It is an optical illusion — content is still king
Content strategy is mostly a numbers game.
Almost every strategy used by social media specialists has simple logic and math at its core.
Yes, social phycology plays a huge role in social media strategy. But phycology does not outweigh pragmatism, basic math, or the simple rules of life.
These are things many of us would call common sense, although many might say common sense isn’t always so common.
Sometimes common sense isn’t common, not because we are simple, but because we think things are much more complicated than they are.
One widely misunderstood concept is that of the elusive content ratio and how it relates to statistics.
Have you ever said or heard anyone say something like this.?
I can’t figure out what is happening. Experts say to publish more often, but it seems like the more I do, the fewer views I get.
It makes sense why this would be confusing. Everyone says that content is King and swears that you have to post or publish religiously to build your audience. Then, when you start publishing like a rock star and see the engagement on your content go way down, it can be puzzling and discouraging.
Do not be discouraged!
It is an optical illusion. You ARE reaching more people, and you ARE getting more engagement — as a whole.
Let me explain.
Let’s take Sarah, for example. She works two jobs right now and juggles her life on the side because she has dreams.
It is a lot to balance because she also has family and relationships. But, right now, it is for the best. She has places to go, and she knows she has to fund her life to follow her dreams instead of demanding that her dreams fund her life.
With all her spinning plates, she manages to carve out 30 minutes before bed for herself. She uses this time to read, ponder, take her personal inventory, fantasize, write — she uses it for things that are only about her instead of what the world demands upon her. It is her 30 minutes.
She usually reads at least one thing during her me-time. That often ends up being a story that you wrote. She has grown fond of your writing and finds that it applies to her life, and it is entertaining.
Sarah engages in almost every one of your articles since you post one every day. Then, you start posting three a day and notice that Sarah doesn’t happen to be around quite as much. Hmmm…
Also, your stories, in general, have fewer views and engagement than they did before.
Do not be discouraged!
Sarah is still there, and she still loves your work. The same applies to most of your followers — provided you have not lowered the quality of your work. But her life does not change just because you started posting more.
She still only has that 30 minutes. She will have the same amount of time to read your work when you post three articles daily, as she did when you posted one. The only difference is, now, she has more options. 😊
There are many Sarahs with all different situations and stories, but the same logic applies.
Will Sarah ultimately read more of your work in the long run if you post more? Absolutely.
Adding diversity to your work will give her more rabbit holes to follow, and your additional content will provide more pathways that interest her. It is simply a big-picture result as opposed to an instant gratification result.
Not only will Sarah likely read more of your work, but publishing more original content will help you reach more people in several ways — including being in the good graces of the platforms you publish on.
Content ratios vary greatly based on a wide range of variables, and there are no magic numbers. But if you are proud to be publishing or posting more often, do not be discouraged by a decrease in individual post-performance. It has less to do with your work and more to do with basic math.
Written by Holly Kellums
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Originally published here: Mar 19 · 4 min read
Holly Kellums 