Auditing Your Social Media

One of the biggest changes that surprised me after leaving social media was how much more effectively I was able to grow my business in ways that were specifically right for both my brand and for myself as the business owner.

It's quite easy to get stuck in the stagnancy of routine--of creating Instagram or Tiktok content, paying attention to trends and allowing those influences to seep into our creativity whether they're actually aligned to our vision and values or not.

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If you're considering experimenting with leaving social media as a product based business, I would suggest starting with a deep audit of how you're currently using the platforms you're on, how much time you're spending actually on it--and perhaps more importantly, how much time you're spending creating the content for your stories, reels, videos and posts.

My social media audit

When I did this for myself, my actual scrolling time on Instagram was less than I expected, maybe less than half an hour a day (TikTok was a different story). I was already deleting Instagram from my phone outside of work hours and on weekends, but the attention I was giving it as a marketing tool still had me thinking about it all the time.

I couldn't start a new painting without first setting up my phone to record a timelapse of my process. I found myself being very aware of where my head and arms were located when filming an overhead shot, instead of allowing my natural tendency to practically lay my head on the table next to my art while working on it close up. I found it more challenging to fully immerse myself in a flow state of creativity because at the back of my mind I was subconsciously focusing on "performing" the act of artistic expression, instead of just painting full stop.

So while my time spent on Instagram may have been relatively minimal for someone who was using it as a primary marketing tool for my business, the identity of being a social media user and marketer took up far more many hours in my work day than I wanted it to.

Collecting Data

Here are some data points I'd suggest tracking to get a fuller picture of your social media marketing use:

1. Minutes or hours spent on your social media apps of choice: scrolling, posting, responding to comments, engaging with others

2. Time spent preparing content: setting up equipment, filming or shooting photos, editing content, writing captions, scheduling posts

3. Revenue attributed to social media, and any other sales analytics that can be specifically ascribed to your social media marketing

Journaling Questions

And here are some journaling questions I'd suggest exploring to learn how you're benefitting from social media.

1. What is social media giving to you currently: connection, friendship, entertainment, networking, education, advertising, comparison, social justice information, news, distraction, numbing? Anything else?

2. Would you consider these gifts and connections to be deep, shallow, nuanced or somewhere in between?

3. How does using social media feel in your body? Pay attention the next time you scroll to how your energy or emotions feel before and after using the app.

4. Are there alternative ways that you could receive or engage with the information and gifts you're receiving that don't require social media? Some ideas to consider include: newsletters, volunteering, local newspapers, spending time with friends, attending events or visiting museums.

Next steps

Collecting this data and allowing yourself to journal truthfully can give you a better sense of on the nuances how social media is currently serving (or not serving) your business and yourself as a human being.

The things you write down that feel important to you will be things to focus on finding intentional alternatives for if and when you do choose to leave social media, to help ease that transition.

You don’t need to do anything concrete with this information yet; give it time to percolate. Notice how you feel about your relationship to social media. Does the routine feel good and inspiring and worthwhile? Or is there a bit of excitement peeking in when you consider experimenting with an alternate strategy?

For now, simply getting a clearer picture of the data, information and your own reactions to it can be a worthwhile educational stepping stone in itself.

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Take care,