How to ease yourself back into social media

Have you lost your social media mojo?

Believe me, it happens to the best of us. (Even I have had my moments in the past!)

I speak to so many clients on a weekly basis who feel like throwing in the towel on their social media campaigns. Some of these business owners are burnt out, while others just aren’t seeing the results they expected from their work. They’re disheartened by the fact that all the time and energy they’ve spent on their accounts isn’t translating into actual sales or enquiries.

But the problem is, if you don’t keep showing up, no-one else is going to show up on your behalf. You need to be active. You need to be visible. As hard as it may be, you need to pull yourself out of this funk. Your business depends on it!

Here are 6 things that might be preventing you from upping your social media game – and how you can overcome the slump to get your socials sparkling again!

1. It’s been a while since you posted – and you don’t know how to pick things up again

Maybe you’ve been on holiday. Perhaps you’ve just been so busy with the day-to-day that you’ve neglected your social media campaign in the last few weeks or months. It’s easily done, and it’s more common than you think.

In my experience, the best thing you can do in this situation is just start somewhere. Put out a ‘hi, I’m back!’ kind of message. Apologise for going AWOL but reassure your followers you’re back in town now. Start the conversation as best you can, and you’ll be surprised how quickly it starts to flow again.

2. You’ve lost confidence after a bad experience

Unfortunately, there are a few downsides to promoting your business through social media, and one of them is you will come across the odd troll or troublemaker here and there.

There’s nothing worse than the sinking feeling you get when you stumble across a negative review or a critical comment on one of your social profiles. It’s tough to take this kind of thing on the chin, but remember, you still have some control over the situation. You can choose how you react to what’s happened. Always respond to the negative Nellies calmly and offer to speak to them directly about their concerns, away from the public domain.

If you keep getting spammed or harassed, be sure to report the user’s activity to the platform you’re using. Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and all the other major sites have easy-to-find reporting systems that you can use to flag the problem to the network’s admin team so they can step in and resolve the issue if they need to.

3. You feel like your output isn’t good enough

It’s normal to have a cheeky look at what your biggest rivals are doing on their socials every now and again. But if you’re constantly comparing your content to other people’s, you’ll be driven by envy, not by your own brand mission.

Stay focused on creating quality, relevant posts and try not to be too much of a social media voyeur if you know you’re prone to getting jealous of other users’ accounts or sinking into the FOMO feels.

Remember, too, that everyone has their place in the social sphere. You may not have thousands of followers or a grid full of flash humble brags, but you’re still doing your bit, you’re still doing your best, and you’re still making a difference!

4. You struggle to think of amazing content ideas

Coming up with fun and creative ideas for content can sometimes feel like pulling teeth. If you’re stuck, have a look at what your competitors are doing (without dwelling on how much ‘better’ they are than you, of course). A chance glance at a post or a video might give you the lightbulb moment you’re looking for. See what kind of content is getting the most views, comments, likes and shares, and see if you can incorporate similar posts into your own calendar.

And you can always check out these 15 content ideas for your socials – they’re bound to get the cogs whirring again. I also put together some guidance on developing a solid social media strategy not too long ago.

5. You’ve rebranded, and you need to adopt a new approach

This can be tricky to navigate, especially if you’re now offering a distinctively different product or service, or you’re evolving from a one-man band into a team of people.

My advice? Work backwards. Decide what your new goals and priorities are, then create a content strategy that’s going to help you achieve them. (Want help finding and setting the right targets? This might help.)

It’s also a good idea to get clear on your brand values, and how you’re going to use your social media content to communicate them.

6. You’re convinced you don’t know what you’re doing

From choosing the right hashtags for your posts to understanding the long list of features available from platforms like Instagram, there’s always something more to get to grips with when it comes to executing an effective social media strategy. Keeping up to date with new functionalities and ever-changing algorithms can feel like a full-time job in itself sometimes, too.

If you’re new to everything, don’t expect to nail your campaign from day one. You’ll definitely make mistakes along the way, and you’ll probably find that some of your output doesn’t perform as well as you’d hoped. But that’s OK. We’re all trialling, testing and tweaking our way to the top!

Imposter syndrome can strike even if you’ve been running your social media accounts successfully for some time. Don’t let self-doubt stop you from smashing your social media goals, though. Research, explore, experiment, and above all, never stop learning.

There’s no shame in taking time out

There are tonnes more reasons why you might feel like you’ve lost your passion for social media. If you’re struggling to stay on top of your campaign, and you feel like taking a break to regain time, sanity or clarity (or all three!) – just do it. Spend a couple of days away from your screens. Take a couple of weeks out, if you have to. You can’t be your best social media self if you’re tired, frustrated, and – worse still – sending out ‘panic’ content just to fill the void.

I’m always here if you need reassurance, and I’d love to help you get your social media mojo back. Reach out if you need help! And with the holidays just around the corner, you might also want to check out these 3 ways to stay on top of your social media over Christmas.