Social Media Marketing
Bomb The Newsfeed! Or, How Often Should My Business Post On Social Media?
Social media is the true breeding ground for original content. It is the place where fodder from all corners of the Internet are either rocketed to fame, or forever forgotten. From ubiquitous ‘fail’ videos and pictures of cats acting foolish to in-depth articles describing the impacts of recycling one’s bars of soap, the scale and scope of the information pushed onto our news feeds is quite incredible.
With such an extraordinary flow of information at the fingertips of millions, it comes as no surprise that Gled Media is often approached by clients inquiring as to how often they should post content onto their social media accounts. Before we get into much detail about how to approach this (seemingly) straightforward question, it is important to note that there are many misconceptions surrounding this topic.
A casual Google search will reveal that many social media ‘experts’ recommend that brands post approximately 2-10 times per week. This may seem somewhat reasonable, until one takes a step back and realizes that this massive range does little to serve any sort of comprehensive branding strategy. Delving deeper into the matter, these numbers align closer to the average frequency of posts by popular outfits, and have no relation to how effective these posts may be at reaching a target audience.
In reality, social media outlets are a business. They do not manufacture or produce content, but rather act as a conduit through which this information can be disseminated to the masses. Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter all exist in order to make money, and therefore reward users that help them reach their revenue targets. These funds are primarily acquired through advertising, which accrues profits based off how many people are viewing and interacting with the ads in question. This essentially works in a cyclical fashion, as social media platforms are in the business of enticing more users onto their system so that they can expose them to their sponsors.
So, what draws people onto social media in the first place? Well, aside from the ability to connect with their peers at any time, in any place (with wi-fi), it is quality content that keeps people coming back. Read that again – quality content. We are talking about top-tier cat videos, not the same run-of-the-mill cat videos that are posted 2-10 times per week. Social media platforms are all about user engagement, if a brand or company is drawing views, comments, and other forms of interaction, then their algorithms will reward them by exposing them to a broader audience. What this essentially translates into is that your content will be more prominent on more user newsfeeds (timelines, etc.).
Rather than trying to put a magic number on the frequency of your posts, what you should be more concerned about is the quality of what you are sharing with your audience. While ten posts per week may seem like a good choice, they will make little difference towards enforcing your brand when Facebook’s algorithm bumps them into the ether due to lack of engagement.
The main thing to consider is whether you have something interesting to say (or share). Gled Media is happy to work with you in order to develop a social media strategy that serves as a generator of meaningful content. Harsh as it may sound, nobody really cares that your company partook in a local softball tournament. Whether they know it or not, social media users are seeking knowledge, or, more plausibly, pure entertainment. Exactly what sort of posts you provide them can vary, depending on your enterprise and core audience, but, the same rule applies: quality over quantity.
If you are looking to engage your viewers and produce exceptional content that is sure to garner you the ‘likes’ that you deserve, feel free to reach out to Patrycja at Gled Media. We specialize in helping business owners grow their brands online, and can help you create a fully comprehensive social media strategy that is centered around captivating your followers.