“Content is king” is a common saying amongst content creators, influencers, and bloggers. While content is a major aspect of running and building an online business, it doesn’t quite matter as much if consistency is there. Building a foundation on consistency is the key to any successful digital marketing strategy. In this post, I’m sharing my tips, tricks, and strategies when it comes to showing up. Here are 10 ways to be more consistent on social media.

10 Ways to Be More Consistent on Social Media

I’d like to replace the “content” in this particular saying so it reads “CONSISTENCY is king.” Why? Because consistency is what makes your content relevant in the first place. And there’s no denying that consistency is something we all strive for in every area of our lives from business to exercising. Consistency builds momentum and posting regularly builds trust with your audience. When it comes to your content, being consistent on social media is the key to growing an engaged community and strong brand awareness. 

At this point, you’re probably saying “I get it! Consistency is important… but how do I stay consistent on social media?”

So let’s dive right into my first tip…

Set Clear Content Goals

Before we can work on consistency, you need to gain clarity on your content goals. Ask yourself: what types of posts are you creating and why? Instagram has several features alone — are you posting carousel infographics? What about IGTV and stories? And with the rise of Instagram Reels, how is short-form video playing a part in your content goals and overall strategies?

Setting clear content goals will help you determine what to post on social media. In 2021, I’ve heard through the grapevine that Instagram recommends posting…

• A Reel 4 to 7 times per week
• An in-feed photo 3 to 5 times per week
• A set of stories 8 to 10 times per week
• An IGTV and go live at least once per week

Remember, this is just a rough guide on what is recommended. Ultimately, consistency and posting regularly rely on what works for you. If you aren’t interested in recording one IGTV every week, don’t do it. Instead, think about what type of content you’d like to create. Consistency starts with willingness, so figure out what your content goals are, what social media channels you’re creating for, and the type of content you enjoy creating.

Know the Difference Between Consistency and Frequency

Once your goals are established, the next step is knowing the difference between consistency and frequency. This is a huge mistake I see amongst newer influencers way too often. Not knowing the difference between consistency and frequency can severely affect your ability to show up in the first place. To simply put…

• Frequency is how often you choose to show up
• Consistency is sticking to the frequency you’ve chosen over an extended period of time

To determine the frequency of your posting schedule, I 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.

Audit your time and make a list of all your non-negotiable tasks and find a posting frequency that makes sense for you. This will help you lay the groundwork for creating consistency. Knowing how frequently you can show up will set you up for success in the long run.

Plan Ahead

Do you ever feel like you’re flying by the seat of your pants when it comes to creating content? Coming up with your content topic and caption the day you post it is hindering your ability to show up consistently. Not only are you putting immense pressure on yourself to create content on the spot, but you’re not using your time wisely.

Instead, I recommend planning at least a month ahead. I know this sounds intimidating but getting clear on your content goals and content pillars will streamline the planning process. Keep a running Google Doc with all your content ideas and make a point to add to it each week. When it comes time to plan your content for the month, you’ll have a list of ideas that you can pull from immediately.

This is the same technique I use to build a strategic content calendar, ensuring that all my posts align with my niche, are tailored specifically for my audience, and deliver as much value as possible.

Dedicate a Day for Content Creation

Task switching is one of the best ways to waste precious time. Instead of creating content on a daily basis before hopping onto the next unrelated task, dedicate a day entirely for creating content. Doing so will save you a lot of time. And better yet, having a day entirely for content creation will encourage you to get into a state of flow.

If you’re working a 9 to 5 job, set Saturdays or Sundays aside to batch your content. And since you have a running list of content topics and ideas on a Google Doc, all you have to do is shoot the necessary photos or videos, and write captions. 

Use a Scheduling Tool

Now that you’ve successfully batched your content, streamline the posting process by using a scheduling tool like Later or Planoly. This seems pretty simple and self-explanatory, but it’s still worth mentioning. Batching your content is only half the battle. If you’re posting it onto your grid without scheduling it, you’re running the risk of task switching throughout your day. This gives you more of an opportunity to forgo consistency if you don’t feel up to posting that day.

Learn from Your Audience

Coming up with fresh content ideas can be pretty exhausting. What’s worse? Fresh content ideas run the risk of underperforming. I’m a huge advocate for letting your audience and analytics choose the content you post. Say, for example, you’ve posted about a topic that really resonated with your audience. Read through the comments and DMs — are they asking any follow-up questions that you can turn into an informative post? 

Similarly, if you posted something that performed really well but it has been months since you posted it, feel free to repurpose it! Maybe change up the image and edit the caption so that it isn’t identical. Repurposing high-performing content has the chance of increasing your engagement. The saying is true in this instance: if it’s not broken, why fix it?

Your audience is telling you exactly what they want to see so look at your analytics, read and respond to comments, and customize your content accordingly. A huge component of consistency is working smarter, not harder.

Heal Your Relationship with Social Media

As important as social media is for your business, it can also be quite harmful to your mental health. And if you aren’t careful about your relationship with social media, you most likely will not want to show up consistently.

For starters, monitor and limit what and how much you consume on social media. If you find that someone’s content is making you feel less than or insecure, mute or unfollow them. Instead, follow the people who inspire you, cheer you on, and give you the boost of confidence and energy you need. 

It’s also healthy to set time limits for yourself on social media apps. And definitely do not open any social media app within the first 30 minutes of waking up and going to bed.

Show Up

When it comes to consistency on social media, showing up is part of the process. Sure, you can streamline and automate your posting, but follow it up with engagement. Set aside time to show up on stories, respond to DMs, and engage with your community.

Remind yourself why you want to be consistent on social media in the first place. Most of us want to show up consistently because we want to grow our business and build an engaged community. If we don’t show up for our audience, we can’t expect either of those to happen.

Have a Plan for Stories

While you can plan and schedule your content, hopping onto stories and showing your face is a little different. I recommend having a plan of action when it comes to stories. Is there something simple that you can share on a daily basis? For instance, if you start each morning with a cup of coffee, share that along with a list of tasks you’re going to do on that day. Doing this consistently will allow your audience to feel like they know you. 

You can also hop on to stories and dive deeper into the topic of your in-feed post. Whatever you do, have a plan of action for your stories. Whether it’s talking about a specific topic, or sharing parts of your routine. Having a plan will allow you to show up on stories consistently while still allowing room for spontaneity.

Let Go of Perfection

It’s true what they say — quality is more important than quantity. However, the issue I take up with that saying comes into play when consistency is involved. Constantly striving for high quality is a great thing, but it could also hinder your ability to show up consistently. For instance, you might not think that a piece of content is ready or “perfect” enough. Therefore, you might let perfection get in the way of actually posting it.

Give yourself some grace. Quality is important but it’s also something that’ll improve through time, trial, and error. So yes, quality is technically more important than quantity. But over time, quantity will also help you improve the quality of your content.

Best social media marketing tools

And as a bonus tip, here are some of the best digital marketing tools to help you create consistency.

CoSchedule

CoSchedule’s Marketing Calendar is a great way to see, schedule, and share your content for the month ahead. It allows for a number of automations and customizations to suit your needs.

Price: $29/month

Later

As far as scheduling apps go, Later is unbeatable. Schedule your Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest posts directly on the app. Later’s Growth plan also provides users with in-depth analytics for their accounts such as your engagement and reach, and the best times to post.

Price: free for basic account. $25/month for Growth plan

Tailwind

Tailwind is a must for Pinterest content. It makes scheduling pins so much easier. Plus, it allows bloggers and influencers the opportunity to create shared content within Tailwind Tribes.

Price: $15/month for either Pinterest Plus or Instagram Plus

Facebook’s Creator Studio

This is a free option that you can use to get started. Schedule out Facebook and Instagram posts, carousels, and IGTV using this platform.

Price: Free

Consistency is King

Growing your audience and business on social media is a long game. And while there are shortcuts such as giveaways and engagement pods, those tools might end up hurting you in the long run. If you want to grow your audience on social media, you need patience, quality, and consistency. Do not rush the process. Instead, use these 10 tips to help you stay accountable and consistent. And once you’re showing up consistently while constantly improving the quality of your content, your growth is inevitable.

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