Social Media Setup
Choosing and configuring
Platform choice follows audience and objective, not fashion: a B2B firm may live on LinkedIn, a visual retailer on Instagram, a local service on Facebook and local listings. Setup steps recur across platforms. Claim a handle consistent with the brand and check availability before publishing. Complete every profile field - profile image, cover or header image, a bio that states what you do and for whom (often searchable, so include the category keyword), location, contact details, a single clear link, and business hours. Convert to a business account or page rather than operating from a personal profile; business tools unlock analytics, advertising and scheduling.
Governance matters: assign page roles on least-privilege principles (admin, editor, analyst, advertiser), enable two-factor authentication, and record recovery details in a shared vault. Agree community guidelines and moderation rules before launch. Build a content calendar and define visual templates so posts stay consistent. Note platform constraints: character limits, image ratios, link behaviour, and hashtag norms differ - hashtag stacking that works on Instagram looks spammy on LinkedIn.
Traps
- Confusing a personal profile with a business page; deleting the wrong one loses followers and history.
- Assuming identical content can be cross-posted everywhere unchanged.
- Forgetting that deactivating and deleting an account are different actions.
- Publishing before roles and recovery access are documented - a leaver can lock the page.
Rule of thumb
Before the first post, run a completion check: handle, image, bio with keyword, link, category, contact, roles, 2FA, guidelines. Incomplete profiles are a standard exam answer for "why is reach low?".