10 Signs of Social Media Fatigue in Your Audience—And How to Fix It Quickly

By John Anderson

One day you are a hit; next day you’re not. Such is life, even on social media--it’s not only fickle, it can also be downright cruel. You ask: How can you score one viral hit after another one day and wake up irrelevant and unpopular the next?

Some people call it social media fatigue. It is when your target market and your clients basically say they’ve had enough. Techopedia defines social media fatigue as the user’s “tendency to pull back from social media when they become overwhelmed with too many social media sites, too many friends and followers, and too much time spent online maintaining these connections.”

It is easy to understand why marketers dread this syndrome. Nobody wants to stay up until the wee hours of the morning, hitting the refresh button every so often, and not seeing results change a bit. A social media manager’s nightmare is staring at his metrics and sees no engagement at all.

As a marketer, how can you keep from stressing out the very people that define you? Get to know the signs of fatigue, and more importantly, know how to fix them before you lose your clients.

Sign #1: Zero engagement

So you published a really thought provoking piece of content on your social media. So good, you think it is worthy of a Pulitzer. But aren’t you a brand that sells lifestyle footwear? And aren’t your customers young working adults? No wonder they don’t get you.

Quick fix: Tailor fit your content. Clearly, the content is not for them. It is perhaps for your own fulfillment, but definitely not for your target market. Engagement begins with knowing your audience, beyond their demographics. You have to know their interests, hobbies, needs, and lifestyle. You have to know who you are selling to so that you can always tailor-fit your content for them. It is the only way to keep them interested and engaged.

Sign #2: Just browsing, not reading

It’s not that Internet users do not have much time, it’s just that they don’t have much time for crap. Most users are literally just passing by. Based on Chartbeat data, 55 percent of visitors spend fewer than 15 seconds on a website. Clicks do not necessarily mean engagement, much less conversion.

Quick fix: Be clear, precise, and brief. Make this your social media strategy: Don’t waste people’s time. There are platforms for long blogs and stories, and social media is definitely not the right venue. Be quick-witted and creative. Your messages should be clear, short, and sweet.

Sign #3: Too much, too often

Are you seriously sending out tweets every five minutes? Are you flooding your followers’ Instagram feed? Unless you are an international news website covering a developing story such as the U.S. elections, you better learn when to shut up. Your followers may begin to think you are invading too much of their personal virtual space, and block you.

Quick fix: Optimize schedule. When you craft your social media marketing strategy, remember to optimize the scheduling of your posts. Draw the line between trying to be informative and just being plain annoying. The frequency really depends on the brand, its audiences, and the resources of the agency. If your audience go online twice a day, it is useless to bombard them with content on top of every hour. And if you don’t have the resources as of yet (staff and budget), you can’t simply force it.

Sign #4: Metrics not going up

What if your KPIs are not indicating an ROI? Digital marketing isn’t just about witty blogs and funny memes, it is also about analytics. After all, what’s the sense of setting goals if you have no idea how to measure success (or failure)? If you notice metrics are not going up, your audience may have grown tired of you.

Quick fix: Use data wisely. There are many ways to use data in social media marketing. In fact, it is a crucial department in the success of your digital marketing. Learn how to interpret your audience’s data into potential content. Learn how to interpret every like or share, and turn them into actual conversions.

Sign #5: Hello? Is anyone there? 

The virtual space is a tricky world. No one even knows who is on the other end of the spectrum. Keeping people engaged is much more challenging in this setup. You will know that customers are tired because they will tell you just that. If you keep on ignoring them, sooner or later, they too will.

Quick fix: Be responsive. It is important that when a customer gives you feedback, you answer quickly and satisfactorily. Make sure they know they are not talking to a robot. Responsive brands build more loyal clients. You will surely stress them out if you refuse to act on their queries and complaints.

Sign #6: Everywhere but not getting anywhere

Are your audiences responding to your tweets but not to your LinkedIn content? Are they starting to leave Facebook and becoming more active on Instagram? The instinct for most digital marketing agencies is to be everywhere. When done recklessly, everywhere ends up being all over the place, which means wasted time, energy, and resources.

Quick fix: Focus on a few platforms. You don’t have to jump on every social networking site. After all, multiple accounts are very challenging to manage. Be where your audiences are. Find the platforms that work and stick to them.

Sign #7: Another long blog?

When one of your many long blogs got shared over a hundred times once, it does not mean you have to write a hundred more. Over time, you have to know which types of content work and stop forcing those that don’t, or you will risk stressing out your audiences.

Quick fix: Provide the right type of content. There are different types of content on social media such as , lists, images, tutorial videos, DIY guides, funny memes, information graphics, podcasts, slideshare, etc. Depending on the brand and the market segment, you have to focus on certain types of content that deliver your message best and help you reach your goals.

Sign #8: Confusing brand message

Your audiences go to you for a reason. Buzzfeed, for example, is your ultimate go-to website for those funny lists of everything. If one day, they stop publishing lists, followers will surely lose their head thinking why. And then it gets confusing.

Quick fix: Find your voice. One recurrent social media marketing tip is finding your voice and defining your brand’s story. You must not tire your audiences out by giving them the burden of trying to figure you out. Immediately let them know who you are by being consistent with your message and story.

Sign #9: Old and repetitive

Social media is a new tool. You can’t satisfy it by using old ideas. With so many pieces of content to choose from, do not be surprised if yours is not getting any engagement. Your target market surely knows if you are using someone else’s ideas.

Quick fix: Be fresh and creative. In the world of social media, you won’t get anywhere if you are not fresh and unique. You need to constantly find ways to stand out. Explore new techniques and do not be afraid to be different.

Sign #10: Low conversion rate

If your social media posts are not getting the conversions you want, that could very well be a sign of customers hit by a serious case of social media fatigue. If your website traffic remains the same and your revenues are not picking up, you must come up with ways to be relevant and interesting again.

Quick fix: Step up engagement. It all boils down to engagement. You have to make people want to care again. Get more creative with headlines, get personal, offer fresh insights, and have a clear call to action. Engage audiences with fresh content, reward them for sharing, and be more responsive.

With social media taking a lot of people’s time and energy, it is easy for customers to just tune out. And along the way, marketers will realize that virtual connections are as difficult to manage as personal ones. Stay the course by being relevant, consistent, spot on, and simply not annoying.