Why I’m Pausing Our Instagram Account

 

Do you ever feel like you’re drowning in all of your social media accounts?

Like there’s not enough time in the day to post to every platform you’re supposed to?

Or like you’re not creative enough to write really great posts for 6 different social media accounts?

I get it. Me too.

I recently gave a social media workshop to a group of businesspeople in Kalamazoo, MI. They came to me for Social Media 101.

My key message to them? Don’t try to do it all in social media. Figure out which platform (or platforms) is the favorite for your target market, and put ALL your best effort there.

I could almost feel the tension drain out of the room.

“Oh thank goodness. She’s not going to tell me to sign up for and learn 10 new social media accounts,” I could almost hear them thinking.

We had a great conversation about which social platforms tend to be used by which demographics. Then we talked about using buyer personas to figure out where our target customers fit.

It was great, and pretty much everyone left with a smile.

… But here’s the thing.

I wasn’t following my own advice.

In fact, I spent the whole day figuring out how to post about this workshop on 11Web’s six different social media accounts.

Yes, 6. Ugh.

I had to have a heart-to-heart with myself and realize that I haven’t done a truly great job posting and engaging on any of our social media. I just have too many places to post each and every message.

I’m overwhelmed.

It’s a problem that I need to fix, and one that you may need to fix in your business too.

If My Social Media Were Like Houseplants…

Are you following the problem? Here’s a gardening analogy, which comes to mind because I have a huge black thumb:

It’s kind of like I have just one cup of water and six different house plants. I have to just sprinkle it among all the plants to try to keep them alive.

A few drops for you over here, a few drops for you over there…

If I keep doing that, I’m making a little bit of an effort to water my plants, but none of them thrive. Some slowly wilt and die because they just need more attention.

What if I chose to just have, say, two really beautiful, fantastic house plants? I can devote my limited resources just to those favorite plants. They each get enough water. Enough love. Enough attention.

They may even flower (not that I know what that looks like… given my luck with plants).

What Does That Mean for 11Web?

It’s time for 11Web’s social media to thrive in the same focused way.

Since I manage all the accounts myself with my own limited time and resources, I’m going to shower my energy down on just a couple accounts.

My focus: Facebook and LinkedIn.

These are the places where more of our target clients and referral sources hang out.

These are great places for sharing content of all types, including our own images behind the scenes, helpful links from other sources, and cool video content.

So what has to go?

Instagram.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Instagram. I’ll still post when I can on my own account because it’s fun. But truthfully, Instagram is not the place that 11Web makes meaningful connections with our target customers.

My other issue with Instagram is that, as a digital agency, we don’t have that much real life visual content. I could post screenshots of our website launches, but they just don’t fit well with Instagram’s more authentic visuals.

So for now, Instagram is getting paused, but we’re keeping the account.

Why Keep Our Instagram Account At All?

1. So we can be tagged.  If we sponsor something or appear at an event, we want an account so other Instagram users can tag us.
2. So we are able to get free traffic.  With our bio up and our website link there, anyone who lands on our account may click through to our website.
3. So we keep our username.  I don’t want anyone else to claim @11Web, just in case we want it later.

So it will be up, and feel free to follow in case we resurrect it at some point, but don’t expect much new content right now.

Instead, head over to 11Web’s Facebook. I’m committed to posting 2-4 times weekly, and only the most helpful, valuable content about digital marketing.

So I’m curious… who’s up for the challenge of social media focus? Any platforms you want to pause? Tell me in the comments below!