The Truth About Social Media Posting: Why Consistency Alone Isn’t Enough

Many leaders within organisations, including both board-level and C-suite leaders, hold a persistent belief: that posting regularly on social media will reliably drive follower growth. This idea is easy to sell and sounds logical. Platforms encourage regular posting. Agencies often repeat “be consistent” as standard advice. However, activity alone is not a strategy that delivers results.

Below, I will explore why this belief is so widespread, why it fails to deliver on its promise, and what should be done to achieve meaningful growth.

Why So Many Organisations Believe It

1. Ease of Measurement

Posting frequency is simple to track. Marketing teams can show a clear metric of effort. Reports stating “we posted daily” create a sense of productivity that appeals to leadership.

2. Platform Messaging Encourages Volume

Social media companies benefit from more content. Their guidelines often recommend frequent posting, but rarely explain that audience targeting, quality, and engagement matter more.

3. Surface-Level Benchmarking

Large brands are very active on social media. Observers assume activity is the driver of success, rather than recognising the role of brand reputation, creative quality, and advertising budgets.

4. Perception of Accessibility

Compared to developing a detailed strategy, building creative assets, or funding ad campaigns, daily posting feels like an easy box to tick.

Why Consistent Posting on Its Own Fails

1. Lack of Relevance

Frequent posts that do not speak to the interests or needs of the audience rarely gain traction. Worse still, jumping on the proverbial bandwagon assumes that the audience hasn't already had an eye-full of this topic. Algorithms reward meaningful interaction, not volume.

2. User Fatigue

Linked to the over-saturation of a topic, audiences see hundreds of posts every day. Without clear value or differentiation, content is easily ignored.

3. Engagement-Driven Algorithms

Social platforms prioritise posts that generate discussion, shares, and clicks. Regular posting without engagement offers little return.

4. Limited Discovery Potential

Reaching existing followers is not the same as growing the audience. Posting alone rarely reaches new people without additional tactics.

5. Impact on Quality and Resources

Pressure to meet posting targets can lead to filler content. This reduces brand credibility and wastes time.

What to Do Alongside Consistent Posting

Consistency can support strategy, but it is not the strategy itself. Here are essential actions to include:

1. Define the Target Audience Clearly

Identify who you want to reach. Build detailed audience profiles. Understand their interests, challenges, and goals.

2. Focus on Value and Quality

Create content that informs, entertains, or solves problems. High-quality, useful posts are more likely to earn engagement and shares.

3. Encourage and Maintain Engagement

Treat social as a conversation. Respond to comments, ask questions, and interact with other accounts. This improves visibility and builds trust.

4. Use Paid Promotion Strategically

Organic reach is limited. Paid campaigns help put strong content in front of targeted new audiences.

5. Measure Meaningful Metrics

Go beyond counting posts. Track engagement rates, follower growth among your target audience, traffic to owned channels, and conversions.

6. Integrate Social with Wider Marketing

Social media works best as part of a larger marketing plan. Align messaging across email, PR, advertising, and your website.

The Importance of Strategy

A well-rounded strategy is essential for effective social media marketing. It's not just about posting; it's about creating a cohesive plan that aligns with your business goals. Withers & Sloane aims to be the go-to partner for businesses looking to boost their marketing and branding. Whether you need a quick consultation or long-term, integrated support, we help you make a real impact in your market.

True Growth Comes from Understanding Your Audience

Posting regularly is only one piece of the puzzle. True growth comes from understanding your audience, creating content worth seeing, engaging meaningfully, investing in reach, and measuring what matters.

Organisations that approach social media with this level of intention and integration will see far stronger results than those relying on volume alone.

For more information and to work with the Withers & Sloane Social Media team, reach out to us at info@witherssloane.com.