Overcoming Social Media Overwhelm
Today I’m going to be talking about social media strategies - particularly for Instagram - and speaking directly to my new yoga teachers and those in the wellness industry who are still trying to build their social media presence but are feeling stressed and overwhelmed.
So let’s break it down, first and foremost….COVID. We saw that obviously everybody stayed home so no one is going to yoga studios. So we saw an enormous, ginormous increase in online studios, online classes, YouTube yoga, at-home workouts. Also many yoga studios transitioned to offering yoga teacher trainings online so a million and one people get certified to teach yoga.
What we saw during this time on social media was the follower gap; platforms that were already established saw a huge jump in follower growth and participation in their classes and offerings. In 2020 you either had an incredible year or you had the worst year of your life, I don’t think there were really much in-between.
Because entertainment boomed during this time, you know all these dances we saw – everybody and their mama is out here with a dance – Instagram created Reels to compete with what was happening on TikTok. Which in turn left us with a whole new skill to have to learn. As a new feature it is prioritized because people want to be entertained and want video format. When I was coming up in the game four years ago where posting pretty pictures was the thing, over time things have slowly been added on and added on…IGTV…IGLive…Stories…Reels…OK!
As an entrepreneur the number one skill you will always need to have is adaptability. If you are not able to be adaptable, learn new skills and adjust to what is happening in the market, you will not make it long-term. Period.
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The issue now is that we’re feeling overwhelmed, we’re feeling unmotivated sometimes or like we’re not able to see the success that we would like to see. We’re also feeling a sense of self-doubt or maybe even failure. We have all these things in front of us that we need to learn, we need to master in order to compete. The only way you’re able to continue to grow on Instagram is to have a strategy. You cannot be coming on here willy-nilly. Listen, I remember when I first started planning and scheduling posts back in February 2020, it changed the game for me. All of a sudden I felt like I had more time and more control over what I was posting, I also felt in alignment with my bigger goals.
So let’s get into some tips:
Build Structure. First and foremost, in order to properly market on the ‘Gram and not be running around out here like a chicken with your head cut off – posts all over the place, colors all over the place, the whole thing – we need some structure. Your content should do one of three things: educate, entertain or build brand equity.
Educate. This means establishing yourself as an expert by sharing knowledge and information that allows you to become a reliable source for people to seek out.
Entertainment. Nowadays people want to be entertained that’s why people are all out here with the pointy shit and other meme videos. People want new ways to consume information, they have limited attention spans so they want it in video form. It’s tough out here in these streets y’all. Finding s ay to weave entertaining content into your business and education content is very important.
Brand equity. This is particularly important for new yoga teachers and people who are just now building their account. This idea means building up the story, the value, the intent, the purpose of what you’re there for. You’re not necessarily asking anything of your audience when you’re building brand equity, it’s that feel-good post on a Sunday that reminds you to take a nap because you deserve it. Or sharing something that’s on your mind in the moment that may really relate to your business; those intangible moments of realness or rawness that I think really give people an opportunity to connect to who you are and to who your brand is and why you’re out here.