Managing social media posts is a complex job that requires a good sense of organization and planning. In order to reach your followers, it is important to publish content when your community is most likely to see and contribute to it.
The timing of your posts will therefore depend on your audience. But when is the best time to post on social media?
In this article, read the advice of our community management agency.
Before posting on social media, target your audience
Before considering the best time to post on social media, you need to analyze the market and target your customers. Figuring out which audience your company wants to reach is an essential step to take. Evaluating the socio-demographic profiles of various social network users will give you a good idea of the audience's habits.
Once you determine your target audience, you can publish the right content at the right time to generate customer engagement. Here is some information about users from Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn platforms to get an overview of the various types of followers.
Facebook is the most widely used social media platform in the world. With 2.38 billion active users every month, you can easily reach your audience via this platform. Especially popular among young adults (18-29 years old), but also among middle-aged people (30-49 years old), Facebook reaches both age groups significantly.
Facebook has no difference in usage between followers who live in different geographical areas. The platform is popular with people in rural, suburban and urban areas, so you can easily reach your audience. Facebook can therefore reach a wide range of individuals.
As far as Instagram is concerned, the platform is an integral part of the daily lives of teenagers and young adults. In fact, 71% of the 500 million daily users of this application are under 35 years of age. While 64% of individuals between the ages of 18 and 29 are actively using the platform, 72% of young people between the ages of 13 and 17 also browse it.
Therefore, if your target audience is teens and young adults, Instagram is the platform for you. Not only is this platform attractive because it's easy to use, but 83% of users say they discover new products and services through Instagram. Being a source of inspiration for many, choosing this social network to showcase your content is a great advantage.
Twitter is the leading platform for young users who want to keep up to date with current events. This network allows users to follow events in real time. Thirty-two percent of teenagers between the ages of 13 and 17 are active on the platform, as well as 40 percent of 18-29-year olds.
In addition, users living in urban areas are more likely to use Twitter than those living in suburban or rural areas. As a network that is more focused on debate and interaction, Twitter is the right place to get feedback from your customers about your business or products.
LinkedIn is the leading social network in the business world. With more than 500 million profiles worldwide, this platform reaches both employers and employees. Given that this network is intended for professionals, it is not surprising that the majority of users are graduates. If you are in a recruitment period, this is the platform best suited to your needs.
As you can see in the following image, it is worth posting job openings on this network. This will keep your audience up to date with the jobs available in your company.
Once you know which audience your company wants to reach, it will be easier to determine the best time to post on social media. One way to maximize customer engagement is to outsource your content writing to an agency.
Post on social media when your audience is active
Different users can engage on a platform at different times of the day or even week, depending on their needs. When you want to post on social media, it is important to make sure your customers are most likely to be active. Your company will gain many benefits by understanding your audience and effectively managing your social media. Here are the various times when customers can be active on your platforms.
When is the best time to post on Facebook?
For maximum visibility to your subscribers, the best time to post on Facebook is during the week, between 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m., which is during business hours. Facebook users typically use this platform at work during off-peak periods. However, it can also be beneficial to post on weekends, since this is when Facebook sees the highest level of engagement.
You can check the statistics on your company page to see when it's most effective for you to publish on Facebook. Using the posts tab, you can check the days and times that are most viewed by your followers, as well as the reach of your posts.
Moreover, comparing the low and high engagement rate of your publications over time will help you to judge the interest of your audience and the content that is likely to appeal to them. This will help you increase your audience engagement on Facebook.
Best time to post on Instagram
As far as Instagram is concerned, the best time to post is on weekdays during lunchtime (between 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.) and especially in the evening after work, from 5:00 p.m. onwards. Since users connect to this platform using a mobile device, they are generally not active during working hours. So if you focus on posting your content when your subscribers are likely to be viewing their mobile device, you will certainly get a better engagement.
These times are approximate, since an audience can be active at different times of the day depending on their interests. What works for some companies may not work for you. Depending on the different areas of expertise, there are different times to post on Instagram.
You can check your audience engagement by viewing your Instagram statistics to see what your audience is doing. You can access the average hours when your clients log on to Instagram as well as the days when they are most active on the platform.
What about Twitter?
As for Twitter, the best time to post is before work, at lunch time and when you get home. Since Twitter isn't so much a platform that you consult for fun, but more to get information or check the news, it's recommended to post when your followers aren't at work.
Friday afternoon is the period with the lowest rate of engagement. This is because members who are more focused on planning their weekend may not necessarily visit the platform at that time.
Last but not least, when should you post on LinkedIn?
As you know, the LinkedIn platform attracts more professionals. Therefore, in order to get a high engagement rate, you should publish the days of the week when your followers are at work.
In short, the hours and days indicated in this article are averages. You may find your audience is more engaged at other times of the day or week. You can test your posts to determine the best time to publish.
Schedule your posts via social media management tools
Social media management tools are available to facilitate the publication of your content. These tools allow you to plan the content to publish according to the hours and days scheduled and even over a period of several weeks. This will allow you to see when your publications are most appealing to your target audience.
Various platforms may be suitable for performing these tasks. For example, Hootsuite, Buffer and Metricool are all social media management tools that you can use to schedule your posts on various platforms and analyze your results.
Entrust your social media management to a web agency
Ultimately, the best time to publish on your social networks varies between different platforms and largely depends on the type of audience reached by your content and your business. Once you have identified your target audience, you can test your content to determine the best time to post.
At My Little Big Web, we can help you plan your content on social networks to effectively reach your customers. We know that every business has its own specific needs and that's why we make sure to offer you the best service possible.
If you think you need a hand with managing your social media, we invite you to contact our team of experts. It will be our pleasure to put our expertise at your disposal, whatever your needs may be.