Why #blessed won't help your Instagram strategy and 3 other myths about social media
This month, we want to break down the top myths we hear from people when it comes to social media. It’s no surprise that these popular online domains seem to be wrapped in an enigma of complex algorithms and rules - this is still brand new digital territory (20+ years is really not that old) and a lot of these channels are making up the rules as they go. But there are still several ways you can use these channels to your advantage - without going crazy.
Myth #1: The time of day, or day of the week should be adjusted for your industry. We’ve heard this one for years. And perhaps, years ago, it was true. But any news feed (from LinkedIn to Facebook to Instagram) doesn’t provide content in chronological order anymore - so this “requirement” in order to reach your key audience doesn’t matter. Your posts will be shown to your followers based on a number of factors outside of your control.
Instead… just be sure to post during normal business hours on weekdays. Monday - Friday 8am - 6pm (generally). It’s not rocket science. People are mostly distracting themselves with social media during the week - not on the weekends when they’re busy doing things - and they’re less likely to view their feeds at 4am.
Myth #2: You need to use hashtags. If you’re looking to reach more people by this strategy alone, this one won’t help you. Only if you are posting as part of a trending topic on Twitter or Instagram, hashtags don’t help the reach of your post. This is especially true on Facebook and LinkedIn.
Instead… create a specific hashtag for your brand and use it to easily find photos and posts for months or years to come! Always encourage followers to use that hashtag as well so you can stay connected with your audiences and make sure it’s a very specific hashtag that only your brand (or very few people) use. If it’s used by millions of users (for example, #blessed), then it’s not specific to your brand or post. Find your own hashtag popularity on Rite Tag.
Myth #3: You need to create video content! Videos on LinkedIn or Facebook, and Reels on Instagram (or, starting a TikTok account) are great in theory - but for how long can you continue to push out video content? In our experience, it’s nearly impossible for our clients to post a photo. It’s not because our clients are lazy, it’s because it takes energy to carve out the time to post meaningful content to your social media channels.
Instead…. post the content that you can keep up with! Few of us feel comfortable speaking on video not to mention needing to find the right angle and lighting! Photos - especially those that are not of yourself - are easier to share and as we said, they’re not always that easy either. And although videos are pushed more often than static posts - it doesn’t mean people aren’t reading those posts. If there is a photo of you in the post - or a dog or baby - you’re going to see engagement.
Myth #4: I need to post every day (or 3-4 times a week) so people will see my content. Please don’t! At most, we tell our clients it’s good to post twice a week and that’s only on Facebook and Instagram and only if you already have an engaged audience. There has been a huge influx of users across social media in the last three years, and there is a lot of STUFF to sort through. Even if you have “favorited” an account, it doesn’t guarantee that you’re going to see that content. If your account is posting multiple times a week, you risk exhausting your followers who will decide to unfollow you, or the algorithm will begin to “hide” your content if it considers your posting to be “spammy.” (Nobody - not even a robot - likes spammers!)
Instead… post once a week - maybe twice if there’s a holiday or specific push around a time-sensitive topic. When you create a content calendar and schedule that focuses on one solid post each week, that will leave time for you to create any “in the moment” ad-hoc posts that might seem relevant.
The bottom line is there is a lot of content hitting our feeds - yours, mine and your clients - on a daily basis. The best way to ensure that your content is being seen at the right time, to the right people, is to keep it simple. Fewer posts, fewer hashtags, and less agonizing over the time and day you post will help you maintain a social media strategy you can keep up with.
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