Nothing feels better than purging old stuff. But, it’s not always easy because we like to our stuff and it’s sometimes 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.

Springtime is the season where we assess our stuff and ideally, get rid of all things that don’t work for us anymore. This cleansing process should include your social media marketing and advertising strategies.

What do you have lurking in your social media marketing closet that needs to find its way to the trashcan?

It may seem hard to believe but some companies still consider social media as a fad; a seemingly meaningless way that people share pictures of their lunch. To this way of thinking I say, go ahead, you’re entitled to your opinion.

That thinking leaves the marketing landscape wide open for those who want to capture more business.

Social media creates more opportunities for those who embrace this shift in the way we all communicate. Those who’ve adapted, move away from blasting messages to disinterested parties and move toward attracting, engaging and selling to today’s hyper-connected buyers.

Today, customers look for ways to align themselves with brands that matter to them. If social media marketing can connect you with interested buyers, why wouldn’t you consider it?

If you’re on the fence about social, take a few minutes and digest these recent stats and facts:

• 71% of all Internet users are on Facebook. (Pew Research)
• There are 968 million active daily users on Facebook. Users spend, on average, 20 minutes per day on the site. (Infinit Datum)
• More than half of all online adults 65 and older (56%) use Facebook. This represents nearly a third (31%) of all seniors. (Pew Research)
• 84.7% of US companies with 100 employees or more used Facebook for marketing activities in 2015. That share is projected to rise to 85.3% in 2016, and 85.8% in 2017. (MediaPost)
• Though Facebook is the most important social network to marketers overall, LinkedIn is tops with B2B marketers—41% say it’s the most important network they use. (V3 Broadsuite Blog)
• 25% of Twitter advertising budgets are dedicated to mobile, and 89% of Twitter’s 1Q15 revenue came from mobile. (Infini Datum)
• 30% of all U.S. social media users are on Instagram. 90% of Instagram users are under age 35, and about a third of all U.S. teens consider Instagram to be their favorite social network. (DMR)
• 32% of U.S. companies with 100 employees or more used Instagram for marketing activities in 2015. eMarketer predicts that number will jump to nearly 49% in 2016, and, by 2017, increase to 70.7% of U.S. companies. (MediaPost)
• There are 3.5 billion “likes” on Instagram daily. (Infini Datum)

It’s a little tough to argue with those numbers, right?

It’s clear that buyers are relying on social media marketing to inform their purchase decisions.

It’s Springtime and it’s time to assess what you’re currently doing to market your business on social media. It’s time to decide what’s working, what’s not working, and to jettison some of your excess baggage.

5 Fresh Ways to Spring Clean Your Social Media Marketing

The following 5 actions will help you succeed with social media marketing and hopefully, inspire you with ways to improve.

1. Clear Away The Junk

Stop posting meaningless nonsense. “Meaningless nonsense” is content that’s generic, run-of-the-mill, and uninspired. Think about it this way: if a TV station played the same show over and over, even with different actors, how long would you tune in?

A lot of us have spouses who enjoy clicking through channels. Some of us do this ourselves…always searching for something we haven’t seen that’s interesting.

Don’t invite your fans, followers and prospects to “change the channel.” Refrain from the following:

• 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 single 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 Trying to Take Shortcuts

Strategy before tactics.

As a social media strategist, I meet with companies who say, “Social Media isn’t a place for us. It doesn’t work for our business.” Most of the time, these companies have not defined their social media strategy and have resorted to the latest tips, tricks or hacks that appear in their inbox.

There are no shortcuts to success, social media or otherwise. There ARE smart strategies that save time, effort and money.

Don’t neglect the awesome power of Facebook advertising, too! Promoting your content and your page, increases customer engagement. Strategic Facebook ads drive leads and sales using focused campaigns that reach your most interested prospects.

3. Dust Off Your Most Valuable Asset

Have you ever cleaned out your closet and found something stuck in the back with dust on it, pulled it out and realized, “Oh hey, I remember this! It’s awesome!”

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

Your most valuable asset in content creation is your employees. Heck, some may be already using social media as a way to network and engage with prospects. Leverage the power of your employees’ expertise and enthusiasm.

When employees’ ideas are published online, they become more visible to prospects. You get great content, they get to be recognized experts.

4. Focus on What Matters Most to Your Customers

Successful social media marketing solves customer’s problems. It’s a communication tool to answer their questions, concerns and problems.

Social media is an affordable and valuable way to connect with interested buyers. Providing entertaining, engaging and empathetic content attracts people and keeps them coming back for more.

5. Create New Habits

Once you’ve cleared away the old stuff, let’s replace that with new habits to reach your goals.

• Assess your content assets now and decide what’s working for you and what’s not.
• Develop a solid marketing plan. Remember: without goals and strategies, you will not have an effective ROI.
• Audit your current marketing expenses to make sure everything you’re doing is getting the results you desire.
• Designate one skilled, savvy person to oversee your social media marketing and online reputation.
• Set yourself up for success by using a Content Calendar to plan the topics you want to discuss and publish.

And if you ever see the word “easy” to describe social media marketing, just know it’s a myth. While it may look easy, success is not.

But it is easy to get the right answers, execute specific strategies to achieve your goals…and turn fans into customers.

Take this Springtime to examine your strategies and be deliberate about getting rid of the dead weight. Focus your attention on attracting quality leads through social media and make room for some new sales!