One of the most common questions that I”m often asked when consulting with a new collaborator is a big one:
“How often should I post?”
The short answer?
As a rule of thumb, I usually say something like:
For blogs, at least one per month, but up to one per week
For Twitter, 1-20 times per day plus retweets
For Facebook, at least 3 times per week
For Google+ and LinkedIn, at least every time you post a blog
If these guidelines sound vague, it’s because they are totally vague.
The long answer?
There’s only one way to find out how often you should post.
START POSTING.
Maybe it wasn’t so long after all.
The only way to learn what’s right for your audience is through good old trial and error. Try things out, gather your results. Then throw out what isn’t working and focus on the things that are working.
This goes for all types of content, but it also goes for how frequently you post.
As you interact on your social media platforms of choice, listen in. Pay attention to the times of day that are working for your audience. What are they discussing, and in what format? Are they liking pictures first thing int he morning and having debates at lunchtime? These things all factor into your social media and content strategy.
The same goes for blog posts. Are you dragging yourself over the coals to produce 3 blog posts per week that nobody reads? Try scaling back and see if one longer, more content rich blog post per week performs better.
Remember: there is no point in creating tons of content that adds zero value. People have limited time, and it is up to you how much of that time you can encourage them to devote to your output.
Weigh and measure the value your offering against their time until you have a recipe for how often to post. Then keep tweaking.
Your turn
How often do you post on your blog and social media channels? What works for your audience?
If you haven’t started yet, what’s holding you back?