March 15, 2016

4 Spring Cleaning Tips for Social Media

Taylor Ketchum – Vice President

Can you feel it? Spring is coming, which means many are starting to look around and get the cleaning bug.

Many are taking the time to clean their homes, car, office, desk...but what is your strategy, more specifically your social cleaning strategy? As professionals, many spend the last few weeks of Q4, planning for the new year. During that time, good ideas and honest intentions are set, but once the snow clears, many realize those ideas and intentions have gathered dust.

So I recommend using this time and knocking out a 4-Step Spring Cleaning Checklist to clear the clutter:

1. Quit Being A Slacker: Stop trying to do social media strategically without a content calendar. You should have a monthly content calendar filled with ready-to-go content based on company goals, targets, anniversaries, special events, etc. While you are at it, be sure to have a list of “already approved” responses to questions you get on repeat and have a set of posts ready for crisis situations.

2. Time for a deep clean: Have you reviewed your social media goals? Did you even set some social media goals? Review your pages, and clear up the clutter. Eliminate nonsense; remove the connections that have dead pages; look and connect with new pages and brands that inspire you. Use this time to update your cover photo and profile photos on social sites. **Personal Pro-tip: If you are part of the gmail email system, I recommend that your personal avatar be the same on Google, LinkedIn and Twitter. That way if you go from one account to another when connecting with a reporter, influencer, etc...they easily recognize you.

3. Get to be buddies with your analytics: At the end of this month (March...a.k.a end of Q1), if you haven’t already, review your analytics. I suggest using a tracking tool such as Sprout Social. Really dive in and see what your audience is engaging with and what age demographics you’re reaching. Find out what parts of the country or the world your content is connecting the most with. This will help you strategically for content development and also ensure that you are meeting goals.

4. Get to reading: If you work in the communication world, each week you should be taking time to read articles, watch video and attend webinars. There is a lot to learn, and you should always try to learn something new each week. If you work in the social media sector, you know the importance of staying updated on the latest trends and algorithm changes. I recommend checking out the webinars offered by Cision, Hootsuite and Michael Smart.

These are some easy steps, but yes it will take some time. However investing in good social media strategy is always a smart way to use your time.

Breath in that fresh clean social media strategy...smells good right?

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