Most businesses hardly pay attention to their social profile as they feel it’s not necessary. As long as they are scheduling and publishing posts, launching and managing campaigns, sending out emails, they are doing the best for their brand. This part is where they get it all wrong.

Social media profiles are part social proof, part brochure, and part SEO. So, why not treat them as the personal branding asset they can be. Your social media profile is one place your prospects will go to when your ad shows up in their timeline. If it doesn’t look professional or convincing to them, the chances are that they will not take any action. They might even perceive you as one who is not serious with business.

Taking out time to improve your social media profile at least once a month is the best way to ensure sales lead and conversion. Here are some tips to help you improve your online presence through your social media profile.

Add an image to your profile

It is weird when people open a social media account with no photos. If you do this, there is no way other social media users will interact with you, except they are your family members. When you put up your picture or relevant images on social media, especially if you are into selling, it builds trusts.

If you are selling a product, a picture of someone using your product works wonders. Your followers or prospects know that there is someone behind the handle and are not afraid to do business with you.

Use the right images

People judge the book by the cover and so will decide if your brand is high quality or cheap by mere looking at the pictures you put on your profile. If you are using a personal photo, you’ll want to ensure it has a bright and attractive background. If you are using the images of your trade, then getting a good graphics designer would be the best step to take.

Aside from using an appealing picture, you need to ensure it’s the right size. The size you use for Facebook will not fit into Twitter’s specifics. Also, a desktop view is quite different from the mobile phone. Every social media network has different specifications for their image sizes. Do well to check them out before uploading your image.

Use the same profile image and handle on all your networks

People appreciate consistency because it depicts an organization. Show your prospects that you are deliberate and conscious about what you are putting up in your brand. Your profile image on Facebook should be the same on Instagram, and so should your handle.

People would mentally identify your brand with your profile picture and handle. So, if you are putting up different images, you are making things difficult for them. They are more likely to forget about your brand.

Take out time to complete your profile

Don’t get so busy that you leave your profile uncompleted. That would easily pass you off as lazy and lackadaisical. It would be best if you showed your prospects and followers that you mean business. Fill out every field requested of you from the social network. If you don’t understand the question, you can check that of others to see what they are doing. Better still, you can research on it, so you don’t make mistakes.

When you take out time to complete your profile, you can even make an immediate call-to-action which will lead to conversion. Whatever you write, ensure it is simple to understand.

Use the right keywords

If you are planning to build a brand or grow your business, people need to see you know of your existence. One way you can make that happen aside from campaign ads is to ensure you are discoverable in web searches. How do you make brand discoverable in a search? Use the right keywords in your profile.

To know the right keyword to use, you’ll need to use tools like Google Keyword Planner or SEMrush to find out what people are searching for in your line of business or niche. When you find the keywords, add them naturally to your social media profile.

Showcase the best work on your profile

We all have our masterpiece, which is the first thing we present when asked for a sample. If you want to impress your prospects, you’ll need to ensure they see your best work or product. How do you do this? By pinning them to your profile. Every social media network supports pinning. Instagram sees it as highlights. So go ahead and show what you have to offer.

Add links to other networks

Most businesses or brands have more than one social network. Some are somehow in every social media network, depending on what they plan to achieve. If you are in more than one social network, the chances are that you want people to know about your various networks. So, fill them in your profile!

Luckily LinkedIn allows you to add your twitter and website link; Facebook allows to add Instagram and other networks you choose while Pinterest permits Facebook and Twitter. Let people see the various medium through which they can reach you. Also, while adding the links, ensure you test them to see if they are working.

Review your tag settings

To prevent people from tagging you to inappropriate posts of images, you have to ensure you review your tag settings. You should be able to restrict who can tag you and also approve photos they tagged you in before they show on your timeline. You should check the social network settings to see what’s available.

Also, schedule a time to check out posts you’ve been tagged in and remove yourself from those that are inappropriate or sensitive.

Follow trends

See what others are doing with their profiles and do the same so that you don’t get left behind. Keep tabs on the new features the social networks add and use them to your advantage. If they’ve added a new field to fill on your account, do so immediately. Show your prospects that you can handle your business like you manage your social media accounts.

Conclusion

If you’re just getting started with social media marketing, the first step is to set up your accounts and profiles correctly.

If you’ve already been in the game for a while, it’s probably time to take a look at the profiles you set up.

Also, it’s worth spending some time to improve your social media presence and make it interesting and compelling since it’ll be the first impression many people see.

What strategies have you used to improve your social media profile?