For anyone who doesn’t remember, Marie Kondo burst on the scene through Netflix, spoke to the messy souls of so many people, while others thought she stepped over the line when she said to get rid of books that do not spark joy.
Which yes, getting rid of books for me was a no, but the thing was she wasn’t wrong: get rid of anything that doesn’t spark joy, because life’s too short. – as is my and your time.
If you’ve ever felt like you’re just drowning in a sea of posts for ALL platforms, with a side of constant content creation, you’re not alone. As a small business owner, I’ve been there, done that, and bought the “OVERWHELMED” t-shirt. But here’s the good news: getting your brain and socials to digital calm is possible.
What’s with the digital Marie-Kondo-ing?
It’s pretty much about doing less, but doing it way better.
Does that work on social media?
Yeah I side-eyed it too. But it’s about:
1. Quality over quantity: It’s about less being more, and living that. When you’re not scrambling to post everywhere, you can create content that your audience loves.
2. More engagement: When you’re speaking directly to your people, they’re more likely to talk back. No more shouting into the void!
3. No more burnout: Raise your hand if you’ve ever felt personally victimised by the pressure to be always on 🙋♀️
4. Clear branding: When you’re not trying to be everything to everyone, your brand message becomes sharper.
Let’s declutter
1. Look at everything you’re doing online and ask yourself: Is this really moving the needle for my business?
2. Be ruthless. If it’s not essential, it’s out. Delegate or delete – there’s no in-between.
3. Focus on what your audience actually wants to see. Hint: it’s probably not your dog (unless you run a pet store, or want to work with pet businesses then by all means, dog away.
4. Clean designs, clear writing. Someone should only have to read your caption once to understand it.
5. Don’t be afraid to switch things up if things aren’t working.
Here’s what you need to do
Let’s break down how you can actually implement all of this in your small business.
- Audit what you’re doing right now
- List all the platforms you’re currently using (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok, etc.)
- Note how often you post on each platform
- Track the engagement rates for your posts on each platform
- Identify your effective channels
- Based on your audit, determine which 1-2 platforms are performing best
- Consider where your target audience spends most of their time online
- Think about which platforms you actually enjoy using (yes, that matters!)
- Streamline your content
- Choose 3-5 content pillars that align with your business goals and audience interests
- For a bookstore, this might be: book reviews, author spotlights, reading tips, local literary events, and behind-the-scenes peeks
- Create a content calendar focusing only on these pillars for your chosen platforms
- Simplify your visual branding
- Choose a consistent color palette (2-3 main colors)
- Select 1-2 fonts for all your content
- Create templates for common post types (e.g., quote images, announcement posts)
- Use these consistently across your chosen platforms
- Set realistic posting goals
- Start with a manageable posting schedule (e.g., 3 times a week on Instagram, weekly email newsletter)
- Quality over quantity: spend more time crafting meaningful posts rather than churning out daily content
- Engage authentically
- Set aside 15-30 minutes daily to respond to comments and messages
- Ask questions in your posts to encourage engagement
- Share user-generated content when relevant
- Measure and adjust
- After a month, review your performance
- Are you seeing increased engagement? More leads or sales?
- Adjust your strategy based on what’s working and what’s not
- Automate where possible
- Use tools like Buffer or Hootsuite to schedule posts in advance
- Set up email autoresponders for common queries
- Create saved responses for frequently asked questions on social media
- Repurpose content
- Turn long-form content (like blog posts) into multiple social media posts
- Create graphics from customer reviews or testimonials
- Repost your best-performing content after a few months
- Stay focused
- Resist the urge to jump on every new social media trend
- Before adding anything online, ask yourself: Is this what my business or audience need?
It’s easy to fall into the habit of doing things for the sake of it online. Instead, be intentional with your digital presence, focusing on what truly matters for your business and your audience.