No shop would open when there is no customer shopping, likewise, no brand should tweet when there is nobody reading.

Nowadays, your social media platforms is the starting point of customer experience, it is the extension of your brand, your shop and your marketing strategy, so you need to ensure you're talking to your audiences in the right place at the right time.   Getting to know when are the Best & Worst times to post on social media is critical for your social media strategy.   

Content is the King, Distribution is the Queen

If you are social media savvy marketer, blogger, or journalist who likes to share your thoughts on social media, you want your posts to be seen and shared by as many people as possible.   Perhaps you have spent days on writing a brilliant 1000-word blog or invested hundreds and thousands to produce a video to promote your brand.   

Then what's next?  Post it on social media, then pray for it going viral?

We all know Content is the King - 40% of the marketing budget is put toward content marketing as according to Outbrain, but it's pointless to create content if no one is going to see them, so it is equally important to distribute the content to the right audience effectively. 

Post at the Right Time

"You can't buy engagement' said DigitasLBi Senior VP-Social Content Practice Lead John McCarus.  

However, if you have good content and post it at the right time, the chance of them being able to engage with your audiences will be higher.  Understanding user’s behavior on different social platforms will help your brand to better engage with your target audience.  For example, people tend to be more active on Google Plus during breakfast, Twitter at lunch, Facebook at tea-time, and Linkedin when it's close to the end of the play. 

Below is a quick overview of the Best times to post on social media. (Credit to SurePayroll)

• Google Plus: 9am - 10am, peak at 9am on Wednesdays

• Twitter: 1pm - 3pm on Monday to Thursdays

• Facebook: 1pm - 4pm, Peak at 3pm on Wednesdays

• Linkedin: Noon and 5 - 6pm on Monday to Thursdays

• Pinterest: Saturday mornings, peak at 3pm on Fridays

The times suggested above are a general guide only.  The best times to engage your audience depending on your product/service, message, and geographic locations, so we always advise and help our clients to optimize their social media based on real-time response rate. 

How to avoid your post get buried

One might ask, so if everyone is posting at the same time, it will be harder for my message to have any cut-through. Below are 5 rules to avoid your post being buried. 

1. Include pictures in your tweets/posts. Always photo posts generate 104% more comments on Facebook and 41% more retweets on Twitter.

2. Understand how people use different social media platforms and tweak your tone to fit in. People use Twitter and Linkedin for information & news, while Pinterest for inspiration.

3. Use RichPin if you use Pinterest. This platform, when used properly for business, can enhance your company in many ways including branding, exposure, website traffic, and e-commerce.

4. Make sure the URL you are driving to is mobile-optimized. 80% of UK users access Twitter via mobile.

5. Don't forget the content is still the King, so go and create incredible content!

At Comms8, we are specialized in optimizing social media strategy across the UK, China, and Asia for better audience engagement.