Developing a driven post schedule

In this session, I’ll be covering why a results driven Instagram schedule is vital, how you can develop and plan a posting schedule plus cover a case study in which I experimented variations of similar post successes.

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1. Why a results driven Instagram schedule is vital

Considering that the average amount of time people are spending on Instagram in 2017 is 15 minutes, that’s very limited time to pack a punch with effective Instagram posting.

Given that people will spend 15 minutes on average using Instagram per day, I have decided that an appropriate amount of posts per day is two.

I have included a screenshot from the average times our followers are active on a typical day. In the instance of Wednesday, it is clear that our followers are typically most active at 7am and 8pm. These times indicate the two most popular times to post, which is taken into consideration when scheduling posts.

So, why is a posting schedule relevant?

• Ensures that there is an abundance of posts to continually maintain an online presence.
• Enables one to post to the right people at the right time.
• Ensures that a range of content can be distributed throughout particular relevant days (for example content specific hashtags, as mentioned in this session.
• Allows you to picture your feed as a whole in advance, allowing you to make any amendments, organise any specific content and ensure that the imagery sticks to the initial branding key points.

 

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2. Best practices to develop a post schedule

• Planning – Not planning is planning to fail! In order to sustain a consistent, appealing and results driven feed, planning is crucial to organise an effective flow of content. Planning posts be done manually, by physically arranging a content order on something as simple as a word doc, or by many website applications, such as Hootsuite. I find Hootsuite simple to use – I simply load up my content, select a social platform, select the right timing, type up my caption and hit schedule (#notsponsored). 
• Any specific feed presentations? – A distinct feed style I have established for @edenspas includes a middle column of inspirational quotes. In order to sustain this feed presentation, I must arrange scheduled content into a specific order. The reason for this design decision is that it differentiates from other competitors, and text content is some of the feeds highest performing and engaging content.
  
• Consistency – A strategic posting plan needs to be consistent in order to be effective and achieve a wide reach. This involves sticking to your intended post schedule, sticking to a range of popular hashtags and sticking to captions with depth. A caption with depth (a caption that involves hashtags, written content and mentions) tend to be favoured in the algorithm as they have a higher chance of receiving more engagement, therefore increasing exposure and overall leads.

 

 

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3. Case Study: Experimentation with posting

This experiment puts to test the principles applied in Sourcing, finding & creating brand related content, Effectively reaching stakeholders/followers, and this current session, developing a driven post schedule.

A technique I have recently been testing on Instagram is with text/quote graphics. I’ve been creating a couple different sets of themed quotes, captions, fonts and combinations of hashtag groups to determine which attract the most action. I was able to measure this over time by scheduling varied quotes in batches and monitoring their activity.

Sample 1: Quirky quote in font ‘playful script’.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Caption & hashtags:

• Hashtags generated by my self

Sample 2: More direct call to action text graphic with a combination of fonts ‘selima’ and ‘glacial indifference’.

         

Caption & hashtags:

• Hashtags generated by hashtag generator https://displaypurposes.com/

Sample 3: Regular inspirational quote in the font ‘selima’

             

Caption & hashtags:

• Group of hashtags developed by myself.

Interesting developments have been made through this experimentation. In brief summary,

• Text fonts in Selima tend to gain larger impressions, reach, comments and engagement.
• Inspirational quotes are higher performing rather than more direct calls to action.
• Considering that the hashtags groups created by myself garnered the most likes and engagements, these would be the best group to use for exposure.

Banner image courtesy of PEXEL – https://www.pexels.com/photo/cellphone-contemporary-fingers-glass-373966/