Most social media advice is about what to post and when. That’s useful, but it skips a step: the social media setup itself. If your profiles are half finished, set up under the wrong account or pointing to an old website, even great posts won’t do much for you.
Getting your social media setup right is a one-off job. Once it’s done, everything you post afterwards has a better chance of turning into an enquiry.
Social media setup starts with consistent profiles
When someone finds you on Facebook, then checks Instagram, then looks you up on Google, they should feel like they’ve found the same business each time.
Go through each profile and check these match:
- Business name, written exactly the same way everywhere
- Logo and profile picture, using the same version of your logo
- Phone number and email, ideally an email on your own domain
- Address or service area, so locals know you cover their town
- Opening hours, including public holiday changes
- Website link, going to the right page and working properly
- A short description that says what you do and where, in plain words
It sounds basic, but mismatched details are common. An old phone number on one platform or a logo from three years ago makes a business look less cared for than it really is.
A good habit is to keep a simple document with your official business details, so whoever updates a profile is copying from the same source.
Business pages versus personal profiles
Plenty of small businesses start out by posting from the owner’s personal Facebook profile. It’s an easy way to begin, and there’s nothing wrong with sharing your work with friends.
For the business itself, though, a proper business page and a professional Instagram account are worth having. They:
- Keep your business and personal life separate
- Let customers follow and message the business, not you personally
- Give you access to business features like contact buttons and insights
- Let you add other people as admins without handing over your personal login
A tip that saves a lot of grief later: make sure at least two trusted people have admin access to your business page. If one account gets locked or someone leaves, you don’t lose the page.
Link your accounts so they work together
Facebook and Instagram can be connected, so you can manage messages and posts in one place and share content across both. Once they’re linked, it’s easier to keep things consistent and you’re less likely to miss an enquiry sitting in one inbox.
When linking accounts:
- Connect your Instagram professional account to your Facebook business page, not your personal profile
- Use a business email address for logins where you can, so access stays with the business
- Write down who has admin access and where the logins are kept
- Turn on two-factor authentication to make the accounts harder to take over (the Australian Cyber Security Centre recommends it)
If your business uses LinkedIn, the same rules apply. Set up a company page rather than relying only on your personal profile, match the details to everything else, and link it to your website. It’s especially useful for consultants and businesses that work with other businesses.
Always link back to your website
Social media is a great place to be seen, but you don’t control it. Platforms change their rules, accounts get restricted, and posts disappear down the feed within a day.
Your website is the one place online that’s fully yours. That’s why your socials should keep sending people back to it:
- Put your website link in your Facebook page details and your Instagram bio
- Link to specific pages when it makes sense, like a service page or a booking page
- Add links to your social profiles on your website, usually in the footer
It works both ways. A visitor who lands on your website can see you’re active and real, and a follower who wants to book can find all the details in one place.
Real photos help here too. Using genuine images of your team, premises and work across your website and socials makes everything feel connected. Our brand photography through Bella gives you a set of photos you can use everywhere, instead of stock images.
Don’t forget your Google Business Profile
For a lot of local businesses, the first thing a customer sees isn’t your website or your Facebook page. It’s your Google Business Profile, showing up in search and on Google Maps.
Treat it as part of the same set:
- Match your name, address, phone and hours to your website and socials
- Link it to your website
- Choose the right business category and describe your services clearly
- Add real photos and keep them up to date
- Reply to reviews, good and not so good, in a friendly way
When your Google profile, website and socials all agree with each other, customers are less likely to get confused, and your business looks more established wherever people find it.
Want it done for you?
If you’d rather skip the settings menus, our digital setup and integration service takes care of it. We set up and connect your Google Business Profile, Google Analytics, Search Console, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn so they work together with your website. It’s quoted to suit, because every business starts in a different spot.
Because we’re a small team that also builds websites and looks after hosting, there’s no handballing between suppliers. The person setting up your socials knows how your website works.
Just getting started? Our free Business Starter Checklist walks through 23 steps from ABN to Google, in a printable two-page PDF.
Want a second set of eyes on your online setup?
We’re happy to look over your website and talk through how it connects with your Google and social profiles. Book a free website health check or free consultation through our contact page, or call us on 02 6610 9202.
