As a society, we have been inundated with social media. We’re trying out different platforms, we’re trying to think of something important or funny to say, and we’re trying to figure out how to use all of them to our advantage.
The problem, though, is that we’re starting to experience social media fatigue. The reason for our fatigue can stem from multiple factors, and there are different ways to combat them.
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You’re experiencing a complete burnout.
If you’re a member of multiple social media platforms, it can be exhausting trying to maintain a presence on all of them. You’re trying to stay active, you’re trying to keep your followers engaged and you’re trying to monitor all of them at once.
When you do this, you experience burnout quickly. You may become tired of one platform, so you ignore it and start focusing your efforts on others. Or maybe you burnout entirely, and start ignoring all of your social networks.
The first thing you need to do to combat burnout is to take a step back and reassess your goals and your strategies. Are you trying to generate more followers? Have you been successful? If you find that you’re reaching your goals, you may not have to try so hard to maintain them. If you find that you haven’t been successful, you may need to use different strategies or you may need to reassess your goals. It’s possible that you are trying to attain a goal that is simply unreachable at this point.
If you’re experiencing a burnout from trying to manage multiple accounts at one time, you may need to employ a tool to help you manage your accounts more easily. Sites such as Hootsuite or Sprout Social allow you to access all of your social media accounts in one centralized hub. These accounts also allow you to schedule posts in advance, so you don’t have to create posts in real time. You can also monitor your brand on these sites too, so you can respond to posts or tweets through these sites instead of logging onto the respective social media site.
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You’re constantly trying out the ‘new’ social platforms.
It seems like a new social media platform launches every day, and due to your curiosity, you want to join the new platform to see what it’s all about. The problem is that you’re putting too much on your plate, and you can find yourself stressing out over being able to manage all of them at one time.
Rather than add this new platform to your management tool, first decide if it’s worth joining right away. Ask yourself if you have the time to manage another account. Do you know anything about the new platform? Will it serve a purpose for your or your business? Does it offer anything different than other social media platforms you’re currently on?
When a new platform becomes available, sit back and watch it for a while. If it falls off the face of the earth, you won’t have wasted time and energy trying to make a name for yourself on a network that failed. If it starts to take off, you can set up an account, but you don’t have to start being active right away. Get yourself set up first to create a presence, and then assess a marketing plan that will allow you to utilize the new platform for success.
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You’re not seeing much success.
When a business joins a social networking community, they have goals in mind that they want to achieve. Whether it’s gaining new customers or increasing their presence, reaching these goals is an integral part of their social media plan. If these goals are not reached, it can make them feel as if their efforts are meaningless, and this can make them tired of social media.
If you’re not seeing much success, it’s possible that you’re not using these platforms to their full advantage. You may want to read up on how to best use these sites to achieve your goals or even take online classes or attend webinars that will help you propel your skills. Sometimes a quick tutorial is all you need to rejuvenate and get back in the game.
While there are great ways to combat social media fatigue that still keep you involved in social media, sometimes the best answer is to take a quick break. Keep yourself offline for a few days, clear your head, reassess your plan and your goals, and once you’ve relaxed, you can jump back in the social media game fully charged.
