Because we’re social media marketing gurus, we get this question all the time: When is the best time to post on Facebook?
It started back in 2012, when a terrifying statistic made its way around business circles: Facebook posts acquire half of their reach within 30 minutes of posting. While marketers had long observed this phenomenon and adjusted their plans accordingly, suddenly their non-marketing-department colleagues or even bosses wanted to know what they were doing about it. Hence today, the number of studies attempting to answer this very question is greater than all the cute puppy pic Likes put together.
We here at Brandsplat occasionally read such a study, snorting derisively at its conclusions: “First thing in the morning!” “Saturday, around noon Pacific.” “Right before the competition!” (How would that last one even work?)
We’re going to let you in on a little secret: The best time to post on Facebook is “it depends.”
Just like all aspects of your business’s marketing campaign, the right time to connect with your audience via Facebook depends largely on two things: who they are and what they want. Using Facebook’s analytics, look at the age, gender and location of your visitors. Then imagine what their day-to-day life is like. Are they mostly women, aged 45-64, in North America? Many of these women may be stay-at-home mothers or caregivers to elderly parents who are Facebooking for a break from the action. Check on visitor trends with your Facebook Insights tool to see when they post pictures, comment or share. That’s their down time — it’s when they’re at their most relaxed and interested in engaging with you. Find out when that is and hire us to camp out online and really be there with them.
But remember: If you’re a national or international company, there will be many more opportunities to engage, but the windows will be more narrow, thanks to differing time zones. All the more reason to have someone else handle the task.
Leave a Reply