Write Consistently, Right?
Post social information on a consistent basis.
So why is that so important, you ask?
Well, the main thing is that you will never get leads if people rarely see you online. If they have to track you down to find the last post you made or the last blog you wrote, you just won't get the leads.
Secondly, wouldn't you like the SEO? Posting consistently utilizing your keywords and long-tail keyword phrases builds SEO and the search engines recognize that. That pushes you higher in the rankings.
Thirdly, these posts "live" forever online. You might have a blog post from two years ago that ranks high enough to be found in a search.
Fourth or Fourthly?? Wouldn't it be nice to be recognized as the expert in your area or niche? Not only will your consistent posts be helpful to gain ground with the search engines and your followers, but people will begin to recognize you, your brand and your expertise as something they want to continue to follow and begin a relationship with.
Social Media is all about building relationships. When someone writes a brilliant blog post one week and then you don't hear from them for a week or two, readers lose interest. They won't follow you and they certainly won't be commenting and sharing your work.
Consistency is your edge over your competition.
This was recently brought to my attention once again when I read the results of a Fast Company study that looked at social media messaging. The magazine asked its readers what they think is the most annoying thing brands and businesses do on social platforms. The responses were not pretty:
“Try to sell me stuff” was the big winner, followed closely by “write sloppily.”
The study concluded:
“Yes, you can hawk--if that's your company's primary messaging mission. Brands that pitched more got more props per pitch; brands that pitched less got dinged.”
If you are using social media primarily as a sales tool, that may be okay. In fact the study itself shows that people are not opposed to brands selling them stuff on social media. However, the key is to do it consistently.
Consistency is more than just about your message. It’s something that applies to the following as well:
Your Tone: Using a consistent tone in your tweets, Facebook and LinkedIn updates, and pins. Don't be casual in some updates and uptight in others. I encourage you to write conversationally.
Timing: If you’ve decided that you only want to post Monday to Friday from 9 to 5, then stick to that. But consider posting on weekends (since studies show that engagement is high on Saturday and Sunday), then do that consistently. You can schedules posts so there is no reason not to have weekend posts as well.
Frequency: Posting on social once a day? There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that if that’s all you can do. Just make sure you’re sticking to a consistent schedule. Review your analytics. When are the most people reading your posts?
Message: As discussed above, you need to be consistent in the type of information you’re sharing. If you’re building engagement by sharing real estate market trends, then continue to do that regularly. But don't forget about the other hyper-local content you will need to include to share more than numbers.
Engagement: Are you responding to some tweets but not to others? Better change that—having a more predictable and repeatable approach to engagement strengthens your community on social. In other words, just don't respond to your buddy's tweets. Spread the responses out to people you don't know as well to begin developing relationships with them as well.
Just one final note. Consistency shouldn't come at the price of flexibility. You should continue to experiment with different social media tactics based on your analytics; and you should consider re-evaluating your strategy once in a while.
Don’t let a haphazard approach to posting confuse your followers and potential followers.
Be consistent in the times you are posting
Be consistent in the quality of your content
Be less consistent when commenting and sharing. Share and comment on other posts than the usual ones. (see above)
When it comes to building a strong community and using social media to drive readers and influence leads, how you do it can be just as critical as what you’re saying.
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