How Much is Too Much?

By: Susan Finco, President, Leonard & Finco Public Relations

 

It seems just about every day someone I know will ask me, “How much is too much to post on social media?”  That always leads me to ask, “What do you want to accomplish? Who do you want to reach? Do you have the staff to effectively research, write, post and monitor social media?”  It’s always best if social media is part of your overall communication plan but, let’s face it, not everyone takes a text book approach to communications.

First and foremost for me, is that you have to have something worthwhile and interesting to share. If all you’re doing is a sales pitch day after day, you’re not going to be very effective. People want knowledge. They want insights. They want to know about trends, issues and challenges along with those all-important sales or promotions. The bottom line:  What is this post going to do for them, your audience? Answer that question, and you’re on your way.

But there’s still the question of how much is too much? Think of it like this:  How often do you want to hear from your best friend? Your mother? Your cousin? It varies, doesn’t it? And then we all have that one friend who would talk with us ten times a day if we let them; but we don’t, because they just go on and on. Social media is a lot like that. There is no one size fits all answer, but the key is to do it well and find the balance that gets the results you’re looking for.

Do you have any guidelines you use for posting on social media? Love to hear your thoughts.