As with most things in life, timing is everything. Of course, some things are out of our control, but thankfully, scheduling online marketing campaigns is not one of them.
The world is at our fingertips, and with it, tons of data to support and inform our decisions. From when most people are online to what the average person likes to do for fun – all of this data is available
So, when it comes to scheduling your social media content, the process of determining what time your audience will be most receptive to your content should be a straightforward process. To help you determine when you should publish a post, we’ve compiled a guide with the best social media timing for maximum exposure.
Why look for the best time to post online?
Before we start bombarding you with facts and figures, let’s take a step back for a minute. Why are we even looking for the “best” time to post? Surely having everything digital and online means that it’s always available?
While this may be true, most social media users will only browse through the most recent posts on their feeds. This means that whenever they choose to do so, your brand needs to be there or you’ll run the risk of getting lost in a sea of endless information. Certain days and times receive more engagement than others, and identifying these powerful days will take your business and brand to new heights.
To achieve this, you need to know who your audience is, what their interests are, and most importantly, the times that they are most likely to open their social media apps – and hopefully discover your platform. In addition to this, you need to ensure social media consistency and post on a regular schedule. This will help your audience build a relationship with your brand and position yourself as a reliable source of online information.
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The best time to post on social media
To start explaining the world of scheduled social media posting and the best times to do so, let’s take a holistic view of the concept. Within the social media sphere, there are so many different platforms. Above and beyond this, each platform has a certain demographic more inclined to use it, especially at certain hours of the day. By identifying these times, you can be sure to reach them.
The best time to post across all platforms
When it comes to scheduling your social content, the best time to schedule your posts are at 10 am PST on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. This is because people are awake and active at this time, often having a morning coffee break and the Monday madness has subsided.
Best times to post on Facebook for exposure
The best time to post on Facebook for maximum exposure is between 8 am and 12 pm PST on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This window provides ample opportunity for your audience to see your post, while they’re still fresh. This also means that they are more likely to remember it. Posting twice a day is recommended as 51% of Facebook users check their app multiple times a day.
The best time to post on Instagram
The best time to post on Instagram for likes is 11 am PST on a Wednesday. As you can see, it’s right in the middle of the week and almost in the middle of the day, perfect for some Hump Day motivation. If you are looking for engagement and likes, try to schedule your posts around this time. Most users check their app at least once a day, so make sure that you post your main post at the times they will be active – 11 am in this case.
The best time to post on Twitter
The best time to post on Twitter is 8 am PST on Mondays and Tuesdays. Something worth considering when it comes to Twitter is that the content moves fast, so posting more frequently during the day will help ensure that your audience notices your brand.
LinkedIn’s best times for posting
Many people often forget to include the more “corporate” social media account in their schedule. The truth is, timing matters when it comes to your LinkedIn posts, which is why Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 9 am are the best times to post on LinkedIn.
The bottom line when it comes to the best times
While these times can guide you in terms of your social media schedule, you still need to do your due diligence to see if those times align with the needs of your audience. Another aspect worth considering is your posting frequency. Once again, the dates and time above can help you reach your audience, however, more frequent posts can also help to ensure relevance and exposure. Just be mindful of spamming your audience, there is a fine line when it comes to this.
A good rule of thumb to follow is to post first thing in the morning to catch the people getting their first dose of social media for the day. Next, try and post around lunchtime when people are taking a break and then just before bed when people are looking to unwind. If you look at the time slots mentioned above, you can see how it aligns with this reasoning. It’s all about anticipating your audience’s online behaviour and acting on it.
The best times to publish blogs
While social media scheduling is an important part of content scheduling, there’s another factor that needs to be considered – blog posts.
Often overlooked when it comes to scheduling, the time you choose to publish your blog articles will impact the views it receives, so on that note, let’s take a look at the best times to post blogs. Globally, the best times to post blogs are at 11 am on Wednesday and between 10 am and 12 pm on Fridays.
Using the best times to publish posts
The times that we have shared above are based on extensive research and are a great starting point when it comes to joining the world of scheduled social media posts. We do, however, recommend using your won data and analytics to constantly evaluate the times that your audience actively engages with your brand. Social media is a rapidly evolving marketing platform, and continuous research and analysis are critical in ensuring relevance in the digital space.
Adding value to your scheduled posts
In order to schedule posts, you need to have a solid content plan and supporting content library to facilitate this. This process starts by identifying your main content pillars, for example, content about your business and what you stand for, services offered, and customer success stories. Each pillar forms part of a more intensive template that will shape the month ahead.
For example:
- Mondays could be a service-related post on Twitter
- Tuesday 10 am on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter could be a post about your business
- Wednesdays at 9 am you could post a case study on LinkedIn
- Wednesday could also be an engagement post on Instagram, asking your audience about the industry and prompting them to share their thoughts with you.
- Thursdays at 11 am could be a service-related post on Facebook
This is merely an example of how you can use the best scheduling times to suit your business while aligning with the different audience personas on each platform. It also illustrates the importance of having a tailored approach to marketing instead of simply grouping everything under the same generic umbrella.
Ready, steady, post!
Now that you are armed with the best times to post on social media, you can take the first step on your journey to social media marketing. If you ever lose direction, don’t forget your customers will give you all the information you need – through direct engagement as well as the analytics available for each online platform. The world is full of information, all you need to do is use it to your benefit.