There are many things we do as part of life that are repeat actions – like changing your bed sheets, washing your car and having a haircut. We usually have a generally idea of how often these need to be done and opinion may vary depending on many factors.

One of the most frequently asked questions we have is ‘How often should I post to my social pages?’  This is a quite an interesting question and the fact I am writing a whole blog about it would suggest that there is not a straightforward answer.

We take a look at some of the factors surrounding your social channels –

1. Which channels are they?

There is much variation between social accounts, you would generally not post as often to Facebook as you would to twitter but there will be exceptions. If you have highly visual content then you would be posting to Pinterest and Instagram – highly effective for photographers, fashion and any other visual content.  Each channel has a range of differing demographics that may be be more active on different days of the week and times.

2. What time of day are your audience around?

If you are in the UK and you supply the USA with a product or service then you will need to schedule messages to go out at the right time, your messages may be less personal and you use social in a less responsive way or you will need to find a company in the USA to assist with being online for you during their working hours.

If you are a company selling B2C you may find your clients are usually around in the evenings and on weekends – posting during the day might not be as productive.

3. How popular your accounts are?

If you have a small following and you are a sole trader then your followers would probably not expect you to be there 24/7 to chat to them. But if you have a big follower base that are asking questions and needing help with your large e-commerce store then it means you need to be highly responsive and keep them updated regularly or risk losing sales.  Increasing popularity generally means putting more effort in to the right actions on your channel – it does not just happen!

4. What are you using your social channels for?

You might be using Twitter as your one and only customer service portal.  Answering client questions or feeding back service information.  In this instance your followers would be looking for fast and efficient service and expect you there on a Sunday night as well as first thing on a Wednesday morning. Social media is becoming increasingly a 24/7 operation.

5. What type of news you are sharing?

If you are a news or travel channel then people would expect very quick updates as news breaks or roads become blocked. When sharing industry news you can gain maximum exposure by being one of the first to send out your posts on the subject.

What does your strategy tell you about when and how often to post?  This question can easily be answered if you have developed a clear and well researched strategy.  When you drill down into your campaigns and align them with your goals it will become clear and you will see what time is required and the type of posting that needs to be done to achieve your goals. So it is in effect a question that answers itself.

Even when you work through your strategy and work out the time and effort required for implementing your campaigns there is still a need to be very adaptive, if you measure and analyse your data regularly you will see what is most effective for your business.

If you could do with some assistance with working through your social campaigns and how to make them effective please do contact the social media marketing team here at Invincipeople on 01747 830965.