How to Battle Social Media Content Fatigue

Brand and social media managers — do you ever worry that followers aren’t noticing your posts anymore? That was used to grab their attention is now part of the mindless daily scroll? That your social commerce is dwindling as a result?

You aren’t alone. Social media content fatigue is a real issue, and no brand is immune to it. Even the most vibrant, creative visuals, videos, and posts will eventually become expected.

So, how can brand and social media managers work together to fight social media content fatigue and drive engagement with consumers?

In this edition of our #WorkAdvice series, we’ll provide an interesting case study on a brand that has managed to shine on all its social channels — plus a few tips and tricks to help keep your own social media content fresh.

What is Social Media Content Fatigue?

It’s always best to start with the basics — which, in this case, is defining social media content fatigue.

In short, it’s the tendency for social media users to become numb or immune to certain visuals or content. For example, let’s say that every time your brand publishes a new article on your blog, you upload the following:

Sure, it fits your aesthetic and looks great, but don’t you think users might get sick of seeing the same thing time and time again? In fact, they might even become so used to this particular visual (or a version of it), they don’t even register a new blog post on their feed anymore.

This can happen on any social media networking platform, so it’s important that you conduct regular analyses to ensure that user engagement remains strong — if not, you could risk dealing with social media content fatigue.

3 Tips to Fight Social Media Content Fatigue

Fighting social media content fatigue is an uphill battle, as users can become accustomed to your content quickly. Therefore, it’s important that you keep the following tips in mind when creating your marketing strategy.

1. Decrease Frequency & Increase Quality

In some cases, less really is more. For many brand and social media managers, there’s a great deal of pressure to constantly increase output — with the hypothesis that more posts, videos, or tweets will directly equal more engagement and a larger following.

While constantly increasing content may work for some brands, most will see a decrease in quality at a certain point. After all, not every brand has a content team big enough to post multiple times a day on every platform and maintain their quality threshold.

That’s not to say that you should decrease your current posting frequency by too much — just that it makes sense to focus on quantity and quality.

While more activity does have a positive impact on many a social media profile, users still have to feel like the time they invested in your content was worth it. There’s nothing worse than getting labeled “spammy” and “annoying” and unfollowed.

The Takeaway: In the words of digital marketer Ann Hadley, “We don’t need more content. We need better content.” It’s fine to have a social media growth goal and want to meet it — but make sure that your goals also include increasing the quality of your work, not just the frequency.

According to HubSpot, “83% of marketers believe the quality of social media posts is more important than the quantity.” So take a step back and analyze your current social media output. Is there room to increase quality? If so, go for it — even if it means decreasing quantity for a while.

2. Regularly Switch Up Formats

Don’t knock it till you try it, right? Social media sites are constantly evolving — releasing new features all the time. While that can feel overwhelming for many a social media manager, it also presents brands with the opportunity to diversify their content.

For example, say you’re the social media manager of a brand called BrightEyez, which sells prescription and colored contacts.

On Instagram, you publish daily main feed posts and fun stories to engage with users. However, you haven’t yet broken into Reels or Instagram Guides because you’re unsure if they’ll add value to your account or if they fit your “vibe”.

Of course, it’s good to be circumspect and consider your options before jumping on a new trend. But, social media is all about remaining on the cutting edge — and you can’t do that if you aren’t willing to embrace all the features such platforms have to offer.

Remember, there’s no “right way” to use features such as Instagram Reels, TikTok videos, or Pinterest infographics. You have to figure out how to make them work for your brand.

The Takeaway: In order to maintain user interest, drive engagement, and avoid content fatigue, you need to regularly switch up the formats used. Don’t get stuck in a rut of posting the same kind of content in the same format.

Users want to be entertained and surprised — so, take the plunge and figure out how to shoot a Reel or take a deep dive into Instagram Guides. You’ll never know if it’s right for your brand until you try it.

And keep in mind — “82% of marketers repurpose content across various social media channels.” So it’s not always about making unique content for each channel, there are ways you can repurpose content and save time while still appealing to users.

3. Ask Your Followers For Feedback

Believe it or not — no one expects you to be omniscient. You can and should always look at social media stats to see which types of content are performing best. But, one of your greatest assets as a brand or social media manager is consumer data.

Why? Because it helps to go directly to the source (your users) and ask, “What kind of content do you want to see?” Gathering this type of information makes it so much easier to create content that your target audience is actually interested in.

So, instead of spending hours creating Reels that gain very little traction and your target audience doesn’t connect with, shift towards investing time and effort into something they do like — such as livestreams with Q&A sessions.

To gather this kind of data, you can use social media polls or DIY surveys — with free options like Google Forms or SurveyMonkey. Inexpensive and easy-to-use, DIY surveys can be a great source of information for social media managers looking to refine their strategy with consumer insights.

However, keep in mind that there are real limitations to the reliability and accuracy of consumer data gathered via DIY surveys — as well as the level of complexity the data can provide.

For brands that require more accurate, reliable consumer data in an easier-to-digest form, advanced brand monitoring software presents a more viable solution. With the ability to ask your target audience customized questions, you can gather the data you need to make it big in social media.

Next, let’s consider a short case study on online banking brand Monzo — which illustrates a brand that’s hitting all the right notes with its social media content.

Case Study: Monzo

Monzo is a UK-based online bank and was one of the first “app-based challenger banks” to hit the market back in 2015. Offering customers everything from business to personal to joint accounts, Monzo differentiates itself from its competitors through its social program, community forum, and down-to-earth tone of voice.

But where Monzo really shines is on its social media channels. Active on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube, Monzo tailors its content to each channels’ individual features and vibe.

Next, we’ll take a look at some of the brand’s most important channels and how it fights social media fatigue.

1. Instagram

Let’s start with Instagram. When scrolling through Monzo’s profile, there’s a clear use of branded visuals — with Monzo’s red-orange and dark blue colors used throughout. The bank takes a somewhat casual approach to its content here and makes full use of all of Instagram’s features.

Source: Monzo

Posts, guides, reels, videos, and stories — Monzo does it all. And while some of their content is light-hearted and fun, the brand does a great job of simultaneously educating consumers. For example, consider the following Reel.

It’s accessible, fun, and above all — informative. Monzo has does a fantastic job of using social media features in ways that work for its audience and fall in line with its overall tone. Plus, the brand always published quality content, which doesn't hurt either.

2. Twitter

Next, let’s consider Monzo’s Twitter. With 134.8k followers, the brand has a respectably-sized audience. But when compared to Instagram, Monzo’s Twitter account has a slightly different vibe — more so in keeping with the meme-driven, dry humor of the channel.

For example, many of Monzo’s tweets are purely for entertainment purposes. Take its recent round of “What Would You Rather”.

This series of tweets were fun and engaging — and did their job of making the brand accessible and relatable. But Monzo also uses Twitter to educate consumers, albeit in a rather tongue-in-cheek manner.

Clearly, Monzo understands how to speak to and engage with users on this particular platform — and is able to do so in a way that is fresh, fun, and on-brand.

No social media content fatigue here.

3. LinkedIn

Monzo’s LinkedIn paints a slightly different image of the brand. While Monzo maintains its colorful visuals and down-to-earth tone of voice, this channel is clearly used for the purpose of educating and updating consumers.

Sharing posts on everything from helpful writing tips to holiday celebrations to exciting company news, Monzo takes a more reserved, professional approach to its LinkedIn content.

Clearly, Monzo understands what users want and expect from its LinkedIn channel, and it gives it to them in spades while keeping things fresh and interesting.

4. YouTube

Finally, let’s consider Monzo’s YouTube profile. Perhaps the most effective channel for educating consumers using long-form video content, Monzo offers a wide variety of content.

The brand’s video content is a delightful mix of more professional “Monzo Insider” episodes, community-made “how-to” videos, “The Future of Monzo” speeches, and more.

Ranging from light and informative to serious and inspiring — there’s something for everyone on Monzo’s YouTube channel.

It’s also markedly different from the brand’s Instagram and Twitter channels — proving that Monzo has a clear and effective strategy when it comes to creating social media content.

Overall, Monzo manages to utilize all its social media platforms in fun, informative and creative ways. From Instagram Reels showing different ways to save money to Twitter threads about how to prevent fraud, Monzo generates fresh content that meets its users’ needs at every turn, while remaining true to its brand voice.

Final Thoughts

Here’s the bad news: Battling social media content fatigue is a constant struggle. But, there’s also good news — it pushes you and your colleagues to constantly improve your social content and dig deeper into consumer data.

Remember, not everything you post will be a hit. And that’s okay! Finding your social media groove takes time, testing, and access to heaps of consumer data. So, keep our above tips in mind, and you’ll do just fine.