For most of us, whether you’re an influencer, blogger, vlogger or social media manager for a brand, social media is a large and very critical part of your job. The nature of an always-on job means it can be hard to disconnect from the digital world. However, the constant digital immersion makes taking a holiday all the more essential for not only your mental health but your ability to do the best job possible, so you can come back with a fresh and inspired state of mind.
Thankfully, it’s possible to schedule social media content before you go, but that’s only the half of it.
Below are five tips from bdNZ's on what to do before, during, and after your social media hiatus:
Before your holiday
Whether you’re on holiday for a few days or a few weeks, you need to prepare to some extent.
#1: Schedule your content
Start scheduling your content a couple of weeks out from your holiday that way it is still current but far enough that you make minor adaptations to your plan just before leaving. Take into consideration any relevant events happening that would be relevant to your following. We recommend browsing through sites such as Eventfinda, Heart of the City (if in Auckland), The Urban List and FQ.co.nz. Remember to schedule your posts for peak traffic times.
Once you have the full picture, start scheduling every piece of content that needs to go live while you’re away and then for a couple of days afterwards. This will give you a nice buffer in case you run into flight issues or any other hiccups. Plus even if nothing goes wrong, it’s nice to return to work without having to worry about what you’re posting that day.
It’s easy to schedule content for Facebook and YouTube but Instagram can be more difficult. We suggest using an external platform such as Later to roll this out (it’s free).
TIP FOR INFLUENCERS AND BLOGGERS: prepare your following for your absence. If you really want to check out, let your followers know you won’t be posting for ‘x’ amount of time in order to unwind (they will understand – they follow you because they relate to you at the end of the day!).
#2: Recruit the (temporary) new “You”
With your social content prepped and scheduled, it’s time to on board a team member who you can trust to step in and handle anything urgent while you’re away. This one is more relevant for social media managers who look after a brand account. In the event you’re unavailable, perhaps due to a time difference, it’s critical to identify a person who can handle any urgent emergencies, particularly those that have the potential to flare up. The last thing you want is to wake up to hundreds of ‘share’ notifications and direct messages.
During Your Vacation
You’ve put in the extra work and made all the necessary preparation. Now’s the time to take your vacation and enjoy it!
#3: Try to unplug completely
As someone who is heavily engaged in social media for a job, it can be very difficult to unplug completely (i.e. no posting, no reading comments on your business’ Instagram account). However, it’s worth putting in the extra effort, especially if you’ve been feeling stressed or exhausted lately.
Start off by removing any chat apps from your phone like Viber of WhatsApp, then ease into removing your Instagram and Facebook app – if the idea is too scary, at the bare minimum sign out of your accounts. As a personal anecdote, I got major anxiety at the beginning (like a constant nagging itch to check my feeds), which then faded to total serenity. It was the first time in ages I'd fully appreciated the moment. So often, I'm too preoccupied taking photos of the amazing place I'm in that I forget to take it all in! You also realise how often you're splitting up your attention, when you should be giving your full to the person you're with.
#4: If all else fails…
Even if you can’t completely detach from your social media, it’s still possible to take the break you so desperately need. The key to this is setting boundaries!
We recommend setting boundaries such as a ‘check-in time’ for a set period, where you’re allowed to check your social media for the duration of 30 minutes. It’s important to note that if you’re overseas, the time difference may mean less engagement due to the possibility your following is sleeping.
Also, try to remember that if there was an emergency, you would know. Your colleagues or friends would have escalated any issues to you by now.
After Your Vacation
#5 Fresh start
Now that the batteries are recharged, it’s time to get the creative juices flowing again. Sit down and pull together a plan for the next month including goals you want to accomplish such as KPI targets or vlogs you want to film. If you’re an influencer or blogger and you managed to stay detached for your whole holiday, firstly well done and secondly, it’s time to re-introduce yourself! Your followers would have missed you and want to see what you’ve been up to so try post a few snaps from your travels.
Even if you're not going on holiday, maybe this article has inspired you to take a break from social media. Takes up the Eyes Up challenge and disconnect so you can reconnect.
