Admit it. At some point either you, or your boss has asked this question. It’s an incredibly common question and is usually paired with a similar question about the best time to send an email.
There are at least 485,000 infographics dedicated to the subject and each will tell you a window of time that based on their highly scientific research will guarantee you sky high open rates, double digit click rates and untold riches. Well, I’ve scanned through each of these reports, yes, all 485,000 of them, and I’ve assembled the correct answer for you.
Are you ready?
The best time to post to Social Media is 6:00am
If your target audience is an early rising CEO that checks his/her social networks before anyone else has even had their morning coffee.
But wait, there’s more…
The best time to post to social media is 3:00am
If you run an insomnia clinic.
Don’t lock it in just yet, new data shows that…
The best time to post to social media is between 3:00pm – 6:00pm
If you have a bar that is trying to promote your happy hour specials.
But I recently found something that suggests that the actual time that you should be posting on social media is…
There is no single best time to post on social media
Because depending on the network you use, the location of your audience, the behaviors of your audience, and the nature of your product or service, the answer could be anytime between 12:00am and 11:59pm.
So what should you do?
For one, stop worrying so much. It’s just social media. At the end of the day, for most people it’s a mindless habit.
Second, try things and see the results. Then adjust.
At the start, you’ll want to consider who your audience is. Think how they might behave. Think about when they might be online. Then post in that window. After a little while, check the results.
Then try another time. After a little while, check the results.
Try using the baked in analytics in different pieces of software. Mailchimp will tell you when the best time to send your email is after analyzing your audiences open behaviors. Buffer will look at your audience and determine the best time to send to them.
But no matter what, stop believing there is a single and magical time for everyone. It just doesn’t exist.