Finding the right balance and recommended frequency on social media is a confusing topic. Be active! Engage with your audience! But don’t love bomb!

What’s enough? What’s too much? How can we be active enough without overwhelming them with too much content? It’s time to look at these recommendations.

The “how” matters as much as the “how much”

1. Website: Balance is important here. Your website should provide a clear and professional representation of your brand. However, we don’t want to see clutter. This will overwhelm visitors with too much information. Focus on delivering a great user experience and making it easy for visitors to find what they’re looking for. We’re here to help – it’s our speciality!
2. Outreach: Outreach can help you build relationships and drive traffic to your website. While there are many bots and automation out there, you don’t want to come across as spammy. You also don’t want to send too many unsolicited messages. Focus on building genuine relationships and providing value to others.
3. Social media: Social media can be a great way to engage with your audience and build a following. And depending on your industry, you don’t want to post too frequently. This can in itself be overwhelming and annoying – plus a waste of your time. Focus on providing value and engaging with your followers in a meaningful way.
4. Email marketing: Email marketing can be a great way to stay in touch with your audience. You can give them extra advice and give them interesting updates on your business. But depending on your industry, there’s a frequency to aim for. Too much and you risk annoying your subscribers. Instead, send targeted, relevant, and valuable content that adds value to their lives!

By finding the right balance and focusing on providing value, you can effectively use these online tools to build relationships and drive success for your business.

Social media: what’s enough and what’s too much?

The recommended frequency for posting on different social media channels can vary depending on the platform and your target audience. Here are some general guidelines for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) for a few popular channels:

1. LinkedIn: is a professional networking platform and the recommended frequency is 1-2 times per week. For most of our clients, we think it’s the most important to focus on. Posting too frequently can be perceived as spammy, but posting too infrequently can make it difficult to maintain engagement with your audience.
2. Instagram: is a visually-focused platform and the recommended frequency is 1-2 times per day. Keep in mind that the algorithm on Instagram prioritises recent and relevant content, so consistency is key.
3. Facebook: is a social platform for both personal and business use and the recommended frequency is 1-2 times per day. Make sure to mix up the types of content you post, including text updates, photos, and videos.
4. Twitter: is a fast-paced platform and the recommended frequency is 2-5 times per day. We used to use it a lot, and now barely at all. The real game changer would be keeping an eye on what others are saying and engaging them in interaction. If you have a select niche and you know there are plenty of people who are using Twitter actively, then it’s more of a worthwhile use of your time. Keep in mind that Twitter moves quickly, so timely and relevant content is key.

Your actual frequency will vary depending on your target audience and the type of content you’re posting. Experimenting with different frequencies and monitoring your engagement (likes, comments, shares) can help you determine the best posting schedule for your business. You’ll learn which types of posts work better to get people to notice you!

A future cheat sheet

Social media channels vary in recommended frequency of posting for small business owners and their marketing teams.

We’ll be designing this into a cheat sheet in future but while you wait, we put together a handy summary. Remember – posting is only part of the activity. Engagement is arguably a more important factor. Interact with the posts of others and you’ll really get yourself noticed. Your target audience might be watching silently or interacting on these channels.

LinkedIn:

• Recommended posting frequency: 1-2 times per week
• Benefits: LinkedIn is a professional networking platform and is a great way for businesses to connect with potential clients and partners. It’s also a platform where you can showcase your business’s thought leadership and thoughtfulness through posting blog articles, company updates, and participating in group discussions.
• Etiquette: Keep your posts professional, avoid hard sales pitches, and engage with other users through commenting and sharing their content. Make sure to optimise your profile and keep it up-to-date.

Twitter:

• What’s enough? Ooh, it’s a lot. The recommended posting frequency: 2-5 times per day
• Benefits: Twitter is fast-paced and can be a great way to connect with potential customers and stay up-to-date with industry news. It’s also a great platform for customer service and for responding to customer complaints or questions in real-time.
• Etiquette: Keep your tweets concise, use hashtags to reach a wider audience, and engage with other users by retweeting and responding to their tweets. Avoid automated direct messages and spamming your followers with too many promotional tweets.

Facebook:

• Recommended posting frequency: 1-2 times per day
• Benefits: Facebook is a great platform for small businesses to connect with customers and build a community. It’s also a platform where businesses can showcase their brand personality and share detailed updates about their products or services.
• Etiquette: Keep your posts relevant and engaging, avoid excessive self-promotion, and respond promptly to customer comments and messages. Make sure to optimize your page for search engines and keep it up-to-date.

Instagram:

• Recommended posting frequency: 1-2 times per day
• Benefits: Instagram is a highly visual platform and is a great way for businesses to showcase their products and services through eye-catching images and videos. It’s also a platform where businesses can build a strong brand personality and connect with customers through Instagram Stories and Reels.
• Etiquette: Keep your posts visually appealing, use relevant hashtags, and engage with your followers by responding to their comments and sharing their content. Avoid spamming your followers with too many promotional posts and use the platform to showcase your brand personality.

Overall, it’s important to remember that the most important factor in using social media is engagement. Make sure to listen to your audience and respond to their needs and interests, and your social media presence will be successful.

Email marketing – what’s enough and what’s too much?

The frequency of sending email newsletters depends on various factors such as the target audience, the type of content being sent, and the goals of the email marketing campaign. Here are some recommended guidelines for 3 different business types:

1. Online apparel retail shop: Since the products are fashion-oriented and may change frequently, you may want to send newsletters more frequently. In this case, what’s enough? It could be once a week or even multiple times a week. This will help you keep your subscribers up-to-date on new arrivals and promotions.
2. B2B accountant: For a B2B accountant, a monthly newsletter may be sufficient to provide relevant updates, such as tax changes, new accounting regulations, and other industry news.
3. B2B law firm: For a B2B law firm, it may be appropriate to send newsletters quarterly or bi-monthly. This would provide enough time for the firm to gather relevant information, and also give enough time for clients to act on the information received. The newsletters could include updates on recent legal changes, case updates, and other relevant news.

Ultimately, the frequency of email newsletters should be based on the preferences of your target audience and what they find valuable. You can also use A/B testing to determine the optimal frequency and make changes based on the results.