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Here’s How Often You Should Be Posting on Local Social

 

There are a lot of opinions out there about how often you should post on social media. Some marketers suggest once daily, while others think two or three times a week will suffice. While most of the answers likely have data backing them, what is the best option for multi-location marketers? Does post frequency vary depending on the platform?

 

Our 2021 Localized Marketing Benchmark Report (LMBR) includes data that answers these questions for multi-location marketers specifically. The 2021 LMBR looked at 276 multi-location brands and determined quantifiable marketing benchmarks, including how often your multi-location business should post on local social.

 

 

The Importance of Local Social 

 

Before getting into how often you should post on local social media, let’s refresh ourselves on its importance. Marketing through social media is a must for multi-location businesses, but why?

 

Local social allows your multi-location business to:

• Connect with your target audiences.
• Increase your online presence locally.
• Find user-generated content that your business can repurpose.
• Share updates and business information about individual business locations.

 

It’s also important to note that 76 percent of U.S. consumers have purchased a product they saw in a brand’s social media post. There’s also a distinction between corporate and local social content and consumers’ care. For instance, three out of four brand engagements happen on local pages versus national pages on Facebook, Google My Business, and other platforms. Consumers crave a local connection more than ever, and local social is one way your business can deliver.

 

The Metrics That Matter 

 

Now that it’s clear that local social efforts are more than a “nice to have,” let’s look at the metrics that matter. One of the first things your business should determine is which channels to leverage for local social. The 2021 LMBR found that Facebook and GMB are the two most prevalent platforms used among multi-location marketers. So these two digital platforms should be at the top of your priority list. Of course, it’s also fine to consider other channels your target audience uses, but Facebook and GMB are essential.

 

The more locations using these local social channels, the better it is for your multi-location business. Currently, the average percent of business locations posting on Facebook is 49 percent, while GMB is much lower at 17 percent. The closer your business can get to 100 percent, the more eyes you’ll have on your brand.

 

After determining which platforms your multi-location business should focus on and how many locations post on social media, you can start thinking about how often to post. Data from our 2021 again guides the way. The report found that, on average, individual business locations posted on Facebook an average of nine times a month and only once a month on GMB. Nine posts a month on Facebook averages out to about two or three posts per week, while the one post on GMB is meager. We can’t say it enough: multi-location businesses must make publishing on GMB more of a priority.

 

Where does your business fall against these averages? If your multi-location business measures up to these standards, good for you! Meeting or exceeding these averages is excellent, but it’s also essential to pay attention to your local social content’s engagement. Posting more often doesn’t amount to much if no one interacts with your social media posts. For tips on the type of content that creates high valued engagement, check our blog on the topic. If your business locations are not meeting the averages, it’s time to step up your game and ensure that your business locations stay on top of local social efforts.

 

Dominate The Competition Through Your Local Social Efforts 

 

Now that you know which platforms your multi-location business should focus your local social efforts on and have an idea of how often you should post, it’s time to put in the work. While managing local social efforts between corporate and individual business locations can be challenging, SOCi has a tool that can help streamline the process. SOCi understands that multi-location businesses are not only facing the unique challenge of managing their brand on endless social platforms and limitless local pages, but they also need to deliver engaging content that drives meaningful results. That’s where our Content Manager comes into play.

 

 

SOCi’s Content Manager enables multi-location businesses to manage and deploy localized content at scale while maintaining brand consistency at both the enterprise and local levels. With the tool, both corporate and local can organize and share content libraries and gain visibility into local publishing schedules. The tool also allows users to discover, create, and share dynamic localized content while maintaining strong brand consistency across all business locations. There shouldn’t be an excuse for not meeting posting standards on local social platforms with a tool like this.

 

For more information on how SOCi can help you dominate the competition with an effective local social strategy and beyond, request a demo today! SOCi is the all-in-one platform for multi-location marketers, and what you need to give your marketing efforts the energy it needs to go the distance and win more sales.