Can excessive social media posting hurt a brand?
I'm in the sports and entertainment industry which puts more emphasis on social media engagement to get your brand recognized than other industries. I've noticed a negative correlation with how many times we post a day to the number of followers or likes. What is the expected amount of social media engagement? (# of tweets per day, polls, started discussions and replies)
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May 16, 2016
YES. It can hurt your brand.
But, instead of worrying about how posting practices affect vanity metrics like followers, shares, likes, etc., I would be much more concerned with how spending time on social is actually equating to top line growth for your business. This is so critical for small business owners because resources are constrained and in my experience, social media just doesn't provide a positive return for most small business owners. That's not to say it can't work, but there are a myriad of other ways to spend your time that can actually drive real growth.
Here's why: everything you do (or pay someone to do) has an opportunity cost. By choosing to spend tons of time/resources on posting to social media channels, you're forgoing something else that could be driving a better ROI for you. Finding successful tactics that provide the best ROI is what will boost your brand.
May 16, 2016
Hi Gabriel, I've been doing Digital Marketing for over 11+ years now and I run a leading UK marketing and development company called Odyssey New Media (odysseynewmedia.com).
In answer to your question, I would say yes it can hurt a brand, primarily in these two areas
1) Post relevancy is too low - If you are excessively posting content/links/images that users don't want then this is irrelevant and not useful to the user. Make sure posts are relevant, as engaging as possible (images/video work best) and give the user something - i.e. funny joke (laughs), informative Meme (information), stunning picture (wow factor) etc.
2) Post frequency is too high - If you are posting excessively it can annoy and lead to people unfollowing you. I have seen this happen and have done it myself if a brand is clogging up my newsfeed all the time with boring content. I want to see a variety of posts from friends and a range of brands/companies that I follow. As a general rule, I would not post more than 2 times a day, unless it was an hourly flash sale promotion or something like that. Keep your followers hungry for your next post by not feeding them too much. Its often the case people appreciate quality over quantity.
With care and attention to the best times to post as well, if you are posting relevant, quality content/images/videos that people like then it can lead to more follows/engagement etc.
I hope that makes sense. These are my views from experience. If you have any questions or think we could help, please don't hesitate to contact me rob (at) odysseynewmedia (dot) com.
Cheers,
Rob
Odyssey New Media
May 16, 2016
Hi Gabriel,
This is a great question. I would let your audience tell you. Each social media platform is a little different. In general, Facebook followers don't want their newsfeed full of all your posts. However, Twitter moves quickly and more posts are often required.
I recommend over time to test post frequency and be sure to post during high traffic times. Use your analytics to see when posts receive the most engagement and be sure to keep posting during those time periods.
And of course, post content that is of great value to your audience.
Hope that helps!
Charlotte Chipperfield
CEO & Founder of Chipperfield Media LLC.
May 16, 2016
Hey Charlotte, we haven't spent much time reviewing social media analytics yet. That is something we can do. Thanks for the suggestion.
May 16, 2016
You're asking the wrong question in my opinion. The RIGHT QUESTION should be, "Is what I am posting incredibly HELPFUL to my desired and targeted audience?" If the answer is NO, then posting often will annoy and irritate and drive away your audience...fast! If the answer is YES, then you almost can't post too often because your audience finds so much value in what you are posting they can't wait for the next one. The only other overlay question I would ask is what is their "appetite for consumption" of content. Even if everything you post is awesome, audiences can only absorb the content in doses that fit their level of consumption (I'm actually posting a piece for my blog an LinkedIn Pulse on this topic today). Hope this helps...
May 16, 2016
Hi Blaine, I'd be interested to read your article. I think you make good points. Can you share with us?
May 16, 2016
First, the post frequency vs. engagement varies with social network you're using. Fast paced networks like Twitter is good with as many as 10 posts a day whereas Facebook works well with 2 posts a day with a decent time difference.
Second, timings of your post matters to get the most accurate data and conclusion on engagement vs. post.
Third, content quality, variation and relevancy will also decide the engagement factor.
Hopefully the answer helps.
May 17, 2016
Facebook can reduce your average if you makes an abussive use. Optim volume of daily posts is never up to 2 per day. In case of Twitter, you can use a more extensive frequency (even 6-8 tweets per day).
May 17, 2016
It's not a question about what you publish; Facebook considers than make a lot of daily posts is a spam practice and fall down your engagement. Anyway, better your content are, better your engagement will be, that's logical...
May 17, 2016
Hi Gabriel,
I think it depends on what you will share. If you share irrelevant posts, images, and content then it hurt brand otherwise not.
Dec 8, 2016
Be simple yet effective advertising can improve your exposure to the public, be more specific about what you advertising. Don't bombard your social media with repeated advertising of the same products
May 19, 2016
I started with thrice a week & Now I post once a day. It is my preference. I have been doing it since last two years. Never had any problems with my posts. Sponsored Ads. might work well.
Jul 31, 2017
I think excessive self-promotional posting on social media can hurt a brand. The goals of social should be to build relationships with your customers (new and returning). To do this, you need to show your audience that you have something valuable to offer them.
If you are consistently sharing tips, deals, articles, responding to customer's tweets, etc. than I wouldn't worry so much about posting too much. I would limit the amount of ads that only directly promote your product/service to 1-2 times a day.
With that said, I think most businesses follow the schedule of posting 3-6 times a day on Twitter, 1-3 times a day on Facebook, and 1-2 times on LinkedIn. I've noticed businesses also tend to stick to this schedule for Monday-Friday, but will only post 1-2 times over the weekend, if at all.
Jul 15, 2017
Yes, It can hurt your brand and listed in spam list soon.
Just make your schedule calender ready for every month with hashtag specification then schedule your post using https://buffer.com/.
Excess posting irritate your audience. So post smartly to get real audience for your social media.
Aug 1, 2017
I think whats really important to remember is that its not so much about how many times you post but what are you posting. are you working hard to read the feedback you get from likes on Facebook for example or Twitter. Are you finding out what your customers are reacting to and emerging your Social media towards that, If you are posting for posting sake then you need to stop and reevaluate what you are trying to achieve. Always remember that being present on social media is also about being part of social media and that means interaction rather than just posting. Always vary your social media outlets and whilst Posting blogs are a good social media tool, post something you really want to write and you know your customers want to read.
Hope this helps.
Jul 15, 2017
It depends on the type of the content and where you post it. If you share interesting and relevant posts on Facebook it will engage more likes and followers. But 2 posts per day on Facebook will be enough, while Twitter demands more posts every day (relevant, of course).
Jul 18, 2017
Yes, it can definitely hurt your brand. Look at Donald Trump.
The content you post is very important and should represent your brand and what it stands for. Don't do what some business owners do and just continually post their services and products, post things that are genuinely helpful and also promote other businesses and organisations.
Thanks for the note. I think we have stuck so close to social media because that seems to be what other sports industry influencers are doing. Maybe we need to diversify our approach until we are larger.