Am I Doing This Right? 4 Social Media Best Practices for Your Business

So, you've signed up for Twitter, or Instagram, or even Snapchat, and you're staring at your phone or your computer screen wondering what the heck you're supposed to do next or how you should utilize each platform—especially when it comes to your business. We're here to tell you that when it comes to social media and figuring out the best practices, the etiquette, and the best way to utilize it for business marketing, you're not alone in feeling confused or bewildered.

The world of social media has become a wild one and figuring out where you fit in on each platform can be a daunting task that might even turn you off from using it all together. But before you go running away from even trying your hand at it, we've got a few best practices you should follow to stay on track, especially if you'll be utilizing social media for your business.

Take it step by step—no one becomes a social media mastermind in a single day; just like anything else in your business, it needs to be built up. We've lined up the four best practices for getting your business up and running on social media, because at the end of the day, the online community is where more and more people are turning to discover more about the businesses they love—and you don't want to be 'unsearchable' in this day and age.

1. Defining your purpose:

Why are you on social media anyway? Before you post a single thing, you need to figure out exactly what platforms you'll be using and why you're using them. If you're already an experienced Facebook-er, this could be your chance to expand your horizons into setting up a business profile and tackling building out your network there. It could also be a great chance to tackle another platform you may not have tried yet, like Twitter or LinkedIn.

If you want to expand your business and professional network, then LinkedIn is the right place for you. But if you want to easily build up an online presence and interact more with your customers, then Facebook could be the right avenue. Many people are starting to turn to social media as their news source, so keep that in mind when you're determining your purpose for each platform. Facebook is one of the most popular platforms that online folks use to get their news and information, so what does that mean for the information and value you can share on the platform?