If your professional responsibilities include ensuring the small business you own or run maintains an active social media profile, you are keenly aware of the time, energy and planning it takes to make the process hum. And, according to the Marketing Rule of 7, a prospective client or customer needs to “hear” your message at least seven times before they will convert a look into a purchase. With those daunting numbers in mind, it is easy for complacency to interrupt your social media flow. But, says Adrian Dayton, Founder of ClearView Social, a software firm used by over 20,000 professionals worldwide that helps them share social media in a strategic way, there are strategies for preventing social media burnout.
What causes social media burnout?
“Social media burnout is almost always caused by the same thing: the lack of measurable results,” says Dayton. When desired outcomes of social media strategies don’t materialize, “it is most likely because you have failed to engage an audience of your ideal customers,” he says.
Social media burnout is not likely to occur when perceptible results from it are apparent. “Nobody has ever said to me, “’I bring in so much business with social media, but I’m just sick of it,’” says Dayton.
Tips for preventing social media burnout
The antithesis of social media burnout is focus. Strategizing about your social media’s target audience is a fantastic way to combat burnout.
Dayton offers other tips for preventing social media burnout. They include:
- Share regularly
- Constantly measure results
- Stop or change anything that isn’t working
Especially now that smartphones, and therefore, social media, are ubiquitous, turning off a device now and then is another method for preventing burnout. If that isn’t an option, turning push notifications off every once in a while can also prevent burnout.
If taking steps to prevent social media burnout don’t alleviate your anxiety, it might be time to hire an expert. That way, you can focus your time and energy on managing your enterprise while someone else oversees your social media marketing.
Tami Kamin Meyer is an Ohio attorney and writer who tweets as @girlwithapen. She is Marketing Chair of the American Society of Journalists and Authors.
