If you put your business on social media because you felt it was a must-do, you might find that the platforms you're on aren't producing rocking results. You may even be second guessing your decision. Step off the ledge, you small business maven, you!

The best way to nail your social media marketing is to create a solid plan integrated with your overall business strategy for the upcoming year. That of course takes some foresight and planning. But don't wait until you're thinking about a new year to work on your business' social media swagger. Here are five steps you can take now to give your social media presence a facelift.

Complete your profile
Gather interesting visuals
Write about the things that matter
Surf for engagement
Publish consistently

Complete your profile

We're our own worst critic, right? Put it to good use. Go back and take a good long look at that profile you set up in between a customer call and whatever fire, hopefully figurative, you had to put out and find the incomplete areas. No matter the platform, there's an opportunity to fine tune the profile so it really sings. It could be rewriting your bio, updating a pinned post or simply making sure your contact information is there!

People often forget about SEO in the bio. It's a prime opportunity to optimize for carefully selected keywords. For platforms like Instagram, experiment with hashtags and emojis to target your reach further. Followers search for those, you guys! I increased the following on my DIY Instagram account by 10 percent overnight this way and continue to see follower growth.

Gather interesting visuals

Once your profile basics are covered, up the ante with some stellar assets. This could be an updated profile pic that isn't of your dog (unless you're in the dog biz!) or making sure the images are the right size for the space in which you're using it. It's the first impression you make on that profile. It needs to count.

Write about things that matter

The expectation that you need to post all. the. time. is false! Content is growing at a record-breaking pace and brands are settling for quantity over quality, leading their online presence to suffer. Pull back, think about what business goals you're trying to accomplish, what questions your customers have and then have a little fun. The beauty of social media is that it's informal, 1:1 conversation between you and your customers. Stop pushing products and promotions day after day. A good rule of thumb is to post 80 percent of the time about things your client cares about and spend the other 20 percent talking about you and your product or service.

Surf for engagement

This is important. Don't be selfish on social media. In addition to the 80/20 rule, make sure you are actively seeking out opportunities to engage with your customers. Answer their questions. Look for opportunities to surprise and delight them. Stop worrying someone will say something bad about you. Chances are, they will. But your ability to stay ahead of the game, engage meaningfully and pull uncomfortable conversations offline will be a game changer.

Publish consistently

Cue the tumbleweeds. Much like our poor friends over at Vine, the internet is becoming a graveyard for opened accounts that never see the light of day. If you took the time to sign up for a social media profile, either publish quality content consistently or find a different venue.

Which of these tips will you implement today?

The Marketing Blog

Sara Tetzloff Consulting