Whether you use social media or not, there’s a good chance your target audience does and would be delighted to see you slide into their view. But don’t just go posting away here, there and everywhere. Learning where, when and how often to post can be the difference in being annoying or showing up at the right time and place. Before determining the frequency, you’ll need to identify the location or the social media platform on which your audience will most likely interact. And, to do this, you’ll need to know who they are.
If you’ve already created your persona, then great. If not, think about who your ideal customer is. Who is most interested in learning about your product or service? Are you targeting a business or a consumer? Knowing your customer will help you show up on the right social media platform at just the right time.
According to Statista, 82% of the US population is on social media, and time spent on social media increase in 2020, not surprisingly. Search Engine Journal reports that the top ten social media platforms are Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Reddit, Pinterest, and Twitter in order. Those more commonly used for businesses are Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and growing is Pinterest.
Each social media platform gains popularity from a unique demographic and requires a different frequency of posting. To dig deeper, visit each social media site to learn more about their audience. Here are a few stats to get you started:
Facebook has over 2.7 billion monthly active users. The majority of these users are between the ages of 25 and 34. This platform is best for blog posts, user-generated content, events, videos, images, and giveaways.
Recommended post frequency: 1-2 times per day.
Instagram boasts over 416 million monthly active users. The demographic is comprised mainly of 25-34 year-olds, and 51% of users are female. The primary use is for research on products and services. 90% of users follow a business account, according to Instagram. Content should be visually appealing images or videos.
Recommended post frequency: 2-3 times per week and not more than once per day.
With over 353 million monthly active users, Twitter is an excellent platform for entertainment, sports, politics, technology, or marketing. Most users fall between the ages of 35 and 65, and 70% of users are male. According to eMarketer, 59% of users regularly get their news from Twitter. Tweets with video see higher engagement. Retweets or sharing user-generated content also counts and is both easy and valuable.
Recommended post frequency: A minimum of 1-2 times daily with a suggested maximum of five posts daily.
LinkedIn is the social media platform most businesses flock to. It has over 310 million monthly active users. The audience is comprised of a network of more than 61 million senior-level influencers. According to LinkedIn’s Seasonality Report, content creation increased by 60% in 2020. Posts with images get twice the engagement, but video posts are more frequently shared.
Recommended post frequency: A minimum of once daily and no more than five times daily.
Pinterest appeals to its 416 million users through rich visual content. Over 60% of users are female, but male users are up 50% year over year. Users turn to Pinterest to find new ideas, products, and services. Although Pinterest is a social media platform, it acts as a search engine, so post frequency tends to be much higher.
Recommended post (pin) frequency: No limit, and higher frequency is better.
Prioritize quality, high-value, and shareable content that consistently follows best practices over frequency. Use social media platforms to engage with your audience. While recommendations on posting frequency can get you started, they are by no means a silver bullet. An excellent social media strategy is key to identifying your audience, creating goals, developing content, establishing a content calendar, posting, and analyzing results to optimize and repeat.
Developing and implementing a social media strategy can be time intensive. emfluence can work with you to create a plan and set goals to measure, analyze, and optimize for success. Contact us today! Or sign up for our newsletters to stay up to date on current and upcoming marketing trends and helpful tips by receiving topics relevant and important to you right in your inbox.
