As anyone with a product or service to get the word out about has long realized, the viewers that “eat up” your social media posts are sometimes doing so while munching on their lunch for the day! As post-scheduling software has allowed marketing professionals to get their messages out on autopilot, those who were already watching traffic trends had reason to celebrate. Instead of digging deep and trying to use a “sixth sense” of sorts about when people were reading, they could just stuff a few great photos or one-liners down the pipeline for 6 PM and call it good.
Inspiring Organic Growth Through Timeliness:
Leading social management tool provider Sprout Social analyzed over 30,000 customers over the past year and their findings were very valuable regarding posting times. As the research group took a close look at the days during the work and school week, posting times that enjoyed the most engagement were surprisingly not after the sun went down! The general average defined the hours between 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM to be the absolute best for snapping up desired attention.
There are always exceptions to any rule, and all of us here at Farfetched Studios have checked up on sporting events, the latest clothing we admire, and other snippets of pop culture as we are enjoying our free time on a Saturday afternoon. This particular group also concluded that Sundays are the single worst day of the week to post, which can be a difficult finding to absorb: after family duties are done and you’re enjoying a little downtime, isn’t this when people book flights, do their grocery list, and look to be entertained while they are not under pressure?
So, Lunch Hour Boasts Click-Through and Retention Domination?
This is where we must edge in and say a bit about consistency because we know that there are absolutely users browsing for what interests them on the weekend. LinkedIn posts do not enjoy a great deal of interactivity on the weekends, but talking about upcoming conferences or lightly asking your followers about some of their achievements is always fair game. The all-important “boosted post” on Facebook enjoys quite a bit of success between 10:00 and 2:00 PM on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.
It is also crucial to point out that much like the Nielsen ratings, market data such as this can always be skewed a bit. Some posts that went live at about noon are sometimes seen by people after rush hour at around 5:00 or 6:00 o’clock, and thereby possess a successful draw. But for the messages that are all about hot new products, an entire new subdivision opening up to better help customers, or awards and accolades are best “released to the universe” during midday hours.
Delving Into the Later Browsing Hours:
It was a bit surprising to see that TikTok’s peak times were Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 2 until 6 P.M. A few digital marketing professionals have theories about this: some of the employment sectors that are growing the fastest since the pandemic have been in hospitality and food service, which give many of their workers days off early in the week. However, a general law of averages would make others think that during times when people are busiest, they are scrolling to be briefly distracted.
One of the most important stats for digital agencies nationwide to think about originates from the spending projection realm. 77% of surveyed customers are likely to increase their spending with brands they feel connected to, clearly dictating the need for relevant substance when the time does happen to be right for posting. Most users begin their day ready to read at around 9AM, and then change their preferences to video content around 1PM.
Not Fully Embracing a “Silent Saturday”:
Companies that pour capital into figuring out the analytics of posting certainly have made a name for themselves, and their findings are solid evidence to use generally. Here it should be added that time spent with your own analytics tools and social media reports might be best for your strategy while keeping a keen eye on your engagement, sales, spikes in traffic, and overall brand awareness. Hootsuite is currently the most popular post-scheduling software, and its analytics tools will pull your unique posting history automatically.
Even though the metrics show that weekends are not entirely favorable, we know from personal experience that people on their phones are dutifully scrolling away on Saturdays. Boosted post algorithms will sometimes show up when it has been gathered that a user is searching about a certain product or even talking about it on the phone, and so those types of posts are a bit harder to control timeliness on. If you are scheduling a post with Saturday in mind, it can be a wise choice to introduce a new team member, tell your success stories, or focus on an event such as a community concert or meeting that could be a bit off the wall or exhilarating.
Setting Your Clock After Glance at Competitors:
A quick look at your competitors’ feeds will clue you into what their high-performing posts did successfully. One stellar insider tip we have learned over the years is that many companies post right on the hour, so setting your posts up for 15 or 45 after the hour could reach an increment that is not as saturated. The industry benchmarking tool within Hootsuite shows you how you compare to the competition, and even offers personalized tips for staying ahead in the race.
Social media is always changing, but the times at which your audience could be seeking what you are offering can remain consistent. Knowing when your consumer base is most likely to engage and make decisions is valuable, but so is the blueprint for implementation and improvement: our team at FarFetched Studios will constantly alter any approach to retain prompt and attentive engagement.