THE BEST (AND WORST) TIMES TO POST ON SOCIAL MEDIA (INFOGRAPHIC)
DIFFERENT SOCIAL MEDIA SITES OFFER DIFFERENT VIRTUES FOR YOUR BUSINESS. HERE'S HOW TO OPTIMIZE EACH ONE BASED ON WHEN YOU POST.
We get it, managing your business's social media accounts can be daunting: from tweaking tweet lengths to mastering Facebook tone, to using the right hashtags at the right times.
But what savvy social media users know is that there's a science to getting it right--if you follow certain parameters, you’re almost guaranteed to get the results you were working toward. All it takes is some knowledge and forethought, and anyone can be well on their way to posting engaging content.
Thanks to this infographic from online payroll company SurePayroll’s blog, we know the best and worst times to post.
Here are a few takeaways for each major social media site:
POST ON FACEBOOK DURING THE AFTERNOON SLUMP
Most people need some motivation to get through the afternoon slump, and for many of us that means checking Facebook. Posting to Facebook between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. results in the highest average click through rates. These numbers peak around 3 p.m. and hit rock bottom on weekends, before 8 a.m., and after 8 p.m. when people presumably have better things to do.
For more on managing your Facebook account, check out these six rules.
SCHEDULE TWEETS FOR LUNCHTIME
Tons of people are checking in on the Twittersphere around lunchtime, with peak posting days falling between Monday and Thursday. But once 3 p.m. on Friday rolls around, people have officially checked out.
For even more engagement, throw in an image for 48% more retweets. Want to create retweetable prose? Brush up on your Twitter 101.
NO ONE IS CHECKING LINKEDIN ON A FRIDAY
It appears that when people are winding up and winding down their workweek they have less interest in what's happening on LinkedIn. Midweek around noon and 5 p.m. sees the most engagement.
Now that you know the best times to post to LinkedIn, it's time to figure out where and how.
PINTEREST IS FOR DAYDREAMING (AND WEEKENDS)
Pinterest users are checking out home organization hacks, delicious recipes, and dream purchases more on the weekends, especially first thing on Saturday. And it looks like their willpower is strong during work hours, since this is the worst time to share on Pinterest.
More of the site's users engage with brands and retailers than Facebook's. So what makes Pinterest quite possibly the best selling engine ever devised? CEO Ben Silbermann has some thoughts.
TUMBLR IS FOR NIGHT OWLS
Tumblr users are more of the night-owl variety. Some of the best times to post are between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. Post anytime before 4 p.m. if all you want is crickets.
GOOGLE+ USERS CHECK IN FIRST THING IN THE MORNING
Unlike Tumblr, Google+ users are early birds. The most engagement comes from content that is posted first thing in the morning.
One consideration worth noting when scheduling your content is how different time zones could play into your timing. It might be worthwhile to base your post timing decisions on what time zone your largest demographic falls into.
