Danielle Mellema, Digital Content Manager, Chief Ghostwriter

What is the best social media engagement strategy? Lots of posts per week hoping that one will get noticed by your target audience? Only posting when you have something highly polished or important to share? Riding the waves of whatever type of content the All-Powerful Algorithm seems is rumored to reward that month?

Quantity and quality are often pitted against each other in conversations about social media strategy, but they are both essential in finding a balance that allows you to engage your audience creatively and build your brand without feeling like you have to choose between staying on the social media hamster wheel or giving up all together.

Quantity

You often hear the mantra “quality over quantity” in marketing conversations (and I generally agree), but quantity actually does matter a great deal.

Engaging on social media only once in a blue moon or only when you’re feeling particularly inspired, even if you are producing high-quality content, is not going to do much to serve your overall marketing goals. On the other hand, posting with a spam-like frequency (we’ve all followed—and then unfollowed—accounts like this) can be damaging to the perception of your brand quality and also creates a lot of unnecessary work that isn’t moving the needle on the things you care about.

Chasing the algorithm to try to get your content in front of your target audience is likely to lead to a quantity of posts that isn’t sustainable or helpful. You should consider the frequency with which you can reasonably post and the types of content you can invest in while going with the grain of your larger marketing and business goals.

Quality

If you’re a small business owner or solopreneur, I imagine that the quality of the services or goods that you offer is a non-negotiable for you. Only the best you can offer will do. But did you know that potential customers who follow you on social media are drawing conclusions about the quality of your services or products based on the quality of your online presence, including your website and social media? Even if your target audience is drawing these conclusions subconsciously, it’s going to affect your marketability and your bottom line.

Sharing quality content might require that you lower the quantity of your posts. That’s fine! The two need to work together to have a social media presence that will boost your brand and your business goals. But an obsession with quality—only sharing the most perfectly polished, highly produced content—will prevent you from experiencing the benefits of regular engagement with your audience. Your brand can’t be top-of-mind if you rarely show up on their feed.

Consistency

Making consistency your goal will help to keep you from sliding into the ditches that come from being overly focused on quantity or quality. Consistent engagement habits are more effective than posting passable content with a high frequency or only the most perfectly polished, inspired content in fits and starts.

Consistency is only possible if you are clear on what sets your brand apart, and what you hope to accomplish through your marketing efforts. Social media engagement unmoored from a marketing plan almost always trends toward inconsistency in messaging, voice, and tone.

It can be tempting to focus your efforts on decoding the current algorithm, trying to figure out how to game the system to get the right kind of content posted at the exact right time with the exact right frequency to push your content through to your audience. But the algorithm is always changing, and your particular audience may not be as responsive to the algorithm’s preferred content du jour.

The trust built with your audience over long periods of consistent engagement that is rooted in an integrated marketing plan will do more to enhance your brand long-term than any trendy strategy ever could. So ditch chasing the algorithm and opt for consistency every time.

P.S. -- If you need help creating quality social media posts with consistency, check out our Done-For-You Social Media posting packages.