There are over 3 billion active social media users around the world as of January 2018 alone. So it makes sense why every business is out there trying to come up with the best social media strategy.
There are many factors to consider in a social media campaign from the type of content to the right copy and hashtags. One other important part in the marketing mix is timing – or the best time to post on social media.
Just as important as knowing what to post is when to post. After all, if your target audience isn't seeing your posts, then you're losing out on reach and impressions that could help build brand awareness or tip conversions.
To help you eliminate the guesswork, here's a play-by-play of the best time to post on the most popular social media sites in 2019 according to experts and data. Later on, we will also help you determine the best time to post for your own business.
Recommended Social Media Posting Times By Experts
Source: Visme
Facebook is arguably the most popular social media site, with over 2.38 billion active users as of early 2019, with 71% of users logging on to the site at least once per day. With those numbers, it only makes sense so many businesses want to nail down their Facebook marketing strategy.
When it comes to the best time to post on Facebook, here is what experts are saying:
- The best time to post on Facebook is at 9:00 AM according to reports on Hubspot.
- Buffer reports from their studies that the best time to post on Facebook is 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM on weekdays and Saturdays. Engagement on posts (reacts, comments, shares, etc.) is also 18% higher on Thursdays and Fridays.
- Anytime between 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday; and 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM on weekends is the best time to post on Facebook, according to Hootsuite.
- Sprout Social has found that the best day to post on Facebook is on Wednesdays. Generally, the best time to post is between 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM on weekdays. They also report that the day with the least engagement is Sunday.
In general, using all the findings and data from various sources, the safest days and times to post is between Wednesday to Friday, from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM.
If you need more data on Facebook marketing trends, check out these Facebook marketing statistics in 2019.
Some 326 million active users are taking to Twitter to follow their favorite brands and personalities. Because of Twitter's chronological newsfeed, this makes it a great site to post about relevant trending topics in real time.
Take a look at what experts are saying is the best time to post on Twitter:
- According to Hubspot, the average best time to post on Twitter is from 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM and 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM, coinciding with daily commute times. However, if B2C Twitter analytics, the best time to tweet is on weekends.
- Hootsuite reports the best time to post on Twitter is at 3:00 PM on Monday to Friday. For B2B companies, between 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM on weekdays works best. However, B2C companies would do best to tweet when their audiences are not at work: before 9:00 AM, 12:00 PM, and after 5:00 PM on weekdays and during weekends.
- The best time to post on Twitter is at 9:00 AM on Wednesday and Friday, as seen from Sprout Social reports. Generally the safest times to tweet is between 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM on weekdays.
Based on the compiled data from these sources, one can say that the general best time to post on Twitter is on weekdays, between 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM if you're in B2B; and on weekends, between 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM and after 5:00 PM if you're in B2C.
For more information on Twitter marketing, check out these 2019 Twitter statistics.
LinkedIn is a social media site dedicated to career growth and networking opportunities. So if you have content to market for professionals, you should do best to maximize this space. Here is a rundown of the best time to post on LinkedIn from industry research:
- Hubspot recommends the best time to post on LinkedIn is between 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM on weekdays, most especially Wednesdays, especially among B2B companies. For B2C, there are more narrow windows: 12:00 PM, 8:00 AM, and 10:00 AM, respectively work best.
- Hootsuite reports similar findings, where the best time to post on LinkedIn rotates between the following: 7:45 AM, 10:45 AM, 12:45 PM, and 5:45 PM. The report shows that they stick to the 45-minute mark because most brands post on the hour – the 45-minute mark keeps them within an optimized timeframe while avoiding the competition.
- Sprout Social also reports that Wednesday between 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM and 12:00 PM is the best time to post on LinkedIn, especially for B2B companies.
From the data above, it's best to post B2B content on Wednesdays, between 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM. For B2C companies, a good place to start would be posting at 12:00 noon, when audiences might be taking their breaks.
Because Instagram is an image-based social media site, most users on Instagram look for accounts that post great photos on their feed. When you've got beautiful photos and posts to showcase, and you want to get best engagement on your posts then you must discover the best time to post on Instagram.
- According to Hubspot, the general best time to post on Instagram is between 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM. The best day to post is on Fridays. For B2B companies, the best time to post on Instagram is 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM, 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM, and 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM.
- Hootsuite reports the best time to post on Instagram is between 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM on weekdays.
- Sprout Social has found that the best time to post on Instagram is on Wednesday at 11:00 AM and Friday from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM.
From the data above, we can generally say the best time to post on Instagram is from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM on Fridays.
To make the most of your Instagram strategy, be sure to read up on these 2019 Instagram statistics.
Unlike all the other social media sites above, Pinterest works more as a visual search engine. While that might make you think timing doesn't play as important a role in Pinterest, it's good to note that Pinterest favors new posts (or pins). So if you're posting fresh pins, your posts are more likely to be seen on people's feeds.
Here's how to find the best time to post new Pins:
- CoSchedule reports that the best time to post on Pinterest is from 8:00 PM to 11:00 PM, 2:00 AM to 4:00 AM, and 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM, with Fridays and weekends having the best engagement rate.
- Hubspot shows similar findings: the best time to post on Pinterest is from 8:00 PM to 11:00 PM and 2:00 AM to 4:00 AM, crediting the wee hours as a global trend that includes non-North American users.
It's clear from the data above that the best time to post on Pinterest is from 8:00 PM to 11:00 PM, with the best engagement happening on weekends. It makes sense because weekends and after-work hours are usually when people are planning projects and browsing for inspiration or resources.
Important note: As Pinterest's algorithm relies on search queries like Google, you'd do best if you'll provide relevant keywords to your original pins.
Need more information on Pinterest marketing? Here are some important Pinterest statistics you should know.
Finding The Best Time To Post On Social Media For Your Business
All the data and findings above make a good jumping point for you to find the best time to post on your company's social media pages.
After all, while these statistics and trends are important, other factors may affect your business's ideal social media schedule. These may include the industry you're in, your target market's behaviors, and even specific social media sites' algorithms.
To help you find the best time to post on social media for your business, here are some action steps you can take.
Track your previous engagement analytics
If you have done a social media campaign in the past, go through your analytics and analyze the data from previous campaigns.
All social media sites already have their built-in analytics reports, so that's already a great start.
Review what days and times you created posts on your pages. Which posts had the highest reach? Likes? Comments? Shares?
Several factors may have contributed to the posts' engagement results such as relevance or type of content but still you can well by reviewing the specific day and time you posted that helped you get those results in the first place.
Your Next To-Do: Note the day and times your best posts performed. Keep this in mind for the next steps.
Set up a posting schedule
Now you'll want to create your own brand's customized posting schedule. Use the data from all the reports above as a starting point. Look at your previous analytics. Is there any intersect? If yes, plot those days and times as your main posting schedule.
Equally important in your schedule is to have a content pool ready. Compile the types of post you want to publish as well as the copy, hashtags, images, and links to accompany these posts.
Your Next To-Do: Use the right social media management tools to store and arrange your posts. Use the Statusbrew's Content Pool to help you manage all your assets easily. The app also makes it simpler to collaborate and share with your team. Watch the video to learn more:
Schedule posts on different days and time combinations
When you have all your posts and content ready, it's time to schedule specific posts on specific days and times.
For this step, you'll want to experiment using the best days and times both from industry data and your own experience.
You can start with a ratio of 2:3. So if you have five posts per week, schedule 2 out of the 5 for a different day and time that might not have emerged from the data – but still base this educated guess on what you know about your audience's behavior.
Eliminate the hassle of having to be online during those exact dates and times by using automation in your social media. Statusbrew can help you publish posts on a specified date and time completely on autopilot. Just take a day to set your social media calendar up and let Statusbrew take care of the rest.
Your Next To-Do: Set up all your posts and plug in your preferred schedule to publish content.
Review your analytics
Once you've successfully finished a campaign, make it a habit to review your analytics. You can view them right from the specific social media sites, or see them all in one place on your Statusbrew Reports dashboard.
Your Next To-Do: Schedule a time to do a deep-dive on your reports and analytics at the end of each campaign. Note which posts did well and which didn't. Watch out for engagement patterns. Which posts did best and when were they posted?
Rinse and repeat
The trick to figure out the best time to post on social media for your business is doing all of this all over again until you get the best mix and content schedule.
Consistently review your analytics, keep creating content for your brand, and repeat. Soon, you'll notice patterns and trends in your content and can keep improving your social media strategy.
One important note as well: Effective copywriting can ensure that your posts are seen regardless of the time you post. So just as important as experimenting on days and times you post on social media, make sure you have good, clean SEO-friendly content too.
Your Next To-Do: Plan your next social media campaign based on your previous campaign's data. Glean important insights from your most popular posts, based on the type of content, time, and dates they were posted.
Key Takeaways/Conclusion
When it comes to finding the best time to post on social media, analysis plays a very crucial role. Use trends and studies as a base, then tweak your schedule from there. And don't forget to use the right social media management tools like Statusbrew that lets you plan, publish, review, and refine your social media strategy like clockwork.
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