Here we are, August. Time to get your vacation in before the kids head back to school.
So do you do it?
Do you Tweet while on vacation?
I guess this gets back to the discussion of if you should disconnect for a while to relax and recharge while on vacation. With our over-connected email, twitter, Facebook (add your favorite social media network here) world we need a break every now and then. So why not leave the social media for when I get back from vacation. What have I got to say that is all that important? Maybe a lot. Hey if you are a brand manager for a larger company maybe you can just get someone to fill in but if you are a small business owner that has worked to build a social media presence for your business taking a week off from your social accounts could be an issue. First, you may not have anyone that can simply step in. Your voice and your insights are expected by your followers. You hear all the time where people see their Klout scores drop while on vacation because they are not engaging and active (not that I am that big a fan of Klout). On the other side of the argument do you really want to spend what is supposed to be your down time glued to your computer or your phone? So what to do?
How about a little bit of both. Social media doesn't have to to be a 24-7 activity. Sure you need to generate activity and engage but I would assume you have systems in place so you can step away and get work done and this should not be that different.
Here are a few tips to think about to help you get your Tweet on during your vacation.
Plan your time: Look at what you are planning to do during each day of your vacation and plan some time that you can set aside to check on your accounts. Plan a few short windows during the day where you can respond to activity and questions. This should be time where you are not encroaching on your family activities. It's really not cool to be sitting on a bench with your iPad while your family is riding Space Mountain.
Schedule your tweets: You are probably already doing some of this. Get into your reader early in the morning and set a few tweets to go out during the day. This will keep activity going while not being to taxing your downtime.
Get buy-in: Let whoever you are traveling with know that you are going to need to do some social media during the vacation. Let them know how you plan to do this and get their buy-in. Once this is agreed upon stick to your commitment. Don't over do it and start to encroach on others time with you.
Include your followers in your vacation: I saw an article in the Wall Street Journal where it talks about how Eva Chen, beauty editor at Teen Vouge, handled her social media. First she alerted her followers that she was on vacation then throughout the trip she tweeted photos and tweeted about activities she thought were interesting and that her followers might like. The nice thing about this is that is helps to humanize the person and better connect them with their followers.
Put the social back in social media: When we talk about relaxing and recharging this can include your social media. After awhile everything gets a little stale. You never know, you may have a little more downtime during vacation where you can just engage with followers not take things so seriously. You might be able to try some new things that when you are pushing your business forward you can't get to.
Have Fun! Hey you are on vacation. Vacations are supposed to be fun and relaxing. Your social media activity shouldn't be allowed to ruin your good time and time with family. Let your social media be a part of your fun and not a chore.
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