Social networks have become a part of our daily lives – we use these platforms to keep in touch with friends, catch up on news and browse the latest viral sensations.
Social media has also impacted the way consumers connect with businesses. Companies of all sizes and industries are utilizing these platforms to reach out and engage with prospects and existing customers, and the trend is only expected to grow over the coming years.
But while social media will continue to play an increasing role in many organizations’ marketing strategies, brands need to be careful as to the days and times they are posting to these networks. As social platforms are now so ingrained in our lives, users are only growing more particular in what they want to see on their preferred networks and when they want to see it. This means that marketers need to be even more precise than ever with their social strategies.
“Brands need precise timing when posting content to social networks.”
Check out the tips below on the best times to post to the most popular social media sites. Using these suggestions in conjunction with a social media posting calendar will ensure that your prospects and potential customers are happy they hit the “Follow” button on three of the top social networks.
Facebook is by far the most popular social network, with the platform garnering 1.18 million daily active users in September 2016. The potential for businesses on Facebook is astronomical, and brands (B2B and B2C alike) should look to incorporate this platform more into their marketing strategies going into the new year.
However, uploading any social post at any time or on any day isn’t best practice on Facebook (or any social site for that matter). For this social giant, focus on posting content during the last few days of the week, namely Thursday through Sunday. According to research conducted by CoSchedule, posting on these days is more likely to result in a boost in shares, engagement and new followers.
As for time, the study recommended waiting until the afternoon, as the hours between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. are best for getting your posts in front of the right people who are ready to interact with your brand online.
The second most popular social platform, Twitter has seen its user base decrease slightly over the past few years, but the network still has 317 million monthly active users as of September of this year, according to Statista. Also, the Pew Research Center revealed that nearly one-quarter (24 percent) of adults who use the internet are on Twitter.
To reach these prospects, aim to send out your brand’s Tweets at the mid-week mark, as suggested by CoSchedule.
Quick Sprout laid scheduling strategies out in terms of whether your company is B2B or B2C. For the former, weekdays are ideal, as your audience is most likely to care about business while they’re in work mode. For the latter, Wednesdays as well as weekends will see the most engagement.
Both sources recommended tweeting between the hours of noon and 6 p.m. on any day to best engage followers. Those on Twitter are more likely to use the platform during their commutes or work breaks, so aiming to get your messages out at that time is the most successful strategy.
“Boost your brand’s online success by creating a solid social media scheduling strategy.
Instagram may be newer on the social media scene, but it has exploded in popularity. The Pew Research Center report found that 32 percent of online adults use Instagram. That translates to over 600 million users, with 100 million of those joining in the past six months alone.
With Instagram’s growing popularity, your business needs to be on the network if it’s not already, and you want to ensure you are effectively scheduling your posts at the right times.
Quick Sprout suggested Mondays as the best days for posting to Instagram, although the app sees consistent engagement throughout the week. CoSchedule’s research echoed this data, and also highlighted Thursdays as effective days for Instagram posts.
Both sources recommended scheduling posts outside of business hours, for both B2C and B2B, as your company’s content is more likely to see higher engagement, comments and shares when users are not working. For example, 2 a.m., 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. are the best times, according to CoSchedule.
Implement a social media schedule
As you’ve probably figured out by now, social media networks are as different from each other as the users they attract. This means creating a different strategy for scheduling your company’s content. Trying to manage all of these components without an effective strategy in place quickly gets confusing.
To help you handle your distribution efforts, implement a social media posting calendar that outlines which messages and content you will post on each day. Apps like Sprout and Hootsuite allow you to upload your posts and pick a time to send them out, then they will do the rest for you.
Now that you’re armed with the data you need to reach your social prospects at the ideal time, get started on developing a social media scheduling plan that boosts your followers and online exposure, and brings in the results you are looking for.
