The primary reason brands and companies have social media accounts is for visibility. This isn’t surprising since many studies show billions of people actively use social media. However, having accounts across all the popular social media sites doesn’t necessarily translate into better visibility. There are several strategies you’ll have to master to ensure you are consistently successful on social media.
One of the key strategies brands have to master is the art of timing. This post contains all the information you need to find the best time to post on social media.
Table of Contents
Why Is Timing Important?
The engagement numbers on your social media posts show how successful your outreach efforts are. Because of this, lots of brands invest a lot in visibility-boosting strategies. However, boosting your social media influence requires that your target audience see your posts in the first place. This is where the concept of timing comes in.
Lots of people use social media daily; however, not everyone is online at the exact same time. Successful social media posting requires that you time your posts such that they appear on your target audience’s feed when they are online and available to see them. As such, a strategic approach to timing social media content puts you in an excellent position for optimal engagement.
How To Find The Best Time To Post On Social Media
There are many resources online about the best time to post on various social media platforms. However, you should know that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to timing. As such, businesses and brand owners need to take a more personalized step toward finding the best time to post on social media. Here are some effective strategies that can help you do this:
#1. Understand Your Audience
In discovering the best time to post on social media, the first thing to do is clearly define your audience. This is important because your audience’s peculiarities will significantly determine how you should schedule your posts.
For example, let’s consider if you’re creating social media content for students or young adults. In this case, you’ll have to ensure your content is primed for release early in the morning and late at night. This is because this demographic tends to use their phones or mobile devices first thing in the morning and late at night. Thus, releasing your content at those times gives it a great chance of being seen by many people.
At this stage of understanding your audience, you’ll also need to pay attention to their interests. You can conduct surveys to determine the content your target audience wants to see. You can then check to see if, historically, a particular content type tends to be more prevalent around a specific time. This will help you ensure you can plan your posts for maximum impact.
#2. Experiment With Different Times
After understanding your audience, the next thing to do is experiment with different posting times. There are several standard options for social media posting that you can try. For example, some studies show that weekdays, afternoons, and evenings are the best times for social media posting.
However, it could happen that your account’s metrics actually record their lowest numbers in these periods. This is why it’s always important you experiment with different times till you find the perfect one for your content and audience type. Basically, the idea here is to keep adjusting the posting times till you find one that gives you optimal results.
#3. Review Analytics Data
You may not be aware of them, but many social media apps have built-in analytics tools. If you’re serious about growing your social media account’s reach and visibility, these tools are crucial. This is because they offer you the critical personalized insight you need about how well your content is doing.
You’ll see different vital data, such as conversion and traffic stats and engagement levels. Some analytics tools even show you the particular range of time your posts enjoy the highest engagement. Examples of these analytics tools include LinkedIn Analytics, Twitter Analytics, and Instagram Insights.
#4. Consider Platform Specifics
While social media platforms are usually grouped as one, they actually have their particular differences. Interestingly, these differences also play a significant part in content visibility. For example, peak times for posting on YouTube are usually in the afternoon and evening hours. This is because it’s around this time most YouTube users go online to browse content.
However, for X (formerly called Twitter), things are a lot different. Most X users open their apps and go through tweets in the morning before starting work. Based on this, it’s evident that content strategies for YouTube are not likely to work for X.
Because of this, it’s important you take time to consider the peak activity times of your preferred social media platform. This will help you tailor your approach for success on that particular platform.
#5. Competition Analysis
Another great approach to determining the best time to post on social media is assessing your competition. Running a detailed analysis of a competitor with better view stats will give you an insight into their posting strategy. Now, it’s important to mention that directly copying their strategy isn’t going to help you get better results. So, instead, what you want to do is understand their strategy and then tailor it to your particular demands.
General Timing Recommendations For Posting On Social Media
Generally, the best time to post on social media during the weekdays is between 3 pm and 7 pm. This is because most people can only go through their posts after completing their work obligations. Targeting the lunch break period during weekdays will also help boost visibility.
For weekends, however, posting earlier and much later will help you get better results. This is because most people will sleep in during these days, and they will browse social media while lounging in bed.
Conclusion
To increase your online presence and boost your business, social media offers the opportunity to enjoy lots of visibility. However, it’s important to mention that only those who have mastered the art of social media timing can fully enjoy its amazing benefits. That said, you should know there is no one-size-fits-all approach for determining optimal posting times on social media. Understanding your audience, experimenting with different times, reviewing analytics, and evaluating your competition will help you get the results you want to see.
