7 Steps To A Complete Social Media Makeover

1. Audit Your Current Social Media Channels

Take a look at all your social media accounts and make sure your presence is professional and, most importantly, up to date.

• Create an Audit Spreadsheet - List all of your social media accounts, URLs, usernames, and other important information.
• Managing your passwords - Begin by making sure your passwords are unique and follow best practices. If you have multiple users managing your accounts, a secure password manager can make managing your passwords a breeze.
• Create and manage a task list - A task list should be used for recording all of the changes that need to be made to your profiles. This includes cover photos, profile photos, logos, videos, and anything else that needs to be updated.

2. Give A Fresh Look To Your Facebook Profile

• Update your cover photo - When updating a Facebook profile, use professional images that are clear and optimized at 851 x 315 pixels.
• Update your profile image - Profile images should be sized at 160 x 160 pixels. Remember that when you post, this is the image that is displayed, but at a smaller size which is currently 90 x 90 pixels.
• Update content on your page - Have any new products or services? Has the direction of your business changed? This is where you make your first impression with your audience, so make sure you update your page often.  
• Double-check your settings - Make sure your page is set with the optimal settings appropriate for your business. Posting ability, tagging, privacy, and private messaging should all be reviewed. Don't forget to make your page public.

3. Bring Twitter Up To Date

Tweak your page - Much like Facebook, Twitter uses cover photos as well as a profile photo.

• Your profile photo/logo should be 90 x 90 pixels, and remember, an image this small may make it hard to see fine details.
• The optimal size for Twitter's cover photo is 1252 x 626 pixels. Create an image that best describes your company's business philosophy.
• Your bio section is limited to 160 characters, so make it count.
• Refresh your background image. It's recommended that an image of 1600 x 1200 be used here.
• Don't forget to coordinate your background and link colors if you have updated your logo or company color palette.

4. Extend Your Business Presence To LinkedIn

LinkedIn is all about networking and business. While you can include personal information, it's best that you keep this to a minimum. 

Your logo is your brand - Make sure your logo is front and center with a complete list of all of your specialties and services.

Image is everything - It's best to use a high-quality image and logo on your page. This helps give your page a professional and polished look.

• The recommended banner size is 646 x 220 pixels and a maximum of 2 MB in size.
• Your logo should be a minimum of 300 x 300 pixels; however, it's recommended to use the maximum size of 400 x 400 pixels and no larger than 4 MB in size.
• Make the most out of your "Careers" and "Services" pages. Customize them as much as you want and try to portray yourself in the most professional light possible.

5. Craft Your YouTube Channel Page

Use your YouTube channel to feature videos about your company and the people who work with you.

• Create a great channel trailer - As soon as a visitor hits your page, you don't want to tell them what you do; you want to show them. 1-2 minutes is the optimal amount of time to keep a viewer interested.
• Choose the channel icon - All screen real estate is valuable; this little area is no exception. Choose an image that looks good. YouTube recommends uploading an image at 800 x 800 pixels which will be rendered down to 98 x 98 pixels.
• Create beautiful channel art - YouTube is all about visual content. Maximize your ability to deliver that content by optimizing your channel art to be displayed correctly across multiple devices. It's recommended that your channel art be 2560 x 1440 pixels.
• It's all about your business - The "About You" section is your chance to give a description of your company and the services it offers. Unlike LinkedIn, you can have a little bit more fun in this section. The latest data shows that the highest amount of viewers (40,000,000) are between the ages of 25-34.

6. Increase Your Search Rankings With Google+

Because Google+ is integrated with so many other Google products, it would be a mistake to ignore your Google+ profile.

• Complete or update your profile - Make sure to fill out your profile completely. Every section not filled out is a lost opportunity to draw relevance to your Google+ profile. Not filling in this area is a huge missed opportunity.
• Connect your Google+ pages - Did you know that if you connect your profile with other Google products such as "Local Page" or "Maps Location", Google will remove any competitor ads and showcase your business instead?

The most important thing is that your business is active and posting consistently. We're living in a Google world, why not make an effort to deliver content to that platform?

7. Improve Your Visibility On Instagram

Instagram has over 75 million daily users, and the opportunities to reach your audience are enormous.

• High-resolution photos - Bright, clear photos will grab your viewer's attention. This is the largest factor in fan engagement for brands on Instagram like Zappos.
• Not always about the sale - It's no surprise that businesses who use Instagram want to sell their services or products. What separates the successful businesses from the less successful is being able to tell a story that resonates with your followers. Use images that sometimes subtly feature your products or services.
• Creating that bond - Don't always post product photos; instead, post candid shots from around the office. Have an event coming up? Hire a professional photographer to capture those special moments. If your followers feel like they are part of your company, they are more likely to become loyal to your product.
• Share your offers - One of the main reasons people use Instagram is to get information about sales and discounts from their favorite retailers/businesses. Reward your followers with special discounts or offers. This is the quickest way to grow your audience and expand your reach.
  
  

Follow these 7 steps to a complete social media makeover, and you'll understand how social media is perfect for connecting with customers. You'll also learn how to reach your audience in the way that is most welcoming to them. Not only is this ideal for brand awareness, but it's also one of the cornerstones behind the principles of inbound marketing.