5 easy social media resolutions for 2018

Sure, there are the usual ones — leave work on time, go to the gym — but these you can actually do now.

Happy 2018, Social Media Adviser readers.

Yes, this is another column about New Year’s resolutions. But this is the one you should read all the way through, because unlike those others, these suggestions are easy to do and the resulting habits are easy to keep. And who doesn’t like to cross something off their list right away?

So without further ado, here are five simple social media resolutions for 2018.

Stop broadcasting and start engaging. Broadcasters post nothing but links to their content, yet somehow expect the entire internet to share them with a smile. In social media, there are no successful broadcasters. When you start to engage with your audience and really take the time to know them and what they like to share, your stock really starts to rise. (See what I did there?)

Try something new. Maybe your something new is something small, like engaging more. Or maybe it’s something that requires time and effort, such as trying out a new platform. Do you need to be on Instagram? Of course. Is being on Instagram fun? You bet it is. Do you have time for a little bit of fun? Yeah, I think you do. And if you don’t, that can be a resolution within a resolution.

Terrible passwords are so 2017. And 2016. And 2015. Hacking and phishing scams are already a problem, so please don’t exasperate the problem with easy-to-guess passwords. One of the most popular bad passwords of 2017 was 12345, a password equally unsuitable for Twitter and your luggage. Lucky for you, most up-to-date browsers will suggest a secure password and even save them for you. Take advantage of these features and don’t leave yourself vulnerable. The 10 seconds you spend doing that could save you a lifetime of heartache if someone gets into your accounts.

Update your settings four times this year. That’s every three months, 10 minutes each time for a total of 40 minutes. Make it easy by setting an Outlook reminder on their first day of each season. During this time, change your passwords if they resemble anything mentioned in the previous paragraph. Make sure you aren’t granting access to a service you no longer use. Make sure you are sharing with the right audiences on LinkedIn, which will likely differ from the right audiences on Facebook or Twitter.

Follow back like a pro. This goes back to engaging and broadcasting. Never follow someone back just because they follow you. What seems like a nice gesture makes your social media weak because you know nothing about this person. And when you do it a few thousand times, you end up with a feed that has nothing to do with you and your interests.

Easy, right? And it only takes a few minutes of your time. Turn these social media resolutions into good social media habits now and you’ll be all set for 2019 and beyond.

The treadmill? Well, that’s a different story.

If you have a social media question or an idea for a column topic, please let me know. Tweet them to me with the hashtag #socialmediaadviser or email me at [email protected].

And if you need a little inspiration to stay on track, follow me on Twitter at @scottkleinberg and follow InvestmentNews at @newsfromIN.