For those of you that are at the helm of a Facebook page, managing a twitter profile or in charge of an Instagram account, you’ll most likely already have got to know the world of social media fairly well.
This will come hand in hand with the knowledge of the mountain of frustrations and confusion that come with it; from ever changing engagement numbers and inexplicable unfollows to spam and negative comments, the aggravations of managing a company’s social media can be an all too common grievance for those looking to improve their brand’s social standing.
To ease the burden and gain traction for your business, choosing your spot is a key element. Below we’ll explore the best times to post on social media to ensure your posts are not only seen but gain engagement and don’t fall behind.
Timing is Key
High maintenance, impossible to understand, the realm of digital networking can be a tough beast to tame. Its constant evolution means that keeping up with trends can seem like an insurmountable task at times.
With that being said though, there are certain patterns among users and their behaviour that can be used to identify the best times to post on social media (at least in theory).
Enough chat, let’s get into a few tips on when to post to get the most eyeballs and gain the highest engagement.
Time is Money
If you’re posting on social media for business purposes, it would make logical sense to engage with your followers when the largest number of them are going to be available to see your posts and interact with them.
Obviously, posting at 2:00am will inevitably not see much of a return at all, so don’t be surprised if your late-night ramblings fall on deaf ears (don’t they always?).
Okay then clever clogs, when are most people free to interact? Let’s take a look…
Fancy Lunch?
Whether we like to admit it or not, many of us turn to our phones as a means of distraction during our lunch breaks, whether to message friends, catch up on the daily news or simply distance ourselves from that busy morning workload.
Therefore, a well-timed post that delivers between the hours of 12:00-14:00 will cover the country’s varied lunchtime window and vastly increase your chances of success.
Albeit many may take earlier or possibly even later lunches, this time-frame should cast the net over the vast majority; bearing in mind it is always better to post earlier and ensure your post is seen by all time-frames rather than leaving it late and risk missing your target audience.
How about dinner?
The next logical part of the day, outside of lunch, where people are free to unwind and aimlessly scroll through hundreds of social media posts is, you guessed it, the evening.
With work thankfully behind them, the brief window of downtime provides the average working person with a few hours to put their feet up, but more importantly, the social media manager the perfect opportunity for posting content.
For the average commuter, anywhere after 17:00 is normally a good place to start grabbing those flicking thumbs on their public transport journey home.
However, posting to your audience later in the evening when most will be keenly seeking entertainment (or a break from the kids…) is another fantastic way to reach your chosen following.
Note that figures for post engagement tend to fall off as the evening draws on so always try to target your evening posts between the hours of 17:00 and 20:00.
It’s a date!
As for the best days to post, midweek often records pinnacle performance figures among various reports, with Wednesday often standing above the rest.
Alongside this, Sunday frequently falls as a prime candidate for top engagement figures. Why? Well regarded as the day of rest, it sees the vast majority of us grab our phones or tablets in search of an escape from boredom.
For a lot of us, it also acts as an aid to recovery from the never-ending stresses of the working week, with this road to recovery consisting largely of lazing around scrolling though the various social media platforms.
Make sure you make the most of this swing in social media activity by scheduling your posts to coincide.
Know your audience
When you’re scheduling your social media posts, always bear in mind your target audience and ask yourself, what is their work and living habits? These will have a huge impact on engagement figures.
As an example, a business that targets stay-at-home Dads will likely have a considerably different posting schedule than one targeted at a following that works 9-5.
While this may all seem obvious, many often forget that timing your posts to coincide with periods when your target audience is most likely to be online will ensure your posts gain the greatest exposure and engagement that will follow.
To work on this, you need to know your audience, look through your previous customers and get a feel for the average demographic; the better you can cater to their needs in terms of post content and timing, the higher your success rate will be.
Trial and error
As with all advice, the above does not come without a word of warning. The truth is, there is no hard-fact-based rule to achieving success on social media and figures can be dependent on a number of factors, from the media you attach to posts to the quality of the content itself.
A quick Google search will spit back hundreds of varying reports and accounts on when best to post on social media, often contradicting with each other on basic details.
So, while the above info is a fantastic base to build upon, it’s important to remember that the details are merely a guide, social media engagement is unfortunately not an exact science.
Therefore, the most optimal approach to social media posting is quite simply through trial and error. Keep a close eye on your posts, interpret the results and do your best to figure out what works for you and your business.
For more social media tips or to enquire about the social media services on offer here at TD Digital, why not contact us today? Click here to get in touch.
