I want to grow my own account, but I already run social at work.
How do I keep them separate?
Tami from Buffer <[email protected]>
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Substack promotes a newsletter series, The Weekly Scroll, where Renée Shaw answers social media questions. She addresses a reader's concern about growing a personal social media account while managing a company's social media presence. The response offers guidance on separating personal and work accounts, highlighting their symbiotic relationship and the importance of mental shift to prevent burnout.
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I want to grow my own account, but I already run social at work.
How do I keep them separate?
READ IN APP
Renée is typing… is a six-week series on The Weekly Scroll. Every Tuesday, Renée Shaw answers one of your social media questions. Got one for her? Leave it in the comments, and yours could be the next one she answers.
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“Two Hats” wants to know how to build their own audience on social, while doing the same for their company.
First off, good for you! How exciting that you’re backing yourself, creating on your own terms, and that you possess the energy and enthusiasm needed to do both. (This is rare and should be celebrated.)
The way I’d tackle this is to figure out what platforms you’ll be on, what socials you’re running at work, and what your personal account’s “purpose” is. Your work account is for right now. Your personal accounts can serve as whatever you want, but generally they fall into a few buckets.
Since you’ve said “how do I keep them separate”, I’ll assume that you’re not wanting to post behind the scenes/build in public/documenting style content on your personal account. *If this does interest you, I can do a follow-up post*
Regardless of how well you compartmentalize your work and personal account, know that they have a symbiotic relationship. They feed each other.
The things you learn and do at work will inevitably help your personal account, and vice versa. This is the number one mental shift I believe is key to holding onto in order to prevent yourself from burnout. The knowledge that everything you create aids the holistic learning and development of yourself as a person.
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Don’t build on rented land. AKA, keep your emails for tooling, accounts, etc., in your personal email if for your personal account.
Decide the “no go” zone in advance. What will you not post about (clients, personal identifying information, etc. Set your boundaries in advance here.
Treat your personal account with the seriousness you’d afford your actual job. I don’t mean putting yourself on a PIP (performance improvement plan) for missing a deadline. Rather, carve out time to work on your own accounts and creative process. Whether that means once a week on a Sunday to overcome the Sunday Scaries, or after working hours when you’re home from the day and switching off.
Schedule in advance. Speaking from experience, the shiny new excitement of growing a personal account can sometimes be hit with the harsh reality of a busy working week. That’s where scheduling posts is your friend. You won’t be penalized by the algorithms for inconsistency and you have peace of mind that you’re getting things out there.
Hope you win, Two Hats!
Renée
P.S. How would you handle this one? Leave your advice for Two Hats in the comments.
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