Perfect Your Social Media Timing

How to increase your digital marketing reach – by perfecting your social media timing.

Recently we’ve been looking at whether we really still need websites in the age of mobile, then whether we really need content amid a culture of ephemeral, disposable communication? We then revealed 3 steps to increasing organic social media reach, so now we dig deeper and look at the specific timings that will deliver increased reach.
We mentioned last time that social media white noise is everywhere leading to more and more social media competition, making it more and more difficult to be heard.

1. Think about your product offering

Sue and Nigel, discovered that absolutely nobody was interested in seeing social media posts of their Surrey Smart semi, which surprised them greatly. But isn’t that what social media is all about? Posting stuff of beautiful things that other people flock to admire?
Well it can happen, but they are the exception rather than rule. Most stuff just passes the world by, unseen and ignored. Why? Partly because of timing, but also because the offer just isn’t there. No-one really wants to see Sue’s Surrey-smart house because it’s just not very interesting – it’s just a normal house, filled with pretty normal stuff. It’s not Kylie Jenner’s house and it’s not in Los Angeles. It’s on a suburban estate in Surrey.
Also, as we’ve reminded you before, writing original content is difficult – we suggested trying to write something original and witty on a birthday card: “Suddenly a few minutes feels like an hour and you end up scribbling: ‘you don’t look a day over 21 – ha ha’ – and hating yourself for it”. So, make sure you have something saying – and say it well. Then say it when the people you want to hear it are listening. Otherwise you are throwing your pearls of wisdom into social media space.
Which brings us back to our point:

2. Good timing will help you reach your audience

Now we now dig a little deeper on timing of your social posts, to see when is best to post in order to increase your reach.  There has been much written on when is best to publish for each platform. Each article you read may come to different conclusions, but we’ve dug out some great infographics from Oberlo to get you started.

Best times to post on Facebook

• The best times to post on Facebook are Thursday to Sunday – at 1pm to 4pm.
• Tuesday receives the least amount of engagement on Facebook

Best times to post on Instagram

• The best times to post on Instagram are Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays between 11 am and 1pm, and 7pm and 9pm.
• Wednesday is the overall best day to post to Instagram
• Sunday receives the least amount of engagement on Instagram

Best times to post on Twitter

• The best times to post on Twitter are weekdays, between 12 – 1pm
• Saturday and Sunday are the worst days to post and receive the least engagement.

Best times to post on LinkedIn

• The best times to post are Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays between 10 am and 11am.
• Saturday and Sunday predictably receive the least amount of engagement on LinkedIn

 
So, now we’ve had a look at some of the best times to post on various platforms, how do we best maximise the effect of good timing?

3. Invest some time in your content

The very reason we might be advising putting time into content, is that you don’t have endless piles of cash to throw at paid social media marketing.
It’s a much easier game to play, if you can get someone else to do it. Pay per click campaigns and social media influencers are all very well if you have a pot of cash to throw at it without worrying about the consequences. Most SMEs do not have that luxury, but most have a member of staff who produces content for posting on social media.
To achieve this, invest on your staff and give them the time to do their job properly. In the days of increasing competition, social media noise and shrinking organic reach, the only thing left is to raise the quality of your output above the mediocrity of social media white noise.
Don’t just assume that some slick professional imagery without any resonance or story will produce results – artsy shots of Nigel and Sue’s scatter cushion Surry Smart living room? We’ve seen it all before. You need some creativity to write a story, come up with some ideas that resonate, then time your posts to reach your desired audience when they are listening.

If you’ve taken your first steps to improving your social media timing, and maybe feel that you still some help with shaping this into a strategy – get in touch, we’d love to hear from you!

Related Article:  3 steps to increasing organic social media reach

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