How do your online profiles look and operate? Are you using them to their full potential? Are they really working for you? Here are 10 checkpoints to assess your online profiles, start with the basics. These steps may seem simple but play a major role in the success of your online marketing.
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Are you even using the right online profiles?
Take a look at what online profiles and accounts you’ve created for your business. Understand what your goals are for having these profiles. This will help you to know if you have the right ones. Do they make sense for your target audience? What accounts do your competitors utilize, are you missing any? Should you eliminate ones that aren’t of use anymore?
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Are they up to date?
Ensure all your online profiles are updated. Start with the about section and make sure each part is filled in to its full potential. If you have the information to fill in each section then don’t leave any blanks. Blanks allow for outsiders to fill them in with their own thoughts and opinions, those could be the exact message you want them to assume.
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How often do you post?
Are you posting too much or not enough? Take a look at your engagement to determine the response from your followers. They may want to hear more from you, or they may have unfollowed because it was just too much.
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Are you responding?
If your audience is taking the time to interact with you via your online profiles then you need to return the courtesy. Engagement from followers is great! Don’t miss out because you aren’t replying to their comments. “The average response time for a brand to reply on social media to a user is 10 hours, while the average user will only wait 4 hours.”
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Monitor insights.
Utilize the tools provided to you. Most any online profile is equipped with a metrics measuring tool of some sort. These tools are typically free to use, so take full advantage of what it has to offer. Check regularly to determine if the information you are putting out there is getting the response you are hoping for. Create a more effective production calendar based on what your followers react best to. Understand what you need to change or improve on based on these reports. Everyday business users utilize the basics provided to increase their insight. “56% are using engagement metrics (likes, comments, shares and retweets) to measure success of social media.”
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Are you consistent throughout all your online profiles?
Your message and branding are important to your businesses image, make sure that same message is represented on all fronts. Your audience should be able to recognize your profiles no matter what platform they like to utilize. From the website to Facebook to Pinterest, if they are searching, they will know it’s you based on clear representation.
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Understand your goals.
Remind yourself of the goals you have by utilizing your online profiles. Revisit those goals each year and refresh as needed. Having a visible set of objectives in front of you helps ensure you set the appropriate time aside needed to accomplish them.
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Step outside the box
Have you gotten too comfortable? Have your accounts hit a standstill with any new followers? If you haven’t grown in the last year, it may be time to step outside of your usual pattern. Keep in mind, what may have worked then, may not work now. Things are always changing and so is the demand. You have to keep up with those demands and accommodate as needed.
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Is it time to bring in a professional?
Have you hit that road block on what to do? Are you constantly striving to find things to share and to upkeep the online profiles you have? If it becomes a necessary evil in your everyday tasks list then you aren’t going to put the love and attention into it that it deserves. Once that starts to happen is when you find you are losing your following and dropping in the rankings. Don’t allow your online profiles to have a negative effect on your overall marketing. Accept when it’s time to get help and call the right people.
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Maintain
Once you’ve found that healthy balance of the right online profiles and post schedule that meets your marketing goals then keep up with it. Don’t let it slip through the cracks and fall too behind, making it impossible to recover again. If the online profiles are working for you, keep up with them, maintain that level of marketing for continued growth and success.
