Time it right!

There is always the danger when you’re posting material on social media that it will be missed by your target audience. Consider the newsfeeds on Facebook as an example. The user can log into their account and all of the latest information should be right there on their newsfeed. But what if you posted four hours ago and their newsfeed is packed with updates from their friends and relatives who all appear to be having a great day at work? Chances are, they don’t get to see your post.

Knowing the best time to post on social media is not that easy because there are so many factors to take into consideration. Think about your audience. How old is your target audience? If you aim your products at teenagers then later afternoon evenings, and weekends are probably the best time to post – during the day on weekdays they are at school and you could easily miss them. Think about the time zone that they live in too. Then consider the type of social media they are using. Are you aiming your services at young professionals? LinkedIn is the type of social media site that professionals will use mainly during the working day as they often post information related to their business.

To determine the best time of day to post, use the same content but post it several times. Check the traffic for the site at regular intervals and you will soon be able to see which of the posts has been seen by the most people.

You should also make sure that you check out the competition. See what time of the day they’re posting content, and watch out for comments on their posts, so you can see when people are responding. It may be that you find it more beneficial to post online when your competition is out of the office, such as on Sundays.

The important thing to remember is that things change and in the modern world they change very quickly. Even when you find a system that works for you it is essential that you check regularly to make sure that the same patterns are being used.

Similar factors should be taken into consideration when emailing people. However, this offers you more flexibility as emails will simply stay in a person’s inbox until they are ready to read them, but some people are less likely to read old emails. This is why it can be a good idea to do this during the working day when most people check their emails regularly. If you are replying to emails sent to you by customers then the general rule is to respond as quickly as possible with a full answer if you can. Customers appreciate a rapid response and are therefore more likely to take notice of email and social media postings.

Optimum times for social media and emails will be different for every business, which is why it is so important to do the research. This is something that may take a little time but will definitely pay dividends.