By Kathi Kruse, Founder, Kruse Control Inc.

Springtime is upon us. It’s time to dust out the cobwebs from winter, assess what’s holding us back, and make space for growth. Spring cleaning isn’t exclusive to your garage or closet, however. It’s very useful to Spring clean your social media!

Nothing feels better than purging old stuff. But, it’s not always easy because we like our stuff, and it’s tough to let it go. Our stuff makes us feel better, even when it’s not serving us anymore. We know purging is good for us, but the removal process isn’t comfortable.

What is lurking in your social media closet?
10 years ago, social media was a fertile field of wildflowers, full of kittens and unicorns. The marketing landscape was wide open for dealers who wanted to capture attention and engage like-minded customers.

A lot of us get nostalgic about those days, and it’s easy to see why. Simple, thoughtful tactics were all it took to succeed. We were creating interesting new ways to communicate. Those who adopted the movement away from blasting sales offers to disinterested parties were rewarded with long-lasting relationships.

Today, social media is a dense, crowded, noisy, smoggy urban jungle. Simple tactics alone are no longer effective. Without a clear process of setting goals, executing strategies, and analyzing the data, your message gets lost and is never heard from again.

The one thing that’s remained constant is that customers still look for ways to align themselves with brands that matter to them.

Springtime means it’s time to assess what you’re currently doing on social media and identify what’s working, what’s not working, and then clear away anything that’s not helping achieve your goals.

The following five actions will help you succeed with social media and hopefully, motivate you to find new ways to improve.

1. Clear Away the Junk. Refrain from posting meaningless content. What is “meaningless content”? It’s content that’s generic, run-of-the-mill, or uninspired. It’s something that a user could see anywhere else. The point is to stand out from the crowd.

Think about it this way: if a TV station played the same show over and over, even with different actors, how long would it take for you to stop tuning in?

Don’t invite your fans, followers, and prospects to “change the channel.” Refrain from posting these types of meaningless content:

• Articles from larger media outlets that everyone else can post too.
• Content created for you by your “social media marketing company” that they’re posting on every other one of their other clients’ social media profiles.
• Boring content that no one wants to engage with.
• Spammy, ‘salesy’ messages that turn people off because “it’s too much, too soon.”

2. Avoid Shortcuts That Cost You Strategy Before Tactics. As a social media strategist, I hear from dealers who think, “Social Media isn’t a place for us. It doesn’t work for our business.” What I discover is that these dealers have not defined their goals for social media. They have no strategy to speak of and resort to the latest tips, tricks or hacks. When that fails, they blame the medium.

Dealers that craft a foundational strategy to reach their goals never need to blame. They simply execute, monitor, analyze, and adapt as they go.

There are no shortcuts to social media success, but there ARE smart strategies that save time, money and human resources. Social media strategy is the shortcut to exceeding your goals.

3. Engage Your Most Valuable Asset. Have you ever cleaned out your closet and found something stuck in the back, pulled it out and realized, “Oh hey, I remember this! It’s awesome!”

Let’s face it: creating interesting content for social media can be super hard. But, it doesn’t have to be if you “crowdsource” your ideas.

Your most valuable asset for social media is your employees. Many of them are probably already using social media to network and engage with prospects. These folks are the most valuable of your most valuable. Engage employees by inviting them to share their expertise. Tap their enthusiasm to encourage other employees to participate.

When employees’ ideas are published online, they become more visible to prospects. You get great content, they get to be recognized experts. The company looks smarter because its employees are smart.

Pro Tip: Always implement a written Social Media Policy to protect the company and guide employees on best practices.

4. Reassess What Matters Most to Your Customers. Successful marketing solves customer’s problems. Social media is a communication tool to answer their questions, solve their problems and stay in touch.

Customer preferences and social channels (along with their algorithms) shift over time. Having a communication line open 24/7 requires regular reassessment of what’s most important. Reassess your social channels and content assets now.

Meaningful content is the driver. Create content that illustrates one or more of the following:

• Connectivity (how the company has made itself available to its customers).
• One of a kind experience.
• Value for their time and money.
• Acknowledgment and understanding.
• Social responsibility (how the company gives back and supports the community).

5. Create New Habits. Once you’ve cleared away the old stuff, there’s room to replace it with new habits to reach your goals.

• Audit your current marketing expenses to make sure everything you’re doing is getting the results you desire. Consider reallocating expenses for higher ROI (Return on Investment).
• Develop a strong social media strategy that moves with you and your customer’s needs. Remember: without goals and strategies, you will not establish ROI.
• Designate at least one social media savvy team member to oversee your digital reputation.
• Set yourself up for success by using a Content Calendar to plan the topics you want to discuss and publish.
• Discover new tools and update your publishing process to save time and resources.
• Review your analytics at least once every month. Social media metrics are reported in real-time so more often is recommended.

Frankly speaking, there’s a lot at stake and social media isn’t easy. Anyone who tells you otherwise is being disingenuous.

However, it’s not difficult to obtain the right answers. If you’re not getting the answers you need, no matter what the questions are, give me a shout and I’ll help you.

Take time this spring to examine your social media. Focus your attention on strategy and be deliberate about getting rid of the dead weight. You’ve got enough obstacles in your life, so clear your path and invite new opportunities for growth.