The entire month of April, we are talking about what kind of spring cleaning your business needs to get done in 2022. Your marketing plan needs to be clean so that it’s ready for the rest of the year. You get busy. That is okay, but it won’t hurt you to take a minute to go through your information and make sure everything is what it should be. Last week we talked about spring cleaning your business as a whole, and this week we will discuss how you can clean up your social media. 

 

Check Profiles and Cover Photos

 

Checking your profiles and cover photos is important because it is the first thing people normally see on your page. Make sure your headshots are up to date. You don’t want to keep a headshot that doesn’t even look like you anymore. Change it to something more current. You should also check the cover photos on your social media accounts. They should be up to date and relay current information to those viewing your page. Don’t forget to also check your icons on Instagram and Pinterest as well as your thumbnails on Youtube. 

 

Complete and Edit Facebook and LinkedIn Profiles

 

We often see profiles on Facebook and LinkedIn that aren’t filled out. People get tired of putting the information in or don’t know what to put so they just leave pieces of their page blank. Your pages must be fully filled out. Make sure you have a title and “what’s in it for me” section included. You should also make sure your profile is connected to your business page on Facebook rather than your personal page or corporate page. Check to make sure your contact information is up to date. The last thing you should check is found in your privacy settings. You want to make sure your birthday is not available to the public. People can do a lot of damage with a name and birthday. 

 

Check the About Section

 

Every platform has an about section that is searchable both on the platform and on google. You should make sure that these sections are branded. Give the same message to each platform to keep them consistent. Also, make sure your about sections have keywords that relate to your business. This way, when people are searching for the type of work you do, they will easily find your accounts. The about section on LinkedIn should be completed and sound like you are talking to your audience. No one wants to read unorganized thoughts or a list of what you do. 

 

Hashtags 

Hashtags are an important part of a caption that many people mess up. You should first make sure you are using hashtags, and then see if they are working for you. We recommend that you check your hashtags every 3-6 months. Hashtags get stolen and people use them for things you probably don’t want to be related to your business. Your hashtags should have three categories. First, you should have hashtags that apply to a large category. These are hashtags that millions of people use. Next, you should have hashtags that are more specific to you but are still seen by a large number of people. A hashtag that includes your area is a great example of this. Lastly, there should be hashtags that are branded to just your business. We like to use #socialu and #carynterradas for this category. 

 

Insights and Analytics 

 

Check the stats on your profile to see how you are doing. Is your account growing? Is the platform you are using working for you? Make sure that your platforms are going to help you find your next customer rather than waste your time making posts no one is seeing. 

 

Content Calendar

Reviewing your content calendar periodically is vital. You don’t want the information you post to get boring or repetitive. Look at what content is working and replace the content that isn’t working. We suggest adding How To’s into your content calendar. 

 

Check on Your Competitors 

 

We rarely suggest that you see what your competitors are doing, but it doesn’t hurt to look occasionally. You don’t want to copy them, but their content could spark an idea of your own. The best comparison to make is yourself a year ago versus you now. 

 

Following

 

Do you ever feel like your news feed is full of accounts you don’t care to see? That is why it is important to clean up your following. Unfollow accounts That you don’t want to see so that you can enjoy your feed again. 

 

Website Icons 

 

Review your website to see if your social media icons are correct. Make sure they send you to the correct page. You should also make sure all of your platforms are represented on your website. 

 

Consistency 

We say it all the time: Post consistently. Review how many weekly posts work for your account. If you are overwhelmed, post fewer times per week. Just make sure you are posting the same amount, on the same day, and at the same time each week. 

 

Wrapping up

 

That wraps up the steps to spring cleaning your social media accounts. Make sure your social media accounts are ready to help you succeed through the rest of 2022. Next week tune in to hear about spring cleaning your marketing plan!