- Nick Puritano
When Should You Be Posting on Social Media?
Updated: Jun 12, 2021
As the rollercoaster of 2020 rolls to an end, companies are setting their eyes to the sky when it comes to their engagement and social media presence for the 2021 calendar year. Everyone wants to get a leg up on the competition, but does the time of when you post actually matter? Turns out, timing is a critical factor to raising engagement, building an online presence, and staying competitive with the rest of the pack. Let’s take a deep dive into how to go about navigating these media platforms effectively.
Timing: The Deciding Factor
Regardless of the social media platform you use, your timing and cadence are the lifeline of whether your company will thrive through social media. But how do you stay consistent when juggling so many other responsibilities? Make a content calendar! In doing so, you can map out WHEN to post WHAT content on WHICH platform. There are even a variety of platforms that allow you to pre-schedule content to be automatically posted. If you're looking to get started for cheap, we recommend platforms like Socialbee and Promorepublic to organize your social media feed. If you're looking to dig in and get serious with your content strategy, then heavy hitters like Hootsuite and Sproutsocial might be better suited for you. Creating a content calendar opens up more time to either mix up the usual schedule, or create a safety net to work past difficulties or changes in plans in a crunch. We’ll start out by diving into Instagram and Twitter.
Instagram & Twitter
Instagram and Twitter are two of the most widely used social media channels we have today. Both are used mainly for spreading information and awareness, but have the potential to generate business as well. According to an article posted on Sproutsocial, Instagram and Twitter share a sweet spots on Wednesdays and Fridays with similar reach. Save your most effective and proud work for these days! The time of day is also a pivotal factor when posting your content. You want to be posting when as many people as possible are online, and according to a graph by Sproutsocial (shown above), that would be the hours of 9 and 10 AM.
LinkedIn provides a more formal setting to reach your audience, as well as a more professional user base. Utilize this and save your more hard-hitting and informative posts for this platform. While consistency is key, it is recommended that you tone down the quantity of your posts. This is your clean-up hitter to knock it out the park to sell your company to your audience. Posting less when compared to Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter will give you more time to formulate a thorough post that will give more insight past the quick tweet or reminder post on other platforms. A blog post on hubspot suggests posting between 8 AM and 2 PM on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Thursday, while never posting outside of normal business hours (9 AM to 5 PM).
Over time, Facebook has become the “jack of all trades” of the prominent social media platforms. Facebook can be used to buy, sell, spread awareness, raise money, and a myriad of other end-goals for both individuals and businesses. What does this mean for your company? It means Facebook is LOADED with content and you need to be strategic about maximizing the reach of your posts. According to Hubspot, 1,500 possible stories from friends and Pages liked are filtered per day on the average Facebook user’s page. Posting at the right time could make your post the one that people see. For Facebook, Wednesday is again the highest day for global engagement, with Thursday not far behind. There is more leniency concerning time of day, as the graph by sproutsocial (shown above) suggests a sweet spot between 9 AM and 2 PM for Facebook.
Youtube
Youtube is a unique platform. Where as the other channels allow for multiple types of media, Youtube specializes in video content. Much like Linkedin, when running a Youtube channel for your business, quality overtakes consistency. Think of Youtube as a complimentary outlet to the other sources, to give your audience a more dynamic perspective that you can't provide with text or a photo. According to an article on boosted.lightricks.com, Youtube’s highest engagement actually happens on the weekend, specifically Sunday. It is important to note that this is the opposite of the trends for other channels, which showcase steep engagement drops over the weekend. With this information, you can save your best video content for the weekends to maximize your engagement.
Conclusion
Social media is a game changing factor in the modern world, and implementing such a tool can take your company to unimaginable new heights for content engagement and outreach. Whether you are a new company just starting out or one that is built on decades of experience, social media is a tool at your disposal waiting to be harnessed. As the rollercoaster of 2020 comes to an end, 2021 offers the potential of new heights for all. With these keys to success, you can take your social media presence to the next level in 2021.
Looking for more ways to boost your social media presence? Read our blog about how finding your niche can help you create an authentic following on social media.