Has your level of consistency on social media ever fallen by the wayside for a few weeks, months, or – dare I say it – even years?
It’s happened to all of us. Including me, around this time a year ago.
My wife, Cheryl, is a former national-level badminton player, but until last week she hadn’t played in nearly 15 years. She was really nervous about returning to 
the game, but I’m so proud of her for doing it! I went with her to the badminton club for moral support and while there, she taught me some valuable lessons about “getting back in the game” of social media.
1) Face Your Fear
Cheryl had been thinking and talking about returning to badminton ever since I met her 6 years ago, but she had some major fears that held her back. Not the least of which was will I know anybody at the club?
Well, when you’re a well-respected member of your community or industry, people will always recognize you and remember you. We had barely walked through the doors of the gym when people were greeting her by name and saying how happy they were to see her! That was an immediate boost to her confidence.
Whether it’s been a week, a month, or a year since you last touched your social media accounts, I dare you to post something. Anything. Someone will notice! (Tag me in a tweet if you want – @katytakaoka – and I’ll give you some love. Valentine’s Day is almost here, after all!)
Whatever is holding you back from posting, don’t let it. And if you’re not sure where to even begin, talk to me. I’d love to help you.
2) Play Through the Frustration
After a 15-year absence, Cheryl’s game was rusty. Her timing was off. She didn’t know exactly where she was on the court in relation to the sidelines and boundary lines without having to look at her feet. It made her pretty frustrated, because she knew how good she used to be and her performance wasn’t a reflection of her true skill.
When you return to social media after an absence, it will be frustrating. You will probably make some missteps. Your timing will be off. It’s okay! Keep plugging through, because it does pay off.
3) Re-Learn the Rules (Because They’ve Probably Changed)
Ten years ago, the Badminton World Federation changed the scoring system and some of the rules. This meant Cheryl had no clue how to score her game – another source of frustration.
The “rules” and etiquette for social media tend to change a lot more frequently, so whether you’re a regular user or you’ve been gone for a while, keeping abreast of those changes is important.
One important rule I’ll mention right away: you cannot use your personal Facebook account for commercial gain. This includes not mentioning your prices in a post from your personal account. A Business Facebook Page is imperative if you want to include Facebook in your strategy.
4) Don’t Jump in with Both Feet
Despite her initial nerves, Cheryl was excited to be back, which caused her to make some decisions that weren’t possibly in her best interest – chiefly signing up for an informal intra-club tournament the members were playing later that night.
In hindsight, she agrees that ‘easing in’ would have been the better choice – playing some rec games with members in the first part of the evening but skipping the tournament.
Ease back in to social media. Pick one platform and get really good at it again. Limit the amount of time you spend on it, so you don’t overdo it. Once you excel in one area, you can add another!
5) Run Some Drills (Practice, Practice, Practice!)
I’m no athlete, but even I know that running drills is an important part of sharpening your skills. Despite her frustration, Cheryl ran drills with other club members. This helped her identify which areas she needed to work on most, but as a badminton expert and former coach, this came a little easier to her than it would for the average person. Usually you’d have a coach helping you or at least keeping watch.
When it comes to social media, keep putting yourself out there. Take a webinar to help you get up to speed on the latest trends (check out my next webinar here) and hone your skills. Even I have to practice and keep learning to make sure my “social media muscles” stay strong!
6) Have Fun
When I asked Cheryl if she had fun getting back in the game, her tongue-in-cheek response was, “I think so!” She was sore from overdoing it, but she wouldn’t have overdone it if she wasn’t enjoying herself in the process.
Social media is supposed to be fun. If you’re not having fun doing it, your posts will reflect that and will fail to engage your audience. I want my clients to enjoy themselves online and I strive to remove most, if not all, the stress and frustration that comes with managing a social media presence. The best way to do this is delegate the bits you hate doing!
So, how long has it been since you played the game of social media?
Like I mentioned at the beginning of this article, around a year ago I disappeared from social media for a good three months. I won’t lie – it hurt my business. It’s hurting yours, too, whether you realise it or not!