Let’s not lie. Timing is huge.
Some people have wondered if it really matters at what time social media posts are made. Just think about it – If you post an incredible piece of content, but no one’s there to read it, how much has it accomplished? Post at the wrong time and accomplish nothing. Post at the right time and you could grow your online presence by leaps and bounds. It’s especially important if you’re doing social media marketing.
The following infographic from Fannit displays the best times to post on social media, including Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and blogs:
Best times to post on Facebook:
- Best times – Weekdays from 6-8AM and 2-5PM
- Worst times – 10PM-4AM
Best times to post on Twitter:
- Best times – 1-3PM, especially on weekends
- Worst times – 8PM-8AM
Best times to post on Google+:
- Best times – 9-11AM
- Worst times – 6PM-7AM
Best times to post on LinkedIn:
- Best times: 7-8:30AM, 5-6PM
- Worst times – Monday and Friday, and 9AM-5PM
Best times to post on Pinterest:
- Best times – Saturday morning, 2-4PM and 8-11PM
- Worst times – 5-7PM and 1-7AM
Best times to post on Blogs:
- Best times – Monday, Friday, and Saturday at 11AM
- Worst times – 11PM-8AM
In order to reach the greatest number of people, choose carefully when you post on each social network that you’re on. Post at the right time and bump up your online presence to a high degree; post at the wrong time and you’ll fail to reach your audience.
But posting at the right time is not the one and only magical way to reach the masses. Also be sure to post content that is pleasing to those following you, post pictures that people will appreciate, as pictures typically perform better than text, use trending hashtags when possible, etc. All these things play a part in your effort to grow your audience and build your online reputation.
However, *this information is not enough*. You can’t be relevant to your community if you just follow general advice. You need to dig deeper and do the following:
1. Know Your Audience
Statistics about peak posting hours are useful, but a great post can be wasted if your target audience never sees it. Knowing when your customers are most active on each social media platform is crucial to your posting success.
Someone working in finance and a freshman in college have completely different schedules. Hone in on your market and reach your audience when they’re most likely to see your post. For instance, Twitter found that mobile users are nearly 3 times more likely to be on Twitter during their commute. They are also 1.2 times as likely to use Twitter during school or work hours.
How is this useful? Taco Bell knows that their strongest demographic is between the ages of 18-34. Even though Twitter engagement dies down later in the day Taco Bell may still post a tweet on Friday night knowing that many of their target audience will be coming home from a late night out, hungry for some munchies.
#IllNeverForget the first time I tried #DoritosLocosTacos.
— Taco Bell (@TacoBell) October 19, 2012
2. Tap into the Moment
Large media events present great opportunities for you to connect with your customers in real time. React in the moment and create a conversation with your followers. Great content isn’t always planned ahead.
Example: Oreo posted a great tweet about “Dunking in the Dark” when the lights went out during Super Bowl XLVII. Oreo’s quick reaction on social media produced a valuable opportunity that not only engaged Oreo’s consumer base, but also added to their image as a brand. Garnering 15,780 retweets, the post created a greater payoff for Oreo than their actual Super Bowl Ad.
Power out? No problem. pic.twitter.com/dnQ7pOgC
— Oreo Cookie (@Oreo) February 4, 2013
Pay attention to live events and current pop-culture trends. Strike when the time is right and your post can have a much larger effect, whilst also creating a closer connection with your followers. But beware content still matters. Without the great tagline and content of the post, Oreo’s tweet may have fluttered rather than soared.
3. The Technology is there, Use it
Creating valuable content and perfecting its distribution is not easy, thankfully there are tools that can help.
Developers have made available hundreds of programs that can help simplify the process. Whether it be analytics or tracking or both. There’s a tool for nearly every problem one may face. Here’s a few to help you along the way:
Problem: I don’t know when my followers are online
SocialBro to see when your followers post and how far their influence travels. Find your strongest audience and grow your brand.
Insights Facebook has their own useful analytics tool see statistics on any of your brand pages.
SimplyMeasured a free Instagram analytics tool.
Problem: I’m too busy to remember when I should tweet during the day
Buffer can auto-schedule your tweets to best fit when your audience is online. Then export those optimal tweet times to SocialBro.
Problem: I want to keep a consistent reply rate to my followers on twitter but I have no way of tracking how efficient my response times are
Must Be Present works well to keep track of your Twitter response times. Let your customers know that you’re listening to what they have to say.
According to research from Lithium Technologies, 53 percent of users who tweet at a brand expect a response within the hour. This percentage grows to 72% when users post a complaint.
Problem: I can’t get my high quality event photos on social media immediately
Eyefi instantly transfers photos from your dslr camera up to your cloud storage.
Improving your Social Media strategy is an important first step in building a stronger relationship with your customers.
Happy posting!
