Whether your hiatus from social media was intentional or not, the idea of coming back online can be daunting.
What should you post about?
You're experencing writers block (Psst. Check out these content ideas)
You're feeling the pressure to make your resurgance on social media perfect.
We've all been there. Some more recently than others.
I recently went silent on my @BirdsongMarketing for over 90 days.
What happened when my brand didn’t post on social media for 3 months!?
It’s been a big year so far. New clients, more work, great projects. But that aside, in May, we (my family and business) relocated 12,000km from Canada to Australia. During the move, I was forced to focus on immediate priorities.
As such, posting to my HIGHLY ACTIVE Instagram account died an abrupt (but silent) death.
We’re talking crickets.
Tumbleweeds.
The works.
So, let’s talk about it.
I lost 80 followers – Do you know there’s a feature on Instagram whereby you can see which followers you interact with least? It’s awesome. It's likely through this feature that some of my followers may have found my inactive account and (rightly) assumed, 'meh, she’s not very interesting anymore because she doesn’t post', and removed me, which is understandable.
But I gained 70 followers – Wait, how did this happen? I believe I have my existing content to thank. Looking back at my engagement stats, many of my posts still get likes, comments and shares. This reaffirms the value brought to the table through the content being delivered.
I lost some credibility – I talk about being consistent when posting on any social channel – and then I did the exact opposite of my own advice. Look, I'm human, and so are you. My approach is to own my actions and to be honest about them.
I fell behind on industry best practices - Lots of clients mention the challenge of keeping up with constant social media updates. It’s a real thing. Even after stepping away for 90 days, so much has changed. But the good news is that you can quickly catch up! See Tip 1 below on how to overcome this issue.
So, let’s answer your question, “How do I start posting after a long break?”
1/ Get Up to Speed
Read up on what you might have missed. Spend some time trawling articles on your go-to industry-specific websites for the latest updates and news. For marketing news, I recommend visiting Social Media Today or exploring the trending articles on LinkedIn News.
2/ Batch Create Some Content
Roll up your sleeves and create a series of posts (copy and visuals) that you can use for the next 1-3 months. This relieves the stress of not knowing what to post each week and gives you a greater chance of success.
Do you need content ideas? Here are 25 Effective Content Ideas that you MUST try >
3/ Own It
Talk about your absence. It can be as simple as saying, ‘hey, we were quiet, but we’re back. This is what we’ve been doing, and this is what you can expect in our upcoming posts'.
However, there are two sides to this opinion that I’d like to highlight. Some Marketing Specialists advise that you don’t draw attention to your silence. Many of your audience members may not have even noticed you were gone…which is another conversation topic altogether. In truth, it comes down to your brand and your audience.
How engaged has your audience previously been?
Do you have genuine connections and rapport with your customers or clients online?
Is there any value to your audience in talking about your disappearance?
Ultimately, it's your decision based on your brand identity.
4/ Get Posting
Come good on your pbrand'sand post valuable content. That’s content that educates, informs, inspires, or entertains.
5/ Engage
Talk to others, restart conversations, and let your community know you’re back!
In Summary: Show Up and Shine
Don't be too hard on yourself for not posting on social media - it's a full-time job, and burnout is real. When you're ready to start posting on social media after a long time, create a plan for what you want to say, how you want to say it, and when you're going to say it.
And then get posting.
Did you enjoy this article? Because there’s more where this came from – check out the Birdsong Blog or follow @birdsongmarketing on Instagram for more free marketing tips.
About: Founded in Canada and now based in Canberra, Australia, Birdsong Marketing provides marketing services for companies of all sizes. From strategic planning to social media management, copywriting, and content creation, we work with you to understand your business's marketing goals and objectives. Learn More >
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An excellent addition to these strategies could be the use of videos recorded from the screen. This format can be especially effective for showing updates, guides, or step-by-step instructions on new products or services. Screen recordings add a visual element that can attract attention, and are especially useful for demonstrating changes or improvements that have occurred during a break. This approach can make the content more attractive and help to effectively reconnect with the audience. Here you can find a list of applications that can be used to implement this strategy - https://www.movavi.com/support/how-to/mac/how-to-record-screen-with-audio-on-mac.html