One of the most common questions businesses might ask a marketing advertising agency is how often they should post on social media. This is something that has plagued marketers ever since social media marketing became a thing. Of course, it is still important to note that having the most posts is not the end all be all of social media marketing. Posting too much can actually sometimes hurt your brand if your target audience starts being annoyed by your content. In fact, according to the Sprout Social Index, 74% of consumers think that posting just 1-2 times a day is enough for brands.
Furthermore, different social platforms have different demographics, and as such require different content and their own optimal posting schedule. Here are a few important posting frequency statistics to keep in mind depending on the platform you choose to use.
How often should brands post on Instagram
Instagram is the second most downloaded app in the world, only behind TikTok itself. The platform boasts over two billion monthly active users, so there’s no doubt it plays an important role in most brands’ social media marketing strategies. In fact, nearly 50% of consumers say that Instagram is one of the platforms that they expect to use the most. A study done by Pew Research additionally found that 59% of people check Instagram daily, with 38% of them checking the app multiple times in one day.
Regarding how many times businesses should post on Instagram, the average is generally 1-2 times a day. Of course, this can depend on the industry you are in. Some businesses that are part of the entertainment industry may post 3-5 times a day. Stories, on the other hand, can be posted a lot more frequently.
Other tips that can help your brand include creating content that makes people stay on your profile or post for longer. You can either use a hook or use popular content types like Instagram Reels and carousel posts. You should also know what your audience is looking for. After all, Instagram prioritises popular posts, so engagements matter. Always take a look at your insights to understand what kinds of posts audiences engage with often, and which ones they ignore.
How often should brands post on Facebook
Currently, Facebook has just under 3 billion monthly active users. In fact, roughly 71% of consumers and 65% of marketers expect to use it majorly, and it remains a key platform for brands to invest their energy in. Aside from its advertising capabilities, Facebook is mainly the go-to place if consumers need some form of customer service. On average, brands are expected to post around 1-2 daily posts. In fact, Hubspot found that pages with fewer than 10,000 fans experienced a 50% drop in engagement on every post if they posted more than once per day. At the bare minimum, you should at least try to post 3 times per week.
Brands should also avoid sharing many posts in quick succession – instead, they should allow for at least three hours between posts. This is because ‘too many updates’ is a major reason why people unfollow Facebook pages.
Another thing you may consider with Facebook is tapping into advertising. Instead of reaching out organically, you can use ads and boost posts to increase your brand’s reach. You can also experiment with a variety of content types, like videos. If you are not sure what to post, always check your analytics to see what your audience is looking for and engaging with, so you can cater directly to their needs.
How often should brands post on TikTok
While TikTok is still new to the social media marketing scene, meaning there is not as much data regarding its optimal posting frequencies, TikTok itself recommends brands should publish around 1-4 posts daily. This is due to TikTok’s #FoYou feed being a completely non-stop content machine that prioritises fresh uploads. As such, brands need to post several times a day in order to stay at the top of people’s minds as well as the top of their feeds. Additionally, every time that you post, TikTok will show your content to different people. So, it seems that, unlike other social media platforms, Tiktok will not penalise you for posting too much.
Aside from posting frequently, there are a few other tips to keep in mind. The first is to find a proper niche to see where your brand can grow. You should also be more authentic in your posts, as around 56% of users feel closer to brands that seem real and unfiltered.
Post on LinkedIn
LinkedIn is slightly different from most other social media platforms because it is geared towards working professionals. It is mainly used by businesses and other professionals to network, or to share industry insights and thought leadership. On average, businesses post once per day, with weekdays being the best times to post. Moreover, a recent change to LinkedIn’s algorithm has made the platform more sensitive to posts that are deemed as spam, while highlighting posts that gain solid engagement. Therefore, you should not post more than 5 times per day. However, it is important that you remain consistent (whether it be once a day, once a week, or once a month).
Other ways to optimise your posts include encouraging employees to post. There is a reason why most companies have an employee advocacy program, after all! Content that is shared or posted by employees can gain around 8 times more engagement compared to posts published on the brand channel. You should also respond and engage with those who comment, as this will push your post back up to the news feed.
Post on Twitter
Twitter is another extremely fast-paced social media platform and is also known as the birthplace of the hashtag and emerging news stories. However, this means that the lifespan of a tweet is incredibly short – around 18 minutes at most. The industry average of posting around 3-4 tweets a day can help you avoid getting lost in the feed. One good thing about the site is that its ‘stream-of-consciousness nature makes it easy for brands to create light-hearted posts without sacrificing their brand persona. To do well on Twitter, it is best that you cross-promote your content (Instagram is a popular choice), as well as using trending hashtags. You should also take advantage of Twitter’s unique features such as Retweets and quotes Tweets – especially from fans of your brand, or industry experts.
