There is a mythical creature that lives in the deep dark caverns of the internet. It’s the ‘actual’ social media professional. This creature works all hours of the day responding to tweets, writing blog posts, researching new opportunities and moderating forums.
Social Media Professionals are easy to identify
Social Media Professionals have their heads down most of the day creating excellent and shareable content.
They are conversing with their customer base helping to solve problems, answer questions or just generally be a part of the conversation.
They are working to push initiatives up through organizations with executive leadership.
They are building bridges between marketing, customer service, public relations, ad-sales, development and design.
They are keeping up to date on the latest news and trends in the SEM (I’m talking SEO AND PPC here people!) space.
They are keeping up to date on the latest news and trends in social networking.
They are keeping up to date on the latest news and trends in their areas of business.
They are working across their organization to build a team of players with no jerseys.
They are reporting on revenue, traffic, conversion and performance. These folks are doing business.
The real social media professional is constantly connected to the online world and pulled in many different directions. The effects of being constantly connected to your work and pulled in that many directions is taxing. No one can perform at their peak when worn down and nearing burn out. In a line of work where you rarely if ever truly get time “off” it is imperative to take measures to keep yourself fresh. Sofresh if you will. [insert cheesy knee slap here]
5 ways I keep myself sane
1) Unplug
That’s right. Unplug. All the way. On a regular basis. Have someone cover the ‘always on’ operations for a whole day at least once a month. More often of course if you can manage but let’s be real. It’s important to truly unplug and focus on things offline without the constant interruptions of pings and bings and updates and alerts.
2) Vent
When it gets to be too much, let it out. Catharsis can be very healing. It’s true. Vent it out. Have a true bitch session with someone who knows exactly what you’re going through. When you’re done, take a deep breath, pull your big kid pants back on and get back to work. This is just a ‘get it out of your system’ moment. Not a “wallow-in-your-own-whinyness” festival.
3) Explore
Get out. Explore. For some that means climbing a mountain. For others that might mean diving into a good book. And please for all that is sacred, make it a non-business book. Remember fiction? Explore something that is different and unrelated to your work or industry. You’d be surprised at how refreshing and inspiring this can be.
4) Focus
Step away from Twitter. Log out of Facebook. Yes. Do it. Just for a bit. Your job is about improving the business. You can opt-out of the “space” and all of its associated drama for just a bit. Take a fresh look at your KPI’s and really set out to renew your focus. This renewed sense of focus will bring about clarity. Clarity is energizing and refreshing. Ask yourself what you would do differently if these go-to sites didn’t exist. You never know what you’ll find out there.
5) Reconnect
Call your mom. Call your non-internet friends. Talk about something else. Reconnect with the people that are important to you cause let’s face it – it’s hard to have a real sense of work/life balance in this line of work. Also, they probably miss you.
There’s a common thread here. You’re full of smarts so you clearly picked up on it. The bottom line is you need to step back. Caring for the Social Media Professional means getting away from social media at times. No matter what your profession really, it’s important to maintain a life outside of work. This will keep you fresh, engaged and creative. Social creatures may have to take special care in this endeavor as the line between work and play is often blurred. Your company’s Twitter is right next to your own. Your business Facebook page is only a click away from your personal news feed. There’s a new “must-attend” social media event every day. I get it. But it will be worth it. I promise. Paying attention to your sanity is just as important as all the KPI’s and engagement metrics.]]>
There is a mythical creature that lives in the deep dark caverns of the internet. It’s the ‘actual’ social media professional. This creature works all hours of the day responding to tweets, writing blog posts, researching new opportunities and moderating forums.