With so much content, pouring into so many channels, its never too early to start cleaning up your social media streams.

Your goal should be to make your social Web better. Part of this is considering how you can create a perfect stream of content and deliver real value to your friends and followers.

There are a few key steps that can help deliver value (taking hints from the rules of email and newsletter marketing).

Here are a few suggestions to get the ball rolling:
Step 1: Focus on the perfect combination of content and conversation.

What is cereal without milk? What is content without conversation around it? Streams will deliver the most value when they are filled with reflection, opinion and commentary (a solid combination of syndication and thought). As with any sort of direct marketing, you have to ask yourself what problems or needs your readers have, and use that as your starting point for developing valuable content and trust.

Step 2: Customize the stream.

The social Web is tricky. There are a few un-written rules that apply on social networks to keep in mind. The first is that expectations differ from network to network and therefore, your content stream should be customized to match each channel. Your business contacts may not care about this morning’s waffles, but your personal ones will (or might…). Make sure to mix and match, use filters and sort your content to make it as relevant as possible – your data will provide the clues you need to understand what ‘works’. Which bring us to Step 3.

Step 3: Analyze what works.

Keep an eye on what works. Make sure, through link shorteners and other analytics, you are looking at engagement to see what is resonating with your readers and followers, keeping in mind that different channels will have different results. Look for clues into the content that is ‘clicking’ with readers. Analyze that content and write more of it.

Step 4: Categorize what you have.

Today, we are absolutely inundated with information and new content. It has become easier to scroll through social streams to find what you are interested in than hunting and pecking. After all, you choose who you let into your stream, and it comes right to you. Make sure that you are helping your readers categorize what you send them, with prefixes and hashtags, you can help them quickly understand what your content is about.

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