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Careers
7 ways to use social media for work – without it taking over your life
By Anna Bartter
Updated 2 months ago
5 min read
Some of us need to use social media in one form or another as a work tool at some point in our careers, but constantly curating content can seem like a full-time job in itself. So, how can we use social media more effectively for work?
If you’re self-employed, you might have to spend a portion of your day curating social media content to drive your business forward. But in today’s ever-online world, creating constant content can take over, becoming a full-time job of its own as we spend hours editing reels as well as engaging with clients or customers.
And don’t even get us started on falling into a scrolling rabbit hole, forgetting why we’re even on TikTok in the first place. However, the reality is that we can’t just jack it all in and go offline, so how can we use social media for work without risking Instagram fatigue?
Here, female founders and experts share what works for them and, crucially, what to avoid.
What are the pros and cons of using social media for work?
Credit: Getty
There’s no doubt that the digital world has opened up a whole range of possibilities for entrepreneurs and more, allowing us to create and market our own brands for free – but it can also be a bit of a poisoned challice.
The good
“There are two massive advantages in using social media for me,” shares Jen Brown, founder of Meet You At The Barre. “The first is that it’s free, and the second is that my business is quite heavily based around my personality (which may sound odd, but as a 45+ woman looking to persuade other midlife women about the joys of exercise, it works). Social media allows people to see so much more than traditional forms of advertising, which works brilliantly if you’re a brand based around a personality – which is itself quite a new phenomenon.”
There’s no doubt that using social media to highlight your business is fast and effective, not to mention engaging, as Kate Roche, owner and founder of lifestyle brand Blossom and Roar has found.
“Social media is a really easy way to communicate quickly with customers,” she tells Stylist. “It can be a fun way to show products in videos, use music to hook and show people how to wear or style my products. It’s also a great way for people to get in touch with me, ask questions about products, provide feedback and so on. Not to mention the fact that when someone with a big account shops with me and shares with their audience, that can have a hugely positive impact and really drive sales.”
The bad
“There’s a huge amount of pressure to feed the beast – the algorithm demands ever more content of better and better quality,” says Brown. “As content creators up their game, we mere mortals also have to produce increasingly professional and polished content to even stay relevant. What used to be a part of my job is now as demanding as the work that I actually get paid for. I split my time about 50:50 between my actual job and creating content.”
7 tips for using social media more effectively for your career
So, how can we be sure that we’re maximising our use of social media to promote our business, rather than simply wasting our precious time scrolling mindlessly online? Here are some top tips from the women who have made it work for them.
1. Consistency is key
“I try to put out an Instagram post every day,” says Roche. “I schedule them the night before to post at 7am the next day as I find the early morning is the best time for my followers to view and engage with posts.”
2. Be intentional
“I manage socials as part of my day job, and it can be so easy to get sucked into scrolling and then forgetting why you opened the app in the first place,” says Jules Brim, a social media and marketing consultant. “To help keep my scrolling low and my outputs high I always try to use my socials intentionally and suggest others do the same, or your day will be over before you know it.”
3. Analyse your stats
It’s important to try and pin down what’s working for you and what’s not. “Look at your stats – if things aren’t working don’t keep doing it,” says Natalie Owen, social media lead for Zurich UK. Do your followers always like a certain type of post or are they online at the same time every day? Take note of any patterns that arise and use them to your advantage.
4. Be yourself
“You have to be authentically you online,” says Brown. “To be anything else is utterly exhausting.” And this might mean leaving those mistakes as they are. “I try to make sure I don’t over-edit or filter my content, and I tend to leave in any mistakes,” says Roche. “It works best for me when I’m genuine and authentically me – people can tell if you’re not being true to yourself.”
5. Check in with yourself regularly
Make sure that you’re staying true to your goals and drivers with your content, and not just posting for the sake of keeping up with others you may feel are performing better than you.
“Set out your goal for your social media use and check back from time to time to make sure you’re staying true to your purpose,” says Roche. “While it can be tempting to follow social media trends, I’ve found they don’t really work for me as they can feel forced.”
You have to be authentically ‘you’ online
Jen Brown
6. Use time blocking techniques
It’s all too easy to suddenly lose hours of your day scrolling content online. If you struggle to keep a check on your consumption, try time blocking. “I suggest setting aside specific blocks of time for creating content and engaging (no sneaky scrolling outside of those windows),” says Brim. “You have to stick to the main goals of things you want to achieve that week, whether it’s building your brand, connecting with your audience, or driving sales. Be intentional and organised with your screen time.”
7. Set time limits – and stick to them
“I also set time limits on the apps,” says Brim. ” While some days I do hit the ‘ignore limit for today’ button, it generally makes me more mindful of how long I have spent on the app and makes me consider whether I have achieved what I needed to or just faffed about – it really helps to refocus my mind.”
Images: Getty
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