From fortune 500 companies to startups, there’s a place for your branded content online. The key is learning how to make the most of your content. The potential audience you can reach is huge. Many of the most visited sites on the Internet are social media sites. Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and LinkedIn all rank in the top 10 in North America, and there are plenty more in the top 50.

Properly managing your branded social media feeds will not only capture new leads for your business, but it will also strengthen your brand image and customer loyalty and interaction. How do you make this happen? Follow the steps below to manage social media for your brand and optimize your results.

Step 1: Choose Your Channels Wisely

The first step to creating great content that will yield results for your brand is to choose appropriate social media feeds. Don’t go overboard thinking that you have to sign up for every last social media site out there. Consider what resources and types of content your brand offers and choose a handful of sites that are relevant.

Here are some of the most popular sites to consider based on what type of content you plan to share:

• General Content – Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, StumbleUpon
• Image Content – Tumblr, Instagram, Pinterest, Imgur, Flickr
• Video Content – YouTube, Vimeo, Vine, DailyMotion

Step 2: Fill in Your Profile and Upload Images

Nothing seems less professional than a half-filled in profile with a default cover. Take the time to set up your profiles correctly, and make them look professional and custom designed for your brand. It may be worth hiring a designer to develop images that look professional and promote the brand image you desire.

Here’s a Checklist of Things to do Before You Post:

• Fill in all sections on your profile
• Upload your company logo
• Add in a cover image, background or other visual touches
• Link to your website and other social media feeds
• Add share buttons on your own website

Step 3: Update Your Social Media Often

Whether you’re uploading videos, linking to relevant articles or simply sharing status updates, update your feeds frequently. Commit to a schedule and stick to it! Your social media feeds will only thrive if you put in time and effort to keep them updated.

Old content gets buried quickly in the fast-paced world of social media. Consistently updating will yield better results and capture attention from your followers. If you don’t think you can commit to posting frequently, consider hiring a marketing agency that specializes in social media management to update your feeds on your behalf.

Step 4: Optimize Your Content For Results

Optimizing your social media content is easier than you might think! Here are some tips to keep in mind to ensure you’re posting content that is relevant, interesting and will lead to results:

• Create a Voice and Stay True to Your Brand
  Your brand has a personality. Whether you’re serious, funny, wacky, sophisticated, or something else, own your brand’s tone and use it to your advantage. Share content that fits with and reinforces your brand personality!
• Remember Who You’re Writing For
  Branded social media isn’t just about your company. You’re ultimately writing content for your customers. Good social media management involves finding a good balance between promoting your brand and sharing social media content that is useful and relevant to your customers.
• Tailor Content to Each Channel
  What you post on Facebook versus Twitter shouldn’t be identical. Make sure your content is unique to each channel. Vary it up and take advantage of what each channel has to offer. Use #hashtags, word limitations, images and other features to your advantage!
• Build a Community of Followers
  When you’re writing content for your social media, think of each post as an interaction. Don’t just talk at your customers; get them involved! Ask them questions, or request they share their own images and thoughts. Increasing personalization on your social sites, will build a more loyal following.
• Embrace Video and Photo Content
  Adding visual elements to your social updates is a surefire way to gather more interest. Text can easily be missed or skipped over in a lengthy social feed. Images and videos, on the other hand, call attention.
• Optimize for SEO
  When in doubt, SEO (search engine optimize) everything! Anywhere you share content online, it’s a good idea to think about SEO. How exactly do you do this in short social media updates? It’s quite simple: think about the words you’re using, and focus on using ones that you want associated with your business. Google and other search engines crawl social sites and gather data about what keywords are being used in relation to your business.
• Don’t Focus Only on Likes/+1s/Views
  While likes and +1s can be nice to see, keep in mind they aren’t the end-all-be-all on social media. A good post doesn’t necessary have to be liked by hundreds of people to be worthwhile. That said, you can use likes and +1s to gauge what is resonating with your customers! For instance: if you notice videos are frequently more popular than image posts, focus on posting more videos!

Step 5: Consider Promoting Your Content For a Boost in Results

Another avenue you might consider exploring is paid advertising. Now, you’re probably thinking “Aren’t they just the annoying posts that hijack my newsfeed every day?” Yes those are paid posts. However, when done properly, advertising on social media can be a powerful and effective tool.

The benefit of using social media advertising to boost your posts, events and ads is the ability to target a specific audience. Think about it. Social media platforms are constantly gaining more and more information on their users. And what do you think they do with this information? They sell it to advertisers.

The variety of demographics available is incredible! For example, with Facebook, you can target people base on age, gender, location, employment history, education history, interests, hobbies, etc. The list goes on and on. Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn all offer paid options and provide you with valuable statistics and data after running your campaign.

Have you found your branded social media feeds to be a prime source of leads for your business? What kind of social media content do you find most beneficial, and what social media tactics have worked for you? We’d love to hear your experiences managing social media for your brand in the comments below.

Eden Advertising is a Toronto marketing agency with years of experience helping clients build their online profile. We offer clients comprehensive web marketing packages including website optimization, design, social media management and results tracking. Contact us at and we’ll help you determine how to strengthen your brand’s online presence.