It is astounding how social media has risen from a mere way to socialize with friends, to one of the biggest tools for companies to promote themselves. From sponsorship to post boost social platforms are evolving with demand to create new and better way to reach consumers….but when does it become enough.

Through my internships in creative agencies one of the biggest complains I would receive from companies was that socials were just too much to manage. They had Twitter, Facebook, Insta, Snapchat, Google + and Youtube all posting multiple times a week. Now I would argue that no company ever needs these many socials, that is my line of enough.

According to a recent study by Media Dynamics, the average person sees more than 5,000 ads per day. Consumers are bombarded with information on how, when and where to buy without much background. For this reason my philosophy is simple: it’s not always about reaching everyone, it’s about reaching the right people.

For example, over the summer a company that engineers wave making machine for pools and amusement parks came to our creative agency asking help with socials. With such a specific B2B company focus is necessary. Who is the audience? Who do they like? and how can we be considered experts in this field?

All these questions had to be answered before being able to create a strategy. In this case reaching the right people was more important than having a great reach.

Once you have your audience however it’s important not to bore them. Long posts are incredibly useful for brands that rely on intimacy and have a solid organic base. As a rule of thumb, I would say that shorter posts about the brand’s character or community involvement normally have more engagement then those about sales.

As detailed in this article by Social Media Today, ads and posts should remain short and to the point. If your company is being messaged as the front line for innovation, all the posts should have the same “wow” factor that will get people interested. Consistency is key on social media.

I am also sure that as new media and platforms get created, these rules will adapt and change. Social media is a relatively young phenomenon so people are just now figuring out rules and trends. Keeping all this in mind my advise to people looking to improve their brands on socials is fairly simple: know you audience.

If you know who you are selling to, you can see who they like and dislike, what other brands are in the market and how to not make the mistakes they made. Just keep your eyes open and ears listening because it only takes a moment for something to go viral….the same way that it only takes a moment for a crisis to happen.