Utilizing social media to market your business is about more than throwing up a profile on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter and then sitting back and watching the business roll in. In order to create a profile that is as effective as possible it’s important to follow a couple of guidelines. Whether you are creating a new profile or need to tweak the one you have, use these tips as a guideline to create the best social media profile for your business that you possibly can.

Tips for creating an effective profile

• Be professional but let your personality shine
• If you can’t write it, find someone who can
• Use keywords throughout that relate to your business
• Search for business profiles related to your business; look at the top search results and mimic what they’ve done–they’re at the top for a reason!
• Always include a picture or logo
• Fill out your profile completely
• Keep it up-to-date
• Make sure the profile message is in line with your other marketing efforts (brochures, website, direct mail campaigns, etc.)
• If you get bored reading your own profile, spice it up!

Social media is a very effective tool for boosting your business. It’s one more marketing opportunity that you should take advantage of using. Make sure you put your best foot forward when you’re creating each of your network profiles. It’s the first step to creating a platform to grow your business.