COURSE Optimizing Your Social Profiles LEARNING HOOT 100 GUIDE Courseware Course Level: Beginner This course is for those taking their first, foundational steps into using social media for business. Specifically, it provides guidance on optimizing basic profile settings for business use.
How to Use this Study Guide This Study Guide will be your learning aid as you move through each of the six modules in the Social Media Marketing Certification. We ve broken it down into three main components in order to help you absorb the material: Overview: Provides an introduction to what you ll be learning in the Course. Course Notes: A summary of the key points and main takeaways from each unit. Applying What You ve Learned: Questions to help you think how you d apply these lessons in your social media marketing plans. Social Media Marketing Certification Overview Fundamentals Introduction to Social Media Marketing Optimizing Your Social Profiles 30 minutes 45 minutes Strategy Social Media Strategy - from A to Z 45 minutes Execution Growing Your Online Community Marketing Fundamentals Social Advertising Fundamentals Content 30 minutes 45 minutes 30 minutes Exam Social Media Marketing Certification Exam 60 multiple choice questions OPTIMIZING YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA PROFILES 2
Optimizing Your Social Media Profiles Course 2 Overview Whether you ve already established your business on social media or you re just getting ready to build your first branded Facebook Page, this course will teach you which elements you should focus on for every network and the best practices to keep in mind so you can set your company up for business success. Course Notes Optimizing Your Twitter Business Profile Optimizing Your Profile Settings on Twitter Take the time to build a strong Twitter profile as it may be the first point of contact between your business and the public. Fill out each field accurately and completely. Use your bio field to add keywords relevant to your business to optimize for search engine ranking. Tips for Increasing Engagement on Twitter Add photos and videos to give your profile a complete look. Use Twitter Cards to increase engagement and traffic. Feature popular content by pinning it. Add Twitter buttons to your website for easy sharing. Strategic Best Practices on Twitter Twitter Lists help you easily follow profiles. Your Favorites tab can help amplify positive mentions and offer more value to your audience. OPTIMIZING YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA PROFILES 3
Optimizing Your Facebook Pages Profile Optimizing Your Profile Settings on Facebook Pages Fill out your profile completely and accurately, and keep SEO and keywords when writing your About section. Set a vanity URL for your page. Tips for Increasing Engagement on Facebook Pages Adopt a consistent design aesthetic. Pin popular posts to the top of your profile. Use 3rd party apps to drive Facebook traffic to other web properties. Strategic Best Practices on Facebook Pages Add a minimum of two administrators to your page. Use Pages to Watch feature to keep an eye on the competition. Applying What You ve Learned Visual content performs well on Facebook. What kind of images can you incorporate into your status updates. Remember, for maximum impact, images should relate to the text you re sharing. Third party apps are a great way to lead your followers to other web properties or direct them to take action. With your business objectives in mind, research and pick 3 apps that would be useful to feature on your page. OPTIMIZING YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA PROFILES 4
Optimizing Your LinkedIn Company Page Optimizing Your Profile Settings on LinkedIn Company Pages Use visually stunning imagery and cover photo. Fill out your company information completely and keep it current. Add a Follow button to your web properties. Engagement and Best Practices on LinkedIn Company Pages Use LinkedIn Groups to connect to your customers, prospects and potential employees. Consider Showcase Pages as solution to promote different product offerings. Customize your Page to reach audiences across the globe. Applying What You ve Learned A good company description is interesting to read, includes information about your company s mission and offerings and incorporates keywords relevant to your business. Draft two versions of an enticing company description for your LinkedIn Company Page. Optimizing Your Instagram Profile Optimizing Your Profile Settings on Instagram Add a clickable link to a mobile optimized web property. Set account to public, not private. Strategic Best Practices on Instagram Keep a bank of relevant hashtags in a Notes or Evernote document. Insert Instagram widgets into other web properties (e.g., blog) to attract followers. Always utilize location field real estate, even when not geo-tagging. OPTIMIZING YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA PROFILES 5
Applying What You ve Learned Start a Notes or Evernote document on your phone - now generate a list of 10 hashtags you could consistently use to boost the reach of a common type of photo you post. (Hint: Use the Search Tool to do hashtag research) Optimizing Your YouTube Profile Settings Optimizing Your YouTube Profile Settings Add a high resolution image for your channel s avatar Add a channel title that clearly reflects your brand Create playlists to group together similar content Add a concise description, with important keywords in the first three lines Add at least 10 metatags for each video you upload. Applying What You ve Learned Review the content of your YouTube channel. Make a list of the elements that best describes your content and then make a 30-60 second video trailer for your channel that highlights the list. Checklists for Optimizing Profiles Now that you ve watched the videos, it s time to apply the learnings to your social media profiles. Use these checklists to keep track of what you ve already done and what s left to do. Facebook Profile Checklist FFCover photo is light on text, has bright, vivid, high resolution and highlights a current campaign or upcoming event. FFProfile photo reflects branding and is kept stable over time OPTIMIZING YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA PROFILES 6
FFVital information about your business conveyed in first 140 characters of bio field FF5-10 keywords included in bio (for SEO) FFLink to company website included FFInclude your address and phone number in your profile if appropriate FFSet your vanity url FFAdd a Facebook Widget to other web properties to drive traffic to Facebook page FFPin popular post to the top of profile FFAdd a minimum of two administrators to your page FFSet up Pages to Watch feature to keep an eye on the competition Twitter Profile Checklist FFProfile Photo Included FFRefresh banner image to highlight something new FFBio utilize all 160 characters and includes keywords relevant to your business niche FFWeb Address included in address section FFPopulate media gallery with at least 6 pieces of visual content FFPin Important Tweet to the Top FFCreate at least 2 Twitter Lists - Public and/or Private FFFavorites List has at least 10 entries FFAdd Twitter buttons to your website for easy sharing LinkedIn Company Page Profile Checklist FFEnsure all fields are filled out completely and accurately FFEnsure first 200 characters of your company description convey most vital information about your company FFCompany description up-to-date FFRotate your cover image to promote new product launches, marketing campaigns FFAdd LinkedIn Follow button to your other web properties FFCustomize your Page to target audiences across the globe Instagram Profile Checklist OPTIMIZING YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA PROFILES 7
FFProfile photo appropriate for Instagram s thumbnail format FFYour branded hashtag in the About Section FFClickable link added to profile FFClickable link leads to a mobile-friendly web property FFAccount set to public, not private FFAccount information for Facebook, Twitter entered for easy cross-posting FFHashtag Bank document started FFInstagram web address included on other web properties FFReview your tagged photos and untag as necessary YouTube Profile Checklist FFChannel title clearly reflects your brand FFHigh resolution image for your avatar FFOrganize your channel into appropriate playlists and/or sections FFCreate a channel trailer Suggestions for Further Reading How to Set Up Facebook, Twitter, and Every Other Major Social Media Profile The Ultimate Facebook Page Template 5 Ways to Integrate Social Media On Your Website The Pinterest Guided Search: Why You Should Care About Optimizing Your Pins Four Top Video-Sharing Platforms Ready for Action in Hootsuite Notes: OPTIMIZING YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA PROFILES 8