By Tony Schwartz, “The Social Media DJ”
I’ve spent much of the last six weeks relatively quiet. No posts on my blog. Minimal content was added on my social media profiles.
And no, it wasn’t because I was off vacationing.
I’ve been focusing my efforts on “spring cleaning” each of my three event-industry business. It’s not a complete overhaul; but I do go through each and every aspect of my business with a fine tune comb and update much of it. From social media marketing to sales funnel, website design to template emails - everything gets a “fresh” look, or it is sent to the archives.
So why do I tell you about my last six weeks?
To inspire you to do your own “Spring Cleaning”, of course. (And no, you don’t have to be as extensive as mine!) And one item mobile DJs should definitely do a spring update of is their social media presence, especially before the busy summer season gets underway.
Here’s a few things to consider, as you do a “Social Media Spring Clean”:
First, make a plan. Much of my six weeks was spent trying to figure out how to become more efficient with my day-to-day operations, and social media plays a huge part of that. Having a plan for how to approach my social media content is vital; especially after a couple of years finding out what works and what doesn’t.
If you don’t know how to use the platform, you need to do either two things: one, invest the time into figuring out how to. Or two, skip to the third-to-last paragraph of this post.
Proceed!
Update your profile image for each account. Your logo may not have changed, but consider a different color scheme, new text, a new background image, etc. If you are a solo op, maybe it’s time for a new headshot, as you may be accidentally “catfishing” new vendors and inquires you meet.
And most importantly of all, make sure you have the correct optimal image dimensions for each platform. Unfortunately, image dimensions are not universal across the board. I’ve created a “Social Media Image Templates” folder for each of my companies; this will help speed the process as I periodically update a profile image for each account.
While you’re at it, let’s update that cover image, too.
Update profile descriptions and other sections with current information and content. Make sure your profile descriptions are consistent and have current contact information across the board. I recently searched my companies on Google and was shocked at how inconsistent the information was across various sites and platforms.
Also, for a platform like Facebook where you can add sections to your fan page, consider removing sections that are no longer applicable or are up-to-date. As the Facebook platform has evolved, some of the plugins you may have installed really aren’t necessary anymore.
It’s not a “Spring Clean” without throwing stuff out: consider deleting irrelevant posts and images that never registered enough likes or interaction with your followers. Perspective clients are reviewing your social media content. They will go through your albums. Make sure you have quality content that tells your story well.
Which leads me to this… it might be time to say bye-bye to some of your inactive profiles. You know what I’m talking about: that Twitter account for your company you haven’t used in two years but keep saying, “Well, maybe one day I’ll have time to use it…” - just delete it.
If you feel you must keep it to protect your company’s name, I’d recommend making it private then and stop promoting it. Seriously: take the platform link off your website. We’ve talked about inactive profiles before and the confusion they create for potential clients before.
It’s okay to not be on every platform. Know which platforms you are good at, and focus on them. Don’t stretch yourself thin on social media - the stress isn’t worth it. It’s better to be really good at one platform, then so-so on all of them.
