Went Dark on Social Media? Here’s How to Rebuild Momentum and Comeback with Confidence

PodcastMarketing

Dec 4

Episode 906: Show Notes

Have you ever gone completely dark on social? Whether it was because life got away from you, you felt uninspired, or you just needed a break, I want you to know that I get it! I have been there too. The past couple of months have been crazy for me as I’ve recovered from surgery, dealt with my dad’s stroke, and moved him to assisted living. I’ve barely been showing up online. But here’s the thing: coming back doesn’t have to feel impossible, and it doesn’t mean that you have to start from scratch. When you choose to walk away for a period of time, you don’t need to feel pressure to announce your departure or even announce that you’re coming back. Most people aren’t even aware that you’ve walked away at all!

Today, I’m sharing exactly how I would return to social media after a hiatus and how I want to see you do it so that you can show up with confidence, consistency, and authenticity! Without guilt over thinking too! Instead of worrying about what other people think of your social media habits, I want this return to be entirely focused on you and how you’re building a new routine to help you show up consistently. My goal for this episode is to see you move forward, build momentum, and help you rediscover why you were online in the first place. Let’s dive in!

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How to Enjoy the Work You’re Doing on Social Media

The biggest hurdle you’re going to face if you’ve been away is getting into a habit of starting and stopping over and over again. Breaking through that and acknowledging that pattern will help you find a better routine. If you are in that pattern, I don’t want you to beat yourself up about it because that negative rhetoric is just not helpful. What happened is in the past, you can’t go back. And I want you to focus on the future and not what you haven’t done. The best way to overcome this hurdle is to ensure that you enjoy the work you’re doing as much as you can!

For the majority of small business owners, creating content is just a means to an end – not your actual business. But if you have a good understanding of how you need to show up and find parts of it that are enjoyable, you’re on the right track. I want you to find a way to create a rhythm for yourself that makes you feel confident in how you’re showing up. Something that has helped me get back in touch with the desire to create is reconnecting with the ‘why’. Social media is such a huge gift. It allows us to reach so many people in a way nothing else in the world allows you to do FOR FREE! I want you to feel excited about taking advantage of this gift.

Making Your Content Feel Authentic

It’s also important to acknowledge the element of having to ‘play the game’ and give these platforms what they want. Every single app has its own things they want from you and there are definitely unspoken norms that you have to follow or your content won’t work. Leaning into what each platform favors in content is definitely your easiest option. However, there are exceptions to that rule that you can focus on if you need something else to motivate you to stay consistent. For example, on Instagram, reels tend to be the best way to reach non-followers. The moment your content feels performative, you are going to question your integrity or even your content itself, and then things become really problematic. You have to trust yourself and you have to feel good about what you’re putting out into the world.

Caring Versus Self-Sacrificing

I don’t want you to confuse feeling comfortable with the pressure you may feel because of who’s watching. I know that so many people (myself included) carry fears about what the people who know them in real life think of their content. A lot of you may avoid certain subjects, saying specific things, or stating certain claims so that you don’t get a rise out of people you know in person.

There’s this element of business where you have to prove that you’re the expert, and often, when you do that through your results, that may make people feel uncomfortable. But I don’t want you to pay attention to that because this is your business! It is how you make a living! More often than not, the people looking at you sideways are just jealous. I get it; you’re never going to stop caring what people think entirely. You care because you love other people. But at what point are you self-sacrificing for their comfort?

How to Prioritize Your Life Over Your Work

I am so grateful that I’ve built a business that gives me the flexibility to put social media on the back burner because I’m not fully reliant on it to make my business run. But it is the thing that helps me attract new people, build visibility, build awareness, and create new leads. So it is important, but it isn’t the only thing that’s important. Just like I have done, I want you to build a business that allows you to prioritize your life over work. There is going to be some point in your business when you do not have the ability to show up online because you are a small business and that’s okay! I want you to be able to set it down. That’s actually a gift. Walking away and coming back to it makes you a human being with other priorities.

That being said, I am here to recommit with you. That time away was just a moment within your story and creating content online can be such a powerful and rewarding tool for growth – especially when approached with intention and consistency. I want you to start small, stay focused, remember why you’re doing this, and celebrate progress no matter how slow it feels. I’m here to build momentum with you. I do think that having a plan and the tools in place to make this happen makes this a lot easier.

Most of what I do is on Instagram and I have packaged up everything that has helped me build consistency while being able to step away for a period of time. All of this is inside my Instagram Profit Playbook which is not only a separate course but is also part of the Co-op! Make sure you check it out!