In the almost 20 years since its advent, social media has radically reshaped the way we do just about anything and everything. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the retail space – it’s now easier than ever to sell your product, get in front of new customers and create a community surrounding your brand. To make it easier for brands to access these benefits, platforms like Meta (Facebook and Instagram), Pinterest and Twitter have created business accounts. These accounts give businesses access to more powerful tools and advertising capabilities.
This is a great opportunity, especially for home improvement retail brands. With the rise of DIY and the ability to share projects, plans and more on social media, you won’t have a hard time finding user-generated content or connecting with customers. Who knows, maybe your content will be shared (#DIYHomeImprovement #ProjectGoals #DesignInspo) and drive traffic and sales your way. The chances to build your brand and reap the benefits are too good to pass up.
Why Social Media for Business Accounts?
As we mentioned above, social media business accounts have many advantages that personal accounts don’t have. For instance, business accounts will give you lots of useful data that will help you understand who’s looking at your content, and how much engagement it’s getting. You’ll be able to set up special contact channels that can deliver customer questions and complaints to you so you can act on them quickly. You can sell directly from these platforms, too.
Here’s the best part: These business accounts also give you the ability to post ads in addition to native/organic content, which will drive more traffic to your accounts or your brand’s website. You’ll also be able to easily view each ad’s performance, A/B test new campaigns and implement quick changes when you want to. Maybe ads about a tool or product aren’t testing as well as the rest of your ads. No problem – you can stop or start ads whenever you’re ready.
Of course, there are a few pitfalls that anyone can fall into when creating an account. Luckily, we’re here to give you a few tips before you set anything up.
Account Setup Dos:
Do your research.
Before you start, do a little research to learn about platforms’ strengths and limitations. Some platforms, like Twitter, are more word-oriented; others, like Instagram and Pinterest, are image-oriented. If you have the capacity, you could consider YouTube, too. Do you have the resources to take on multiple platforms and generate content for all, or would you prefer to concentrate on just two or three? If you’re a home improvement brand, you might want to lean towards image-oriented platforms – but that’s not to say word-oriented platforms should be ignored. Not sure what to do? Our guide on digital marketing channels can help you decide.
Approach with a plan.
For your next step, think about what strategies you’ll use on your chosen platforms. Decide what metrics or KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) you’d like to concentrate on. Maybe you want to concentrate on engagement with your customers or focus on your sales. Whatever your goal is, identify the strategy you want to focus on and use the KPIs to guide you. If you want to move a particular SKU this month, you can shape your strategy around it.
You should also decide on what you’re willing to budget for advertising and maintenance for your social media. Twitter, as of this writing, now requires business accounts to subscribe to their membership program in order to run ads. As long as you have a budget in mind and know what you want, you’re on the right track. If you choose to work with an agency, they can help you develop a media plan to support your goals.
Set up your own page.
This is the moment of truth! Now it’s time to register your account. This is when you’ll choose your account username and profile picture, set up your payment method to run ads and sort out other details. When you register, assign it to a business email address that’s not associated with any particular employee or set up a new email address just for your social media. Try to keep your username simple, short and easy to spell so your customers can find you more easily. If you choose to expand to more than one social media platform, your usernames should be the same or as similar as possible – it will make it easier for your customers to find you. Don’t worry if you don’t have content to post right away – all you’re doing is staking your claim in the digital space.
Sometimes, though, hiccups can occur. If your desired business username is taken, you still have plenty of options. Some may have to deal with username squatting, where a user will try to persuade you to buy the account from them. If you’d rather not deal with that, you can always add words like Real or HQ into your new username to distinguish your account from any imposters. You can also obtain verification from the platform itself, which will add to your account’s legitimacy.
Follow security recommendations.
Unfortunately, there are malicious actors out there who might try to hack your account to steal sensitive information (like card numbers), impersonate you, post objectionable material or all of the above. If your business account gets hacked, it can damage your account’s overall credibility, so it’s best to stop it before it starts. In order to fend off hackers, follow all security recommendations that your chosen platforms recommend. If two-factor authentication is an option, take it.
There’s also the matter of passwords. Trust us, Password123 won’t cut it here. Up your password game with hard-to-guess passwords and random strings of numbers and letters. Try to change your password every so often, but be sure to let your agency or coworkers know what the new password is.
Account Setup Don’ts:
Don’t underestimate the power of social media.
Don’t sell social media short – it’s not just for moody teens and soccer moms. When used with strategy in mind, your business social media accounts have the potential to transform your business as a whole. You could see an enormous boost in sales, engage potential customers from every walk of life and open doors you might not have thought possible for your brand. Your social media presence will also lend legitimacy to your brand and company. Your social media might be the first step into the funnel for many potential customers, too.
Set up or convert a personal page into your business account.
There’s nothing stopping you from doing so, but if you do, you’ll miss out on all the special features and tools that business accounts have access to, including the capability to make and keep track of ads. Users can tell the difference, too. Without the respectability of a verified business account, you may risk looking like an imitator or another shady entity. The last thing you want is to appear sketchy to your potential customers.
Let an agency set it up for you.
You could pass the creation of your accounts off to a creative agency – plenty of brands have in the past. However, this can get complicated if you switch agencies. If you didn’t leave your last agency on the greatest of terms, your accounts could get stuck in a professional tug of war. It’s better to keep things simple: Just set up the accounts yourself.
Above all, social media is what you make it. And with it, you have the opportunity to take your business to the next level. So, what are you waiting for?
One More Thing
Is all of this sounding a little overwhelming? Social media has so many facets and makes so many changes so quickly that it’s hard to keep up. Maybe you’re unfamiliar with social media strategy. Maybe you’re too busy to worry about scrolling through comments and searching for content. Whatever the reason, it’s normal to want to hand the administration of your accounts off to an experienced agency. That’s where we come in.