Marketing & Brand Growth
A social media page that nobody updates can quietly work against you.
Many small businesses open accounts on every platform, post for a few weeks and then stop. A customer who finds a page last updated months ago may wonder whether the business is still working. This session helps owners decide where they actually need to be, set up a tidy business profile, post with a purpose and handle comments and messages calmly.
Explore this page6 sections
Social media is a shop window and a phone line, and it is public.
People often look at a business's social media page to check that it is real, active and sensible before they call or visit. What they find there shapes their decision, even when they never follow the account.
That makes the basics matter more than the numbers: an accurate profile, recent posts that show real work, a quick reply to messages and a calm response to a complaint. Follower counts matter far less than a customer feeling that someone is there.
What the session covers
35 topics across 7 areas. Seven parts, from choosing a platform to staying safe.
Where Your Customers Actually AreFit the platform to the customer.5
- Asking customers which apps they use and trust
- What each platform is good for, such as photographs, video, professional contacts or community groups
- Business-to-business and consumer businesses differ
- One or two platforms done well
- What to do with accounts you no longer use
You do not need to be everywhere. Being easy to find and recently active in one place is enough to begin with.
A Business-Ready ProfileThe first thing a visitor reads.5
- A business or professional account, where the platform offers one
- A clear name, photograph or logo and short description
- Contact details, location and hours
- A link to a WhatsApp number, map listing or website
- The same name and message as everywhere else
Posting With a PurposeEvery post should have a reason.5
Constant offers and discounts teach customers to wait for the next one. Mixing them with useful and honest posts keeps the page worth following.
- Show the work, answer a question, introduce a person or announce something useful
- Mix of types so it does not read like a continuous advertisement
- One clear action at the end
- Photographs and videos from your actual business
- Posting times you can keep up
Comments and MessagesBe quick and be calm.5
- Replying to questions in the same way each time
- Moving detailed or private matters to a call or a direct message
- Responding to a complaint without arguing in public
- Hiding or reporting abusive content using the platform's tools
- Who is allowed to reply on the business's behalf
Collaborations, Gifts and Paid PostsBe open about connections.5
- Working with local creators or customers
- Saying clearly when something is paid for, gifted or a partnership
- Following the platform's labelling tools and Indian advertising and endorsement guidance
- Not paying for fake followers, likes or reviews
- Not claiming results or health benefits you cannot support
ASCI and the Department of Consumer Affairs have published guidance on disclosing paid or gifted promotions. Check the current versions before running one.
Paying for ReachOptional, and with limits.5
- Boosting a post that already works
- A fixed budget and an end date
- Choosing people by area and interest, as the platform allows
- Reading the platform's own results carefully
- Stopping when it does not bring enquiries
Keeping Accounts SafeA hijacked page is a real business problem.5
- Strong, unique passwords and two-step verification
- A business email under your control, not an employee's personal one
- Removing access when staff leave
- Recognising phishing messages that claim to be from the platform
- Recording who has admin access
What participants leave with
- A checklist for a business-ready profile on each platform
- A four-week posting plan, with a purpose for each post
- Sample replies for common questions and complaints
- A short note on disclosure and platform rules
- A security checklist for business accounts
What this session is not
- A guide to going viral
- A promise of followers or sales
- A review of every app and its latest features
- Legal advice on advertising, privacy or intellectual property
How the session runs
Two to three hours, in a small group, with each person's phone. Participants open their own business profile in front of the group and the practitioner reads it as a first-time visitor would. They fix the essentials there and then, draft their four-week plan and practise replying to a couple of sample comments. Platform features change often, so the practitioner works from what participants see on their own screens.
What your students leave with
- A decision on which one or two platforms to use, and which to leave
- A business profile with the essentials filled in correctly
- A simple posting plan with a purpose for each post
- A routine for replying to comments and messages, including unhappy ones
- A clear idea of when and how to disclose gifts, paid posts and partnerships
- Basic safety habits for business accounts and staff access
Scheduled sessions
Nothing scheduled yet
Sessions are arranged with a college once a date is agreed. Ask us and we will find the right person for it.
A student rather than a college? See what is coming up, or ask your placement team to host this.
Be where your customers are, be accurate, and be quick to reply.
Tell us who your students are and what stage they are at. Sessions are free for participants.