Social media spring cleaning tips

Spring is finally here. While most Americans refer to the spring cleaning of their homes, business professionals should consider an annual clean-up of their social media accounts.

If it has been a while since you’ve reviewed or updated your social media accounts, now is the perfect time. Here are a few tips to make sure your social media spring cleaning is a snap.

Update your profile image. It’s a good idea to periodically update your profile images and headers for all your social media channels. Changing graphics on your social media profiles will freshen things up. Consider hiring a professional photographer for a crisp, classic headshot.

Update the “about” section on your profiles. Facebook’s section is critical for Google and SEO purposes. Review your “About” and “Bio” sections of your social media profiles so that they are current, keyword rich and descriptive. Add links to your website and other social networks whenever possible.

Untag yourself. Take time to untag yourself or delete any photos from years ago that are objectionable or distasteful. Start backward with the least-recent photos. You can make all your photos private but this doesn’t untag you; they can still be seen in other people’s albums.

Clean and organize your lists. It’s easy to hit the “add friend” or “follow” button without giving much thought to whom you’re following. Sweep through Facebook friend lists and pages you like, and keep only those that are relevant.

Create lists on Twitter that match your demographic and social influencers. It helps you to listen to relevant conversations based on the audience you’re targeting.  Don’t follow people just to have them follow you back.

Clean up your passwords. Social media accounts, from the ones you use every day to the ones you hardly use, should have secure passwords and different ones for each platform.

Review privacy settings. Facebook privacy settings change often, so now is a good time to review them. Also, review your other social media accounts, such as LinkedIn, to grant access or limited access to your profile as you prefer.

It’s the perfect time to do a little bit of social media housekeeping and planning for the spring season. Making these small changes could make a big difference in how your peers and customers perceive you.