Marketing your business used to rely solely on word of mouth, printed and television ads, and community networking. Those are still viable ways to generate leads and build reputation, but a huge part of building and engaging with communities now relies on digital- the world of internet social interactions- or social media.
There are a variety of social media platforms out there, and some are better fits for particular businesses than others. Between the longform video platform YouTube, social media giant Facebook, image and video platform Instagram, quick quip and commentary platform Twitter, video clip platform TikTok, professional networking site LinkedIn, and more, there are options that will suit almost any type of business or business owner. You may be wondering then, where to start.
What Social Media Platform Should I be Posting On?
Almost everyone is on at least one social media network. Which platform are you currently the most knowledgeable about and comfortable with? Take a few moments to scroll through the sites you already use, and look into the types of posts and content your competitors are updating their pages with. Do you post content that is similar? How can you improve on what they’re doing while representing your business? It’s important not to try to take on too much all at once. Start with the platform that you are most comfortable navigating, and take steps to improve your post quality on that site. Learn the variations and different features of that platform, and get good at it. Once you’re comfortable, you can start with a second platform, learning the ins and outs of that one as well. Don’t have time to post with any real regularity? Hire someone to post more frequently and consistently for you. Communicate your brand voice, image, and style to this person or company, and allow them to post on your behalf.
What Kinds of Content Should I be Posting?
A variety of posts is key. You’ll need to be creating, (or commissioning) a variety of content and content types to fit the different platforms. In order to gain traction on any social media site, you’ll want to push a broad range of content out to get movement based on the current algorithms. Each social media platform has different mediums and arrangements that can be posted. Instagram, for example, has carousels, Reels, Stories, Videos (in posts) and longer-form Videos on IGTV. That’s a lot of different content options. Because of these options, not only should you be posting regularly on the platform, but you should also be trying to get a few of the different mediums up on your account for the best chances at engagement and algorithm performance. Pay attention to what the platforms are prioritizing, or pushing, and stay aware of trends for guidance on which mediums are likely to get the most attention. For example, when quick video platform TikTok became all the rage, other platforms offered competing media options Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. When other platforms are paying attention to a media type, you should as well- but try not to get overwhelmed.
How Often Do I Need to be Posting?
The most basic recommended frequency for posting to your social media platforms is a minimum of three posts per week. Start there and grow, begin with the volume of posting you are most comfortable with- but what you’ll want to do is get to a place where you are posting more and more across all platforms that you are active on over time. While it may seem counterintuitive, the way social media has grown and the algorithms that govern them work, the frequency of posts actually matters more than the “quality” of the content that is posted. Why is that? Well, quality is subjective, and while some clients may feel compelled to focus on going over each post with a fine-toothed comb, the ultimate priority is to get out there and be noticed by both the audience and the algorithm. Too often the amount of painstaking effort put in is unnecessary, when at the end of the day, the post being visible has more weight than the particular font chosen. Anyone reading this knows that I love me some good fonts, so hopefully that puts more weight on what I’m saying (pun intended).