“When is the best time to post?” This is one of the most commonly asked questions a social media pro receives about social media.
And I’m sorry to break this disappointing news. There is no “magic time” that will guarantee maximum visibility and engagement on a post, especially now that social media posts no longer show up in chronological order.
That being said, there are best practices that will help you grow your network of followers and increase engagement. I’ve listed them below.
Think about behaviors
Do you quickly scroll through Instagram when you wake up and again in the evening? Do you notice your friends and family use Sunday evening to catch up with each other’s weekend on social media?
Posting at the times you observe people tuned into technology as a part of their daily schedule may increase engagement with your content.
Trial and error
Because every audience is different, high-traffic periods vary depending on your particular audience — those who follow you.
Experiment with posting at different times and then track changes in engagement.
If you’re not sure where to begin, spend time monitoring your Instagram, Facebook or Twitter feed closely to discover when the people and brands you follow post. Use those times to begin testing your own schedule.
Frequency
A sound social media strategy will focus on post quality over post quantity. Once you develop your content timing, you can begin focusing on creating more quality content.
Try planning your posts for the week in advance when you have some time. We recommend aiming for three posts per week to start.
Live-tweeting
Twitter is all about timely content. Live-tweeting is a great way to engage with Twitter users and show your participation in major moments.
At a panel, event, or open house, share your insights and photos in real-time. See if your event has a promoted hashtag or account that you can use in your tweets. Joining a conversation is a great way to gain followers.
Act with awareness
A strong social media presence doesn’t happen by accident. It comes with close attention to detail about both the platform and your audience.
Below are three best practices to follow when posting:
- One at a time: It may be tempting to use those spare 10 minutes to upload all four of the pictures you want to share this week, but your followers will probably not appreciate the sudden influx of content from one person. We strongly recommend sharing one post at a time, with no more than two posts each day.
- Time zones: It’s likely that most of the news and content you post will be relevant for a local following. When traveling or sharing content about more diverse topics, you should keep time zone differences in mind. You want to be sure your posts reach the most relevant audience.
- Public availability: Social media platforms are inherently public, making them great brand- and business-promotion tools. However, they also require discretion. If you have a client meeting or have told a colleague you are unavailable, your digital activity may not be appropriate. As a general rule, if you wouldn’t take a call or email during that time, you also shouldn’t post on social media!
Want to see how Compass handles timing and frequency? Follow us on Instagram.