How to get started in social media management: claim your business!

I routinely run across clients that have not claimed, listed or updated their business on social media. Merchants do not need to hire a third party to verify their business on the digital landscape. This is because listing your business is free and easy. It’s a great way to get your operation up and running, or update changes.

Be aware that some of the social media sites listed below offer upgrades for an additional charge, and some of this information may be used for email and telemarketing purposes. Beware of marketers contacting you claiming to be with Google. Google will not call you. These telemarketers usually say they want to help verify your site with them.

This verification process is very easy to do, and should be done by the business owner themselves. In addition to the cost savings of doing it yourself, you want to be in control of your content. You will also be able to be alerted and able respond to reviews of your organization.

There are many more social media sites than this, but the following are some important ones to start with.

How to list your business:

You will need your logo in various .jpg file sizes, typically 300 x 300 pixels. You will also need photos of your business interior and exterior, phone number, email, website address, etc.

Google My Business – search for your business and claim it (connects with Google Maps)

Apple Maps – register your business (you will need to set up an Apple I.D.)

Linkedin Company Directory – register your business

Better Business Bureau – register your business

Yelp – search for your business and claim it (they will try to sell you)

Bing – search for your business and claim it

Map Quest – search for your business and claim it (minimum $3 monthly fee)

Hubspot – register your business

Manta – search for your business and claim it

Four Square – search for your business and claim it

Merchant Circle – search for your business and claim it

Yellow Pages – search for your business and claim it

Local – search for your business and claim it (they will try to sell you)

Yellow Bot – search for your business and claim it

eLocal – search for your business and claim it (they will try to sell you)

Entireweb – search for your business and claim it

POI – GPS submission site (Garmin, Magellan, Navman, Route 66, TomTom, Nokia, Destinator and others)

Remember to keep your website updated with fresh authentic content. Google likes authority a relevancy. Customers reviews contribute to your standing on the web too. Google Street View 360º virtual tours also helps your rank. For expert Search Engine Optimization (SEO) advise, consult a professional SEO firm such as 2theTopDesign in Nashville, Tennessee.

Make sure your website is constructed properly. These are some questions to ask your webmaster.

Get your website monitored with Google Analytics. It’s free and provides great insights into your website traffic. More on Google Metrics.

Check your website health and speed with this free diagnostic by GTmetrix. More tools here.

#socialmediamarketing

Athens of the South Visual Design

417 Prestwick Court

Nashville, TN 37205

United States (US)

Phone: (615) 477-0737

Website testing for non-geeks:

Do you really know how well your website is configured?

Just because a website looks good, doesn’t mean it’s functioning properly. There are a variety of free diagnostic services that can be used without having to buy, or register for anything. There are a lot of moving parts and metrics behind this preverbal tech curtain: page load time, mobile adaptability, data structure and hierarchy, image compression, etc.

These are just a few of the many free resources:

Web Page Test – a report-card like summary of your sites health (listed above).
Google Structured Date Testing Tool – it looks at the navigation efficiency of your site.
Google PageSpeed Insights – a website speedometer.
Pingdom Website Test Speed & DNS Health – speed and health.
Responsinator – a really cool view of how your site looks on a variety of mobile devices (Android & Apple).
Website Pulse – another speed metric test.
GTmetrics – another report-card like summary.
Google Analytics – this requires registration and some coding in order to use. It provides an amazing amount of demographics like age, gender geography, user flow through the sites, plus much, much more.

If your site shows failing test grades consistently, consider a website audit. Audits are best performed by an independent third party. It’s a wise investment in your business. Websites are like humans, plants and animals. They all need care & security to live and flourish.

NOTE: Several test samples should be taken to get a clearer picture. Browsers, time and the geographic location of the servers can vary the results. These are only tools, and like medical diagnostics, a professional should be consulted to fully interpret the information.