Est Read Time: 8 Minutes
I am sure that you think that social media is a total waste of time and honestly, I completely agree with you.
In fact, Madisend and I both recognize many of the toxic symptoms of social media! It creates a want for things we don’t need, has us doubting ourselves because we constantly compare ourselves to others, and it keeps us one-sided because we are only fed things that we like and agree with.
There is little out there challenging our thinking and having us look outside of ourselves.
When we are using social media on a personal level all day every day we see just how toxic it is.
However!
Social media also has its non-toxic aspects, things that we don’t always think about.
Like during the pandemic, it showed us how we can stay connected with each other through social media. It also had us rethink the way we share on social media.
Post pandemic and people are craving authentic connection more than ever! We no longer want to see filtered out fakes, we want raw and unfiltered life!
We want to see people for who they are –including brands.
Remember, just because we’re interacting online doesn’t mean we ditch ‘real life’ social norms. It’s still a relationship! And just like any relationship, you need to give to get.
A relationship is two ways. If you want people to engage with your online brand then you need to engage with them.
But how do we do this without wasting time? You use social media like a business tool.
I have a few suggestions for using it like a business tool, but first, I want to tell you exactly why you want to be using social media for your brand.
The Benefits of Using Social Media for Your Brand
1. You invest time and not money
This is very important if you’re starting out on a tight budget! When you’re just getting into real estate or starting your own business I am sure that the budget is going to be tight.
Just know that eventually you will need to get into the paid ads side of social media eventually to grow, but organic content is the perfect place to start!
You just need to make sure you are truly investing the time into your social media.
This can look like 1 hour a day, 4 hours a week, or whatever you can sanely keep up with.
[If you’d like to learn more about how often you should be posting read my blog post: How Often Should I be Posting on My Social Media?]
2. You Get to Showcase Your Brand Authentically
When you manage a social media account or accounts for your brand you get to be in control of how you show up –and hopefully you’re showing up authentically to your brand.
This means defining who you are, what you do, and who you serve so that you can create content based around that!
You want to be consistent both with posting and how you show up when you post. By how you show up, I mean that you are consistent with your brand’s tone, messaging, and aesthetic.
[Stuck on content creation? I have 3 Steps to Re-Inspire Yourself When You Find Yourself Stuck in a Creative Lull]
3. You Connect With Potential Clients
When you are showing up online being authentic to your brand is when you start to attract ideal clients because they are being reeled in by you! (pun intended! 😆)
Usually, your content will be shown to someone a few times before they start to follow you, and when they follow you it’s because they feel connected to your brand.
When they feel connected the trust they have for you starts to grow –and my friend, trust is your NUMBER ONE priority. Especially when you have high ticket items like homes!
You want people to work with you? They need to trust you.
Okay, so I feel like you’re starting to understand just how it benefits your brand to be on social media. But the problem of getting sucked in and wasting time on social media is still there.
Let’s talk about that!
4. You Reach People You Never Could Without It
Of course you can be successful without social media, but that depends on what success looks like to you.
However, if you want to reach thousands of people and attract clients you never could without a social media presence good luck! *cough* Like Gen Z *cough* (Remember, Gen Z is social media savvy and it’s a great resource for them to find brands they love and trust. And they’re starting to buy homes!)
Which is why you should consider the benefits of social media rather than focusing on its not so great aspects.
3 Strategies To Stop You From Wasting Time on Social Media
Before we go over my three suggested strategies to keep you from wasting time I want to fully disclose that I am not perfect.
These are suggestions that I have incorporated into how I manage social media, but I definitely have times where I forget and I am deep in the social media hole. Before I know it, I have spent 2 hours scrolling social media aimlessly!
Personally, I feel gross afterwards and when I find myself doing this daily for a few weeks I feel really depressed.
[I actually have depression and I realized in the last year that lots of social media use really affected my depression. When I didn’t touch my phone for a few days it made a huge improvement in my mental health.]
At the end of the day you need to take care of yourself. Don’t sacrifice health for work.
Set boundaries –in fact, all three of my strategies are boundaries!
1. Set a Timer
I am really bad for forgetting this one, but when I do it I feel the pressure of having to be intentional.
Decide how much time you want to spend on engaging with your community, I’d suggest 10 to 30 minutes depending what you’re trying to accomplish. There are going to be seasons where you need to be there a little more.
And I aim to do two check-ins, one in the late morning and one in the early evening, or just one check-in in the late afternoon.
2. Scroll With Intention by Setting ‘Mini Goals’
To make the best use of your time you want to decide what you want to accomplish before you start scrolling. Here are a few mini goal examples:
- Find one new account to follow in alignment with my brand
- Like/React to at least 5 posts I genuinely like that are in alignment with my brand
- Comment on at least three posts I genuinely want to respond to.
- Find 3 trending audios that inspire me to make my own reels with.
- Read the comments on accounts similar to mine to see what common questions come up for inspiration for my own content.
When you go onto social media on a time limit with specific intentions, you’ll find that you are wasting less time while feeling more connected with your community!
3. Set Scheduled Social Media Time
If you want to make intentional social media scrolling a habit I suggest making it a scheduled thing. I’m still trying to figure out where the best times in my schedule are to put it, so for now I have an alarm set in the late afternoon to remind me.
I tried to do it before I started work but I found it derailed my morning motivation. So now I am going to try to do it at the end of my morning work session right before lunch and then at the end of my afternoon work session before I call it for the day!
It’s a work in progress though, so we’ll see how it goes.
In Conclusion
Yes, I completely agree with you that social media can be a waste of time, especially when you’re on it to ‘fill the void’.
Try to allow yourself to be bored so you can see what you inspire yourself to do! You might be surprised just how much more motivated you are to do other things. As well, boredom helps spark creativity, so it’s a really great idea!
When you are on social media for your brand, make sure that you are doing it with intention. No scrolling to numb your mind because there are a few benefits to being on social media, including:
- It’s a time investment, not money
- You get to showcase your brand authentically
- You connect better with potential clients
- You reach people you could never reach without it
Consider who you are trying to reach and meet them where they are!
And remember, if you want to save yourself from wasting time on social media then starting doing these things:
- Set a timer
- Scroll with intention by setting ‘mini goals’
- Set scheduled Social Media time
The best part about these strategies is that you can start implementing them now! So start looking at the best times for you to do intentional scrolling then set a timer and mini goals and get to it.
Your community needs you!
Now remember to bookmark this blog post because I’m sure you’re going to need the refresher in the future. (I know I need to remind myself often to be intentional and stop wasting time.)
Alright, I wish you the best of luck this week as you begin your journey into intentional social media time. I hope you figure it out faster than I have!
May you have a dazzling week filled with success and happiness.
-Jordan
If managing your social media has you feeling overwhelmed, stressed out, and like it’s a total burden you should consider reaching out to the Razzle Team! We’d love to take it off your hands and help get you showing up consistently and authentically to your brand. To contact us CLICK HERE.