Spring cleaning doesn’t have to be exclusive to your closet or garage- it can also be a great time of the year to clean up your social media presence. We usually think of spring cleaning as a time to get rid of the old and begin with the new. Just like our closets, our social media accounts can become cluttered and contain outdated information. Spring cleaning our social media can help us make sure our accounts are up to date and relevant. Using social media not only helps us stay connected with family and friends but can also serve to build our professional brands.
To begin your social media spring cleaning use the following steps:
- Make a list of all the social media platforms you have an active account/profile
- Make sure your passwords are updated
- Check your privacy and other settings (determine what kind of access you are giving to your accounts)
- Check your notifications
As you are reviewing your profiles here are some questions to consider:
- What message does your profile send to your followers? Do your accounts reflect your personal brand?
- Do you have an excessive amount of posts? Is it too cluttered?
- Is your profile picture current?
- Is your location and contact information up to date?
- Is your about or bio section up to date?
- Are you following people, groups, pages that are relevant to you (and your personal brand)?
Next steps:
- Begin the clean-up process by making necessary updates and changes to each of your accounts
- For accounts such as Pinterest and Facebook take a look at your boards and photo albums and organize them
- For accounts, such a LinkedIn make sure your profile picture is current (and professional) and your “Bio” section is current and descriptive of your experience
- For accounts such as Twitter and Instagram check on the accounts you are following – follow new accounts and/or delete ones that are just cluttering your feed
- For all your accounts delete any old posts, shares, re-tweets, etc. that are not appropriate or relevant to the message you want to send with your social media
Spring cleaning your social media presence is a great way to keep your accounts up to date and relevant. Remember that your social media platforms are part of your personal brand and you want to make sure you keep them updated.
