There’s no disputing that we all try to build consistency in every aspect of our lives, from work to exercise. On social media consistency builds trust with your audience, and crucially, it generates momentum. Being consistent with your content on social media is essential for building an engaged community and strong brand recognition.
1. Know the difference between consistency and frequency
Knowing the difference between consistency and frequency is so important. Frequency is a measure of how often you post. Consistency is actually sticking to that frequency and following through with it on a daily (or hourly) basis. This is a huge mistake that’s often seen amongst newer influencers way. Not knowing the difference between consistency and frequency can severely affect your ability to show up in the first place. To determine the frequency of your posting schedule, we recommend looking at what your day-to-day tasks consist of. For instance, if you’re working a 9 to 5 job or have obligations that are non-negotiable, you might not be able to post every single day. Instead, posting 3 to 4 times and showing up on stories 5 days a week might be more feasible for you.
2. Set yourself rigid content goals
You must first define your content goals before almost anything else. Consider this: what kinds of content are you writing and why? Are you uploading carousel infographics? Instagram has a lot of capabilities – are you using them? What about Instagram stories and IGTV? How is short-form video fitting into your content goals and overall plans, especially with the emergence of Instagram Reels? Setting specific content objectives will assist you in deciding what to share on social media. Think of clear, definable goals, such as posting a Story 4 to 8 times a week, an in-feed image 5 to 10 times a week, or going live at least once per week.
3. Plan ahead
When it comes to content creation, do you ever feel like you’re flying by the seat of your pants? Coming up with a topic and description for your material on the day you upload it is impeding your capacity to be consistent. You’re not only placing a lot of pressure on yourself to generate material on the go, but you’re also wasting your time. Instead, I propose that you plan at least a month ahead of time. I know it seems difficult, but defining your content objectives and pillars can help you plan more efficiently. Maintain a Google Doc containing all of your content ideas, and make it a point to add to it every week. You’ll have a useful time-saving resource when it’s time to plan your content for the month.
4. Set a day aside for content creation
One of the most efficient ways to use your time is through batching. Rather than developing material on a regular basis and then moving on to the next unrelated task, set aside a day just for content creation. You will save a lot of time by doing so. Even better, dedicating a full day to content production will help you achieve a state of flow. Set aside Saturdays or Sundays if you work a 9 to 5 job to batch your material. And, because you’ve kept track of content ideas and subjects in a Google Doc, all you have to do now is take the photographs or videos and write captions.
5. Use scheduling tools
Now that you’ve successfully batched your content, use a scheduling service like Later or Planoly to automate the posting process. Although this appears to be a rather straightforward and self-explanatory statement, it is nonetheless worth highlighting. Only half of the battle is won by batching your material. You face the danger of task switching throughout the day if you upload it to your grid without scheduling it. This allows you greater leeway to ignore consistency if you don’t feel like blogging that day.