Google+ is one of the newest social networks, only having been launched in 2011, and is therefore not usually the first network people think of when social media is mentioned. And with social media still being very new to many, a lot of companies want to stick to the ‘traditional’ Facebook and Twitter networks as they have only just grasped these, rather than venture into territories unknown.

But since Google made some important changes to the way its search algorithms recognise pages, having a Google+ page has become a number one priority for companies. This is due to Google now bringing up Google+ pages mixed in with normal search results on the search engine: the new way to get your brand name out there is to get your Google+ page brought up. So here is a helpful guide on how you can create the perfect, search friendly, corporate Google+ page for your company.

Make Your About Section Solid

Ensure your about section gives all the right information in a straightforward way, so people instantly know everything they need to about who your company is and what you do/stand for. It is also a good place to include links to your other social media pages, blogs, and other important external links using the ‘Recommended Links’ function.

A great example of a strong about section comes from General Electric, who have highlighted the main mission of their company, and made use of the recommended links so that we can find all the information we need about the brand in one place.

Gain SEO results using Scrapbook

As well as uploading the business logo, it is good to have other images on your profile that show your brand’s personality, and Google are big believers in this. That is why every image you upload to the ‘Scrapbook’ section of your Google+ page (which runs along the top of your page) will get you much closer to the top of a Google Search page than any amount of SEO optimised text will, as Google’s search algorithms now prioritise image content.

The same is applied to video content, so connect your company’s YouTube page to your Google+ page, and be sure to share your brand’s multimedia content to gain better rankings on Google and give your visitors something visual to enjoy.

Richard Branson’s multifunctional corporation Virgin make great use of the Scrapbook function with a constantly changing display which uses all five image spaces to create one larger image of each different industry the corporation operates within, giving you an instant and eye catching view of the brand as a whole.

Keep It Fresh

Google is a big lover of fresh content, as are your visitors, so keep updating your About section and sharing status updates, new photos and videos, etc. to ensure Google keeps finding your page and bringing it higher in searches, and also to ensure visitors will keep coming back.

A great example of fresh and interesting page content can be found on BASF The Chemical Company’s page, where they make use of video and imagery to provide engaging content and give an insight into the brand and their industry.

And as with all social networks and blogs, make it easy for people to find them. Put links on your website and on each of your social networks to your other online domains and pages, or even better place direct Like, Follow and G+ buttons for people to instantly connect without leaving the page they are on.

Twitter is one of the most popular social media channels, and has one of the broadest audiences of all. There are personal users, professional users and SMBs, global corporations, people from all walks of life, all in one place so to speak. That is why it is one of the greatest resources for building brand relationships on both a B2B and B2C level. But with so many people on there, the competition for audience’s attention is high, and with the 140 character limit it is hard—and more important than ever—for your company to stand out and be straight to the point.

So whether you are new to Twitter and need a helping hand getting started from scratch, or have a Twitter page that needs dusting off and bringing back to life after lying dormant since creation, here is a useful guide to creating the perfect corporate Twitter account.

Twitter Handle 

Right from the word go, every character counts. Twitter users are used to everything being short and sweet, as that is the nature of Twitter, meaning their attention spans whilst on the website are also VERY short. So everything right from your Twitter handle (your username preceded by an @ symbol) needs to be simple and to the point. The best rule of thumb for this is to keep it as close as possible to your company name, not as close to your industry name as possible, as the idea is to promote awareness of your brand name, and your Tweets themselves will give more information about your company. Some good examples are @Microsoft, Twitter handle for global software corporation Microsoft, and @redbull, handle for energy drink brand Red Bull. These examples may seem pretty simple and obvious, but that’s what makes them perfect.

Profile Image and Background

Twitter allows you to not only upload an image for your profile, but also create a customised background. Many companies choose to upload their company logo as a profile image as it is easily recognisable, and then create graphics detailing the company’s tagline and/or links to their other social media platforms to be included in the background, as this saves on using up valuable characters in the 140 character long bio. Going back to @Microsoft again, their background is a prime example of utilising the space to add in links to other platforms, whilst keeping it bright and simple.

Bio and Website Link

Remember, 140 characters does NOT stretch very far, so you have to be ruthless when deciding what information makes the bio, and don’t get fancy with the wording. Be short, sweet and to the point, including only the most important facts from a client or customer point of view.

A great example of this comes from Sony’s smartphone range Xperia, and their @sonyxperia Twitter account’s bio: “Welcome to the Twitter home of Sony Xperia – this is the place to be for updates on all of our latest smartphones, accessories and content – tweet tweet.” They have included everything a potential follower would want and need to know about the account, and even had room for the little ‘tweet tweet’ flourish at the end, something that is a common link between the majority of Sony product Twitter accounts.

Twitter have a separate space for you to include one web link so that it will not eat into your 140 characters, so make use of it! Add the link you most want to direct people to, in most cases the company’s website homepage.

Following and Followers

It is important not to simply follow every Tom, Dick and Harry just to build numbers, as this will not get your brand and what is has to offer seen by the right people. Because there are so many people and companies on Twitter, it is important to put together a strategy to ensure you are utilising your time and budget effectively. A popular strategy is using the Follow/Unfollow tactic, which involves following a certain amount of relevant Twitter users on one day, leaving it for a week, and then using an ‘unfollowing’ tool to find all those who have not bitten the bait and followed you back, and you then proceed to unfollow those people. This is then repeated week on week.

When I mention relevant Twitter users, this means people who will most likely have a genuine interest in your company and their tweets, and not just follow you back regardless. The best way to find these people is to distinguish common interests and the main location(s) of your target market, and seek out accounts relating to these interests and/or seek out people talking about a particular interest. The latter allows you to narrow down locations by searching the location followed by the keyword. For example if the common interest is smartphones and the location is London you could type “Near:London smartphone” into the Twitter search field. You would then proceed to follow the people either following the relevant accounts or brought up by the keyword search.

Useful free and paid for tools for this strategy are JustUnfollow and  Manage Flitter, which offer free options up to a certain amount of unfollows, then paid plans for higher volume of usage. Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither is a 20k Twitter following, so be patient and be willing to keep at it.

Useful Tips for Continuing Management of your Twitter Account

• Last few tweets – If someone is deciding whether or not they want to follow you, they will not only check out your bio, but also your most recent Tweets. So try to ensure your last few tweets always contain at least one or two that are relevant to your industry and target market. But that doesn’t mean you can’t throw in some less serious tweets to keep your followers entertained and show the personality behind your brand.
• Follow back – So many companies don’t follow people back, and it can give the wrong impression. Take the time to ensure you follow people back, as many people, companies and otherwise, use the Follow/Unfollow tactic too!
• #Hashtag – The hashtag function (placing the # symbol before a word/phrase with no spaces) is extremely clever and has been known to be used as a base concept for many successful digital marketing campaigns both on and off Twitter, despite the function itself being unique to Twitter. So #gethashtagging!
• ReTweet – ReTweet other people’s Tweets that your target market and others within your industry will find relevant. It builds a good reputation with you and your audience, as it shows you aren’t on Twitter just for your brand, and means people are more likely to return the favour by ReTweeting you, a valuable move.
• Show Appreciation – Another way to build a good reputation is to show appreciation. Try to thank people if they Re-Tweet you, and always reply and thank people who Tweet you, whether they give positive or negative feedback. And if you ask for a ReTweet, say please!

The days of Facebook being just a ‘new idea for businesses to try’ are long gone, as Facebook has now become one of the essential marketing tools of any self respecting business. But simply creating a Facebook page for your company is only the first and easiest step, and turning your page into a lead generating haven can seem like an uphill battle. But if the correct measures are put in place, your page should become a lead magnet in no time. Simply follow this step by step guide to create the perfect corporate Facebook page:

Assuming you have not yet created your company’s Facebook page, click here to begin the process and follow the steps from step 1 onwards. If you already have a page that you want to further optimise, please skip ahead to step 2.

Step 1:  Creating a search optimised page

From the word go, Facebook will ask you to narrow down your company using categories, company information and more to ensure your page is found by the correct searches by users. And because your category and company name are not changeable it is vital that you consider this information carefully before saving.

Step 2: Optimising your images and ‘About’ section

You can now upload a profile photo and cover photo. Use something that is going to clearly and concisely show what the company is for the profile photo, such as a recognisable logo, as this is what will appear in searches. For the cover photo, you can be slightly more adventurous. Many companies choose to display a current promotion or image they have had made especially for social media which shows the brand’s personality, as social media is all about getting to know the brand. A great example of this in action, and also of engagement with the audience is Unilever’s ‘Featured Fan’ campaign.

Your ‘About’ section has 2 parts. The first is the main description in which you sum up your company in 2-3 sentences. You will then have the chance to add a much lengthier description to appear when the ‘About’ section is clicked. So it is important to have some form of call to action in your main description, as this is where you must really work to encourage the visitor to click through and find out more about your company. Many companies also opt to include their website address in the main description for ease of access. In the lengthier description you can then describe your brand’s values, history, services and products, any information you feel is relevant. You can also add in location information, website details,  links to your blog and other social media, and any other relevant sites.

Step 3: Keep The Fresh Content Flowing

If you want visitors to Like your page and keep them returning then you need to offer them something in return. That is why a fresh flow of relevant and interesting content is vital to the success of your page. This content could come from anywhere, be it your own company’s blog, other interesting blog posts that link to back to your industry, news articles that your audience would find of interest, useful tips and advice, and most importantly conversation starters.

Conversation is the main aim of social media, as people visit your page to get to know the brand, take something away (content/useful information), and most importantly feel like they have the opportunity to have their voice heard and listened to by your company. People use tools such as opinion polls, multimedia (images, video, etc) and calls to action to engage visitors. Costa Coffee is the king of engagement at the moment with their ‘Your Toy in Our TV Ad’ campaign for their UK Facebook community. (See step 5 for how to monitor audience engagement).

Step 4: Attract Your New Audience

Once you have an exciting and optimised new page filled with fresh content, it’s time to start showing it off! There are many ways to build an audience, such as placing a ‘Like’ button or link to your page on your website, blog and other online channels, using incentives or ‘like-gates’, such as 100% Organics’ Facebook shop which offers exclusive deals for fans. There is also the option of using the Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising service offered by Facebook, which allows you to target and attract a fresh and relevant new audience, and is ideal for all company sizes and industries as there are no minimum budgets or limitations to how wide or narrow you can tailor the target areas.

Step 5: Monitor engagement and measure success

So you built the page and populated the perfect page, and you have gained the fresh new audience, but the key to making your page a consistent success is to be constantly engaging your audience. Keep checking the page for likes, comments and messages from visitors, and be sure you aren’t ignoring any of them, as this can have a strong and detrimental effect on your brand’s reputation.

You should also take advantage of the Facebook Insights feature, which shows you the reach of your page on a whole as well as how the audience engaged with each individual post, including the virality percentage. This is a valuable tool when assessing your brand’s online presence and impact, as well as for planning future campaigns.

YouTube seems to be lost on many businesses as they don’t understand how it can benefit them. They therefore choose to set a basic channel up and ignore it for months at a time, or don’t bother to set one up at all.

The reality is over 800 million people worldwide watch videos on YouTube each month, and millions of subscriptions to channels happen daily. Meaning YouTube is a form of social media that can no longer be ignored by businesses, but some don’t quite know where to begin. That’s why I have put together this guide to creating the perfect corporate YouTube channel, with examples of corporations who do it well and why.

Step 1: Test The Water

Online marketing and social media are ever-changing, as are your audience’s reactions to them, and therefore experimentation and adaptation are musts. When you first create your channel it won’t be perfect instantaneously, as you will need to use analytics and insights to shape your channel’s design and content according to your audience’s reactions and engagement (or lack of).

Instead of concerning yourself with gaining thousands of views and subscriptions straight away, use this time to test the water. Set up a channel with a simple but customised design—something that reflects the look and feel of your website often works well—and populate the channel with some content along the lines of what you plan to add more of. Then post some links to this content on your other media, write a blog post about your new channel and ask people for their feedback.

Step 2: Set Objectives and Plan Campaigns

Dell’s YouTube Channel[/caption]Now you have received some feedback and a general response to your first few videos and the overall look and feel of the channel, you can now start to make some changes and plan marketing campaigns.

When planning the campaign it is important to determine what your marketing objectives and overall brand strategy is, and how YouTube fits into this. Are you planning to use the channel for customer support, to promote brand awareness with a list of subscribers and/or generate leads? It is important to remember that it is likely each video you upload will not be able to encompass all of your objectives, so decide what content will cover which objectives, and where possible group them. A good example of this is large B2B and B2C technology company Dell. They have encompassed lead generation, brand and product awareness, and customer support all in one YouTube channel by using tabs to group the different categories of video.

Step 3: Perfect The Design

The overall look and feel of your YouTube channel should feel comforting in a way that it doesn’t differ too much from your website design and the feel of your brand. It should also be engaging and exciting in that it offers something slightly more than your website in terms of video. Siemens is a prime example of this. Using a custom design they have turned a generic social media channel into a unique place of their own, almost like having a second website. A home from Siemens home in effect.

 

Step 4: Never Let Things Get Stale

Now you have set up your channel, customised the design and got the right content balance, don’t be tempted to sit back and relax. Keep using analytics and insights to gauge your visitors’ reactions and engagement, see what gets their juices flowing and what’s boring them. And use this information to tailor your future content and adapt new design tweaks to the visitor’s preferences. You may even find this information makes you change your original objectives and strategy, but that is what it is there for. Keep mixing things up, experimenting and adapting to your visitors, and they will keep coming back for more, guaranteed.