Maybe you’re one of those people who plans out every social media post in detail for the next five weeks. Or, maybe you fly by the seat of your pants and post whenever you have a free second. Hey, we’re not here to judge. Whichever kind of social media “poster” you are, one thing is for certain.
When you post masters.
We’ve all had that sinking feeling after we post what we think is an amazing photo or blog post, and all we hear is crickets. Content is still king when it comes to creating a great post, but timing also plays a big role.
If you’re wondering when you should post to social media, consider the three bullet points below. These will help you narrow it down and (hopefully) have a handful of “times” when you know your post will be seen by the right people.
1. Know Your Audience
Does your business cater to busy parents? If yes, then they’re probably not scrolling through their feed at 2 am on a Sunday morning. Knowing your audience and when they’re active on social media can be a huge help in determining when to post. Make a list of your ideal customer and consider what their schedule may look like. Or, better yet, ask your consumers when they’re most active on social media.
2. Use Free Analytics
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram provide oodles of free analytics that let you know when your audience is most active. If you haven’t already, take 30 minutes or so to explore Facebook’s analytics tab, located in the “insights” section at the top of your page. In the “posts” section, you’ll see an option where you can see when your fans are online. Pick out two, maybe three, peak hours and mark them as times to post.
3. Test, test, test!
Sometimes the best way to determine when to post is to test, test, test. Take a week and document your engagement levels for specific hours of the day. At the end of the week, take that data and see which hours received the most engagement. That’ll let you know when you need to post.