Raising awareness for your business is key to getting new customers, building loyalty, and ultimately, receiving a profit. Today, social media has become the backbone of every marketing campaign and like any campaign, it’s important to know how to reach your audience. The question is how to maximize your opportunities, and as several studies report, optimal posting times may be your answer to earn better engagement.
[bctt tweet=”Have you noticed what time your target audience is online? To receive maximum engagement, your strategies may need to be altered proportionally. ” via=”no”]
According to leading social media marketers, it really does matter what time you post your content. If you know when your audience is online, you should be scheduling your posts when they can be seen. With every new algorithm update, it’s becoming more and more difficult for businesses to appear on a user’s feed. By understanding your audience and their online habits, you can strengthen your engagement and start building your brand.
Researching Optimal Posting Times
Every posting schedule tool narrows down two pieces of information: what day of the week users are online and what time of day they’re most likely to engage with content. Engagement is usually defined by the number of clicks or impressions made by a user, whether it be a comment, like, or share. If you’re starting to review your social media strategy, start reviewing when your target audience is engaging online.
Differences Between Social Networks
Based on findings from Sprout Social’s 2020 Report, there are different engagement times worth considering for each platform. Like any social media strategy, there are factors of each social network when figuring out the best day and time to post.
- Facebook – The most consistent engagement for Facebook pages is from Tuesday through Thursday from 8 am – 3 pm. Comparatively, the lowest engagement occurring in the late hours from 5 pm – 7 am.
- Instagram – The best time to post on Instagram accounts is from Tuesday through Friday from 11 am to 3 pm. Unlike Facebook, Instagram users tend to stay up later, with optimal times found occurring between 7-9 pm in certain cases.
- LinkedIn – For the best results for B2B businesses, it’s recommended to post on LinkedIn on Tuesday-Friday between the times of 8 am and 2 pm. Most users seem to check-in during working hours, which is one reason why the engagement was found to decrease after 4 pm.
- Twitter – Peak times for posting a tweet were found Monday through Friday, from 8 am to 4 pm. While engagement varied throughout the week, one key finding was that the lowest engagement was found in the early morning before 5 am, especially on the weekends.
Finding the Best Time for Your Business
Researching data and planning a content strategy are two different things. While you can find a myriad of resources for posting guides, it’s important to understand your specific audience. These guidelines should be used as suggestions for the best days to post on your social media, but they’re not set in stone. Pay attention to the trends surrounding your specific industry, then start experimenting with your list of followers.
Pro Tip: Different industries use social media in different ways. Perform surveys and ask questions of your audience to find out what content is important to them.
Start Optimizing Your Social Strategy
Planning a social media strategy never ends. While there are basics every business should stick to, technology updates and content relevancy changes every day. If you haven’t considered when you post your social media content, there’s no better way to test optimal posting times than to start posting. Make a list of the best posting times in your industry and schedule your posts on Facebook or other social media networks accordingly. If you start seeing improvement in your social media engagement, it’s fair to say timing really does matter.
Does your business have a social media presence? Connect with our marketing team to learn more about our brand awareness services.
Ashlee Visser is the Content Manager at ITVibes, Inc. She holds a B.A. in Humanities from Thomas Edison State University. With a strong focus on organization, she excels in content management and website writing. Ashlee’s passion for writing is evident in every project she undertakes. When she’s not busy managing content, she enjoys spending time with her husband and their growing family.
