You probably know by now that I spend most of my life on Instagram.
Creating a million pieces of content for my clients, keeping up with whatâs hot and whatâs not, and trying to grow my corgiâs account so he can finally retire me and we can live off the squillions of pounds heâll surely soon be making in sponsorship deals. I live in hope.
AnywayâI know what a great place Instagram (LinkedIn/TikTok/etc.) can be for forging connections + building buzz for products/services/offers...
... but I also know how draining it can be.
Now, this isnât an Instagram-bashing post. I think weâve read enough of those.
This is a warm hug of a post, with a few tips I use myself whenever Iâm feeling worn out by social media. Theyâre not tips about fully switching off from marketingâinstead, theyâll (hopefully!) help you break the habit of doom-scrolling for a little while.
P.S. Some of these are more relevant for my fellow business owners, but there should be a few in here that are applicable to everyone.
1. Give yourself a proper break. Delete the Instagram app for a few days if necessary.
2. Go through the people you follow and make sure they're giving you what you need. If any - I repeat *any* - of them bring up feelings of guilt/worthlessness/shame/embarrassment, unfollow or mute them immediately.
3. While you're on your Instagram break, schedule some time in your diary to plan content. Grab a big sheet of blank paper, sketch your ideal customer/follower in the centre, and brainstorm ideas that would inspire/entertain/educate them.
4. Listen to one of my favourite podcasts, Business Made Simple created by Donald Miller (author of the brilliant book Building A StoryBrand).
5. Go and make (or update) a dedicated "Feedback/Testimonialsâ folder and fill it with screenshots of glowing testimonials, results, and reviews.
6. Brainstorm some ideas for your next email newsletter or, if you donât have one yet, sketch out a plan to begin one. What will your emails be about? How often will you send them? Which software will you use?
7. Purchase (or borrow from your local library) the book Deep Work by Cal Newport. It showed me what "focus" really means and how much we deplete our attention spans by immediately checking our phones/emails from the moment we wake up.
8. Go treat yourself to a takeaway coffee or tea. Right now. You deserve it.
That's all of them for now. And if you fancy a chat, hit reply or drop a comment down below and let me know which one you're going to focus on first.
This social media-frazzled social media manager would really love to hear from you!
Just recently got into podcasts so defo going to add Business Made Simple, thanks for the tip.
Kx