirational and inspirational items.

• Get your employees involved!

• Engage with other pinners by following other boards, repining, liking and commenting on pins that inspire you and relate to your business.

• Make sure your pins link back to something helpful – there’s nothing worse than clicking on a pin that doesn’t lead to anything.

• Use high quality images.

• Cross-promote with other social media outlets.

• Avoid self-promotion. While it’s okay to pin your products, don’t just pin a stock photo – pin a photo that is esthetically pleasing (or just downright awesome) and others will want to share too!

• Run a Pinterest contest.

• Craft engaging descriptions that contain the right search words.

Want to see who’s doing it right? Check out Nordstrom, Lowe’s and Etsy. VINE The youngest platform on this list, Vine, was launched in January 2013 by Twitter. You only have six seconds to get your point across through video, so make the best use of the time by choosing one point to translate to your audience, and use objects that align with your brand.

Want to take a whack at Vine? Here are some tips:

• Show teasers featuring a tease at what is to come with your brand in the near future.

• Don’t be afraid to use humor.

• Post a six-second how-to.

• Don’t use it just because – make sure it makes sense for your brand!

Want to see who’s doing it right? Check out Oreo, Sephora and Samsung.

As you can see, each platform is different and requires various amounts of maintenance and information. But the moral of the story is that if you create a constant flow of high-quality content that is of interest to your audience, the battle is halfway over.

Use this guide to review your current strategy and make sure that your social media practices are up-to-date.

Need some help? Contact the experts at PCG Digital Marketing!

Sources 1. http://wearesocialmedia.gr/15-best-practices-for-facebook-pages-in-2014-infographic/ 2. http://blog.bufferapp.com/7-facebook-stats-you-should-know-for-a-more-engaging-page 3. http://blog.bufferapp.com/7-facebook-stats-you-should-know-for-a-more-engaging-page 4. https://business.twitter.com/best-practices 5. http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2335279/Twitter-Reveals-Which-Tweets-Get-the- Most-Engagement-Study 6. http://snap.licdn.com/microsites/content/dam/business/marketing-solutions/global/en_ US/site/subsites/content-marketing/pdf/CompanyPagesPlaybook6-11-13.pdf 7. http://snap.licdn.com/microsites/content/dam/business/marketing-solutions/ global/en_US/site/subsites/content-marketing/pdf/CompanyPagesPlaybook6-11-13.pdf