BY CORA VELTMAN

The guidelines that you make yourself can be changed at any time for the needs of your business, but having a starting point will help. These are the main things to think about while creating a social media posting plan for any and all platforms.

The important factor in setting yourself for success on social media is consistency. Most social media platforms have some way to plan and schedule content ahead of time, but regardless, putting a couple hours a week aside for social media creation will go a long way.

HOW OFTEN SHOULD I POST?

Depends on the platform and how much time you have to devote to both creating and scheduling content. Consistency and quality of the post matters much more than quantity but find a pattern that you can keep up with. Quantity also depends on different platforms. Suggested amounts per platform based off of each respective algorithm are as follows:

• Twitter: at least one post a day

• Instagram: at least three posts a week

• Facebook: at least three posts a week

• Tik Tok: at least three posts a week

• LinkedIn: at least one post a week 

Note: there is such thing as over posting or posting too soon from your previous content. Try not to post more than once in an hour to any platform besides twitter unless you have some big news to share that is time sensitive.

WHAT TIME OF DAY SHOULD I POST?

The rule of thumb for most social media users is that viewership is up between 8-9am and 5-6pm during the week and sometimes between 10am-4pm on each weekend day. This differs from platform to platform and depending on who you are trying to reach.

 Note: Try not to post in the night or social media ‘blackout’ days like holidays or during emergency situations or else your content will be buried by the time your demographic logs in.

WHAT SHOULD I POST? WHAT IS CONTENT BATCHING?

This is its own whole area of conversation. In short, have an idea of what you can create quickly, consistently and at the quality that your brand requires. Graphics and photos are usually the fastest but articles and videos are great to add into the mix. Batching is when you take a swatch of time and create a lot of content that you can spread out over time like a photo or video shoot, graphic design template etc. Batching requires some advanced planning but is the most efficient way to generate a lot of content in a short time and stay on schedule.

Note: depending on your organization style, keeping track in a spreadsheet or scheduling app of when and what you are posting can be extremely useful. Be flexible with what content goes where in the calendar and you’ll be able to have more planned out ahead of time so that you can focus on your business.

HOW DO I KNOW IF I AM DOING IT RIGHT?

Anything with social media is subjective to the specific demographic that you are speaking to. Play around, try new strategies and keep a close eye on the numbers

 Note: likes, comments, follows, views, etc. are all ways to measure success. Take note of what content does well and think about why that is. Is the content itself resonating with your audience? Sometime the answer is that you posted it at the perfect time to be seen and liked by more people.