Do you feel deflated, overwhelmed and frustrated whenever you are on any of your social media sites? If this is the case, it is the right time for you to evaluate your social media activities and reinvigorate your online spaces.
The following are some quick and simple tips you can use to declutter your social media immediately.
1. Assess who you are following
If your timeline is no longer interesting or is flooded with irrelevant content you are not keen on, a purge of some of the people you are following might be a necessary first step.
I would advise you to be ruthless. Do not keep on following people because they follow you or for fear that unfollowing them might hurt their feelings.
If you are not growing from following them or you prefer not to interact with them unfollow or block them.
Your actions might lead to a loss in your number of followers but this will improve the quality of your timeline. The curated feed will offer relevant content and will compensate for the slight number of followers lost. This will help you clean up your online reputation.
2. Freshen up that headshot
One of my best advice for maintaining a strong social media brand is to use one headshot across all social platforms. Being consistent is vital in ensuring brand recognition and getting the audience to give you attention. Always use a recent image of superior quality that offers a glimpse of your unique personality. Preferably, you should change your headshot at least annually but not more than once in a quarter. (Though you need to keep your image current it must also be instantly familiar)
My go-to tips are:
1. Take the image outside in a bright area
2. Dress smartly but maintain your style – avoid wearing things that do not represent your personality
3. Use a pristine background with limited stuff – a white wall is usually perfect
4. Have several alternatives images and consult your audience, family or friends on the best option to use.
5. Remember to have a warm and friendly image. A smile will do the job!
3. Update your bio
Attracting the correct audience requires a formidable and coherent bio that is used consistently on all your social media platforms.
Then, there is the predicament of the notorious one-link-only feature on Instagram. The business world is a fast-paced environment with everyone contending with several projects on their plates. Hence for a lasting remedy to this issue, you need to have a webpage that will be the index for all the projects you are working on. An example is my Learn More page.
Show your achievements and connections. Employ mentions (@s), hashtags and links to market your projects and work, your partners, what your accomplishments are and your other platforms. This will assist your target audience find you and will lead to improved credibility as well as heightened interest.
4. Audit your Facebook and LinkedIn profiles
LinkedIn and Facebook bios are more detailed in comparison to the bio snippets that are shown on Instagram or Twitter profiles. That is very helpful in promoting your skills and your brand, so constantly updating that information is crucial. Use the following questions to assist you in refreshing your bio:
Are my contact details up to date?
Are the links I have provided up to date?
Does the information on the ‘Summary’ or ‘About Me’ section give true and authentic information about me and what I do?
Can adding videos and images to my profile increase the visual appeal of my profile?
Am I displaying my best work and supporting my claims?
Recently I shared some extra Facebook tips on Instagram:
5. Utilize lists on Twitter
Twitter lists are an underutilised tool considering the advantage they provide in assisting you to preserve connections, give attention to your target audience and keep abreast of the current trends and changes in your industry. Are you uncertain on how to begin using lists? The following are some list ideas you can experiment on.
Preferred profession news sources, to receive aggregated information at a single place
Partners – those who are a source of inspiration and who you share ideas with and collaborate with – to get the latest trends and to stay motivated
Biggest fans that you can conveniently get feedback from and in turn offer appreciation to
Prospective customers/clients, so that you can understand them and open engagement channels
Do not make this your major focus. However, it is important to study your competitors and how they are carrying on their promotion activities