Are Your Social Media Landing Pages Ready for Prime Time?

For businesses these days, maintaining a Twitter and Facebook account is as important as having a telephone number. In many cases, more so. Customer engagement on social media is at an all-time high and shows no signs of slowing down. Consumers have come to expect their customer experience to extend to their favorite social channels and if you’re not there to meet them, your competitors will be happy to step up to the plate.

Excellent content is vital to a strong social presence so don’t overlook Twitter and Facebook landing pages in the rush to post your next viral update. If your social media accounts are your customers’ hospitable gathering spot, those landing pages are your welcome mat. Here are some great ways to polish them up:

• Know your image sizes. Both Facebook and Twitter have specific guidelines for each image area on your account’s homepage so be sure to review them and adjust your pictures accordingly. Don’t try to squeeze something down to fit a tiny box or enlarge a picture beyond recognition so it’s just “good enough.” Use a free image editor to get just the right look and size. We like Skitch for Mac and Picasa for Windows, or you can check out PicMonkey for an online option.

• Clear the clutter. It’s tempting to include as much information as you can about everything your company has to offer, but this is definitely a case where less is more. Include only the images and static content that supports your company’s mission statement and goals. Save lower priority messages for other parts of your marketing campaigns.

• Be cool. Or warm. You want your content to shine, not get lost in a busy background or a jumble of color. Pick a color scheme that doesn’t overwhelm customers but that’s also in keeping with your overall message. Warmer colors are perfect for the down-home look that’s ideal for a dog groomer, while a security firm may want to go with cooler colors that play up the seriousness of its services.

• Include a call to action. More than likely your visitors came to your landing page looking for product or contact information. Of course you’ll include those important things on your page, but don’t forget to tell customers what to do with the info once they have it. A clear call to action belongs on every landing page, every time. In fact, it’s often a good idea to use that as a starting point when creating your page and then build everything else around it.

Social media bio and homepages can be tricky to get right, but it’s very important that your welcome mat gets people through your front door so they stick around to become lifelong customers. Don’t feel you need to tackle the project yourself and don’t be afraid to call in a professional to help you put your best foot forward.

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