Maintain focus to maximize your time
You are the CEO of a startup, about to launch. The website is looking great. You have an app and a product that looks like it will be an enormous success. Suddenly, you realize that you have no social media. Quick! What are you going to do? Here’s a high-level overview.
Choose Your Name
Make sure your name is available across all the platforms you are looking for. You may need to insert an extra space, or an underline (for example, my name, @Carol_Stephen, has an underline between my first and last names on Twitter). Now check that your name is available on all the other platforms, too.
Pick a Platform
The platforms with the most traffic are Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and GooglePlus. Depending upon the type of startup you’re in, you could also use Instagram and YouTube. But to simplify matters, choose the top ones you’d like, then pick one platform to start with. The easiest one is LinkedIn. Like juggling, once you have that first object in the air, you can add another and another.
Grab Your Handle
Register your name across all platforms–even if you don’t plan to start posting yet. Create an email account just for your social media, for example, social@startup.com, and use that email exclusively.
Organize the Names
Write down email, along with the login names and passwords in one place, and tell someone else on your team. Put the names into a Google doc, binder or other safe spot with office procedures. The number one problem I hear is that people have lost their own passwords. Yes, really!
Have a Backup Admin
Juggle one social media platform at a time
Make sure at least one other person is the admin for all your accounts in case something happens to you. This should be a trusted friend, co-founder, or your mom, but someone trustworthy and a little bit tech-savvy.
Designate a Lead
If your time is limited (and people in startups are always busy), designate one person as the social media manager. You may want to share this responsibility, depending upon how many are on the team. The lead will be the point person, and main decision maker for your brand.
What First Steps Would You Take?
Is there something else you would include for a startup? Let me know in the comments!
Those are great tips because I hear the same thing all the time.
Also, I love the FOCUS photo. Cheers!
Hi Bridget,
It is strange that people from solopreneurs to startups have the same issues, but I guess people are people. They forget to record their passwords.
Thanks for the compliment on the photo. It was taken in Orange County!
Carol