Organic Daily Social Posting; more flexible than advertising, but it needs constant care and feeding.
Social media can be a confusing labyrinth to navigate. There are tons of platforms to use, lots of colorful advice, and no consistency in executions. And, it can often be confusing to figure out what level of engagement and activity is right for your business.
However, the difference in brand activity speaks to a more significant trend: There is no one-size-fits-all for social media platforms. Instead, brands have different narratives, which means their content and engagement will likely differ.
There is, however, one commonality that underpins their strategies: immediacy. The primary imperative for businesses today is to start using social media today and use it right. Companies will suffer without a clear plan for what, when, and how often to post. Instead, it’s about capitalizing on the gamification element of social media by grabbing attention right then and there.
Remember, attention is fleeting on these platforms, so you want to make your moment on the feed count.
Let’s start with the fundamental questions:
How often should I post?
To reiterate, platforms like Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook will need different strategies and posting schedules because their algorithms are different. However, current research suggests that you need to post at least once a day for a basic minimum level of engagement. So, for example, platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn usually need one post per day, but Instagram requires more.
While most rely on chronologically ordered posting, platforms like Instagram tend to shift and may only show brands with higher engagement. So really, there needs to be a tailored approach towards designing a content schedule.
When should I post?
Once you have established the frequency, the next step is identifying key times to post. Start with a basic content schedule across all three platforms, and monitor as you go. You’ll find that engagement patterns are different across platforms (i.e., Facebook and Instagram may spike over popular lunch break times and commute times), whereas LinkedIn will vary. Tweak your schedule as you observe patterns and follow trends.
For example, research demonstrates that the best time to post to Instagram is between 9 AM – 11 AM EST. While that might stand as an initial time frame, use that as a ballpark figure rather than exact. That timing may work for specific audiences but not for others. The key is to figure out the best time to post by doing a steady analysis of engagement. For example, you might find that your activity spikes in the mornings and evenings when people commute, which means you can time your posts to coincide with that. Or you might find that you have an audience that’s around in the afternoon, and you can play around with features such as stories and going live to keep people interested by doing behind-the-scenes type posts.
What should I post?
The last point above segues into this: what should you post? While there is no right or wrong answer to this, whatever you decide needs some level of consistency for it to stick with audiences. So when doing your content schedule, here are some questions to guide the process:
- Am I providing information or advice
- What are my customer’s pain points
- What do my customer’s like about the brand
- When are my customers more likely to shop
Each of these can lead you down a content path, and you can use these to design a schedule. For example, you can balance a mix of advice and information (i.e., fireside chats, weekly product updates), etc., as one type of content.
You can help mitigate customer pain points by inviting people to send questions and feedback, answering customer questions, or doing some form of FAQ or demonstration. And similarly, you can also post product testimonials, customer reviews, and other exciting interactions.
Lastly, once you figure out when your customers are more likely to shop and explore products, you can time posts about promotions and sales to hit during those times. Mapping out a month or two and deciding on content early on can help manage it while also giving you flexibility as needed. Use features like stories and Instagram live for a more spontaneous (and less-planned) feel.
When it comes to social media, don’t be afraid to seek out help. Creating enough original content to post several times a day to find and retain the right audiences can be draining. Start small, and work your way up to posting frequency so you can better gauge the resources it takes to maintain that level of social media presence. If you find yourself losing momentum, look for external ideas and resources to help you sustain that growth.
Are you stuck on crafting the right social media strategy? Big Rocket can help you create powerful social content that resonates with your audience while building a compelling brand story. To learn more, contact us today.
