Burnout is defined as exhaustion of physical or emotional strength or motivation usually as a result of prolonged stress or frustration. Social media vigilance can be mentally taxing if your processes are not set up in a such a way that you can move freely through your strategy, day-to-day. Jumping on different networks, seeking content, avoiding the social media noise, and connecting with people can feel exactly like moving form one social event to another, the real difference is that you’re doing this in a matter of hours as opposed to days, and so the stress to stay ahead can really build up. If you’re a community manager, brand manager, or work in social media at any level, it’s important to identify the symptoms that clearly indicate that you have social media burnout.
5 Symptoms of Social Burnout
1. Overuse
In this scenario, you’re on social media throughout the day, and yet you feel like nothing is getting done. Productivity is at an all time low, and you’re not really sure what to do next. This can happen to any of us, but it’s important to have a strategy in place so that your efforts can all be tested against what it is you’re trying to do. If you want to post an article, ask yourself how does it apply to your goals? If you want to start a new campaign, as yourself if it hits the goals you’re setting out to achieve. Without guidance you can find yourself spending many frustrating, unproductive hours online without anything to measure or track. Once you apply your strategy consistently, you’re reducing the amount of time you’re spending on social, while at the same time making that shortened time more effective.
2. Stuck In A Rut
If you’re just using what you did last year, you’re in a rut. A rut is a clear indication of burnout. It’s time to freshen up your ideas, look at new creative, possibly even look at what other industries outside of yours are doing. It’s easy to fall into patterns, and while it may work for some things, using that as a reason to do it for everything will only make your efforts look stale. Mix things up, add new things into your process, and read, read, read. There are so many case studies out there of successes, that it might be easy to find a way to adapt something to what you’re doing and add your own spin on it.
3. Gap Happens
If you’re seeing huge gaps in your efforts, it’s likely because you’re losing momentum. Either you’ve gotten busy with something else that has taken up your time, or you’re struggling to find content or generate ideas. Avoid the gap as often as possible, don’t be afraid to spread your ideas out. Don’t feel obligate to post 3-5 times a day, if you post once, make it powerful. It’s important to know your community, know your content calendar, and know your industry.
4. Work/Life Balance
Are you taking work home? Do you feel like you need to be connected all the time? It’s thoughts like these that can increase the amount of stress and lead to symptom number one. Not having this work/life balance creates rushed efforts to get it done, or lack of depth because at the end of the day you’ve got nothing left. If you’re planned for everything correctly, work/life balance in managing social media should not be an issue.
5. Ditch The Problems, Keep The Gems
Knowing what works and what does not makes a world of difference in your efforts. If you’re not keeping track of that, you might be spending your time on things that don’t matter to your community. What times does your audience most respond to posts, what types of posts do they like, what types of creative do they want to see, etc. These questions may not be easily answered, but over time, start paying attention to what is happening. If you can keep the gems, then the success of your efforts will boost your confidence and propel you to keep working towards your goals.
At Sweb Development we build things; mobile apps, websites, social media marketing campaigns, and everything in between. We have impossibly high standards and we’re the real deal: smart, creative, and fun people. Together, we’ll produce tailor-made, cutting-edge, captivating solutions. Let us know if you need help managing your social media. We can help you with that management or provide training, depending on your needs.
