Winter is here and the countdown to Christmas is on and at some point over the next month, you’re going to want to take a break from your socials and enjoy a well-earned rest.
But if you run a busy online business which relies on active social channels, you might be wondering how?
Perhaps you’re worried that if your account suddenly goes cold, you’ll lose followers or ruin the momentum you’ve built up.
Don’t worry. In this blog I share my tips on how to take a digital detox while keeping your socials running smoothly.
Plan ahead
The first step to securing a stress-free Christmas break is to plan ahead.
Think about the best kind of content to share with your followers while you are away. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel – use the platform insights to look at what worked for your account last year then tweak and repeat!
Avoid including calls to action which ask for DMs, instead ask readers to share their own tips or simply use phrases such as ‘Double tap if you agree’ or ‘Save for later’. These kinds of actions will keep the algorithm happy without you having to jump on to like and reply.
Take a look at awareness calendars to see if there are any special days or events happening which you can jump on for an easy content idea. Remember to try and add value to your audience, posts like my top 5 tips, 3 ways to and a quick tip for area always very well received and easy to create.
Batch create content
Once you know what content you want to share during your break, batch create it.
Set aside a day to get it all done so that you can tick it off your pre-holiday to-do list.
Schedule
If you don’t already use a scheduler, now is a great time to start. I use Later and you might be interested to hear it has a great free version.
Facebook and Instagram also have a free in-built scheduler which you can access via Facebook Business Suite.
Tell people things will be quieter
Don’t be afraid to let your community know that things might be a bit quieter for a week or two. Do an Instagram story thanking people for their business and explain that you’ve had a very successful run up to Christmas and are taking a well earned break!
If you’re open with people in advance and let them know they may have to wait a little longer than normal for a reply, they’ll appreciate your honesty.
Most people expect to take a break over the Christmas period and socials tend to be quiet for a few days after Christmas anyway.
Set up auto replies for DMs
Did you know that you can set up automated replies to messages in some of the social media platforms?
Facebook and Instagram let you do this via Facebook Business Suite. Go to your Inbox then click on Automated Responses in the top right hand corner. Or you can do this in Instagram itself via the
You can also set an Away message if you have the premium version of LinkedIn.
Get help
If you’re worried about your accounts going cold over the holiday, it is possible to hire holiday cover in the form of a social media manager. Some will even create all the content you need in advance so that you just have to schedule.
Which means that all that’s left for you to do is turn off your notifications and enjoy your time off. Get in touch if you’d like to know more.