Over the past 5 years, there have been countless articles regarding the “optimal frequency” for posting on social media. Unfortunately, many of these are flawed and misleading for B2B because they are solely based upon user activity. While this seems great for exposure and impressions, it does little for engagement that generates interest or leads for your business. It still matters when you post, but the focus should be on quality and consistency. Both will compensate for poor timing when you miss those optimal windows for posting.
The Magic Formula Doesn’t Exist
Before talking about frequency, we need to remember that what engages audiences matters. Knowing your audience will get more engagement, which leads to more exposure and impressions outside of your network. More clicks, more likes, more engagement equals greater exposure. It’s how the algorithms work.
This all happens organically, so you don’t need to “boost” those posts if you’re doing it right. So, focusing on what people want to see should be your main goal. There’s no magic formula for this. Some say social media should entertain. Others believe educating works better. A mix of both is always a good plan.
Consistency Matters – Not Frequency
Complex algorithms decide what the viewers should see. Not necessarily what they want to see, but it’s really close. Because of this, active profiles get more attention. When you think about it, it’s a way of rewarding the content generators for the platform. Without those posts, it would be boring. Posting during windows of opportunity will make you a regular feature in your clients’ news feeds. Being consistent means sending out the right message at the right time.
Posting too much actually has a negative effect on your audience. High frequency overwhelms the audience, causing disengagement and apathy. Here is a list of how frequent B2B companies should post:
- Facebook = 1 per day
- LinkedIn = 1 per day
- Instagram = 1 or 2 times per day
- Twitter = 3 to 5 times per day
There’s the frequency. Twitter’s tweets have a short lifespan, which requires frequent posts to get noticed. Now, let’s look at when you should post.
- Facebook: The best time to post is 9 a.m. Or, you can also post between 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. (based on EST). Why? Because your clients have Facebook open while working and will check it frequently throughout the day. To dig deeper into your audience’s unique footprint, look on your company’s Facebook page under Insights > Posts to see a graph of “When Your Fans Are Online.”
- LinkedIn: Between 10 a.m. and noon. The best day to post is Wednesday.
- Instagram: During lunch and at the end of the day, so around noon and 5 p.m.
- Twitter: Spread your tweets out throughout the day, starting from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. At a minimum, that’s every 4 hours. For maximum effect, you should post 5 tweets every two hours.
Adapting to a Changing Environment
Social media is always changing the way users get and see content. Plus, newer platforms, such as Tik Tok or Caffeine, provide innovative ways for users to consume content. Fortunately, social platforms haven’t changed much for B2B industries, but there have been some significant changes in the way people want to get their content.
Currently, video leads the pack because it’s easy to use, and you don’t have to watch the video to get the content you need. Anyone could listen to a video and get the same message. Video should definitely be part of your mix for content. Just remember that it has to be either entertaining or educational to attract attention.
We’ve noticed a trend in written content – people love bulleted lists, especially those with action items. Try to incorporate some lists into your content calendar to capture some attention. This content itself is usually helpful in work or life. Articles like “10 Productivity Hacks” or “Preparing for a Video Interview” contain a collection of actionable items that readers can follow to make their lives easier. Who doesn’t love time saving or insider tips?
Pinstripe has helped local and nationally-based businesses with their social media and video production needs. We specialize in discovering their traits—their corporate character—and putting them on display. Our creative team consists of listeners and discoverers that have an innate ability to help you achieve your vision. Contact us to tell us more about your company and the content you envision.
