It’s one of the most commonly asked questions when a business starts using social media: how often should you post?
The answer will vary, dependent on your business size and the goals of your social media use. Ultimately, how often you post on social media is not what is important. The focus should be on quality content and consistency.
Our social media account managers have put together the following guide to get you started, exploring the importance of consistency, content scheduling and the key social media metrics to track.
Focus on quality, not quantity
Many businesses think the secret to a successful social media is to post daily, so they try to create posts every day to fill up the content calendar. However, most of these posts will not provide value to the customer. It is much better to focus on quality over quantity.
If you can manage it internally, aim to post between 2 and 3 times a week. Or if you are really busy, aim for just one post a week with several complimentary Instagram Stories to keep the page more active.
Consistency
Our social media manager Chris says: “Consistency is key“. Whether this is just once a week or every other day, maintaining this consistency will keep your business front of mind for your customers.
You will be able to build a strong online presence and maintain a positive reputation as a reliable source of information. Consistency helps to increase your visibility on the ever-increasingly saturated social media platforms.
The algorithm will be more likely to show your content to users, which can help you reach a larger audience and gain more engagement and followers.
Scheduling Content with a Content Calendar
Most social media platforms have updated their service to include the ability to schedule content. However, you may find it easier on a dedicated social media platform.
- Hootsuite: One of the most popular and well-known platforms, with the ability to schedule posts across most platforms.
- Sprout Social: A great social media scheduling tool for larger businesses, that includes a full suite of social media tools to play with.
- Later: A scheduling tool specifically designed for Instagram, giving you the ability to visually plan and schedule posts in advance.
- TweetDeck: A free tool for scheduling Twitter posts.
- Buffer: Allows you to schedule content across multiple platforms, and analyse performance and engagement. This service has a free plan.
When selecting a service, consider your specific needs and goals, as well as the cost of the platform, to help decide which is the most suitable for you.
Which metrics should you be measuring?
Social media metrics are quantifiable measurements used to assess the performance of social media content and campaigns. These metrics are used to evaluate the impact of social media on an organization’s goals, such as brand awareness, engagement, and conversions.
Here are the most important metrics to track:
- Engagement: This includes clicks, comments, likes, and replies to posts.
- Reach: The total number of people who have seen any content associated with your page.
- Followers: The total number of people following your social media account.
- Profile visits: The number of people that have opened your social media profile, through either the organic search function or after coming across your content on their feed.
- Reposts/shares: When someone reposts your content onto their profile or shares the content with their network.
By analysing these social media metrics, you can identify areas for improvement and optimise your social media strategies to better achieve their goals.
If you’re just starting out with social media, it’s best to focus on building your audience and awareness. Focus on reach, impressions and followers.
Once you’ve established yourself, you want to build brand trust. Focus on engagement, reposts/shares and direct messages.
Social media marketing agency topclick has the necessary expertise to help you grow steadily across a wide range of social media platforms, utilising the enormous reach available to target the customers you want to engage. Get in touch with us today for more information.