With the growing spread of social options for building brand awareness, do you know where you should hang out?

It’s impossible to be everywhere, so pick two or three platforms where your clients and prospects are hanging out and posting, sharing, and commenting regularly. To get the most out of your efforts, here are my top 7 practical strategies to ensure your brand is receiving optimal impact.

1. Include a compelling LinkedIn title or introduction to Facebook – Don’t say you’re a “freelancer” or a “business consultant.” Instead, tell people exactly what you can do for them; for example, “Copywriter, Marketing Strategist, and Brand Storyteller to Accelerate Your Sales and Profits.”

2. Write a compelling summary or About section: Answer the question, “what do you do?” As with all your marketing messages, write from your customer’s point of view. So what challenges do you solve or solutions do you provide – that is, the results your clients receive when they work with you?

3. Update your contact information: Please include your phone number, your full address if it is a storefront (link to Google Maps) and a link to your website. I am probably not the only one who has been on the road looking for a particular store and gets frustrated as I scroll trying to find an address or phone number. And similarly, I got to closed stores, even though their hours are listed as “OPEN”. If you change your business hours, please change your website and all social media listings.

4. Use branded images: When it comes to graphics, be sure to use a professional head image and not a pretty image of your dog. Really! This is your brand that we are talking about. Also include a branded cover photo or background image; do not leave the default blue background (LinkedIn) or blank. This could be your first impression, make it great!

5. Customize the visual content – Each social platform has its own design standards when it comes to the size of the graphics, so be sure to adjust the size of your graphics accordingly. I use Canva to create my graphics as they make it easy to resize an image for various platforms with a quick click of a button and a few small layout adjustments.

6. Share your videos: according to the LinkedIn expert. Goldie Chan, videos are shared three times more than still images. Create short videos (one to two minutes or less) that clarify a point, teach a lesson, or offer helpful advice. Add your logo and a call to action.

7. Create a social media calendar – By creating a posting frame, you can easily share content that resonates with your audience and promotes your brand effectively. Use an Excel spreadsheet or download a free template online to get started. List the products and services you want to promote each week along with inspirations (Motivational Monday or Fun Friday), customer stories, blog posts, video tips, shared articles, etc. The list is endless. Creating a frame for each week or each month eliminates the headache of deciding what to post each day and makes sure you’re not too salesy. These are “social” platforms, not a sales call.

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