Managing your time efficiently, especially if you’re a small business, is an ongoing challenge.
Regularly posting to your social channels should be something you have built in to your week, whilst also allowing for spontaneity with as-they-happen posts.
I’ve been asked if it is better to allocate an hour every day to post and create content, or if posting and production should be staged throughout the day.
Firstly, I would be allocating a set time each week, not day, to create content, say a few hours on a weekend or week night and utilise the many scheduling tools that exist to set them up to feature throughout the week.
In addition to this, you should be working in content as-it-happens. Pictures from events or things that happen throughout the day that you want to share.
There are two main things to keep in mind:
- Facebook’s algorithm favours real time events and things that are happening on the frontline.
- The baseline content you’re producing needs to be interesting, engaging, educational, amusing and relevant to your audience.
As I have mentioned, you should block out a couple of hours to create this baseline content, then schedule it to be posted in peak traffic times. This will help to give you the best organic reach. As organic reach is limited on Facebook (5 to 10 per cent of your audience will be reached through an organic post, depending on your following and how regularly you’re posting) the best strategy is to get in front of your audience when they’re online and active.
Of course if it’s interesting, engaging, funny or educational, ultimately if it’s relevant, you’re more likely to get more traction. As soon as a post goes live, if people begin engaging with it, it will build momentum and have a snowball effect. The more people that see and interact with your content, the greater reach you’ll receive.
For posts outside of your baseline content, you can post in real time, as things happen, but make sure only to post if it is relevant, fun and engaging.
It’s important to stay on the front foot with content, sharing exciting things that are happening behind the scenes. If you can publish this content in real time it shows authenticity and shows that things that are happening.
If you’re at a restaurant with a great lunch menu or have met with someone you respect in your field, get a photo and post it at that time. People will see that you’re using the channel actively, that you want to engage them and that you’re expecting their attention as well.
In summary, the time should be spent planning and producing content ahead, as well as capturing the day to day moments that happen in your life and business!
Stay Dangerous,
Kevin Spiteri
