The last thing any business owner or social media manager wants to do is spend time creating content that falls flat.
While engagement is not the only metric for success on social media, timing can make a big difference in improving your audience's engagement. Authentically engaging your followers at the right time will help you be more effective with your social media strategy.
Each platform algorithm differs and all time slots are not created equally.
Facebook and Instagram are two of the major platforms that consider “recency” when ranking your posts. Posting at the right times on these platforms can be a quick way to improve your engagement and reach, organically.
The best way to identify when you audience may be online is by considering the times they have gaps in their daily schedule. Posts that are sent first thing in the morning, around lunch, and at the end of the working day, tend to perform well because they won’t be missed by the majority of users who log in during those times.
Nearly three-quarters of American Facebook users check Facebook daily. And over half use Facebook more than once a day. Most Facebook users engage on the platform for about 34 minutes every day using their mobile devices.
Peak times to post on Facebook are during the week at around 6 am and 12 pm.
More than half of American Instagram users check Instagram daily and 42 percent check the platform several times a day. In 2020 Instagram users used the platform on average 30 minutes per day and spend 6 minutes on the platform per visit.
Similar to Facebook, posting on Instagram early in the morning and after working hours works well for most brands.
Finding the right time to post takes time and testing. Try sharing content during the peak times identified here, and adjust your strategy based on your success.