This post was published on Memeburn and titled “Twitter got you drained? 3 top tips for avoiding social burnout“.
If you are into social media, you most likely follow a process of managing your strategy. You engage with your targeted audience, you follow the proper rules and etiquette on every social media channel, you monitor, you are authentic, and you blog. These are just some of the things you do in your daily routine.
There are times though where you might think it’s not worth it. Are you actually going to make that big difference with your campaign?
If you are working on your social media marketing strategy on a continuous basis, it is very easy to experience social media burnout. Spending too much time on the social web, throwing yourself whole-heartedly in every status update, engaging, tweeting and posting can really be draining. I know. There are many times that you will feel down. Whether it’s at work or your personal life, there will always be some time where you feel that you want to give up.
So how on earth are you going to move forward when this happens to you? How are you going to overcome this feeling that sometimes feels like the end of your social media journey? What tips can you follow to help you regain some motivation and focus in order to accomplish your goals? Find below a couple of tips to help you get back on track with your social media campaign.
What do I want to accomplish?
Face it, we all have different reasons why we are using the social web. Maybe it’s for marketing purposes, connecting with friends and family or simply because you really like what you do. It really doesn’t matter at all. What matters the most is that you take a break often to remember why you are on the web.
Review your objectives and whether or not you are meeting any of your milestones that you have set for yourself. Focus on what’s really working for you and be willing to quit what is not working.
You can’t be everything to everyone
We often feel that we have to be everything to everyone for our targeted audience. The truth is that it’s actually impossible. In order not to lose control, you cannot be active on all the popular social media channels available. You most likely heard this before, but it’s the truth.
Only use the social media channels that your targeted audience uses and focus all of your energy and time on those. While it is very important to be active on the social web as well as authentic and consistent, it is also important to have a healthy balance.
Set time limits
Put away your new tablet and set some strict time limits for yourself. Do you have a hobby that doesn’t include the web? Take a vacation, listen to some music or go hang out with your friends and family. The pressure to stay relevant, interesting, and active on the social web can wear down quite quickly to even the top social media advocates out there.
While the impact that social media has on your business cannot be ignored for one second, it’s important that you manage your use thereof. The social web, no matter how much you enjoy it, should be managed on a healthy basis.
Social media is great. I love it, but sometimes you have to sit back, take a break and refocus what you are actually doing to make sure you don’t suffer a social media burnout.
Hi Anton,
yes, we’ve all experienced this social media burnout, sort of. What I noticed is the following: I feel burnt out when I forget why I am doing what I am doing. We are caught up in our strategy which is nothing else than a bunch of tactics. That’s why I second you on asking ourselves on these questions: What do I want to accomplish ? What is my target market and where do they hang out ?
Thanks for sharing your insights.
Take care
Oliver
That’s so true Oliver. Sometimes it’s good to just take a step back and and analyze what you are actually doing. I know it’s easier said than done, but it’s worth it.
It is very easy to experience social media burnout,when you are working with the strategy of social media marketing.
Hi Anton,
Spot on advice here!
Pull back. Be social on SM sites, then take a break. Burnout runs rampant.
Recharge your battery by taking time off AND limiting the amount of time you spend on social sites daily.
Set a time limit. When you hit the limit drop everything. X out the page. This tip alone will keep you inspired to work social media from a high energy place.
Gauge your intent. Why are you using social media? To connect with people? To share their content?
Enter SM with the pure intent to help others. Your business will grow by leaps and bounds.
Thanks Anton!
RB
Hi Anton,
I actually read the original post Memeburn – and yes , I am entitled to agree
with you. Especially on the last point / tip made in your post; Time and managing time is
one for the most curtail aspects of keeping your drive and motivation to a
maximum, If not, Time is wasted and not used productively and in return causes
more strain on the user themselves.
Thanks Byron. That is most likely one of the main reasons to get a burnout – by wasting time.