n Ask the Digital Expert with Connor Styche of The Digital Lookout

By Connor Styche

As digital marketing experts, we get asked about social media all the time. Most often the question is, ‘how often should I post on my social media channels?’

There seems to be a misconception that you need to post every day, or as often as possible to increase engagement and/or following.

News flash. This isn’t true.

Stop posting because ‘you need to post’. Haven’t got anything relevant or interesting to say? Then don’t say it. It won’t capture people’s attention, and to be honest, if it’s your fifteenth post that week, chances are your audience are now on auto pilot and scrolling straight past.

Posting to a strict schedule, say once a day, every day, just comes across as contrived and forced, which is exactly what it is.

This assumption of what it means to post ‘regularly’ is why a lot of people post the ‘what I had for dinner’ stuff on LinkedIn these days - because they have nothing better to say, but think they need to say something for algorithms to work. Either that or they’re simply intent on plugging their product left, right and centre. ‘Regular’ posting should be based on a plan of content, of varying types. It could be to promote your product, highlight your team’s achievements, your personality, your brand or to share your knowledge. It could be completely random, something that isn’t about business at all, but the point is, it should feel human, not robotic. If it’s not flowing and you’re having to think too hard about what to say, chances are, it’s not going to get anyone’s attention.

Let’s take LinkedIn as an example; it’s primarily a business platform. Does that mean you should shamelessly promote how fantastic your business and product is every single day? No.

Business is done through building good relationships, and you can’t build good relationships if all you do is talk about your product. People are more than the businesses they work for or the products they sell. And from experience, people want to know who is sitting behind the brand as this is ultimately who they buy into and who will be delivering the service.

The answer…

Don’t post the same type of content all the time, keep it natural, but with a purpose. Make a plan but don’t rigidly stick to it; if you have something relevant or interesting to say, then say it. Don’t overthink the day or the time, just add it into the plan, like you would in a face-toface conversation.

Having recently taken on a client from another marketing agency, the proof is in the pudding. The agency had been posting on their social media channels once a day, Monday to Friday. The average reach of their posts was 117 impressions. Now, we’ve been posting for them for six months, twice or three times a week, sometimes only once a week, but the average post’s impressions has risen to 798. Oh, and the number of enquiries they’re receiving has risen by 19% too.

It’s about quality, not quantity. Be memorable, not mundane.

We also need to remember that marketing is so much more than social media. Sure, it’s become the easiest form of marketing to deliver, but it can be damaging to your brand if not used properly. And, if social media is all you’re doing, you’re missing a trick.