With the increasing expansion of social options for building brand awareness, do you know where you should hang out?

It’s impossible to be everywhere, so pick two or three platforms where your current and potential customers are hanging out and posting, sharing, and commenting regularly. To get the most out of your efforts, here are my 7 best practice strategies to ensure your brand receives optimal impact.

1. Include a catchy LinkedIn headline or Facebook intro: Don’t say you’re a “freelancer” or “business advisor.” Instead, tell people exactly what you can do for them; for example, “Copywriter, Marketing Strategist, and Brand Storyteller to Accelerate Your Sales and Profits.”

2. Write a compelling summary or about section: Answer the question “what do you do?” As with all your marketing messages, write from your customer’s point of view. So what challenges do you solve or what solutions do you provide – the results your clients get when they work with you?

3. Update your contact information: include your phone number, your full address if it’s a store (link to Google Maps), and a link to your website. I’m probably not the only one who’s been on the road looking for a particular store and getting frustrated as I scroll trying to find an address or phone number. And similarly, I’ve hit closed stores, even though their hours are listed as “OPEN”. If you change your hours of operation, please change your website and all social media listings!

4. Use Branded Images – When it comes to graphics, be sure to use a professional photograph and not a cute image of your dog. Oh really! This is your brand we are talking about. Also include a cover photo or background image of the brand; don’t leave the default blue background (LinkedIn) or white space. This could be your first impression, make it great!

5. Customize Visual Content – ​​Each social platform has its own design standards when it comes to graphic size, so be sure to size your graphics accordingly. I use Canva to create my graphics as they make it easy to resize an image for various platforms with a quick click of a button and some minor layout adjustments.

6. Share your videos: According to the LinkedIn expert. Goldie Chan, videos are shared three times more than still images. Create short videos (one to two minutes or less) that clarify a point, teach a lesson, or offer helpful advice. Add your logo and a call to action.

7. Create a Social Media Calendar – By creating a post framework, you can easily share content that resonates with your audience and effectively promotes your brand. Use an Excel spreadsheet or download a free template online to get started. List the products and services you want to promote each week along with inspirations (Motivation Mondays or Fun Fridays), customer stories, blog posts, video tips, shared articles, etc. The list is endless. Creating a framework for each week or each month takes the headache out of deciding what to post each day and ensuring it’s not too much of a seller. These are “social” platforms, not a sales call.