With spring fully in session, most of us are gearing up for a fresh start as we scrub down our homes, sort through the piles of junk in our desk drawers, and organize the mountains of clothes in our closets.
While some of us may not like cleaning, the idea of tossing out the old and getting a fresh start has made spring cleaning the cultural phenomenon that it is today.
So why stop there? Why not give your social media a spring makeover as well? Considering the dearth of social platforms at our fingertips today, it’s likely that your online presence is just as cluttered as your kitchen junk drawer.
In the spirit of the times, here is a ‘Spring Cleaning Checklist’ for each of your social media platforms:
- Change the cover photo. When was the last time you updated the Cover photo on your Page? The Cover photo is the first impression a potential supporter has when they visit your Page, and it needs to catch the eye.
- Add a video to the Cover. Why not increase the visibility and attractiveness of your Page by adding a Cover video?
- Update Pinned Post. Make sure your Pinned Post is the first thing that you want people to see when they hit your Page. First impressions are everything!
- Rearrange tabs. Is it time to rearrange the tabs on the right-hand side of your Page? Maybe you want to list Fundraisers first, or Posts, or Videos. Decide what you want to feature as you only have 2 seconds to grab someone’s attention when they click on your Page!
- Look at the About section. Is all of the information correct? Pro tip: Change the URL to go to an introductory video about your organization, or your Success Stories page of your website. This will make it more distinct than a basic Home page – the more targeted the better.
- Update your bio. Check links, key words, hashtags – make sure everything is up to date and makes you easy to find.
- Change the Pinned Tweet. Is the Pinned Tweet from months or even years ago? It may leave a bad first impression if it’s the first tweet people see when they land on your account.
- Create Cover art. Many Twitter accounts have pixelated or non-existent Cover art.
- Use Twitter lists. Twitter lists help control the firehouse of information that is the Twitter main feed.
- Evaluate your timeline. The Twitter feed is no longer chronological – much like Facebook, they use an algorithm to determine what they think you will most want to see.
- Clean out inactive people.
- Change link in bio. Your link in bio is the only place where you can put a clickable link to an outside website (unless you use ads or put them in Stories), so use it wisely.
- Add Instagram Story highlights. You should create Instagram Story art, using Adobe Spark, and put your best foot forward in your highlights section, directly under your bio.
- Clean house. Your Instagram feed functions like an art museum – carefully curated, aesthetically pleasing, and the best of what you have to offer. You can always delete old Instagram photos that don’t fit with your aesthetic or didn’t get a lot of engagement.
- Add hashtags to older posts. To get more engagement on older posts that you think need more exposure, go back into the captions and add a few more hashtags, tag relevant accounts, and add a location.
- Update your headline. Your headline is the most important part of your profile, as it is the first glimpse people see when they receive a connection request from you or get a suggestion from within LinkedIn.
- Rework your summary. Your summary should be personable, friendly, and convey who you are and the benefits of what you do. Focus on the impact of what you do, not the features of your work.
- Leave some Groups. Go through your list of Groups and make sure that you are still interested in participating. Leave Groups that no longer fit with your interests, or that are inactive.
- Clean up your inbox. I take some time each month and go through my LinkedIn inbox to make sure that no messages have fallen through the cracks, and to delete or archive all the old connection requests.
YouTube
- Check keywords. YouTube is the #2 search engine in the world. Make sure that the keywords are featured prominently in the video description and title.
- Write great titles. Titles are essential for search, and vital to get more followers. Boring, non-descriptive titles will not get as many views and comments.
- Add calls-to-action. In the caption of the video, be sure to add a call-to-action with a hyperlink: Sign up for our newsletter to stay in touch, make a donation, read our blog, etc.