Did you know that the average person in the UK spends almost two hours on social media every single day? Is that more or less than you’d expect? While social media can be a beautiful space full of talented people, amazing ideas and friends you haven’t seen for years, it can also be full of bad news and can easily become a very overwhelming marketing tool.
I’ve had a chat with Tracy Bevan, from Positive Being Coaching, to hear her thoughts on the matter:
“Running a business is hard and you can run yourself into the ground trying to be everywhere, doing everything! Cut yourself some slack and give yourself a high five for all you do achieve. Don’t forget, you and your energy are a finite resource. As a call on our time, social media can be the hardest to take control of because our phones are always with us. Most of us use it in our downtime so the lines get very blurred around what is and isn’t work. Getting the balance right is still a work in progress for me.”
– Tracy Bevan
Spend your time wisely
“Social Media could easily become a never-ending task so make sure you set yourself some parameters. How much time do you want to spend, how many platforms do you want to be on, and how do you work best (number of posts per week, schedule ahead, etc.) Spend some time thinking about this. Write it down in a marketing plan and be honest – is it reasonable and achievable with the time you have? If not, what can change? Talk this through with someone if you feel stuck.”
– Tracy Bevan
An undervalued social media marketing tool is a timer. I’d recommend using one for two reasons. Firstly, it’s a great way of finding out exactly how long you’re spending on your social media marketing and what aspects of it are taking you too long. Secondly, it’ll help you stay focused. Your business is going to benefit more from you spending 5 minutes actively engaging with purpose rather than spending an hour doomscrolling.
“What I tell myself to push past the ick; no one will watch or read anything you post in the detail and scrutiny you do. So just put it out. Forget perfection. It is impossible, unnecessary and the enemy of creativity. Scheduling posts can really help with this too. When you press ‘post, but not ‘til next week’ it is nowhere near as scary, and you will have forgotten about it by the time it goes up. Much easier 😊“
– Tracy Bevan
A surprising amount of time on social media is ‘wasted’ by waiting for that first comment and watching the views rise. I know I’m guilty of this too! Scheduling posts is the best way to avoid this – that first comment comes in as a lovely surprise!
A different way of using the scheduling tools is to write a timeless post to go out today. You know that in two or three months, everything you’ve said in that post is still going to be relevant, so why not schedule it to go out again?
“Invest in yourself. Give yourself time to learn about the technology that can help you work more efficiently. If you know it is not for you then this might be the first thing you choose to outsource once you are in a financial position to do that.“
– Tracy Bevan
Social media isn’t everything
“Social Media is free marketing. It is an amazingly powerful tool and a way to get you, your product and what you do out there without a costly ad campaign. We are so lucky to have it. There are ways around whatever particular aspect of it you find difficult. If you don’t like going live, pre-record. If you don’t like blogs, short tips and ideas. If you don’t like Facebook, use Instagram.
Get feedback from clients about where they first heard about you and what keeps them coming back. If it is face-to-face networking, a newsletter or picking up the phone rather than social media, then you need to re-balance where you are spending your time. Perhaps you don’t need to be posting as often as you think. Maybe you don’t have to be on as many platforms?”
– Tracy Bevan
Taking a break from social media is OK – and I know that sounds strange coming from a social media marketer! The reality is that you can’t get people excited about your business if you’re not feeling excited about it. It’s OK to take a step back from the marketing and to focus on what you want your business to become or to focus on your mental health.
It’s also OK to have a personal account that you keep private. I have an Instagram account that I keep at under 100 followers, I’ve also got a TikTok account that I’m happy to share with my business network but I use it for art and mental health so I don’t follow back the coaches, marketers, accountants, etc. Having these accounts helps me to keep those blurry lines between what is and isn’t work a little bit clearer.
Your feed is yours!
“I love fun conversations that help me get to know someone, mixed with longer posts about topics I am interested in. I love a Canva reel with some helpful facts or thoughtful questions. For me – keep it short, keep it visual and keep it you. AI is a fantastic tool but please don’t use it to make noise. I’d rather one or two honest posts a week than continual soundbites.”
– Tracy Bevan
What do you see when you start scrolling down your feed? How does it make you feel? If that feeling isn’t a positive one, you can change that! As business owners it’s very easy to think of the algorithms as a confusing obstacle in our way – the truth is, it’s just trying to show people the type of posts that they want to see. The algorithm is your friend, and it learns very quickly. If you only stop on posts that you love, if you only engage with posts because you’re really interested in them, your feed will soon be full of more posts like that.
And remember, you don’t owe anyone a follow – even if you love them. Everyone uses social media differently, and sometimes, lovely people choose to use social media as a space to rant. That’s their choice. But it’s your choice if you want those rants in your feed.
It’s also 100% up to you how much of your personal you choose to share!
Who is Tracy Bevan?
“I use the transformative power of positive psychology to guide people to their own brighter better future. I help my clients find more purpose and meaning in life, at home and work. It is so easy to get stuck, especially when you are at a crossroads in life. Transition times like leaving university, starting a new job, menopause or retirement can all stop you in your tracks. You know there is a change you want to make but you can’t see the path ahead. Overthinking can make you anxious and keep you from moving forward. I help people put positive wellbeing back in the core of how they live so they can start to love life again.
My favourite platform has to be LinkedIn. I never used it until I had my own business so it was all new to me. But I found it refreshingly positive and full of useful information and helpful encouraging people. There is always some useful learning to dip my toes into on there.“
– Tracy Bevan
Tracy is one of those people that it’s just easy to talk to – a skill that makes her so so good at what she does! She is also starting a new membership programme, Healthy Minds Matter, as part of a collaboration with Andrea Peers. Members meet once or twice a month for an hour group workshop for support, tools and discussion around maintaining positive mental health. Find out more here.
Thanks for reading! I share a blog like this one every other Tuesday, and if you feel like they help your social media presence, and more importantly, your business – then please consider leaving a tip.
Every time this tip jar reaches £15, I’ll run a giveaway on social media so a small business can access my membership group for two months.
Tesni xx
