5 Things To Consider When Timing Your Social Media Posts

When it comes to posting on social media, timing is everything. A strategically timed post not only has the potential to maximise your interaction but it will ensure your post is visible to your target audience. This is particularly important for businesses using social media to promote their product or service. But when is the best time to post?

Below are 5 things to consider when timing your social media posts:

1. Schedule

Scheduling your social media posts is one of the most proactive tasks you can do. It will allow you to reach your target audience at optimal times of the day, even if that is a time inconvenient to you.

If you are busy, unwell or simply forget to post your content, scheduling will ensure your posts are still being uploaded daily and at the correct time. This is crucial as an inactive account will reflect badly on your business by giving the impression you don’t care about your online reputation or your customers. Social media is also like the new yellow pages - how are new customers going to find you or trust your brand if you're not posting?

2. Think about your audience

It is important to consider your target audience when deciding when the best times to post are. Taking time to understand your audience and their day to day lives will allow you to predict the times they will most likely be active online.

For instance, if you’re targeting working businessmen and women, posting in the middle of the working day won’t reap many benefits, as they will be busy at work. Think of when they are most likely to be scrolling through their social media, as this will increase the chances of them not only seeing the post but interacting with it. Of course, your analytics can help with this - but the best way to find out is by experimenting with different times and recording the results.

3. Alter your strategy for different platforms

Different social media platforms present your content in different ways. Some use algorithms to show the posts they believe are most relevant to you at the top of your feed. Others display posts in chronological order with the latest posts at the top.

Twitter shows posts in chronological order which makes timing your tweets crucial. Posting at times where people are inactive will mean your post will sink to the bottom of the pile without anyone seeing it. A good tip for Twitter is to post frequently throughout the day, this way you will be constantly popping up on your audience's timeline.

Timing is also especially important when posting to Linkedin. As a professional network designed specifically for the business community, the weekend/weekday traffic looks drastically different to the other social platforms. This means, posting just before and after work hours return the best results as this is when traffic is at its highest.

Platforms such as Instagram and Facebook use algorithms, and although timing is still important here, you should be more focused on interacting with your audience as this is what will determine whether your posts are seen or not.

4. Don’t post too often or too little

It’s a common misconception that the more you post, the more engagement you will receive. However, this is not the case. How frequently you should post depends on which platform you are using. For twitter, the biggest mistake you can make is only posting once a day. The recommended amount of times to post in a day is 15 and this is because your content is constantly being covered up by the latest tweets. This is similar for Pinterest where the recommended pins a day is 12. However, due to the algorithms networks such as Facebook, Google+, Linkedin and Instagram use, it is recommended to only post once or twice a day as those who are interested in your posts will see it. Posting frequently throughout the day will do nothing except make you a nuisance and increase the likelihood of your audience unfollowing you.

5. Time your posts around the seasons or popular events

Relating to your audience is paramount on social media. One way to do this is by altering your social media content around the seasons, holidays and popular events. For instance, when approaching Halloween, post content related to Halloween, even if it’s just a photo of a pumpkin on your Instagram! This will make your content exciting and relatable, showing your audience that behind the posts there is a real person, which will help to gain followers.

So, before posting to social media take time to research your target audience, and strategically plan and schedule your posts. You may find it takes a bit of time experimenting before you find the most beneficial times to post. But once you do, you will notice the benefits! After all, what's the point in spending time creating amazing content if nobody is going to see it?

Still unsure about the best times to post? We welcome any questions you have - comment below or DM us @lucyhitchcock_@sassydigital