Social media is best for two-way communication. When one of your followers engages with you, that’s an opportunity to acknowledge their input with a “Like” or start a discussion.

*Facts and tips found on PRDaily.com

A Facebook page is linked to one specific Facebook account, but you can add additional administrators.

Once you have 30 “Likes,” Facebook provides feedback called Insights about your total weekly reach and who’s talking about your posts. This is a good way to gauge the best time of day to post and the topics that are best received.

Make sure writing is conversational and to-the-point.Buddy Media research shows that Facebook posts with 80 characters or less receive 66 percent higher fan engagement, and posts that are less than 40 characters in length receive 86 percent higher engagement.*

Time-Saving Tip: Create a monthly schedule of posts.

If you want another organization or person to “Like” you, then “Like” them to get their attention and show your support. You can also share their content on your page.

Ask questions. People are twice as likely to comment on a post that poses a question.*

Tell your audience what to do.* Like this post if you’re excited for the weekend!

Tips for FacebookTry to post on your page and check it every 1-2 days to see what’s getting attention and comments. You should always respond to comments, never erase them (unless they’re offensive).

140 characters or less!

Change your background by clicking on the icon next to the search bar, selecting Settings and then selecting the Design tab along the lefthand side. Upload an image of your logo, your best-selling product, or something else eye-catching that gives consumers a feel for who you are.

Tips for TwitterCheck regularly to see if anyone is talking to you or about you. Did someone tweet a photo of one of your products with a testimonial? retweet it!

Create your own hashtags. If you have a holiday sale, use #HolidaySale to talk about it. And to particpate in an existing conversation, use the hashtags that already exist.

Every tweet should have at least one hashtag, handle or link (or all of them!)

Some organization’s choose to link their Facebook and Twitter pages. I recommend that everything you post to Facebook goes to Twitter (but be careful of character counts!) and posting additional content directly to Twitter.

Don’t have time to spend the whole day Tweeting? Use a management tool like HootSuite, which allows you to schedule your Tweets, or Bufferapp, which schedules them for you as you enter them. But, still keep an eye out for consumer respones at least once a day.

Retweet content from your followers to show your support for their initiatives!

Many organizations choose to follow anyone who follows them, but that can mean a very crowded newsfeed. One way to manage that is through lists. You may want to create a “Takoma Park Businesses” list, a “Washington, DC” list, a “Friends” list for customers, etc.

Follow pertinent people and organizations, like businesses similar to yours, reviews/reporters/publications that cover your topic (especially blogs), or general TP/DC information sources.

Quick GlossaryHashtag: #, used to aggregate related tweets by a topic (ex. #TakomaPark)Handle: how an entity is identified on Twitter (@laurenrutha)RT: retweetMT: modified tweetDM: direct message.@ will go to all of your followers@ will go to the common followers you have with the entity you’re tweeting atFF: Follow Friday (suggestions for who to follow)

Tips for Pinterest

Keep track of what your followers are repinning so you can know what’s most successful.

If you link your Facebook account, Pinterest will find your Facebook friends who have their own Pinterest and Facebook accounts linked.

Create boards that will allow you to showcase your own products and interact with your followers.

Start developing your boards and pinning to them before you make a major push for followers.

Pinterest is most powerful when it comes to photos. Keep your text very light. Descriptions should be just a few words and include key search terms.

You can pin photos directly from your website, so when a follower clicks on your pin, it takes them right to your site.

Tips for Instagram• LikePinterest,Instagramisaveryvisualplatform.• Instagramcanonlybeusedthroughsmartphoneapps(iPhoneand Android).• YoucanlinkanInstagramaccounttoTwitterorFacebook,makingit easy to share content on those platforms.• It’safunwaytoplaywithphototreatmentsandtakeon-the-go pictures that express the personality of your business.

Tips for QR Codes• Standsfor“QuickResponse”Code.• Greatforboostingtraffictoyourwebsite,Facebookpage,Twitterpage, or anywhere else you want to direct consumers.• Canbeincludedonprintedmaterials(likeadvertisementsorbusiness cards) when there is more information to communicate.• Canbeaccessedbyasmartphonescanner.• Therearemanyeasy-to-usewebsitesthatwillhelpyoubuildaQR code to link to your website.

For local small businesses, Yelp isn’t just an option — it’s a neces-sity. People in urban centers use it to choose where to go to dinner, where to buy clothes, and where to be entertained. Users decide where and how to spend their money using Yelp, so if your busi-ness is local, you need to curate your Yelp page. — “Yelp for Business: 4 Steps for Success” on Mashable.com

This article suggests:1. Including all of the request information on your profile2. Monitoring and responding to customer reviews3. Making offers and announcements regularly4. Displaying “Yelp Badges” on your website, which can display your customer ratings.

And remember to “unlock” your business page on Yelp. You will have access to the number of views your page is getting, how many people are clicking through to your site and getting directions to your business.

Tips for Yelp

Prepared by Lauren Anderson, Fifth Estate CIPhone: (202) 525-1945, E-mail: lauren.anderson@fifthestateci.com