Managing social media accounts is no easy feat. In fact, there have been clear studies linking social media and certain platforms with increased stress levels.
It takes a lot of time to build your brand voice and know what resonates with your audience and what doesn’t.
It takes practice to get to a point where you understand when your customers are online and ready to interact with your content.
On top of that, it takes almost constant vigilance to effectively and efficiently respond to comments and make necessary updates.
In many ways, managing social media is a full-time job all by itself.
That’s why we wanted to talk about a few of the frustrations that people who are managing social media accounts frequently face. Even though it’s an extremely useful tool, it can still be a fickle environment, and one that can change at the drop of a hat.
We’ll also provide some suggestions for reframing those frustrations into more positive thoughts.
1. Having to Manage Too Many Platforms
This one specifically goes out to the social media teams that consist of just one or two people. If you have multiple social media accounts, it can be hard to manage them all at once while performing your other job duties.
In between planning individualized content, liking and responding to comments, and keeping up with market trends on each platform, it feels nearly impossible to get anything else done during the course of the day.
It’s great to have your voice on so many platforms, and you have to be listening to what your customers are saying for the health of the business. However, if you’re building content on a platform on which your audience isn’t present, it may be better to let that one go.
While it’s great to carve out a space for yourself on each social media platform, if it comes down to creating phenomenal content on just a few accounts or creating mediocre content for many accounts, it’s typically better to focus on the platforms that your audience regularly engages with you on.
2. Surface-Level Connections
When managing social media accounts, you may notice that you have to devote some of your time to networking online. Social media is, by its very nature, there for people to interact with one another.
However, it can feel frustrating when the connections you’re making while managing social media only stay at the surface level. In other words, some people may only follow and like your content if you like and follow theirs in return.
Try starting conversations with others on social media. Comment on others’ posts. Ask questions. Send people direct messages.
Along the same lines, make sure you’re adding value with the content you post. Every time you write or design something for social media, think of what you want your audience to get out of it. Then, provide it in a way that makes it easy for them to interact with.
3. Time Commitments
It’s true: Managing social media accounts takes a great deal of time. Especially since you can’t expect to make posts and never go on social media again.
It’s important to set aside a few minutes each day to like and share other people’s posts, as well as directly interact and start conversations. And when you’re juggling multiple platforms, this can start taking up a large chunk of your time.
One way to deal with this is to set aside time specifically for social media development. You may not get everything done that you want to, but at the end of the day, you can only do so much.
You can also hire a third party company to handle social media management and brand reputation for you. They have professionals that can create the content, post it, as well as do more to further your brand reach. All you have to do is approve the posts.
4. Consistent Inconsistencies
Social media platforms are constantly changing and evolving. They all go through updates to functionalities and terms of use. Not to mention, algorithms change and can make it so that your content is more difficult to find.
Again, if you’re realizing that keeping up with the rules and regulations of different platforms is too overwhelming for you, you may decide that you want to focus on one or two accounts rather than four or five.
Just make sure that you’re aware of where your audience is interacting the most. That’s how you’ll know which platforms to choose from should you have to do so.
5. Rude or Difficult Comments
Unfortunately, dealing with trolls or just rude users comes with the territory of managing social media accounts. People may say hurtful or off-color things just to get a rise out of you or otherwise try to embarrass you.
When this happens, the best thing you can do is be calm and transparent. If it’s just someone looking for a fight, make sure to not give them what they want. If it’s a customer who’s genuinely upset, try moving the conversation into their direct messages.
Above all, make sure to be kind to yourself when dealing with internet drama. It can be very stressful, so take time to reflect on how you handle the situation, learn from it, and then move on. Practice some self care as well, like taking a walk, when these stressful situations arise.
In Summary
Social media is a tough landscape to navigate. There are a lot of moving pieces that can make it difficult to manage. When done successfully, though, it can bring back huge returns for your brand. Even though some of us may not love it, it’s still a necessity in today’s digital world.
If you find yourself needing help with managing social media, Vervology is here to help! We can build your posts, as well as give guidance on any questions you may have. Get in touch to schedule your free consultation.
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