Do you love social media – or are you just over it?
Social media is an important channel for marketers, and perhaps the most effective place to connect with and engage target audiences in tangible, rewarding ways. It also plays a key role in successful SEO strategies.
It can, on the other hand, also present certain challenges, and striking the right balance is critical to providing value to audiences rather than overwhelming them and potentially “putting them off”. This is true not just for consumers, but marketers themselves.
What is social media burnout? How does it impact consumers and marketers?
What does it mean for you as a business marketer?
Social Media Use in Australia
Social media is more popular than ever, and according to the October 2024 report[1] of SocialMediaNews, Australians are amongst the world’s most active users of social platforms.
Consider that within Australia:
- 60% of us actively use Facebook – with 50% of Australians logging in daily
- More than 50% of us use YouTube – and 18 million of us visit YouTube every month
- 33% of us use Instagram
- 25% of us use Snapchat
- WhatsApp has almost 10 million active Australian users
- There are more than 10 million registered LinkedIn users in Australia – and more than 50% log in monthly
Social Media Addiction
To paraphrase author Issy Beech[2], “Spending time online can be one of the most fulfilling aspects of our lives … it’s also a source of great discontent, addiction, and anxiety”.
For all its benefits (including connection, community, relationship building/nurturing, comic relief, and an escape from reality), social media can be very addictive. This is due greatly to the power of FOMO or “Fear of Missing Out”. Other potential causes include isolation, loneliness, self-esteem issues, the instant gratification provided by social media, and the clever tactics of algorithm-driven engagement.
Using social media triggers the release of the brain chemical dopamine, which is a “pleasure” hormone. The brain releases dopamine when a social media user posts or receives a notification, message, like, comment, or their content is shared. This psychologically reinforces the “benefit” and social media use is sustained or even expanded upon. The outcome for many people is feeling an uncontrollable urge to log on, being compelled to constantly check for the latest updates, and spending more time scrolling than participating in other “real-life” activities (including sleep) and forms of recreation.
On the flip side, social media is also a realm of discontent, disillusionment, and doom scrolling. (And don’t forget that “comparison is a thief of joy” – where do we compare ourselves with others more than on social media?). It can destroy self-esteem, trigger arguments, and provide a haven for “keyboard warriors” and “trolls” who use the veil of either anonymity or a sense of removal to let their worst selves roam free in cyberspace.
None of this is ultimately healthy – and it can easily make you feel burnt out.
What is Social Media Burnout?
Do you find yourself feeling stressed or anxious while using (or anticipating) social media? Are you inordinately stressing about your social media posts for brands?
A lot of people are finding themselves simultaneously both loving and loathing social media. There is endless “noise” in this space – and it can be an issue not just for audiences but for marketers as well.
Warning Signs of Social Media Burnout
- Overwhelm
- Information overload
- Inability to “switch off” and be offline
- Constantly comparing yourself with other creators
- Giving or receiving unconstructive criticism online
- Feeling lonely or isolated
- FOMO
- Self-criticism
- Validation addiction
- Hopelessness or anxiety about social media
- Difficulty sleeping
Implications for Businesses
Exploiting social media for marketing can feel extremely challenging at times. The need to consistently provide fresh, original, captivating creative content that’s relevant to your brand and resonates with your target audience, without antagonising anyone online, is not always easy.
It’s crucial to regularly connect with your social followers and provide them with the high-quality engagement they expect and deserve – while also running your business and avoiding social media burnout both for yourself and for your audience.
There are ways to achieve this.
Strategies to Overcome Social Media Burnout
- Set and Maintain Boundaries.
Be mindful about when and how you use social media. Limit time spent so that you are not scrolling mindlessly or obsessing for hours on end – it’s possible to waste an entire afternoon or longer before you even realise the time has passed.
Confine using social media for work purposes to your working hours. Scrolling for work and responding to comments and messages outside your usual business hours is overtime. Are you being renumerated for this? Can it wait? Setting clear work-life boundaries includes work-based social media.
Make time to spend on other offline activities: watching a movie, getting coffee or a drink with a friend or family member, reading a book, going for a walk … and putting down screens of all kinds at least an hour before bedtime so you have a better chance of sleeping well.
- Manage content overload.
As a consumer, optimise your social media experience. Be selective about which apps you use and where and when you access them. Place your focus on apps that are “happier” and “kinder” places for you – e.g. a favourite blog, podcast, Instagram, or Pinterest versus certain others that will remain unnamed here, but which can be social cesspits depending on who and what you follow there.
For Marketers: be mindful of when you post and how often you post. Don’t post too often, and don’t post late in the evening or early on weekends (unless your target audience is likely to be actively online and receptive at that time).
Again, be selective about which social apps you use for business, and when and how you do. Ideally, you will not post more than once or twice per day at most and, depending on your business and its niche, you might even give your followers a “break” on weekends. Let’s face it, their Newsfeeds are likely bursting at the seams and you want them to look forward to your posts, not find them a hindrance. Too much can indeed be more than enough – for them and yourself.
Your content itself must not only matter to you; it needs to be of high value to your audience. Social media is not the ideal channel for hard-selling but for building relationships. While up to 40% (at most) of your content can indeed be “sales”-type posts, make sure to prioritise engaging content such as relevant memes, quotes, blog articles, images, fun facts, surveys and polls, etc, to entertain, inform, inspire, motivate, or amuse.
- Smarter scheduling.
Pre-plan, pre-create, and pre-schedule your social content! Make a list of ideas and work from this to create content in batches. It is much better for work organisation, structure, quality assurance, and even work-life balance, using a prescheduling tool for your social media posts can streamline processes and automate posts for times you specify days, weeks, or even months in advance. There are many social scheduling tools available such as Postcron, Sprout Social, X-Pro, MeetEdgar, Planable, Hootsuite, and more.
- Evergreen content creation.
Evergreen content for social media is not time-sensitive. It can be repurposed, reused, and recycled. It remains fresh and relevant for a long time, continues driving human and search engine algorithmic traffic your way, and can be very valuable for marketers and users alike in terms of improving search engine ranks and driving leads your way and into your sales funnel. It may include:
- Product reviews
- Tips
- How-To’s
- Lists
- Blog Links
- Memes
- FAQ
- Videos
- Let the Professionals Help!
Outsource to a professional digital marketing provider for social media marketing and/or for SEO.
Need Help with Your Social Media? Speak with a Dot-to-Dot Consultant!
With an experienced, passionate team of digital strategists, we understand the pros, cons, ins, and outs of social media. We also appreciate its importance as part of a marketing strategy.
Our expertise and insight enable us to be perfectly poised to help you strike the right balance so that your social media offerings resonate with but don’t overwhelm your audience.
Let’s chat! We look forward to exploring how we can enhance your digital presence for greater success via more online visibility, more leads, and more queries.
[1] https://www.socialmedianews.com.au/social-media-statistics-australia-october-2024/
[2] https://www.readings.com.au/products/33207669/how-to-be-online-and-also-be-happy
