How often should I post on social media for my business?

ocial media is a great way to increase the visibility of your business online, showcase what you sell, communicate with your customers and provide up to date, relevant information.

It's wise to list on all main social media platforms as they will all link back to your own website, which is good for search engine optimisation, but for small businesses managing two platforms well is probably enough. 
In tourism, most businesses are active on Facebook and Instagram, with the latter growing at very fast pace.
It's important to set up a schedule to post on social media on a regular basis, ideally on set days.  You can also use tools such as www.buffer.com or www.hootsuite.com to automate your postings. 

I did some research and from my experience working with small to medium-sized businesses, here are the recommended number of posts per day or week by platform:

Facebook:  3 to 7 times a week
Instagram:  3 to 7 times a week

So if you're posting on Facebook and Instagram every other day, you're doing a great job! This should be manageable, easy to plan and you're not overloading your followers with post.

IMPORTANT: Don't forget that it's about posting quality content and images/videos, not just posts for the sake of it. Think from your customers' perspective; what would they like to see, what sets you apart from others. Make your life easier by planning your posts in advance. Make a list of interesting topics, images and videos. For ideas, go to the following posts:

• Newsletter, blog & social media and website update topic ideas
• 57 content ideas for your blog, social media and newsletter 

Till next week, Marijke