I’ve been talking to Kate Fox from Fox Graphics Design and Marketing about why consistency on social media matters.
Kate shared with me two great stories: one where her consistent social media presence landed her a high profile new role and the other where she regretted taking a week-long break from posting while on holiday.
But first let’s meet Kate
All her life, Kate has been a creative and founded Fox Graphics Design and Marketing 15 years ago. Her mission is to work with clients to get them ahead of the game with standout brand marketing strategies.
Why consistency matters for visibility
I have always put consistency at the top of the list when it comes to social media success. It’s important to keep in mind that the algorithms, or “robots” as I like to call them, are constantly searching for posts that can generate maximum visibility and accounts that deserve to be ranked high in searches. Posting consistently is a guaranteed way to please them.
So, if you tend to fall into the habit of posting a lot when you’re quiet, and when you start to get busy, put it on the back burner, it’s time to rethink your social media strategy as it may be doing you more harm than you realise!
Consistency vs constantly
To put you at ease, consistently posting doesn’t mean that you have to be posting on social media constantly. Quality over quantity is always better, you do not need to post every day.
Consistently posting quality content is what the social media platform’s are looking for, for example you may choose to post two or three times a week. Stick to a routine that works for you, this shows commitment that you show up when your audience expects you to.
Kate’s break from social media
We’ve all been there; we’ve had a holiday and left all thoughts of our business behind. While this is much needed, the robots won’t be best pleased!
Kate didn’t post anything on social media for a week while on holiday late last year. At first she thought nothing of it until she returned to work and resumed her posting. The first few posts didn’t attract any engagement. There was nothing wrong with the social media content, or the accompanying images, it was purely down to the fact that she had broken her consistency.
It took a while for her to convince the robots that she was back in the game, and with consistency she was once again rewarded with good reach. Phew!
Now, she’ll be using the free tools available and scheduling posts in advance for when she plans to be away from the office.
Kate’s big win on social media
For two years, unbeknown to Kate, a connection of hers had been lurking. Lurking is the industry recognised term for someone who never likes or comments on posts but is most definitely watching what you do on social media.
You’ll find that lurkers are the ones that when they’re ready to do business with you, they’ll drop you a message. To them, the relationship is already there as they’ve grown to know who you are, what you do, what makes you tick, what kind of sense of humour you have, and so much more because they are used to seeing your content on social media.
In Kate’s case, her consistent social media presence caught the attention of a lurker who was looking for someone to fill a Non-Executive Director’s position for Brand and Marketing in an exciting new venture. Through her consistent behaviours, Kate had shown that she possessed the qualities and skills that their business was looking for, and they had already grown to know, like, and trust her. Needless to say, Kate was thrilled to take up the role.
This story goes to show that you never know who’s keeping an eye on your social media activity and what opportunities might be waiting around the corner.
Kate’s top tips to achieve consistency on social media
To keep your audience entertained and engaged, mix up your content. Include humour, talk about what you’re up to, explain why you do what you do, what’s trending, create an employee spotlight post, find ways to build your community, educate the customer on the benefits of your products or service, but limit the salesy posts.
Don’t forget to promote your branding too. Simply attaching your logo to a post can help keep your brand in the minds of your audience. Consistently incorporating your brand elements, such as colours and imagery, across all of your social media platforms can help to reinforce your brand identity.
If you can, get yourself some professional photos and videos but don’t forget the power of the spontaneous, informal, pictures and short clips that you can easily capture on your mobile phone. Mixing up your visuals gives a great insight into the person you are. Plus, this way is really cost effective too.
Above all else, be authentic!
Don’t expect results overnight
Unfortunately, you have to work at social media. But as soon as you start being consistent, you’ll start seeing great results. Sadly, it won’t be overnight though!
Don’t overthink it and don’t go overboard
There’s no point in stressing over social media – simply work out a pattern that works for you. And if you really do struggle with accountability or coming up with content ideas, you should consider joining The Social Flock. This is a supportive community that meets on Zoom every week to create posts – with help and inspiration from each other – and then schedule them for the week ahead. Members can then relax knowing that their socials are sorted for the week they can get on with doing what they do best. But with one eye out for enquiries of course!
Don’t go all gung-ho with your content and post too frequently. No one likes to be bombarded with posts from just one account, you risk losing valuable followers.
It’s best to work out which platform your target audience is most likely to use and master that one first with a consistent posting strategy.
Kate’s final piece of advice
Don’t take it personally if a post doesn’t achieve the engagement you were hoping for. Move on and put it down to experience. There’s a lot you can learn from posts that don’t hit the spot.
For more tips follow Kate on LinkedIn.
Are you ready to commit to consistency!
To maximise your impact on social media come and join The Social Flock! You’ll become a valued member of an inspiring and supportive community where everyone has one thing in common – a desire to grow their business with social media. This exclusive group provides accountability, social media content tips, advice and access to industry experts, and a calendar full of social media training events.
As ever, if you have any questions, get in touch. I’m here to help you succeed with social media!
Bye for now,
Becs
