A social media posting plan sets how many posts you publish, on which networks, on which days and at what time. There is no universal right answer. The best frequency is the one you can keep up with good posts, and the best times are the ones your own audience responds to, which you find out by measuring.
How often should a business post on social media?
Post as often as you can keep up with posts worth reading. A steady rhythm you can maintain for months does more than a burst of daily posts that fades after three weeks. Quality drops quickly when the schedule is bigger than the capacity behind it.
Frequency can also differ by network. A business may reasonably post more often on one network where its customers are active than on another where it is only present. Start from a number that feels slightly easy, and raise it once the posts are consistently good.
When is the best time to post?
It depends on your audience, so treat any generic list of best times as a starting point. People on different networks are active at different hours, and your customers may not match the average user.
Better evidence comes from your own results. Look at which days and times your posts earned the most response, and when visitors are active on your website. Until you have enough of your own data, general guidance is a reasonable place to begin, as long as you know that is what it is.
What should a posting plan include?
A plan should state how many posts, per week or per month; which networks they go to; any days you prefer or want to avoid; the time of day; and whether you want any short videos. Writing it down stops the rhythm from being decided post by post.
Revisit it on a schedule rather than constantly. Changing the plan every week makes it impossible to tell what is working.
How does the DigitalShyft portal handle a posting plan?
On the Social tab, under Your posting plan, you choose how many posts per week or per month, from 1 to 14 a week or 1 to 60 a month, and which of your connected networks they go to. You can tick preferred days, choose a time of day, and choose how many short videos you want, which is none, one or two for each two weeks. A video is only used if you choose it.
The content calendar is planned to that plan. A saved plan applies to calendars planned after that, so one that is already planned or waiting for your approval does not change underneath you. Posts that promote a new blog post are extra, on top of the plan.
How does the portal suggest the best days and times?
For each network, the portal uses the first evidence that applies. If you have enough of your own published posts on that network with results, it uses how they did. If not, it uses when your website visitors are most active, from Google Analytics 4. If neither exists yet, it uses general guidance for each network, and it labels it that way.
A 'Suggested for you' box shows the days and time for each network and what they are based on. 'Use these suggestions' fills them into the form, and you still save the plan yourself. Times follow your own time zone.