The majority of people on Facebook post whenever the mood strikes them - and for the majority of people on Facebook that works. But, did you know that you can increase the effectiveness of your posts by timing them correctly? Posting when people are active increases not only your organic reach, but it will also encourage visits to your website and your other social media profiles.
But what time should you post?
Many check Facebook as soon as they wake up or at lunch, or when they're bored in the afternoon and ready to be off work. Should you post at all three times? It gets very confusing.
Thankfully, there's quite a lot of research available on the subject, so let's dive in with insights from SurePayroll, QuickSprout, and Ghergich & Co.
What Time to Post
SurePayroll, in conjunction with Ghergich &Co, suggest that the afternoon is the best time to post - between 1pm and 4pm. QuickSprout has a smaller time frame of 1pm to 3pm; if you post closer to 1pm, you get more shares. If you post closer to 3pm, you get more clicks. QuickSprout also suggests posting during the day between 9am and 7pm.
It's also a good idea for businesses to post in the correct time zone for their audience - a business in San Diego will have a different posting time than one in Detroit.
What Day to Post
QuickSprout's data indicates that 86% of posts are published during the work week. The posts published towards the end of the week, on a Thursday or a Friday, have higher engagement rates - Facebook's happiness index spikes on Friday. SurePayroll suggest Wednesday as the best day to post and the weekends as the worst for businesses.
What to Post
SurePayroll's data indicates that posts with photos receive 53% more likes and 104% more comments. If your status has an image to go along with it, use it.
In Summary
Overall it would seem that posting in the afternoon, during the week, would be a business' best bet, as well as publishing multiple posts towards the end of the week. Keep in mind that this research is in no way complete as Facebook continues to change its algorithm for posts and pages and performance is largely driven by your own audience behaviors. These suggestions are just that - suggestions. Vary the times, days and content to see which post attracts the largest audience and then use that to plan your social marketing strategy. Pay attention to the Insights feature on Facebook so that you can see when you have new likes, comments, and fans of your page.
Do you have any other tips for Facebook and posting? Let us know in the comments.