How to Update Your Social Media Profiles

A while back, I wrote a post about spring cleaning your social media profiles.

I give such good advice.

I need to take it more often.

The social media landscape is constantly changing. Aside from that – my life and business are as well. I'm willing to bet that you're undergoing changes too. Your social media profiles give your visitors a taste of who you are as a person, as a professional, as a business owner. You want them to be accurate reflections of who you are, what you do and what you're looking for.

Here are my tips for updating your social media profiles:

Twitter

Update your bio! You have 160 characters – make them count! Who are you, what are you interested, what are you working on, where you located? (I'd love to see a city or country, not your longitude and latitude!)

When was the last time you updated your avatar? If I saw you at an event, would I recognize you?

While you’re at it, why don’t you remove a few inactive followers or people whose content no longer interests you?

Facebook

Personal Profile: Choose a cover photo that reflects your personality. Make sure your profile information is up-to-date. Update your privacy and activity settings so that people only see what you want them to see. I see A LOT of profiles with outdated work information. Make sure the company that appears (whether yours or someone else’s) is the one you currently work for or represent. And again, what's going on with your profile picture? If you're using a headshot of yourself and you're a business professional, would I recognize you on the street? Keep your picture updated.

Fan Page: Write a good intro that will hook your target audience.  Get a great eye catching cover photo. Add a few events and milestones to your timeline. Don’t forget to include pictures in your status updates – it will definitely attract your audience and (if your content is compelling), keep your posts in their news feeds longer. Go through your Facebook page tabs – are the links working? Are you linking to contests and promotions that have ended? Clean up time!

LinkedIn

Make sure your summary accurately reflects what you are working on and looking for. What's your expertise? What kind of job are you seeking? Who do you want to meet?

Make sure you include links to your website and/blog. Looking for a job? Open to sharing your expert advice? Update your contact preferences.

Like Facebook, don’t forget to update the information about your current position! I’ve seen people leave old job titles up for months after vacating a position. Let people know you’re looking – there’s no telling what opportunities might come your way!

Are you using LinkedIn's features to the fullest? (If not, you may want to check out my upcoming class) I find that many people are under utilizing this fantastic professional networking site.

Google+

Update your bio. Create a compelling introduction. Add something to the Bragging Rights section.

Make sure you include links to your other profiles as well as links to sites you contribute to. Make it easy for people to connect with you everywhere. Google+ allows you to share multiple links to your other sites so you might as well take advantage of it!

Are you getting any annoying email every time someone posts an update? Go into your G+ settings and mute them.

Are your circles a mess? Reorganize them and consider breaking them down as much as possible if you find them getting large and unwieldy. Instead of “Other Bloggers” – try “Mom bloggers,” “lifestyle bloggers,” “travel bloggers” and so on.

Pinterest

Just in case you didn’t already know, you can rearrange the order of your boards. Make your first four boards and the first five or so images on each board things that align with your company mission or your goals for marketing on Pinterest. This is what people will see first when deciding if they want to follow you or not. Happy Pinning!

Instagram

Update your profile! Include a link to your blog or website. Instagram doesn't allow much room for customization (which is nice, in a way), but you still want to keep your information up-to-date.

If you're not hashtagging your photos, try adding 2-3 for each photo. I've gained followers this way and also found users with amazing photos while exploring certain tags – it is a great way to discover new connections!

Can't think of what to post? Consider participating in a photo-a-day challenge.

Whew!

I've got my work cut out for me – what about you? I'll be spending the bulk of my clean up time on LinkedIn. My profile gets a lot of views, so I want to make sure that people see the right information. I will also be reorganizing some of my Pinterest boards and starting a few new ones, including one on small space organizing. Next on my list will be Google+, which grows on me week after week.

If you're feeling overwhelmed or you see lots of places for improvement, just pick one site to work on each day (or 2 to 3 each week) until you're finished.

So, your profiles are updated – now what? If you're a business owner or professional looking to boost your social media savvy, consider checking out my Social Summer School class that's coming up on August 13th. I'd love to have you join me!

There are also several great books out there to help you learn more about growing your network online:

The Zen of Social Media Marketing

The Social Media Starter Kit (currently free on Amazon as of 8/2/13)

500 Social Media Tips

…and many more…

What steps will you take this week to refresh your profiles? Let me know in the comments and drop a link so I can connect with you!