You don't have to be on all the social medias

Social media burnout ≠ effective self-promotion

The online marketing landscape is a cesspool of noise and overwhelm. Everyone wants you to pay attention to their thing, and the pressure to be on All. The. Things. can be downright overwhelming.

I’m sure you’ve heard some version of this before:

Everyone needs a personal brand. If you want to be relevant, you have to be on TikTok. Every thought leader has a huge following on [some social media platform I’ve never heard of]. Do you even exist if you don’t have a podcast?

I’m going to make a bold claim: None of that is true. You don’t have to be on all the social medias to effectively promote yourself.

My reaction when I think about being on all the social medias

Again, for the kids in the back:

You don’t have to be on all the social medias to effectively promote yourself.

Was that a sigh of relief? Did your shoulders relax a little? I hope so.

Even the people who ARE on all the things aren’t really on all the things

Even if you wanted to be on all the things, my guess is that realistically, you can’t be. Marketing across lots of different platforms and doing it right takes tons of time, even more money, and a huge team of people to do it for you.

But what about your favorite influencers? You know, the ones who’ve built a giant following on how to make six figures from your side hustle and quit your 9-5 and build passive income streams and generally make the rest of us feel like our businesses aren’t good enough. They somehow manage to be on all the things, so why can’t you?

There’s something alluring about being on all the things, because it means you don’t have to pick and choose. You can avoid the hard work of honing your message, understanding your audience and building a strategy to reach them.

I’ll tell you a secret: they aren’t. I guarantee you, they are not the ones staying up at all hours of the day to crank out, post, and share all that content. They’re paying other people, probably many other people, to do that work for them.

Even if you do have the time, money and people to pull this off, I’d urge you to reconsider. Spreading yourself too thin is rarely a good marketing decision.

That’s the rational argument. But as with so many things, there’s an emotional component here, too:

There’s something alluring about being on all the things, because it means you don’t have to pick and choose. You can avoid the hard work of honing your message, understanding your audience and building a strategy to reach them.

Then, when your marketing inevitably fails, you get to throw your hands up and say, “I tried, but it’s too much! No one could possibly keep up!” This is a very handy way to stay in your comfort zone and avoid responsibility when things go wrong.

So, time for a little grown-up talk:

You are a grown-ass adult. You can make hard decisions about your business. You can learn more about your audience. You can put yourself out there. You can survive the discomfort of failure.

The easeful alternative: pick one thing and do it well

“But if I’m not on all the platforms, won’t that limit my audience?”

I hear this concern all the time, and the short answer is no. In fact, narrowing your focus will actually give you much better results for your effort.

Why? Platforms are like gardening. The more you nurture them, the more they give you. Start by investing in one (maaaaaybe two). Otherwise, you’ll spread yourself too thin, and you won’t see positive momentum. These platforms reward consistency. In other words, they like you better when you use them regularly.

It’s perfectly ok to opt out of a platform simply because you don’t like it. If you hate TikTok and your marketing strategy relies on TikTok, you’re gonna have a bad time.

But how do you choose? There are so many possibilities! Here are a few things to keep in mind:

• Know your audience. Who do you hope to reach? Where do they hang out? What are their likes/dislikes? Where do they live? What’s important to them?

• Go where they go. Are you trying to reach long-form writers? You probably won’t find them on Pinterest, but you’ll find loads of them right here on Substack. Likewise, if your target audience is 50-something empty nesters, TikTok is probably not the platform for you (but Facebook groups and Instagram might be worth a look).

• Know thyself. Pick a platform that plays to your strengths. Is writing a superpower? Substack is a great place to be. Awesome at video? A Twitch or TikTok account might make sense. Great with visuals? Instagram is a solid choice. HOWEVER: it’s perfectly ok to opt out of a platform simply because you don’t like it. If you hate TikTok and your marketing strategy relies on TikTok, you’re gonna have a bad time.

• Focus on relationships. There aren’t enough hours in the day to do all the things. Even if there were, good marketing is about the long game. It will take time — months, maybe even years — to build the deep, trusting relationships that sustain a brand. And no matter how good you are, some days will just suck.

You are a grown-ass adult. You can make hard decisions about your business. You can learn more about your audience. You can put yourself out there. You can survive the discomfort of failure.

Teeny tiny homework

Take a few minutes and pick a platform. Is there one you enjoy the most? One that feels most natural? Which best utilizes your skills? Where can you see yourself really committing to and investing in? No wrong answers! Remember: this is just a starting point. You can add more “things” later. Also, you have permission to NOT be on Instagram or TikTok or even (gasp!) Substack. You’re welcome!

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