Social media: Why you need three posts a week, minimum

Rachel Klaver is a marketing strategist, specialising in lead generation and content marketing.

OPINION: How often do you post on your core social media platforms? And when posting, do you think about having a blend of different types of content to talk to people at different stages of the buying process? (Or different parts of what’s called the customer journey).

In my column a few weeks ago, about why your content might not be getting results, I mentioned that you should post at least three times a week on your core platform if you want to get results.

Someone commented that it would be too much to read three posts from a brand a week. I realised that while us marketers understand you wouldn’t see all three posts, unless you were a super fan, most people wouldn’t even consider that not everyone would see their posts. So I thought I’d explain why three posts a week gives you the best chance to help your followers see at least one post per month.

All social media platforms are run by an algorithm that’s made from the sum of the user behaviour on the platform. There’s often a suggestion it’s partly also created by the platform itself. This is always strenuously denied by the platforms in question (LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook or TikTok), but there are times when this also comes into play.

Let’s take Facebook for example. Latest research says the average organic (not paid for) reach of a single Facebook post is between 1.5% and 2.5%. That would mean, on average, that only between 30 and 50 people would see one of your posts if you had 2000 followers. Instagram is better with a 12% average for large followings (you’ll find smaller page following will have higher percentages as platforms incentivise business pages to keep posting and seeing results).

LinkedIn sits between 5% and 6%. TikTok tends to push out your content to new audiences, and normally only about 2% of your existing followers will see your content

The idea that you will see every post from a page is incorrect. The only way you can skew these results is to actively engage with each post you see from that brand. That does several things. It first increases the reach of that post and helps push it out further. It also increases the chance you’ll see more content that’s similar, either from that brand or other brands like it.

Commenting or liking a post gives the algorithm a sign that you were interested in the content. The algorithm wants us to stay and keep playing on the platform, so it shows you more of the same sort of content to help you do that.

This is what it means, when the platforms say that the algorithm is created by user behaviour.

However, it’s also impacted by what the platform wants, too. If it has a new feature, and you use it, you’ll get more reach. If you use a type of post they don’t feel is in vogue, you’ll get less. If you are creating short videos (reels) on Instagram and Facebook, the platform will give an extra push to that content once or twice a week, to help you be found.

To help us get the best of the algorithm, have the best chance to get our content seen, and be remembered, as well as actually get some sales out of it, we need to create content that does a few things.

We need to post to a clear schedule

The platforms all like consistency and regularity. Of course, you can miss a week here or there. But when you post at the same time, on the same three days a week, the platform starts to learn your schedule. This can help you increase your reach. Once you’ve been posting for a while, and have a group of followers, you can use your analytics to work out your best posting times.

We need to create content that stands out

For all the ease that ChatGPT brings, our human brains are starting to recognise clearly AI-created content, and skipping it in the feed. We also will pass over anything that looks too sales-based or too polished.

As brands, we need to create content that breaks up the pattern of all the other types of content and stands out, to give people a reason to slow down and take note.

We need to make sure people will engage

One of the best ways to increase that organic reach is to write content people want to comment on. I’ve been watching one of my old clients have a post go semi viral this week because they took a strong side in an argument, and everyone has something to say about it. This is one of the ways we can get a big reach on our content.

It’s personally not my preferred one. But it works.

You can also use content that’s relatable, and helps people feel like you understand what’s going on for them, or inspirational content.

You could share a meme, a funny GIF or an inspiring quote.

If all else fails, ask them a question that is simple for them to respond to. We don’t want to make it too complex as people are not generally hanging out on social media to make our brains work hard!

If you are doing three posts a week, one of those should be this type of post, designed to get people interacting and talking.

We need to create content that builds trust

As part of your content we need to have two types of trust building content. If you are doing three posts a week, you could do one of these each a fortnight, week about.

The first is content that shows your audience you’re the expert. It could be a hot tip, some up-to-date advice, industry news, a styling hack, or a story about a customer that shows how you ‘ve helped others. This type of content is what people see on your page after they’ve discovered you, and then choose to follow you for.

The second type of content needs to be about you and your team. We work with people we feel connected to, so create content that shows the human side of your business. It could be staff profiles, sharing insight as a business owner, or showing behind the scenes at work. I see a lot of brands posting about awards or big dinners, but missing the little ways to show off their business. Share personality and show warmth. It is highly effective.

We need to create content that converts to sales

In the end the whole point of using your time, energy and budgets (if outsourcing), is to get results. And the best result is more business.

To do that we need to lead the way, with our content, so people know how to buy from us.

Once a fortnight (on the three posts a week plan), post a really clear and direct post with a strong call to action to buy from you. Make sure you talk about benefits, and why it’s a good idea too.

These posts are not designed to go viral. They are designed to be seen by the people engaging with all your fun and trust-building posts.

In the second week of that fortnight, use the power of testimonials to build desire in your audience. Share a testimonial, a case study or a client story to help people see the impact of what you do.

If we only posted once a week, it would take us six weeks to cover all of our bases when it comes to the different core types of content. Three posts a week allows us to cover it in just two.

If I’m working with a client, I set a three post a week minimum. As we create structure and also suggest using a good scheduling tool, plus encouraging you to repeat some of the core posts throughout the year, I often find many of them start to post more than three times a week, and then start to see better results.

My recommendation to them and to you, is to create a schedule with clear “this is the type of content I post on this day” planning, and then create several posts of the same time, schedule them in and slowly build up your habit over the period of a few weeks.

I promise you that unless someone really loves your brand they won’t see every post. And you’ll have all the types of posts you need to start getting results from your marketing.