Social media burnout is a real thing. It’s exhausting, sometimes debilitating, and can make you want to stop any and all posting. Whether you’re dealing with trolls, struggling to keep up with direct messages, or seeing other people’s posts and experiencing imposter syndrome, there are so many things about social media that can harm your overall mental wellbeing.
Here are just a few ways to keep you from losing your mind and doom-scrolling:
- Learn the red flags. Constant comparison with other creators, non-constructive negative feedback, feeling an overwhelming sense of information overload, and experiencing isolating loneliness are just some of the red flags to be on the lookout for. Social media can cause fear of missing out, validity addiction, and staggering self-criticism, and can feel like a waste of time if you aren’t getting the engagement you’re seeking. Check in with yourself to gauge whether you’re experiencing any of these symptoms.
- Decide the role that social media play will play and set boundaries. If you’re running your social as a small business owner, wouldn’t it make sense to operate on social media at the same times as your business hours? Scrolling, responding to comments, and posting outside of normal business hours can feel like working overtime…because it is. Set a schedule and be firm on your blackout times to minimize burnout (i.e no posting or responding on weekends on your business accounts). Take a break from the feed, put down your phone, take a walk, and take care of yourself and your mental health. Pro Tip: Set an alarm before you start scrolling that will show you how quickly time passes while you’re in the rabbit hole; when it goes off, so does your screen.
- Think about which social media platforms your business will succeed on. Focus on the platforms where your target audience spends their time—the platforms that will bring your business the highest amount of traffic, engagement, and sales. One of the fastest ways to burn out is posting everything on every social media platform when it’s not necessary to reach your business goals!
- Reconsider your strategy. What time and day of the week are you posting and on which platform? Many things can be automated on social media now. Instead of getting messages from clients on every platform, why not set up automated messages directing them to one email address or number to call? Or, you could utilize AI to automate a large chunk of your responses. You also could schedule out your posts at optimal times on each platform so that you do not have to manually post throughout the week. There are many options to cut back on social media time by utilizing the social media management tools available today.
- Make a list of content ideas. Writing down your thoughts and topics for marketing your small business is a great way to slow burnout. You can always come back to these when you are feeling creatively empty, or maybe they can even spark new ideas! If you see something trending on social media, think of ways you could apply it to your business.
- Utilize tools and templates to streamline your content creation. There are some amazing tools out there to simplify content creation! Canva and CapCut are just two of the more popular ones that can help you edit and create. Canva has templates that are easy to use and fill in with your brand. CapCut is what “all the kids are using these days” to create short, fun memes that are meant to make you laugh and grab your attention – aka what social media feeds on! Major brands are using this to their advantage and so can you.
- Create your content in batches. Once you have your list of ideas and your footage, try batch-creating your content instead of making one post at a time. When you make your content in large batches, it takes the stress off you to create new content every single day while building your business.
- Schedule your posts and sit back. After creating a few weeks or a month (or two, or three!) worth of content and scheduling it out, you don’t have to worry about it for a while. This will give your brain a well-deserved break from that aspect of your business. You can still post anything timely that arises, but most of your social media posting will be taken care of.
- Reuse, repurpose, recycle. One post or video can be used in multiple ways! Even the footage can be reused for new posts—you can make a video on how your product is made, packing an order, or following a meme trend all from one batch of footage. There are many ways to reuse and repurpose with a little creativity!
- Hire help! It’s ok to ask for help. If it’s within your budget, hire a marketing agency to help you reach your goals and take the full-time job of social media marketing off your hands! We’re here to help and we offer a free consultation to talk through your company goals based on your budget. Simply click here and book your free 30-minute consultation.
