Everyone takes a vacation at some point. We need to take a break from our normal 5-to-9 grind or even just from the normalcy and routineness of home life.
What about those of us who breathe, eat, and sleep social media for our companies? We need to keep the brand alive and at the forefront in the minds of our clients and customers. If there’s a bad comment, we need to get out in front of it and set the narrative straight. Right?
Being on social media, whether it’s a part-time gig or your full-time job, gets pretty tiring. Can you take a break from it? Who will post your content and ensure your content calendar is fulfilled?
Luckily, we have the answer. So, if you’re feeling unmotivated and if just thinking about what to post next is stressing you out then it’s time for a social media break! Here’s how you can take one without abandoning your account.
Signs You Might Need a Break from the Socials
Here are a couple indicators that suggest you might need a social media break, also called a social media cleanse or detox:
- You focus more on others than yourself.
- Your vision of reality is distorted.
- You lack the time and interest for other things in your life, and social media seems to be all-consuming.
- You are addicted to creating new social media content, downloading reports and analyzing statistics, and testing new strategies.
- It’s difficult to focus on the moment since social media continues to distract you and keep your attention.
- Being on social media or engaging in social media marketing activities isn’t fun anymore.
- Social media feeds start your morning, end your night, and dominate your thoughts.
- Mindless scrolling – endlessly scrolling through social feeds without purpose or priority.
If you can tick a few of those boxes, then it’s probably time to detox from social media.
Three Simple Ways To Take a Social Media Break Without Affecting Your Business
It might seem easier to do a social media cleanse if you only use social media for personal reasons. But, for marketing managers, small businesses, influencers, and social media experts, it might sound like a fantasy.
Of course, if you have colleagues you can hand everything off to, then that’s great! They can run the basics and keep things under control while you’re gone.
But, what if you’re running your business on your own? Well, the good news is that you can take a social media pause, and it won’t affect your small business. Here’s three things you can do:
1. Use A Scheduling Tool
You can schedule your Instagram and Facebook posts ahead of time if your content for the week or length of your break is ready.
Use social media automation with the help of scheduling apps or platforms, like Peppr. You choose when and where to post your content, so your company sends out consistent updates, even while you are away.
You merely plan, create your content, and schedule it, and the platform does the rest for you.
This is one of the best ways to take a social media break as you will be able to post content consistently and keep your followers engaged without having to lift a finger.
2. Set some time aside to check in
Having your content out of the way and automatically posting is a lifesaver. But what about comments and messages from your clients as well as new and potential customers?
Not answering messages can lead to disaster faster than you can blink, and it could ruin your business.
Of course, you can’t spend your break managing community comments. But, you can set aside an hour or two and just work through the comments in one go. This way, you can stay in tune with things without being tuned in all the time.
3. Be transparent with your followers
As a small business or influencer, you might not be able to afford to hire someone to take care of your socials while you’re on your break. Here, it might be best to simply communicate with your community.
Share that you’ll be away and when you will return. By being open, your community will feel included and they will understand why you won’t be responding to them for a while.
Why It’s Important To Take A Break
Taking a pause from social media provides you with many benefits. Studies have found that social media can cause depression, social isolation, low self-esteem, body image issues, and anxiety.
Moreover, when you scroll, create content for your content calendar, analyze your post engagement stats, or devise new marketing strategies, you sit – a lot. While sitting a lot isn’t good for your mental or physical health, you are spending less time face-to-face interacting with people and being out in the “real” world.
When you do a social media cleanse, you gain these benefits:
- Reclaim your time and focus on other things and people that are important in your life.
- Reconnect without FaceTime, Messenger, or text. Head out for a cup of coffee, grab some lunch with your colleagues, friends, and family.
- You will sleep better. Hopefully, you’ll put away your phone at least 30 minutes to an hour before bedtime. Reducing the blue light emissions of your phone will help boost your body’s melatonin production, which helps you sleep.
- You may relax more as your mood will improve and your anxieties of missing out on social media will ease.
- You get to recharge. Taking a break from social media helps your brain to rest so when you are ready to be online again, you’ll be more creative and have new insights.
Time to Turn Off!
Taking a social media break is vital to your sanity and health. We all need time away to recharge and get away from the demanding nature of social media.
With scheduling tools like Pepper, hiring help, or doing bulk community management, you don’t need to worry about your business’s reputation. So go on, take that break. You deserve it!