Springtime is a fabulous excuse to spend some time organizing and cleaning your own home. The transition from wintertime to springtime is a definite milestone for opening your windows, letting fresh air in, and clearing out any unused items around your home.
When it comes to spring cleaning your social media - spring is a perfect time to look at your past marketing efforts over the holidays and get ready for summertime activities.
This spring is a bit different. We are sheltered in place and quarantined in our homes. Some of us have a lot of additional time to organize and clean up around the house or do new projects they have meant to get into. Others have less time dealing with kids out of school, or spouses with additional hours at essential jobs. And, some are overwhelmed due to the nature of how scary this pandemic is.
Mental health on any given day is essential, and we don't pay enough attention to self-care. Right now, it is even more important because the stakes are much higher.
I have talked about my own mental health when it comes to social media before. So many people see others on Instagram and think they have all the answers. Even if WE KNOW that is not the case... It is still easy to fall into the trap of feeling inadequate because of someone else on social media. And right now, EVERYONE is spending more time on Facebook and Instagram, sharing stories about the coronavirus. Even the best stories, like how the San Fransisco Bay Area and Seattle are "flattening the curve," serve as a reminder that sh*t is still pretty bad out there right now.
So if you feel like you need to social distance yourself from social media, you are not alone. I am trying not to check the news as much, or mindlessly scroll through Facebook or Instagram stories.
4 Steps To Social Distance Yourself From Social Media, But Continue To Sell:
Grab that kitchen timer and only spend 15 minutes once or twice a day, sharing and engaging on your social media channels. Spend that time on your business pages, vs. your own, if you are trying to stay away from social media due to mental health reasons.
Go into your Facebook Ad Manager and promote one or two posts on Facebook/Instagram that go into detail about how your customers can purchase from you right now (if this is possible). The post should have a link that makes it as easy as possible for customers (current and new) to purchase from you online. Make your target audience current customers (via email list, or people that have visited your website in the past month) and make this post ongoing for as little as $5.00 a day.
Stay off of social media, and focus your attention on what matters to you right now. Maybe that is your family, your own self-care, or brainstorming creative ways to market your business after this pandemic goes away. Delete Facebook or Instagram from your phone. And, if you are finding yourself checking your social media accounts more than you would like -- put your phone down in your room. That additional barrier to quickly picking up your phone every time there is a lull in a conversation can help curb your addiction (yes, I am trying to listen to my own advice as well).
Spend some time going through your accounts, and spring clean your connections: Unfollow or mute ANYONE who makes you feel bad about yourself or your business. The mute button is a powerful tool for your mental health when it comes to social media. They won’t know you unfollowed them, so you don’t have to deal with hurt feelings, even if they are friends with you “in real life”. You may not be able to follow them right now because they are sharing too many articles about the coronavirus, and you don’t want to be overwhelmed with repeated details about the spread.
Here are a few other tips from an article I wrote for the North Bay Business Journal on how to NOT let social media eat you up during the holidays (another time where everyone is online, and tensions are high).
I hope these tips help you so you can take a mental break away from social media, and keep your business running. Because while I may talk a lot about how it is important to not stay silent on social media for your business - I do want to remind everyone that your mental health is more important than making money right now. This COVID-19 pandemic will end, and being honest with your customers about why you are not on social is okay. If you have built relationships with them, they will come back.