How frequently should one post on social media?
I’ve read a number of articles over the years on the ideal posting frequency on social networking platforms. I’ve come to the conclusion that they are all defective.
One source advises limiting your Facebook posting to no more than twice per day. The next one says you should post to LinkedIn on weekdays only, preferably between 4 pm and 6 pm. And others warn you not to tweet more than three to five times a day.
But, in reality, there is no magic formula for deciding how often to post on social media.
That’s because what works for one brand doesn’t work for another. Sure, you can read case studies of what has worked for others, but don’t make their solution your solution.
So let’s concentrate on these tried-and-true posting techniques rather than looking for magic formulas:
- 1. Focus on consistency rather than frequency
- 2. The value of content above quantity
- 3. Set goals and objectives
Aim for consistency, not frequency
- The problem with suggested posting frequencies is the skewed data. It’s okay to say, “We analysed thousands of posts and this is what we found…” but this is still a ‘mish-mash’ of data.
- For instance, how does the location of you and your audience affect posting, and how do different industries react to the number of posts shared?
- One of the most baffling suggestions is that you should post at a specific time of day. For example:
- • “For best results on Facebook, post once a day between 1 pm and 4pm“
Such a vague statement, this. Do you mean 1 o’clock in India, 1 o’clock in London, or 1 o’clock in New York? Or does it mean the equivalent of 1 pm CST in your local time, so, for example, 1 pm CST would be 7 pm GMT. That’s quite relevant, isn’t it?
Imagine everyone heeded this advice and posted at 1 pm EST (New York). For 23 hours, Facebook would remain dormant before exploding with thousands of posts at the allotted time.
A better alternative is to aim for consistency when posting on social media. Create a content plan and stick to it.
For instance, if you determine that you should publish on Facebook twice a day, you will need to produce or gather content to fill that timetable. Your audience will be aware that they may check out your page at any moment and can anticipate two new updates every day.
Establish objectives and goals
When deciding how frequently to publish on social media, the best course of action is to consistently post high-quality information. However, you should also assess your overall social media plan. And if you work for an agency, you should definitely get your clients’ approval before distributing anything on their behalf.
Simply said, you won’t know whether your postings are successful if you don’t know your social media goals.
You can’t assess success unless you decide what your goals and objectives are.
So, take a moment to stand back and consider: “What do I want to accomplish on social media for my brand or my client?” Perhaps you want to:
- amplify brand awareness
- Drive traffic to your website?
- Sell a product or service?
For instance, if your objective is to drive traffic to your website, but instead, you get thousands of likes and no clicks on your post, then it was unsuccessful.
Similarly, if you’ve helped your client sell more products, it’s not necessarily negative when you get fewer shares.
In terms of content, quality comes first
Publishing something irrelevant on social media is only slightly worse than not posting at all. There really is no point in posting something to fill a slot in your schedule at 1 pm CST or whatever time you’ve been advised.
You’re more likely to lose fans and followers if you post poor-quality content. This rings especially true in times of crisis, such as recession, where you must focus on making your content as useful and heedful of the situation as possible – whether by providing facts or the much-needed distraction.
The pulse slows down if you post anything unimportant, meaningless, or worse on social media. The heartbeat quickens when you post something fascinating and helpful. It’s not surprising that social media’s constantly evolving algorithms strive to highlight the greatest material. At the end of the day, consumers want quality content.
So, if you want to create relevant social media content, you must focus on helpfulness and authenticity principles.
– Ansh Singhal, Head Brand Strategy, Apexx Media
