How to Spring Clean Your Social Media Strategy for 2020

Social media may be fun and informal, but effective marketing over the channel takes organization. As the New Year rolls around, it’s the perfect time to give your social media strategy a spring clean.

A little tidying up will focus your energies, and help you to get the most out of the opportunities 2020 will offer. Here’s what to do:

1. Audit Profiles and Bios 

Go through all your social media profile pages and check that they still accurately reflect your brand identity. And while you’re there, see if you can optimize them to make them more compelling. An attractive profile can turn an interested reader into a long-term follower and customer, so make sure every profile is 100 percent on-point.

2. Check Media Quality 

Review all your profile logos, photos, videos, and other media to make sure they’re up to standard, technically. An acceptably low-grade image uploaded a few years ago can send a very poor impression today.

3. Review Account Security 

Although improving your social accounts’ security doesn’t directly contribute to your bottom line, reducing the chances of a breach is an essential investment.

Take a little time to strengthen your passwords, review team members’ posting rights and admin access, and update any automation software you’re using. By staying on top of security you’ll hopefully never find out for yourself the devastation that a hacked social media channel can wreak on your business.

4. Content Audit 

There’s a large intersection between social media and content marketing, so make sure the two disciplines combine as well as they can. Which content posted to your accounts has stopped performing as well as it did, and could use a nudge from new social activity? Which content is out of date and needs freshening up? Have you any content which no longer reflects your brand or social media strategy, and which should be removed?

5. Tighten Up Your Calendar 

A social media presence that works in fits and starts will never be as effective as one with disciplined, well-planned output. How tight is your content and posting calendar? How central is it to your strategy? If this is an area where your organization is lacking, paying it a little attention can bring lasting returns.

6. Rationalize Connections 

As the months pass on your social strategy, you’ll build up a long list of accounts you’re following and being followed by. New Year is a good time to prune these back into shape.

If you’re following an account that is no longer aligned to your brand, removing it from your lists will save you time and improve the definition of your network profile.

Similarly, check your follower list for bots, spammers, and other undesirables, and block them from your content. A cleaner network graph will boost your exposure levels as well as reduce the noise in your timeline.

7. Analyze Your Competition 

Analyze your competitors afresh to see what more you can learn from them. Which kinds of content are they producing that seem to be hitting home? Are they active on any platforms you’re not giving priority to? Are they working with influencers, and if so, how are they approaching it?

No matter how effective your own strategy and presence, if your competitors are operating on a higher level they’ll reduce your impact while they build up their own.

8. Review Your Metrics 

How do you know if your marketing strategy is successful? The metrics you’re using may no longer be giving you the clearest picture. Review which of your metrics still really matter, and see if you can define any new ones to give you a better insight into your overall progress.

9. Assess Platforms 

Lastly, one or two highly effective social channels will bring much better results than many mediocre accounts spread across every conceivable platform. Which platforms are driving worthwhile results, and which ones are simply resource drains? New Year is traditionally a time for resolutions and new starts, so it’s a good opportunity to make some big decisions about where your 2020 platform priorities will lie.

Successful social media marketing means being agile and reactive. However, if you’re always concentrating on the moment, your strategy will lose its focus. Once the festive season has died down but before the summer rush starts to build, a spring clean of your social media strategy could provide immense benefits.

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