How to Sunset a Social Media Account

One day Vine is cool, and by the next year everyone has migrated to another platform. It happens, especially on social media! Audience and user behavior moves rapidly, and as a communicator, you need the flexibility to move and put your resources where they will make the most impact online. Here are some steps to close, or sunset, a social media account.

Step 1: Do a full assessment.

Ask yourself – are we just talking to ourselves on here? Where online is our audience doing the talking? Did we just start this account to snag our user name? If your answers are “yes,” “not here,” and “probably” (in that order) you might need to consider shifting your priorities. The most important question you need to answer is where are you people having conversations online so you can meet your audience where they are. That will help you decide what channel to focus on.

Step 2: Leave a bread crumb.

It is not advised to delete an account because you want to remain in ownership of the handle. Instead, make a final post that says where your group will be online and pin it to the top. This way, fans can find where you are active.

Step 3: Don’t lose the login!

You might not be active now, but you never know if you may need access to the account again. Be sure to put the password, email and phone number attached to the account in a secure place that can be passed on to future staff.