We’ve all been there: you open up your preferred social media app, start scrolling, and then realise that you’ve had enough of people posting pictures of their food, hilarious cat memes, trolls trolling innocent people, etc. On certain days, or even for extended periods of time, the inanity that permeates every social media platform can feel like too much to bear.
Can you fathom how those whose livelihood depends on social media feel when they encounter boredom and dissatisfaction with their own social media accounts? In today’s fast-paced digital world, it’s easy to see how the many people tasked with promoting their businesses’ wares on social media could easily become overwhelmed and burned out.
Exactly what is “social media fatigue,” you ask?
Occupational burnout is recognised by the World Health Organization and is included in the ICD-11 classification system. It’s not a medical issue, though, so don’t worry. There is a definition for it in ICD-11, and it is as follows:
Here are eight ways to ensure your social media team members don’t get burned out
Don’t rush things
There always seems to be a brand-new app or automated tool for social media marketers that promises to greatly simplify your work. If you’re just getting started with social media marketing, it can be tempting to create profiles on every available platform. Stop! We’re heading for social media exhaustion.
Think ahead thoroughly
Take, for example, a VoIP product that your company plans to market. You have the information you need to prepare a marketing campaign, such as the launch date, the intended demographic, the features and benefits of the product, how it stacks up against the competition, whether or not a guide on how to set up VoIP is necessary, etc. When you have that much data at your disposal, you can make well-informed decisions.
Launch dates are typically not set for the day after tomorrow, but you may have a deadline for that.
Developing Content
You may be responsible for producing all relevant content, or you may collaborate with others, such as videographers or graphic designers, to achieve this. Planning should include the process of creating your content. You can lessen the impact of stressors by getting the content you need ready in plenty of time.
Use UGC (user generated content)
Consumers are naturally sceptical of both novel and branded content, whether we like it or not. People put a lot more stock in the opinions of their peers than they do of paid reviewers, especially if those peers have experience with the product in question. Almost eighty percent of consumers say user-generated content (UGC) influences their purchasing decisions.
Another huge perk of UGC is the significant savings it can bring.
Use less energy
Going green is less about producing brand new content and more about repurposing existing material. This is not a foolproof strategy, as consumers will quickly catch on to the fact that all of your content is recycled. There are, however, resourceful approaches to making do with what you have.
Assume, for the sake of argument, that you released the findings of a market study you commissioned a few months ago.
Planned efficiency
I was wondering how you went about scheduling your social media posts. Keeping track of appointments with hastily written notes taped to your cubicle wall is a surefire recipe for social media exhaustion. The optimal time to publish on each platform varies widely and must form the basis of any scheduling marketing strategy.
Always make an effort to involve yourself
Keep in mind that there’s more to social media marketing than just sharing interesting articles. Communication with the viewers is also important. Customers who have questions about a product posted on Facebook are likely to look elsewhere if they go unanswered.
Schedule an hour a day to check your posts and respond to questions or comments.
Shut off all alerts
You most likely have a full schedule of work that includes creating new content, reviewing previous posts, analysing data, and thinking about and working on future content. If you’re trying to get some work done, the last thing you need is your social media platforms bombarding you with notifications. Similarly to how IVR relieves stress for call centre staff, disabling notifications will allow you to relax.
You know you’ll need to devote at least an hour every day to reading and responding to comments. It could be beneficial to divide that time in half and devote half of it in the morning and the other half in the afternoon. You can check your post whenever you want, so it isn’t necessary to know right away that Derrick from Detroit liked or commented on it. Stop being constantly interrupted by social media and disable all alerts.
In conclusion
The marketing team isn’t the only one who might feel the effects of social media burnout. If your marketers “drop the ball” in terms of their duties, the company as a whole could suffer the consequences. You can prevent burnout among employees and improve workflow efficiency by implementing some or all of these suggestions.