10 Social Media Resolutions For 2015

With the fresh energy of the new year it is a good time to let go of bad habits and put in place some social media best practices that set you up for success and serve you the whole year through. To help kick off the new year strongly, here are ten social media resolutions for 2015.

I resolve to...

1. Update my website to be mobile responsive.

40% of users will go to the competitor after a bad mobile experience. 62% of smartphone users have made a purchase online using their mobile device in early 2014. This resolution to make your website responsive could make your 2015 a more profitable one all by itself.

2. Have a compelling offer on my website that has visitors naturally opt-in to get on my mailing list.

If you have a website, you want to be capturing not only attention of your visitors but their email addresses so you can stay in touch with those who resonate with your message, and need the solutions you offer. The best way to do this is have a an offer for a free download that provides them with a solution to their greatest challenges that you solve.

3. Share valuable content 80% of the time to my social media accounts.

Social media users are more inclined to follow you, and engage with you if you share inspiring, entertaining, informative and otherwise interesting content. This includes curating other's excellent content. You can find excellent content to share and comment on by utilizing our Social Buzz Club or even a site like Scoop.it

4. Always include at least one large properly tagged image in the blog posts I write and share them to my social media accounts.

When you share share blog posts that have images greater than 484 x 252 pixels to Facebook, they will show up in the News Feed as the larger sized images (not thumbnail sized). Furthermore, the ideal size of your image dimensions should be in the ratio 1.91 to 1 with only 20% of image covered by text.

5. Create and implement a content plan that ensures I am consistently sharing valuable content.

Create a spreadsheet with one row for each week of the year. Indicate if there is a holiday at the beginning of the month. Then in the column next to that state your title or topic for that week. If you plan on doing more than one blog post per week (recommended) add more columns. Work at least one week or one month ahead.

6. Engage with my connections on social media by mentioning them on Twitter, liking their content on Facebook and messaging them on LinkedIn every week.

The biggest compliment you can pay a social media follower, fans, connection or friend is to like, comment, retweet, pin, favorite or share something they posted to your audience. This is a fantastic way to start building meaningful relationships online. Also, remember to also check for mentions and tag notifications to thank people publicly for them endorsing you with their engagement.

7. Respond to all (non-spam) messages sent to privately on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn in a timely manner.

The worst thing you can do on social media is not respond to those trying to reach you. Be sure to check your direct messages on Twitter, private messages on Facebook (both personal and pages), LinkedIn, Pinterest and Instagram.

8. Be very conscious of the personal information I reveal on social media.

Privacy continues to be an issue on social media. The easiest way to ensure your privacy is to keep your private information OFF of the networks. There is plenty you can share that is public worthy. Remember to only share that which you wouldn't mind being plastered on a billboard in Times Square or featured on Oprah.

9. Review my account descriptions, names and website links and make sure everything links back to my website and is linking properly.

There is nothing more frustrating to someone who wants to learn more about you than not being able to find a link to your your website. For that matter, if you don't have a website, consider social media a dead end. Your website is your hub. It's where people can find out the details and connect to you and your business.

10. Set a timer while doing my social media marketing task and eliminate watching any more cat videos during this time.

Social media is a noisy and distracting place. To stay focused an on task, dedicate 15 minutes using a timer (on your smartphone or any egg timer will do). Then get working on the other 9 social media resolutions.

From our family at Transform Today to yours, we wish you a very Happy New Year and stellar 2015 (especially on social media).