So we had a follow-up training on Social media for Start-ups last Friday. You can see pictures here.

The 1-hour long training featured tips on how Start-ups could maximise the use of Google+ and Facebook.

Google+ allows you create different circles that you can leverage on to segment your audience. E-commercep startups can have a circle dedicated to customers and another to suppliers. That way, information meant for each of those circles does not ever need to get mixed up. Start-ups can leverage on other Google Tools such as Google Maps to create more immersive experiences for their audience.

Start-ups can leverage on tools such as Google hangouts and Youtube to create engaging content based on their audience’s preferences. In those Google Hangouts, they could look to bringing social media influencers like MI or Japhet Omojuwa to help drive conversations around your brand.

Taking out time to also engage customers and people in your circles is something that start-ups should be careful not to overlook. Be sure to leverage on Google’s cool url shortener that may be found here.

Facebook

Start-ups need to Create a Facebook account for their brand. Facebook allows you change your url to look like www.facebook.com/cchubnigeria only after you have as many as 25 fans. Get members of your team to spread word about your brand on their personal pages too.

Organisations with dedicated marketing budgets look to pay for ads on Facebook. Start-ups should direct their energies on creating content that keeps their users and fans engaged. Don’t forget that having relevant content is the key to maintaining a sustained presence on social media platforms. Build lots of content in your resource folder ranging from profile pictures, cover photos, videos, trivias, throwout videos. Invest time thinking about creative content.

To keep your users on twitter informed about what’s happening on Facebook and Google+, you should look to tweeting links from those other platforms.

TIPs

Major brands are not overlooking social media, neither should you.

You can also give your brand extra visibility by hashtagging when you create content around national and public holidays e.g Independence day. You can ride the conversations around those holidays with relevant hashtags. You can RSVP to attend Part 3 here where we take a look at how start-ups can leverage 140 characters on Twitter.