So, most of us are effectively using social media for business, engaging with customers, generating leads and sharing content. When you find something social media-worthy it can be easy to fire it off straight away-but is there a time of day you should be posting? Just what difference does it make if you post that status at 9am or 9pm? We’ve done some research to find out the optimum time for posting across social media, and the results are interesting…
Facebook in the day and Pinterest at night…
According to statistics Facebook and Twitter are better during the day for shares and engagement, and Pinterest users come out at night. This said however, statistically late evening is the best time for retweets and Friday is the most engaging day for Facebook… but why is this? The truth is, no one knows for sure, but you can use common sense to decipher why some times are more popular than others. Users of Pinterest and Twitter will have more time to scroll and retweet/pin in the evenings due to not being at work, and I’m sure we’ve all spent mindless hours scrolling through tweets before we go to sleep… and retweeting them. As for Facebook, everybody chills out on a Friday, even at work, and may check their profile from time to time, or finish work earlier, therefore generating more engagement.
Of course, this is completely subjective and not scientifically valid, but it makes sense, right? Think about your own behaviour on social media and effectively you are putting yourself in the mind of your audience… clever eh.
As well as posting at particular times, apparently consumers also have expectations of when they expect businesses to reply to them. Social media now acts as a platform for effective, and fast, customer service, and statistics suggest that replying within the hour is expected. This can seem ambitious, but try to respond to any engagement or questions quickly. This makes you seem ‘real’ and not a faceless organisation just posting out generic content; if questions and comments are answered users are more likely to see the face behind the screen, giving your brand a better reputation. To increase the popularity of your posts, you can buy likes facebook.
Social media peaks
Analytics show that social media ‘peaks’ at certain times of the day, and this is different for each platform. When you think about it, this makes sense, as many of us will only engage on profile at different times of the day. So what are the social media peaks? Here are the peaks for the 4 most effective profiles for business:
- Facebook-Thursdays between 9 am and 12 pm
- Twitter-Fridays between 2 pm and 3 pm
- LinkedIn-Tuesdays between 10 am and 11 am
- Pinterest-Wednesday between 1 pm and 2 pm
It is unclear as to why each profile peaks at these specific times, but it’s something interesting to try at least. Monitor how your own updates perform at these times and make a note-it may be that your results are completely different. Try to engage with users during this time too, statistically they are more likely to respond…
What works for you?
Data is good to go by, but it’s important to consider what social media metrics matter to you and your business. Look at your own analytics. When is your audience engaging? When do your posts reach the most users? Would you rather look at leads gained or how many people saw your post? Every business is different so work out what is important to you, implement changes to your strategy and stick to it. Social media timings can make a difference, and by taking this into account you will be able to use profiles more efficiently and effectively. It’s also important to think about your own behaviour and activity on social media-you are a valid social media user after all! Think about when you check profiles the most, when you have breaks at work, when work finishes… it all matters and there are infinite other users just like you doing the same.
Social media timings rely on time and error, so if the statistics don’t work for you, monitor your profiles on a more personal level. Any strategic changes to the time of your updates will make some difference-you’ve got nothing to lose!
