It’s a question I get from clients all the time: “How often should I post to social media?”
The simple answer? As much as you’re comfortable keeping up with.
You see, when it comes to social media, it’s not so much about frequency as consistency.
Posting 1–2 times per week consistently will reap more benefits for your business than posting four times in one week and then going MIA for two weeks.
Why?
Consistent posting provides fresh content for your audience and anyone landing on your page. If you don’t maintain an active presence on your social media pages, however, potential customers are likely to forget about your business and choose another option when searching for local products and services.
So, for example, if you decide that you’re going to post on Mondays and Thursdays, you know you need to create or curate content to fill that schedule. Your audience will begin to expect that, on any given week, you’ll have two fresh posts for them to look forward to.
For my social media management clients, this is the formula I stick to for effective posting:
- Post 3–5 per week to Instagram and Facebook. (You can post the same thing to each platform; no need to create unique content for each individual social media channel.)
- DO NOT post multiple times per day. Doing so will create competition between your posts. You want your audience to have time to see your current post before Facebook or Instagram serves up the next one, so space them out.
- If you’re using LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, or other social media platforms, you can post to those 1–5 times per week. I personally focus mostly on Instagram and Facebook and then post once per week to the other platforms.
- Post Instagram or Facebook stories at least 3 times per day. Stories are meant to be spontaneous; this is where you can show your personality as well as behind-the-scenes footage. Make the most of this option and post as many stories as you want!
Don’t forget about quality!
While consistency is always my #1 tip for social media posting, I also need to stress that there is one thing worse than not posting and that’s posting content that’s not relevant to your business. In fact, if you get in the habit of filling your feed with low-quality content, you’re more likely to lose fans and followers than not posting at all.
To avoid this problem, answer these simple questions when planning your content:
- Does your content make sense for your brand?
Put simply, you want your posts to make sense to your followers. If you’ve ever come across a social media post from a well-known brand that leaves you confused or thinking “How does that relate to their brand?,” then you understand what I’m saying.
With the onset of new social media tools like (I’m looking at you, IG Reels), this is especially important. Use those tools to create fun, engaging content, but make sure it always relates to your brand and what you’re all about.
- Is your content appropriate for the time?
This rings true especially in times of crisis like we’ve faced over the last year. Between COVID-19, trying to balance remote work and home schooling, and political turmoil, it’s been a challenging time for everyone. When things get tough, it’s important to “read the room,”, so to speak, and focus on sharing content that’s as useful and authentic as possible.
- Is your content relevant to your audience?
In order to encourage engagement, you need to create content that’s relevant and relatable to your followers. Take the time to really understand your audience, so you can align your social posts to what problems they’re trying to solve, what they like, and what they’re interested in.
When in doubt, schedule it out!
You now know when and what to post to social media — now it’s time to make it happen!
A simple content calendar is a good place to start. From there, you can use a scheduling tool to make posting as simple as possible. Building a strategic routine for how often you post and on what days is a smart way to turn your social media into a meaningful part of your larger digital marketing efforts.
When you’re running a small business, the thought of keeping up with social media can be an overwhelming one. As a small business owner myself, I get it. Trust me.
My advice: Don’t overcomplicate it.
- There’s no magic formula for social media posting. Simply create a posting schedule that works for you and stick with it. Remember: consistency is key.
- Don’t feel like you have to be on every social media platform. Instead, focus on the one that you have the most fun with and provides the most engagement for your business.
- Share content that is authentic to you and your business. What are you about? What unique skills or services do you have to offer? Use your answers as the foundation of your posting strategy and you can’t go wrong!
And remember, if you need help coming up with a posting plan or want someone to execute that plan for you, make the Brand Social Marketing team part of your social media strategy..
Check out our Services page for a full list of what we have to offer and reach out with any questions you may have.
Social media should be fun — and that’s what we’re here to help with!
