When to Post on Social Media To Maximize Reach
Social media destigmatizes communication between consumers and your business.
Part of the casual communication is linked to time; social media is awake round the clock. But, it’s vanishing quickly.
Don’t get me wrong. Social media is here to stay, but its nature; content and ideas shared and engaged, quickly becomes replaced by new content and ideas.
Beside knowing how to maximizing your social media reach with one post, another skill you must add to your repertoire of social media management is the mastery of the social media clock.
You Aren’t the Social Media Philosopher King
If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to Tweet about it, it didn’t make a sound. Enough said.
For social media to have value, it must be engaging to consumers.
To engage consumers, your message needs to be authentic and valuable to your audience, but first, it has to be seen.
Don’t play the social media philosopher king and try to prove that’s not true.
Slow and Steady Wins the Race
And by slow and steady, I only mean steady.
Steadiness is important to create value for your audience.
Your social media posts should be frequent enough that users expect something in return for investing a like or follow into your page.
You don’t have to post the same time everyday; that might lead to social media fatigue. Take note of this articulate piece explaining this phenomenon.
You should, however, post on social media enough that your audience thinks of you as a reliable source of whatever value you provide.
Value on social media can be offering coupons, or notifying users of an upcoming sale.
Mashable Infographic: 50% of consumers value a brand’s Facebook page more than its website.
Gotta Catch ‘em All
According to research found on Forbes.com, originally from Bit.ly, weekdays show the most activity on social media: this is also when you will find the most engagement.
Peak Activity Hours Guide:
- Midweek, particularly, Wednesday, 3 pm EST, is the peak regular social media time.
- Activity normally spikes at 11 am, 3 pm, and 8 pm EST.
- Weekday peak activity starts at 9 am and tapers off at 3 pm.
- The top of the hour, from 0-15 minutes on the hour, is when most activity is logged.
Now for The Great Social Media Debate
Yes, I just made that name up. It’s still important though.
Peak activity hours are straightforward. You now know them so you can move on now if you want.
But, if you decide to stop reading here to post in a peak activity time, you’ve tacitly chosen a side in The Great Social Media Debate.
The Great Social Media Debate is one deceptively complex decision: whether to post to social media during the peak times of activity.
It makes sense to introduce your new product when the most people are logged in and engaging each other.
But, at 3 pm, when most brands are posting, is that when you’re going to get the most out of your unique message? It will likely get drowned out by several other posts from brands that are just as anxious to get noticed.
The option is to post about that new product just before peak activity hours.
Do this and your fresh message will be at the top of the pile when the user logs in.
Target Your Audience
Another part of the Great Debate regards the social media habits of your targeted audience. If your audience is not part of the work or school demographic, they may be accessing their accounts at random parts of the day, or late at night.
If you market sleeping pills, post during the night for us insomniacs that could use your help. Please.
Go With the Flow
On the social media clock, sooner is better than later. But, the most important time is always.
Take advantage of the real-time marketing benefits of social media. You shouldn’t always be on social media, but having your accounts synced to get social media notifications on your phone allows you to always be responsive to comments or questions.
A great example of real-time marketing is the blackout Tweet from Oreo during Super Bowl XLVII. They figured a large part of their audience would be doing the same thing at the same time; they realized a valuable opportunity and translated it into a timely and successful social media post.
Not every day is the Super Bowl, but every day is an opportunity to win a new consumer’s loyalty.
Now go out and post frequently, at the right times for your target audience, and be a good source of value for consumers.
