Anyone who has a product for sale will appreciate social media has become an important avenue for doing so in modern culture. This applies no matter whether the seller is an incorporated company or an independent individual. As usual in this website, independent authors are to the forefront in these considerations, though much of the following may also prove helpful to others.
There is much with social media that may appear mysterious or difficult to fathom. Algorithms for instance, especially when the hosting company prefers to keep the operational methods secret. These deserve investigation by those who have the skills but this article will not make such an attempt. Here it is intended to simply try and assess the best times for posting content into Facebook; Twitter; Instagram; and LinkedIn which are considered the primary social media sites for selling. Of course, there are others some readers may prefer but to make this a reasonably accessible article it has been limited to those.
It is worth noting the nature of a business or an intended purpose may impact which are the best times to post e.g. commercial business; media outlet; non-profit organisation; healthcare provider; etc. In the following an attempt has been made to identify the times considered best for general sharing. The information is broken down by site and day of week.
Monday: 10am + 1-3pm
Tuesday: 9am – 2pm
Wednesday: 9-11am + 1-3pm
Thursday: 9am-2pm
Friday: 1-3pm
Saturday: 1-2pm (poor engagement)
Sunday: 11am-1pm (very poor engagement)
Monday: 9am-3pm
Tuesday: 7am-3pm (and possibly 7-8pm)
Wednesday: 8am-3pm (and possibly 5-6pm)
Thursday: 9am-3pm
Friday: 8am-2pm
Saturday: 8-10am (poor engagement)
Sunday: 9am (poor engagement)
Monday: 11am-4pm + 7-9pm
Tuesday: 5am + 11am-4pm + 7-9pm
Wednesday: 5am + 11am-3pm + 7-9pm
Thursday: 5am + 11am-3pm + 7-9pm
Friday: 5am + 9am-1pm + 7-9pm
Saturday: 9-11am (poor engagement)
Sunday: 11am-2pm (poor engagement)
Monday: 11am-1pm
Tuesday: 7am-2pm + 5-6pm
Wednesday: 7am-12pm (noon) + 5-6pm
Thursday: 7am-1pm + 5-6pm
Friday: 6am-2pm
Saturday: 8-9am
Sunday: 9am (poor engagement)
Note: LinkedIn itself suggests: Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday 7.30-8.30am + 12pm (noon) + 5-6pm
The information provided has been consolidated from a large variety of sources many of which contain substantially differing estimates. The times shown are an attempt to discern the most viable overall periods for posting. No guarantee may be given that these will prove entirely effective for everyone but they will hopefully prove useful for some.
As stated, the times mentioned are a general overview. The best option is for the company or individual to test their post engagement rates by adding content at various times over a reasonable period. Such things as audience location; product type; when and where customers prefer to spend their online activity time; etc. will have an impact. It would also help to analyse any data available to them from each social media site.
Note: Most studies draw statistics from United States of America activity nevertheless, there is no reason to think the findings do not also stand good for any territory or time zone.
Conclusion
Anyone who wishes to sell a product or service has little option but to accept social media, whether they like it or not, is almost an essential if they are to succeed. When to post is however another issue and one that requires research. A search of the internet will reveal multiple studies of the topic though with varying findings. This does not mean they are not useful. It is possible to gain an overall comprehension of times that, if nothing else, give the user a basis from which to work with their own testing.
It is hoped the resumé of findings provided in this article will assist users to find their best times for posting. Perhaps, in the first instance, it will be worth posting within the suggested time periods and see what engagement is like.
T. R. Robinson Publications 