Top Tips to Overcoming Imposter Syndrome as a Social Media Manager
The crazy fight that is our self-confidence sometimes can get the best of us, especially as social media managers, coaches, and strategists. We might love the platforms because of what we do, but we also know the negative effects of social media first hand, comparison being one of them. If you see another creator and think, why didn't I think of that graphic? Or you see an account with 80k followers and wondering if you're a fraud because you couldn't grow your account like that yet? Or maybe you feel like you took "fake it until you make it" too seriously and you faked your way into this job? You might be experiencing imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is described as feeling incompetent or not good enough, despite your education, experience, and accomplishments.
There are a lot of us in this career path, all great at what we do in our own ways, all wanting to be happy for our network, but also getting caught up in thinking about if you're good enough to be a SMM. Believe us when we say this, you deserve every accomplishment, degree, job, client, and win you’ve worked for. However, we could say that a million times and we might not get anywhere because it’s a mindset that comes from within. You need that confidence in yourself to be able to attract clients and sell your services as a freelancer, business-owner, or manager. So, how do you kick the confidence confusion to the curb? Try these tips!
Talk about it! If you’re feeling this way, it doesn’t have to be a secret. Chances are there are a lot of other people that feel the exact same way. Go to places that you feel comfortable discussing, whether that’s with a friend, a family member, a coworker, or even on social media.
Know the facts and believe them. Did you get that degree? Did you get an award? Did you get that job? Did you get that client? Did you write that paper? Did you have success in that category in the past? Own. Your. Success. It’s yours! You did it!
Learn about yourself. You checked your facts, right? Now go deeper. We can’t be good at everything or know everything. So, know your strengths and capitalize on them. Know how you can use them in different tasks and projects. Learn about what you already know and what you could improve on. Sometimes we need extra training or to take a time out and watch a YouTube tutorial. The important part is being able to identify these things about ourselves and know how to apply them to the situation so it doesn’t look so daunting.
Know how to handle your mistakes in a healthy way. “Learn from your mistakes and move on.” We’ve heard it a million times over our lives, but what does that actually look like? It's a different process for every person. Learning from mistakes without internalizing can be very difficult for some of us (might as well @ myself here). Develop a plan to learn how to healthily handle them, without questioning yourself or your abilities. Confidence can really be distorted when it comes to mistakes and how you handle them can make all the difference.
Be in the moment. Imposter syndrome can be especially triggered when you're presented with a change, such as a new job, an academic move, or a new project. There is a time and a place to reflect on your past and to plan your future; however, if you're having these feelings, focus on the now instead of worrying about what will come next or how you got there.
You got this!
