The Rolling Stones, the ageless British rockers, have joyously sang over the years, “time is on my side, yes it is. Now you all were saying that you want to be free”. But is it really? How many of us can say “time is on my side” when it comes to social media for our own brands?
We have witnessed social media at all times of the day and night during this Presidential election cycle, with most of the tweeting, retweeting and posting done in the early morning hours, before even the roosters began their ritualistic dawn crowing to welcome the coming sunrise. There is one candidate who uses an early morning attack style much like a boxer would: stick and jab, stick and jab and dodge. Much of the posts would make even the most punch drunk boxer spit out his or her mouth guard, but it’s a strategy that seems to work on some levels.
While this all-out twitter offensive may work for high-profile political candidates is it the best way to conduct your business’s social media? I know there are some consumers that work and sleep at off hours, but the majority of your target market probably sleep between 10 P.M. and 6 A.M. (note: unscientific research went in to that timeframe, it’s called an educated guess). So shouldn’t your social media outreach reflect this?
There are many factors that go in to determining the perfect time to post, including which platform you are using, the type of business and consumer you are wanting to reach, and of course the region. Lucky for us there is plenty of data on the internet for you to educate yourself and your colleagues on what are the best practices and times to post updates. Here’s a link to a great story from Hubspot.com with more details than your Master’s Thesis: http://bit.ly/2dOOs2D.
A quick peak at the best times:
- Facebook – On weekends, between 12:00 and 1:00 P.M.; 3:00 and 4:00 P.M. on Wednesdays; and between 1:00 and 4:00 P.M. Thursday and Friday
- Twitter – 12:00 to 3:00 P.M. Monday through Friday; 5:00 to 6:00 P.M. on Wednesdays
- Linkedin – 7:30 to 8:30 A.M, Noon, and 5:00 to 6:00 P.M. Tuesday through Thursday
- Instagram – Any time Monday through Friday, with the exception of 3:00 to 4:00 P.M.
Now with that I must get back to work so I can get to bed at a decent time. I need to be fresh when my alarm clock goes off at 3 A.M. – You know, when all of the best political dirt gets shared on social media.
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