Consistency is the most important part of any social media marketing strategy. But how to be consistent on Instagram without burning yourself out? That’s the key to success. In today’s post, I’m showing you how you can show up regularly, with quality content, without draining you of all your energy or sucking up hours and hours of your time.
What Consistency Is and Isn’t
First, we need to redefine what consistency means. Here’s what it ISN’T: “post every day until you burn yourself out.” While some gurus might preach a quantity over quality approach, this doesn’t work for the long term. After all, you’re a business owner – not a content creator.
What it does mean is showing up regularly (whatever that means for you and your individual schedule + needs) so your followers can:
👉🏻get to know you and your business
👉🏻 learn about what you do
👉🏻 build a relationship with you
👉🏻 get interested enough to inquire about working with or purchasing from you
Consistency matters because it takes TIME to take someone from *just followed* to *booking a consultation*. They need to see you pop up regularly. That’s how you stand out from the many other people who do what you do on Instagram – by building a relationship that makes you recognizable.
But if you ghost for weeks on end?
They’re not going to remember you, and they’re going to look elsewhere for an interior designer/vacation home/website designer/[insert your industry here].
Does consistency help on Instagram?
The answer here is indisputable – being consistent on social media is the key to seeing results. As this article from Later points out, “by keeping to a regular posting schedule, you’re essentially letting your followers know what to expect from you. It builds a consistent experience for your audience.”
You don’t want someone to land on your page and see you haven’t posted in months (or worse, a year). This could make a potential follower & client think you’re not in business anymore 😳
What is considered consistent on Instagram?
There’s no one set definition of consistency when it comes to social media. The word means “conformity in the application of something,” but posting 3 times a week is as consistent as posting 7 times a week. It depends on what makes sense for you and your schedule. I recommend choosing an amount you can stick to on your busiest week – not the week where everything goes right.
Does this mean you can never take a break? Absolutely not! Never signing off from social media would be unhealthy. But a planned break is different from randomly popping up every couple months when you have a free second for social media.
How do I Make my Instagram Consistent?
In this post about consistency, I’m talking about posting content regularly to build a relationship with your audience. But it’s also to consider brand consistency when posting. While the aesthetic feed is going out of fashion, staying on-brand is very much still important to seeing success on Instagram. After all, posting consistently doesn’t matter if your audience can’t recognize that it’s you posting! Here’s how you can create that visual cohesiveness:
- Have consistent branding that you stick to. I highly recommend working with a brand designer if this isn’t your forte (I know many amazing ones if you need a recommendation!)
- Keep your messaging the same across posts. Not only should your posts look on brand, but how you talk about your business should also feel recognizable
- Utilize templates to not only make creating content faster, but more coheisve (P.S. not sure where to start with templates? Take my free quiz – if you’re a caterpillar, you’ll get 5 free Instagram templates to download!)
How do you stay consistent with Instagram posts?
Now let’s get into the consistency I’m talking about: regular posting of content to Instagram. I know consistency is easier said than done. Sometimes even I fall off the wagon and forget to plan my posts (blasphemy for a social media manager, I know 😅). So if you’re struggling, you’re not alone. In this blog I’m sharing my 3 best pieces of advice for staying consistent with your Instagram posting schedule.
3 Tips to be Consistent on Instagram
1: Put time on your calendar each month to plan the next month’s content.
Here’s the thing: You aren’t going to be able to keep up with posting if you don’t have a plan in place. Trying to come up with content ideas on the fly while juggling client work, all the million other things on your business to-do list, and personal matters is exhausting. Instead, block out an hour each month to plan out your next month of content (12-16 posts, if you’re posting 3-4 times a week).
Not a planning whiz? You don’t have to be! Snag my Plan Your Content like a Social Media Manager workbook and my Content Planning Webinar for all my planning secrets that make creating hundreds of pieces of content a month possible.
2: Batch create your content.
I know you’ve heard of batching. It’s not just a buzzword! If you set aside time weekly/biweekly/monthly – whatever works best for you and your schedule – to create all your posts in the same working session, you’ll not only be more efficient but also feel the relief of having your posts ready to go. No more trying to find a photo or film a reel last minute!
3: Don’t bite off more than you can chew .
You’re a business owner, not a content creator! You don’t need to be cranking out multiple posts every day to see results. When you’re the only one working on your social media, I don’t recommend trying to post more than 3-4 times a week. (Feel like that won’t get you results? Check out this client case study where my client grew to over 1000 followers in a year posting just 3 times a week).
The Truth About How to Be Consistent on Instagram
There are no fancy gimmicks or quick hacks to social media success (I promise). By putting a plan in place, and sticking to it, you’ll see your efforts pay off over time.
Want more where that came from?
Check out these related blog posts:
- Do An Audit of Your Own Instagram
- How to Create More Instagram Content
- Plan a Month of Instagram Content
And don’t forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter, where every Tuesday you’ll get 3 content ideas, 2 trending audios, and 1 social media resource for further learning.
