Blog Promotion: Are You Suffering from ‘Facebook Fatigue’?

We all know that employers are Googling us before they’ve even finished reading our CVs, and Twitter is the first place to look for breaking news, but did you know that, as a nation, we’re also suffering from ‘Facebook fatigue’? The world’s most popular social networking site has seen 1.4 million UK users switching off in the last month, a figure which is echoed in the US, Canada and Spain, to name but a few.

While these figures come from an independent social media research company, they imply that Facebook has lost its touch in developed countries. Could one reason be that it’s simply too much for most of us to juggle a dozen different platforms every day?

As a blogger you’re likely to be using at least one (if not all ten) of the following accounts to support and promote your blog:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Pinterest
• Google +
• Instagram
• YouTube
• Klout
• StumbleUpon
• Vine
• HelloCotton

This list doesn’t even cover other online tools like email accounts, forums and RSS feeds, such as Google Reader, Feedly or Bloglovin’.  While Facebook isn’t quaking in its boots about the recent figures, it’s likely that as more and more social media sites and apps appear, our preference for particular networks and platforms may change.

While being on lots of different social media platforms makes a blogger visible to lots of different communities, and can potentially increase blog readership, it could be a hindrance if you’re spending more time tweeting about your blog than actually updating it.

If you’re suffering from social media overload the answer is simple – do more with less. Instead of spreading your content thinly across 25 different platforms, pick two or three that you enjoy using, are popular with your existing readers and target audience, and work on building those. Adapt your content to suit each platform and engage with your fellow Tweeters, Instagramers, or Facebookers.

Slimming down will help you refocus your social media priorities and could help you avoid a blogger burnout later down the line. As your blog and the amount of time you can spend on it grows, there is nothing to stop you from adding another network to your blogging tool box in the future.

What social media platforms do you use to promote your blog? And are there any you’re getting bored of?