Social media can greatly expand the reach of your new business – in this guide, @UKplc Company Registrations explains how you can get started with this useful marketing tool

The vast majority of businesses, whether they trade online or not, can find great value in using social media. Not just a marketing tool; social networks can be used to build a community and increase your brand’s reputation. What your company does will affect which social networking sites are best for your business, but most organisations benefit from at least a Facebook or Twitter page.

In this guide, we explain how to create various social media profiles for your business. If you’re more interested in why you should be doing this, take a look at our post on social networking for successful business.

How to create a Facebook Business Page

There are two types of Facebook profiles you can create: a personal profile or a business page. Always opt for a business page and not a personal profile when creating a Facebook account for business use. It’s actually against Facebook’s terms and conditions to use a profile for business purposes and if you create a page, people can easily find your business, “Like” it and you gain access to Facebook’s analytics.

To create a business page, visit www.facebok.com, making sure you’re not logged into any existing accounts. Here you’ll find an option to “Create a Page for a Celebrity, Band or Business” – hit this and follow the onscreen instructions.

Alternatively, you can create a business Facebook page using your personal account, by logging in, navigating to the options on the right hand side of the page and clicking “Create Page”. This will connect your business page to your personal account and you can manage it from one place.

How to create a Twitter Profile

Unlike Facebook, you do not need to create a different type of profile when joining Twitter; individuals and businesses alike utilise the same interface.

To register on Twitter, visit the site, where you’ll see a “New to Twitter? Sign up” box. Simply enter your business name, email address and choose a password then click Sign Up.

Adding your company to LinkedIn

LinkedIn is the business social network. Companies are able to list themselves on the website in a similar fashion to Facebook. People can follow your company and you can share relevant updates, images and links.

To create a page for your business on LinkedIn, login to your personal account and click “Work” in the top right hand corner. You’ll then see an option to “Create a Company Page” where you will need to enter your company’s name and your email address at the company. There are a few requirements you must meet in order to be able to do this.

Getting started with Instagram for business

While image sharing platform Instagram may not be the first social network you think of when it comes to business use, it can be truly invaluable for certain types of business. Fashion, health and beauty, crafting businesses or other similarly visually led companies can all benefit from using Instagram.

To set up a business account on Instagram, which will allow you access to lots of helpful analytics, you will need an official Facebook business page for your company. Next, set up a normal Instagram account by downloading the app and following the instructions. Once your account has been created, go to your profile, click settings, connect your business Facebook page to your account and then the option to “Set Up Your Business Profile Page” will appear for you.

Pinterest for businesses  

Much like Instagram, Pinterest may be a social networking website you do not associate with business use. However, many businesses not only use Pinterest, but gain value from it too. It can be great for brand awareness and increasing traffic to your website. To get started, just click here and follow the easy instructions.

The information contained within this blog post was correct at time of publication. We will be periodically updating this post to ensure it remains up to date.