You know social media is important, but you also know that it’s time-consuming and it drives you crazy!
It’s hard to keep up with and to always make new content, especially if you’re posting every single day (or multiple times a day) on Facebook and Instagram.
At the same time, you know social media is an awesome tool that can help your business grow. So then you’re left wondering, how often should a business post on social media?
But let me tell you a little secret. You don’t actually have to post every single day to have a successful social media strategy.
Let me say it again for the people in the back. You don’t actually have to post every single day to have a successful social media strategy.
What’s More Important on Social Media: Quality or Quantity?
For a while now, there’s been an ongoing debate about quality versus quantity when it comes to your content on social media. Is it better for a business to have a lot of content and post all of the time, or is it better to post solid, knockout content much less often?
The answer to that question is that it depends on the platform that you are using.
Pinterest is more of a search engine than a social media platform, so a business should post a little bit more often on there. But when it comes to Facebook or Instagram, it’s okay if you pull back a little bit!
When social media first came out (& even up to just a few years ago), it was all still brand new, so the algorithms really favored the quantity of posts that people were putting out. They just wanted content on their site, so the more the merrier!
Back then, the more often a business (or anyone) posted content to Facebook and Instagram, the more likely it was that a lot of people would see that content.
Now that it’s been around for a little while, we have had the chance to see how social media actually works and how people consume content. Because of that, Facebook has changed the algorithm a few times so that its platforms better align with how people are actually using them.
- It is very, very hard for anyone to post good content 365 days a year!
- Even professional sports teams & big brands don’t have enough good stories to tell every single day. It just doesn’t happen.
- People are more protective of their newsfeed than ever before!
- Consumers are aware that businesses post on social media often, and they don’t want their newsfeeds to be taken over by posts from a business they follow
- By focusing on quantity instead of quality, you can actually lose customers
- Just because a business posts something, doesn’t mean the audience actually wants to see it, especially if it doesn’t provide any value. Don’t annoy your audience because you are posting just to post.
How Often Should A Business Post on Social Media?
The way it works now is that the algorithm favors quality content over quantity of content. That just means that it is better to have a few solid posts that get a lot of engagement than a lot of just okay posts that don’t do as well.
Facebook owns Instagram, so they actually share the same algorithm and ad platform policies. If the Facebook algorithm favors quality over quantity, then so does Instagram!
It’s much better to have 4 posts with 100 likes and 27 comments, than it is to have 17 posts with only 2 likes each and no comments.
The algorithm is based on our interests and targeting, but it also factors in how people are interacting with the content we put out.
If it consistently sees that a business is posting content that people don’t engage with (they don’t like it, comment on it, or share it) then the algorithm is going to show that content to less and less people, because it thinks people don’t like what you’re putting out.
But if a business was able to put out a post that got 100 likes and 27 comments every single time, but they only posted twice a week, then algorithm would see that people love that content, so it would show it to more people.
It is going to vary on how often each business should post on a social media and that is because each business and industry is different. A good rule of thumb is to post at least 2-3 times per week, minimum. That way, your feed will be updated frequently and you will have more time to focus on making quality content over sheer quantity.
Why Should A Business Post Less on Social Media?
Focusing on quality over quantity is good for so many reasons!
- You can spend less time on social media because your business doesn’t have to post every single day
- Your audience (and users on Facebook) have a better experience because they enjoy better content from your business
- New people and other potential customers get a better first impression when they stumble on your content
- Facebook & Instagram shows more people your content for free
- Your content reflects your business and brand better because it is more aligned with your audience
- Your business can get a reputation for producing a high quality of work and potential customers may perceive your products to be higher quality as well
A few years ago, when social media was still new, everyone focused on putting out a lot content, as often as possible. It was all about quantity and posting as much as you possibly could.
But now that things have changed, the algorithms really favor quality of content over the quantity of content. That means that a business should post better content, less often, on social media!
Gone are the days of posting every single day (or multiple times a day) and endlessly spinning your wheels to try to make this social media thing work. But you can still use this awesome tool to grow your business!
The best part is that you can actually save time and work less on social media, while seeing even better results than before! Win-win.
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