Clean Up On Aisle 5: Your Messy Social Media Presence.

Have you heard the phrase "clean up on aisle 5" over the loudspeaker at your local grocery store? It's a call to action to tidy up a messy part of the store, and a great analogy for your social media presence.

I responded to questions on my local neighborhood Facebook group. Within an hour a couple of my pages received likes. Well, that’s good I thought until I realized the pages were out of date. There were former sites, old emails, and phone numbers. The headers were sad and no new posts in a long time. Ouch. I have been more active on LinkedIn and newer social media sites neglecting what was already in place.?

Just like a grocery store, your social media accounts should be fresh, organized, and easy to navigate. If you've been neglecting them for a while, they may have become cluttered with outdated information, irrelevant posts, and even embarrassing content.

If that's the case, it's time to clean up on aisle 5! Here are some tips to get you started:

• Start by reviewing all your posts.?Delete anything that is no longer relevant, outdated, or embarrassing. You should also remove any posts that could be seen as offensive or unprofessional.
• Update your profile information.?Make sure your bio is up-to-date and accurately reflects your current interests and experience. Check your profile photo and make sure it's a current, somewhat professional, and flattering representation of yourself.
• Organize your followers. If you follow a lot of accounts, it can be helpful to create lists to organize them. This will make it easier to find the content you're interested in.
• Set social media guidelines for yourself.?Decide what kind of content you want to share and what you want to avoid. It's also a good idea to set limits on how much time you spend on social media each day.
• Consider paring down your social media sites. Has your social media presence gotten out of control? We may want to try all the new sites as they come out. But like my neglected Facebook pages we can't keep all the sites fresh and updating while doing the work of business and life. Consider which ones have the least interactions and deactivate them. Focus on just a few that meet your current needs.

Cleaning up your social media presence will take time and effort, but it's worth it. A well-maintained social media presence can help you build your brand, connect with potential customers and employers, and share your ideas with the world.

Bonus tip:?Use a social media management tool to help you stay organized and on top of your social media presence. There are many different tools available, so find one that works for you and your budget. Or hire someone who can maintain things for you.?