If You Don’t Have Social Media Business Accounts, You’re Missing Out

Instagram was the most recent social media platform to roll out business accounts. If you are thinking about switching your account over or wondering what’s the benefit of having social media business accounts, I’ve broken down the main benefits of four popular platforms.  Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter business accounts function differently but have many similarities and benefits.

Facebook

Even if Facebook isn’t your cup of tea, set up a Facebook for Business page. It is the biggest social network in the world, therefore many will find dream clients are on Facebook. Facebook pages also come up in search, which can give you added visibility.

In order to create a Facebook for Business page, you must have a Facebook account. Setting up a page is similar to creating a personal profile page. It consists of:

• A profile photo. If you are a creative business owner, I recommend using your photo instead of a logo to make the page more personal.
• Cover photo. If you are a product-based business, show off your product(s) in this space. If you are a service-based business, select an image that represents your brand. Be sure to include your logo in the cover photo, especially if you aren’t using it in the profile photo.
• Profile. Make the most of your Facebook page and fill out the entire profile. Include your website, contact information, services and more.
• Call to action. You can also add a CTA button such as “Sign Up”, “Contact Me”, or “Send Message”.

Recently, I was asked to verify my Facebook page. I uploaded my business license and soon after my page was verified with a gray check mark. (Celebrities and public figures have blue check marks.)

Once your Facebook page set up, you can share page posts such as business updates, blog posts, photos, video and more with your audience. Be sure to schedule posts in advance so you do not need to think about them. As your page begins to grow, Page Insights will provide you with some helpful data including who your audience is and when they are online.

You can also take advantage of Facebook Ads when you have a business page. Even if you don’t intend to use ads right now, you never know when you might want to.

Instagram

Instagram has been making waves in the social media community over the last few months. First, there was a major algorithm change, taking timeline photos from chronologic to selecting the photos it believes the user will like best. Then, in June, Instagram for Business was released (and is still being rolled out) and at the beginning of August, Instagram Stories was introduced.

Business accounts are still fairly new but do provide basic analytics that many creative businesses crave. If you have a personal Instagram account you have been using for your business, it is easy to convert. If you decide you do not like the business account, you can easily change it back to a personal account at this time.

Other than the analytics, my favorite feature of the new Instagram biz account is the addition of the “Contact” button next to “Following”. Followers interested in my services can email me directly from my Instagram profile.

Of course, just like Facebook, having a business account makes using up Instagram ads easier too.

If you haven’t tried Instagram for Business, I recommend checking it out since you can easily switch back to a personal account.

Pinterest

If you have a business or blog, you should be using a Pinterest for Business account. Pinterest provides great analytics to let you know what pins and keywords are or aren’t resonating with your audience.

Even if you already have a Pinterest account, it can easily to be converted to a business account. Once you have your business account set up, you will need to confirm your website so Pinterest can provide more analytics. To do this, you need to insert a line of code into the head of your index.html. (Don’t worry, Pinterest has step-by-step instructions!) If your site is running on WordPress and you use the Yoast SEO plug-in (free version), you can easily verify your site via Yoast.

Another bonus of having a Pinterest business account are rich pins, extra information added to pins.  There are six different types of rich pins: app, movie, recipe, article, product and place. Most of my pins are articles and will include headline, author and story description. Rich pins are great for online shops because rich pins include real-time pricing and where to purchase the item. Rich pins are easy to set up once your website has been confirmed.

You also have the option to try Promoted Pins, Pinterest’s solution to advertising.

Twitter

If you are using Twitter, the advantage to having a business account is the analytics provided. Twitter provides robust analytics so you can easily see what content is popular to help you grow your following. The demographics provided are also a great way to understand your audience and provide content tailored to their needs.

It is easy to create a Twitter for Business account. You can choose to  convert your existing Twitter account or create a new account. No website verification is necessary at this time. (Large companies and celebrities have verified accounts, but that is not available for small businesses at this time.)

A Twitter for Business account acts and functions like a personal account, but with the added benefit of analytics and the ability to run Twitter ads.

[bctt tweet=”The biggest benefit of having a social media business accounts – the analytics!” username=”katiewilliamsen”]

The biggest benefit of having a social media business accounts – the analytics! Taking the time to see how your users are responding to the content you are sharing is invaluable. If no one is engaging with your content, it’s time to change up your strategy or ditch the platform. Facebook and Twitter provide the most useful demographic data, so if you are trying to figure out your target market, don’t miss that data.

Have you converted your social accounts to business accounts? If not, what’s holding you back?

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