Have you ever been tempted to take a break from posting on social media? Perhaps you’re too busy, budget is tight, or you just find yourself thinking “what could a few months hurt?”.
Unfortunately, it can hurt. And it can take longer than you think to bounce back.
Let’s look at one example
Late last year, a brand we work with decided to pause socials for three months. Prior to the pause, they would get up to 100 engagements per post.
Throughout the hiatus, they posted an occasional update but completely halted their boosting program.
Here’s what happened to their results.
- A month after resuming their posting schedule, the number of times their posts were viewed (impressions) had decreased by 93.9% compared to their pre-pause figures. The number of times people liked, commented or shared their posts (engagements) also decreased by 41.2%.
- After three months of regular social posting and boosting, impressions are still 51.1% lower than they used to be, and engagements are even worse now, 54.9% lower than before the pause.
The impact goes beyond social
Social posts are a great tool to drive traffic to a website, so it was no surprise that the social pause had a detrimental effect on website performance. At the end of the pause, the brand’s website had experienced an 80.13% decrease in traffic (the number of people visiting the website). Today, three months after social posting has resumed, website traffic is still low, showing 77.84% fewer visitors than before the pause. In other words, after three whole months back on the full posting schedule, the brand is a long way from making up lost ground.
What does it all mean?
In short, you should take a long, hard think about pausing social. When budget, time or other resources get tight it can seem like the obvious thing to cut, but building a strong and engaged audience is hard work that can be undone very quickly. The impact is profound, and the length of time to recover can be greater than the pause itself.
Want to work out some better ways to manage social without undoing your hard work? Contact us today to discuss your social media strategy and ensure your brand remains visible and engaged. Don’t let a temporary break lead to long-term setbacks – let’s work together to keep your online presence thriving.
Shereen Cherrett