So, you’ve created your business accounts on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Google Plus and LinkedIn, but you aren’t getting the feedback you had anticipated. You’re wondering what you’re doing wrong. “Why aren’t we hitting our follower goals?” “Why aren’t we getting leads?” “Why aren’t we getting more interaction from our followers?” The questions continue to pile up in your mind.
If you’re publishing educational content, both your own and curated, on multiple social media platforms, posting entertaining photos and creative graphics on your visual-centric channels and responding to your followers when they contact you via social media, you may think you’re doing all you can to be successful. But what about your timing? If you’re using all social media best practices but posting during low traffic times, you may be wasting your efforts.
Just like major cities and highways, different channels of social media have different “rush hours." Planning your posts to coincide with these high traffic spans of time will ensure your content will reach the widest audience. Here are the best and worst times to post on social media according to Social Caffeine:
Since all of the social platforms have differing high-traffic times, it’s best to include these details in your written social media strategy. Writing out and organizing what will be posted and when will guarantee you won't confuse or miss any medium's rush hour. In addition, it's essential to pay attention to your own data and analytics and adjust your schedule accordingly.
Along with analyzing your data, keep in mind the type of industry you're in. These times may vary depending on your target audience. Are your customers night owls? If so, posting during these intervals could miss them completely. Social media marketing is not an exact science, it involves research and continuous trial and error to be successful.
Another thing to remember is the gender and age range of your audience. Some platforms attract women more than men, and some are more youth oriented than others. Here is a quick breakdown according to Mashable:
Gender: Even percentages of women and men
Age: Those 45 and older make up 49 percent of users
Gender: Women make up 57 percent of users
Age: Those 45 and older make up 46 percent of users
Gender: Women make up 59 percent of users
Age: Those 25-44 make up 58 percent of users
Gender: Men make up 71 percent of users
Age: Those 24 or younger make up 50 percent of users
Gender: Women make up 82 percent of users
Age: Those younger than 34 make up 55 percent of users
Managing your social media is much less stressful when you're educated on all aspects of your audience. Making sure you and your team are continuously learning and bettering your practices ensures you will be successful in social media marketing.
Have you found posting at certain times on your social channels works better? Share your findings in the comment section below!
Courtney Moser is an Associate at Kuno Creative. She applies her passion for writing and editing to assist in creating content for Kuno and its clients. She loves to read, expand her vocabulary, and write engaging content for multiple audiences. You can connect with Courtney on LinkedIn.
photo credit: H is for Home
