Knowing what to post and when to post on social media is a challenging task to master. Understanding when to post on each platform can slip through the cracks and be something that does not cross a business owner's mind. To keep your business top of mind, posting regularly can make a difference. Regularly doesn’t necessarily mean posting every day, instead, it is finding a balance of what works best for your company. If you're questioning why a consistent posting schedule is important, look no further.
Social media marketing is one way to increase brand awareness and build an audience. Regular posts can brand your business in a customer's memory and display what your company stands for. These platforms are key to creating trust with customers and making your business memorable. By posting about your employees and community events, you can create customers loyal to you and your mission. Consistent content also means getting to know and understand your customers. By reviewing posts, you can begin to see what people like and don’t like surrounding your industry. Analyze your content and see what posts work and don’t work. For instance, maybe your videos perform better on Facebook, than on Instagram. Finding the balance is what will make your company stand out above the rest.
Now that you know why you should be posting regularly, let's look at optimal posting times. Note that these platforms are constantly changing and adapting to keep up with evolving technology. Generally, the best time to post is on a weekday morning. When your audience gets up in the morning and checks their social media, your post will be at the top of their feed. Remember that this is just a general rule of thumb and may not be what is necessarily right for your business. Let’s take a deeper look into optimal posting times for a few different platforms:
Facebook:
While younger generations may not be as active on Facebook, it is still one of the most used social media platforms in the world. Studies show that the best days to post on Facebook are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Fridays between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Weekday mornings and evenings are when Facebook users are most active. On weekends, especially Saturdays, users are less active.
Instagram:
Instagram may have started as just a photo-sharing app, but has now transformed into a platform for photos, videos, and ads. The best day to post on Instagram is Tuesdays between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. In general, for most optimization, post on Monday through Friday at 11 a.m. Once again, users on Instagram are less active on weekends, and Sunday has the lowest engagement.
Twitter:
Twitter is useful for posting quick updates and can engage you with like-minded people. Twitter users are active in the morning, and therefore, the best days to post are Mondays and Thursdays at 8 a.m. If posting on the weekends, consider uploading a little later in the morning to ensure Twitter users are awake.
LinkedIn:
LinkedIn is a great asset for your business and provides many professional networking resources. Since this platform is still up and coming with content creation, its analytics and algorithms are not as up to speed as Facebook or Instagram. With that being said, Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 9 a.m. are generally the best times to post.
As mentioned earlier, these are suggested times and days where users are known to be active. When considering this information, keep in mind what will make your business most successful. Your audience and industry can impact when you should be posting. If you sell plants at a nursery, for example, your audience will most likely consist of adults which means posting in the mornings would be optimal. Take a look at your business's social media analytics to determine what days and times best suit you. When sifting through this information, find posts that did well and build a schedule from there. When you decide what works best for you, remember that nothing is set in stone. Occasionally, test out posts and times to know if you need to make changes and ensure you are getting results.
If you need help with creating social media posts or optimizing your post schedule, contact Selph Marketing at 683-502-4063! We are here to help your business thrive.