Stage 3 • Get Found

Set Up Your Social Media Channels for Business (45 Min)

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You've chosen your platforms. Now it's time to actually set them up properly—before you post a single thing.

Most micro-businesses rush this step. They register an account, upload whatever photo they have to hand, and start posting immediately. Three months later, they're stuck with an inconsistent username, a blurry logo, and a bio that says nothing useful.

Setting up your social media channels properly takes 45 minutes. Fixing them later—whilst trying to maintain credibility with followers—takes considerably longer.

This guide walks you through registering and optimising 1-2 business profiles (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or your chosen platforms) with consistent branding, professional settings, and everything configured to actually help customers find and trust you.

Jump to: Quick Start | Full Guide | Troubleshooting

Quick Start (5 Minutes)

The 5-Step Setup:

  1. Confirm Your Channels: Review the 1-2 platforms you selected in Choose Your Primary Social Media Channel. Don't add more—focus wins.
  2. Register & Secure Your Handle: Use your professional email. Try to secure your exact business name as your username/handle. If taken, use a qualifier like "Official" or your location.
  3. Upload Visual Assets: Add your high-resolution logo as your profile photo. Upload a professional banner/cover image that matches your brand colours.
  4. Write Your Bio: Create a 160-character description stating what you do, who you help, and include your website link. Embed your Unique Selling Point (USP) if space allows.
  5. Switch to Business Account: Find the settings menu and convert your profile to a Business Account type (not personal). This unlocks analytics and professional features.

Complete Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Confirm Your Focus

Before creating any accounts, revisit why you chose these specific platforms.

If you selected Facebook because your customers are local parents aged 35-50, that decision should inform everything about how you set up your profile. If you chose LinkedIn because you're targeting other businesses, your bio and imagery will be more formal.

Don't second-guess yourself here. You've already done the research in Choose Your Primary Social Media Channel. Stick with 1-2 platforms maximum. You can always expand later once these are working.

Platform-specific considerations:

Write down your chosen platforms and the specific reason you selected each one. This clarity prevents platform-hopping later.

Step 2: Register and Secure Your Handle

Registration basics:

  1. Go to the platform's business signup page (not the personal account option)
  2. Use your business email address—never a personal Gmail
  3. Choose a strong password and store it in a password manager
  4. Verify your email immediately

The username challenge:

Your ideal username is `@yourbusinessname`. Clean, simple, memorable.

But someone else might already have it—especially on Instagram or Twitter. Here's your strategy:

Examples of successful variations if your ideal username is taken

If your exact name is taken, try:

  • •Add your location: `@yourbusinesslondon` or `@yourbusinessUK`
  • •Add "official": `@officialyourbusiness` (only if you're genuinely the official account)
  • •Use initials: `@YBbusiness` (if your business name is "Your Business")
  • •Add your industry: `@yourbusinessplumbing`

What NOT to do:

  • •❌ Add random numbers: `@yourbusiness2847` looks unprofessional
  • •❌ Use underscores excessively: `@your_business_name_` is hard to remember
  • •❌ Misspell your name intentionally: `@yur_bizness` damages credibility

Pro tip: Secure the same username across all platforms, even if you're not using them yet. Register `@yourbusiness` on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn today. You can set them up properly later, but at least you've protected your brand name.

Step 3: Optimise Profile Visuals

Your profile photo and banner image are the first things people see. Get them right.

Standard recommended dimensions for common social profile and banner images

Profile Photo (Your Logo):

  • •Facebook: 180 x 180 pixels (displays at 170 x 170)
  • •Instagram: 320 x 320 pixels (displays as a circle)
  • •LinkedIn: 400 x 400 pixels (displays at 300 x 300)

Upload a high-resolution version (at least 1000 x 1000 pixels) and let the platform resize it. This prevents blurriness.

Your logo should:

  • •Work as a circle (Instagram) and a square (Facebook/LinkedIn)
  • •Be recognisable at thumbnail size
  • •Use your brand colours from your brand style guide

Banner/Cover Image:

  • •Facebook: 820 x 312 pixels
  • •LinkedIn: 1584 x 396 pixels
  • •Twitter: 1500 x 500 pixels

Your banner should communicate what you do at a glance. Include:

  • •Your tagline or core service
  • •A relevant image (your work, your team, or your product)
  • •Your website URL or contact information (if space allows)

Don't have design skills? Use Canva. Seriously. Design your profile and banner images using their free templates specifically sized for each platform. It takes 10 minutes and looks professional.

[NETNAV INTEGRATION 1]

Not sure you've covered the prerequisites or if your branding is consistent enough for your new profiles? NetNav's Audit checks your overall brand consistency and website readiness in 60 seconds, ensuring you start on a strong foundation.

Step 4: Write a Power Bio

Your bio has one job: tell people what you do and why they should care.

You have approximately 150-160 characters (depending on platform). Every word matters.

An example of an optimised bio integrating USP, emojis, and a clear link

The formula:

  1. What you do (10-15 words)
  2. Who you help (5-10 words)
  3. Your unique angle (your USP)
  4. Call-to-action (link to website or booking page)

Example for a local plumber:

> "Emergency plumbing for North London homes. 24/7 callouts. No-surprise pricing. 📞 Book online ⬇️"

Example for a business coach:

> "Helping micro-businesses get unstuck. Strategy without the jargon. 🚀 Free audit below ⬇️"

Example for a bakery:

> "Handmade sourdough & pastries in Brighton. Order by Thursday for Saturday collection 🥖👇"

Bio writing rules:

  • •✅ Start with a verb (Helping, Creating, Delivering)
  • •✅ Include your location if you're local
  • •✅ Add one emoji maximum (for visual break, not decoration)
  • •✅ Include a clear next step (Book, Shop, Download)
  • •❌ Don't use vague terms like "passionate" or "dedicated"
  • •❌ Don't list every service you offer
  • •❌ Don't use hashtags in your bio (save them for posts)

The link in your bio:

Every platform gives you one clickable link. Use it wisely.

  • •Best option: Your website homepage
  • •Second best: A booking/contact page
  • •Also good: A link-in-bio tool (Linktree, Beacons) if you need multiple destinations

Make sure this link works. Test it. Update it when you run promotions.

Step 5: Configure Professional Settings (The Admin Panel)

This is where most people stop. Don't.

Switching to a Business Account unlocks features you actually need: analytics, contact buttons, and advertising options (even if you never use them).

Navigating to the Business Settings menu for professional configuration

Facebook Business Page setup:

  1. Go to Settings → Page Info
  2. Add your complete business address (if you're local)
  3. Add your phone number and email
  4. Select your business category (be specific)
  5. Add opening hours if relevant
  6. Enable the "Contact" button (Call, Email, or Message)

Instagram Business Account:

  1. Go to Settings → Account → Switch to Professional Account
  2. Choose "Business" (not Creator)
  3. Select your category
  4. Connect to your Facebook Business Page (if you have one)
  5. Add contact information (email, phone, address)
  6. Enable contact buttons

LinkedIn Company Page:

  1. Create a Company Page (not just a personal profile)
  2. Add your company logo and banner
  3. Complete all company information fields
  4. Add your website URL
  5. Invite your personal connections to follow the page

Critical: NAP Consistency

Your business Name, Address, and Phone number must match exactly across:

  • •Your website
  • •Google Business Profile
  • •All social media accounts
  • •Any business directories

Even small variations (Ltd vs Limited, St vs Street) can hurt your local SEO. Read our guide on NAP Consistency to understand why this matters.

[NETNAV INTEGRATION 2]

Ensuring all your online profiles link back correctly and use consistent branding is essential for SEO (NAP consistency). This is one of the checks NetNav runs automatically across your website and linked profiles.

Step 6: Test Your Visibility

Before you celebrate, verify everything works from a customer's perspective.

The visibility test:

  1. Log out of your account completely
  2. Open a private/incognito browser window
  3. Search for your business name on the platform
  4. Click on your profile

What you should see:

  • •✅ Your logo displays clearly (not pixelated or cropped badly)
  • •✅ Your banner image loads and looks professional
  • •✅ Your bio is complete and includes your website link
  • •✅ Your contact information is visible (if you added it)
  • •✅ The "Business" or "Professional" badge shows (not "Personal")

What you should be able to do:

  • •✅ Click your website link (and it goes to the right place)
  • •✅ See a "Contact" or "Message" button
  • •✅ View your business category/type

If anything looks wrong, go back and fix it now. Don't wait until you have followers.

Ask someone else to check:

Send your profile link to a friend or family member. Ask them:

  • •"Can you tell what my business does?"
  • •"Does this look professional?"
  • •"Would you click the website link?"

Honest feedback now saves embarrassment later.

Troubleshooting

What's Next

Immediate next step:

You've set up your profiles. Now you need a realistic plan for actually posting content. Don't wing it—create a simple routine: Template: A Weekly Social Media Schedule

Go Deeper

Want to optimise further?

Other Get Found Guides

More ways to increase your visibility:

[NETNAV INTEGRATION 3]

You've completed the crucial step of setting up your professional profiles. Before diving into content creation, let NetNav audit your entire site and newly linked social accounts across 9 pillars in 60 seconds—see what else needs immediate attention.

Run Your Free NetNav Audit Now →

Related Guides: Choose Your Primary Social Media Channel | Template: A Weekly Social Media Schedule | Simple Brand Style Guide

Go Deeper

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