When Is The Best Time To Post On Social Media?

The key questions on social media are:

Which sites should you post on -- and how often?

What type of content should you share?

and What time of day is best to post stuff?

There are theories on all of this. Today let's explore the best times to post.

There are many things to consider but your main question to answer is this: When will the people who should be interested in my topic/book be available to view my posts? Some factors may have to do with time zone differences of recipients.  Think about the percentage of people that are connected to you that are in a different time zone. 

Other considerations on an ideal time distribution of your content may have to do with quirks and nuances of a specific industry or group of people. One thing to keep in mind: It is not about when is it convenient for you to post something. It is about what will serve your readers/viewers/listeners best.  For instance, if people you are connected with have to do with finance, chances are they are up early in the day but not late at night. Or maybe you want to reach stay-at-home moms. Don't try them in the morning when they are rushing to get kids off to school or at pickup or dinner time.

Another thing to consider is the demographics of your social media consumer. Are they young or old? men or women? students, workers or retirees? We have preconceived notions of when members of specific groups are available to view things. 

I find my traffic is lowest on a Sunday but I also do less on the weekend to push my social media, so it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Though Saturday is always better than Sunday, weekends are less than weekdays.  My best days are usually Wednesday, then Thursday, then Tuesday, then Friday, then Monday. It makes sense. Monday is a busy and ugly day for most people. 

The type of medium you post on may also influence people's habits. For instance, people can tweet any time, but to take time or to have the privacy/quiet to watch videos on You Tube may be more limiting.

So when do people have pockets of time to check on social media? 

I tend to see spikes early in the morning -- between 6 - 8 am EST. Some people start their day looking at stuff online, just as some will do so late at night before dozing off. People will go online for a few minutes when they are bored -- such as in class, when waiting online for something, or when they have 15-20 minutes left of a work day. They will also check when at lunch or on a break. I think people tend to look at things towards the end of an hour. For instance, let's say a meeting ended early and it's 2:51. you may surf online and then get back in to work mode at three for a call or meeting or something. Or let's say you are getting back to work after lunch but have a few minutes to surf. chances are, you will go online at that time.

Being aware of the calendar is helpful. Know when holidays, anniversaries, honorary days, school breaks, etc are coming up.  for instance, the last two weeks in August in NY are dead. My social media gets cut in half during that time. the nation is on vacation and Europe is off half the summer.

The best time to post is often. That is the answer. You need to experiment and see what your traffic patterns are. But when in doubt, keep posting and hope something sticks.

Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer, Media Connect, the nation’s largest book promoter. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2014