​An Important Part of your Brand
 
How many of us set up social media accounts, add pages for our business and spend time posting, following, liking and commenting but never look at, or review, our social media profile sections?

We spend time and sometimes money on optimising our websites for search engines whilst many social media profiles are left blank or with only a very sketchy outline of what we do.  Interestingly I do a lot more posts on Twitter than Facebook but in a Google search my Facebook page comes up far earlier in the list due to the words I have used in my page profile.

For personal profiles it is important to come across as friendly but professional.  People very much buy people.  I would therefore strongly recommend a good quality head shot especially for LinkedIn. You can be less formal with Facebook and Instagram but still give an accurate impression of yourself.
If I am looking for people to link with and don’t already know you I will skip past any profile that has a blank grey square and no photo and I also don’t wish to see your baby, dog, cat, tortoise etc. in a business related profile.

Use your personal profile to tell people about you, what your values are what motivates you and your link to your business.

Your business page profile on any platform should give a very clear idea of what you offer, who your product or service is aimed at and why your offer will help them.  For example, Helping businesses in South Devon achieve growth and success through effective business planning & marketing strategies.
In the description area use as much of the space as possible to explain your offer in more detail using words that you would like to be found under when prospective customers are searching.

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All social media platforms are searchable under interests and activities so by optimizing your social media profiles you are becoming more visible.

On some platforms, business description categories are very prescriptive and not flexible, especially for businesses that offer a range of services so it is important to opt for the one that you wish to be found under. If that is not clear you might consider listing under a different activity on different platforms for example, I may list under Business Consultancy on LinkedIn but under Event Management on Facebook. You can then expand on your other services in the description area.

Photographs and images are important – you need to adapt your logo to fit the parameters on each platform – for example the Facebook shape is a circle so make sure you adapt for this rather than cutting off part of your image and that you use an image that is clear and not pixilated – first impressions do count. (Just be aware that the LinkedIn Android app does sometimes pixilate some banners).

If you use a designer or have access to design services such as Canva then make bespoke cover images for your platforms and adapt these for each.  LinkedIn should be professional but you can have a more fun image for other platforms to convey your personality.

I have been asked before about using cartoon or caricature images – I would say it depends on what you do.  Something fun and quirky would be very acceptable for a graphic design business but may not go down as well for a law firm for example.  Whatever images you use do make sure that they are royalty free if not your own.
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Finally check the privacy setting for your business page profiles – privacy barriers need to be removed and set to public or only existing connections will be able to find you.
If you would like a review and emailed report on your social media accounts email  [email protected] these are free of charge until the 31 May 2020
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

​On Torbay Hour last night I was asked if I could put together some top tips on funding bids and applications.  So below are my thoughts which may help businesses to access funding at this difficult time.  Some grants relating to Covid-19 will be automatically allocated but as we come out of lockdown and need cashflow to restart, other sources of funding may need to be looked for.

1. Be prepared – you will need to be able to explain your business/organisation, what it does, for who, why you need funding and what the long term plans are when the funding finishes.  A three year Business Plan is a good tool to do this and for some applications, financial forecasts will be required too.
2. Ensure you understand the difference between loan funding, grant funding and equity funding.
3. Funding bids are time consuming – ensure you qualify for the funding you are applying for or it could be a lot of wasted effort – you may want to employ a professional to do this for you as they will know the relevant avenues to explore.
4. Consider whether to write the application yourself or outsource.  Some schemes only allow one application so getting it right first time is vital.
5. Fully review all criteria – all questions must be answered as panels often score each area and a minimum number of points need to be scored to move on through the process.
6. Remember if you are applying for a loan the lender has an obligation to ensure you can repay it so only apply for what you are sure you can manage.  In the current climate the  CBIL scheme is government guaranteed but ultimately is still your debt and defaulting will have  a long term impact on your credit rating.
7. If you write your own application get it overviewed by someone outside of your business – it must be logical and understandable to the assessing manager/panel and industry terms that may make sense to us may not mean anything to a third party.
8. Be prepared to be asked to present to a panel particularly for grant funding that is limited and you are competing with other businesses for. If asked to present ensure you stick to requirements e.g. if you are given 10 minutes ensure you stick to 10 minutes and get the most relevant information over first.

We are happy to talk to anyone who needs advice on this subject and offer a free 30 minute telephone consultation to discuss your business needs and options you can consider. Give me a call on 07717 130226