5 Ways to Manage Social Media Burnout
Have you ever had a week where you couldn't think of anything WORSE than showing your face on social media?
It happens. You are not alone. Instead of forcing it, let's work through things you CAN do instead.
Burnout can be an annoying hurdle to cross, sometimes it can feel impossible to overcome. That’s why we wanted to explore the many ways you can work to avoid burnout, stay motivated for your business and not just rely on using social media content to make your business work.
How to manage social media burnout
Imagine this: you don’t have any inspiration. You are serving clients and have a lot going on in your life, days are beginning to blur and the passion you have for your business feels as though it’s dwindling. It’s hard to show up on your platforms and it’s becoming harder and harder to find that motivation to create for your social media.
Everyone has thought to themselves at some stage in their business “I just don’t have the energy to show up right now”, this is normal. BUT, this feeling is something we don’t want to experience continually so how can we break this cycle?
Here are 5 ways we can start to manage this feeling of burnout in business.
1. Identify why
The first step is to identify why. Why are you feeling this burnout? Is it the fact that you need to disconnect to gain inspiration OR do you feel uncomfortable about something? Let’s unpack that and break it down by asking more questions:
What about social media is making you uncomfortable?
Is the thing that is making you uncomfortable related to needing a break OR related to not wanting to go to that next level/ take that next step. When thinking about this, remember that everything new will feel uncomfortable so ask yourself “Are you uncomfortable because it’s new or are you uncomfortable because you aren't ready?”
Why are you drained? Is it repetitive? Are you comparing yourself? Find out what that block is and why you are feeling that feeling.
Lastly, ask yourself how much time you need. This is the time you set for yourself, whether it be a few days or a week, it is up to you how much time you take away. After this, come back and evaluate what needs to be done differently. If you still don't want to show up, have a think if social media is right for you and go from there.
There is a lot more you can ask yourself about burnout, so if you’d like to learn more, check out this article by my friend Laetitia from Essential Shift.
2. Take scheduled breaks
Taking breaks is not a bad thing, so let’s remove that stigma. It doesn't mean you’re lazy, it doesn't mean you don’t care, it simply means that you need some time to get re-inspired!
Everyone needs that once in a while!
So make sure you allow yourself to take a scheduled break. Tell people THIS is happening and take some time off, you need it and deserve it. Just remember to pull yourself back in when you need to.
3. Evaluate other marketing and content marketing strategies
Evaluate other marketing and content marketing strategies that help your business. Yep, there is more than one! Be educated so you know where your audience is finding you! Maybe you can take a step back from socials, the only way you’ll find out is by doing the research and looking into marketing strategies that could help you!
You can do this by looking at your Google Analytics to see where your website traffic is coming from. Think about how you can utilise this and optimise it for your business!
As well as this, each platform usually has its analytics you can look at, so make sure to keep an eye on those as well.
4. Work on a strategy to have other content marketing channels
Having a strategy that utilises other content marketing channels rather than just social media is another great way to avoid burnout. Having this allows you to have the freedom to not show up on social media. If you have other channels like a blog or podcast then that’s amazing! No need to worry about not showing up on Instagram or Facebook because you have other means of saying consistently!
5. Remember to stay in your lane
This is a lot like creating or making a recipe. Let me explain with this awesome analogy from a guest we had on the podcast!
We all know that when we create a recipe, not every final result or meal will taste or look the same. Even if you follow a recipe book!
So even if you do follow a recipe, it doesn't always mean you'll end up with the same result as the person who created the recipe.
Sometimes you don't have a certain ingredient so you need to substitute or maybe you use different utensils. Either way, the meal is still good because it is unique!
This is the same way we should look at creating content, especially on social media. Someone else's result doesn't dictate your results.
At the end of the day, it is your recipe so you get to say how you create it!
Final thoughts
While burnout and lack of inspiration can be super annoying, it is something we will all experience at one time or another - it is the nature of business and work in general.
This is why having a content strategy in place where you utilise other means of marketing and not just social media, is super important. This way, you have action items so when you don’t feel like showing up, you have other options. If you’d like a strategy that does this, check out our Content Strategy Template and for guidance on the right content channel for you, check out our Content Quiz.