Social media has done more than change the way people connect with their friends and family – it has also completely changed the way they shop. In 2014, for example, Facebook ads and exposure to brands on the popular platform influenced more than half of all consumer purchases, both in-stores and online. This is an astounding reach for a free online website, and it shows just how important it is that brands get their social media posting right for great digital marketing. One of the best things you can do for your brand on social media is to make sure you are posting at the right time to attract the most views and engagement.

The Best Times for Popular Social Media Platforms

What does the current data say about the best time to post on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram?

• Mid-week afternoons are the best times to post on Facebook. Thursdays around one and two in the afternoon are especially popular, while Saturday is historically the worst day to post on this platform.
• Twitter use is a bit more organic than the other platforms. While the best time to post is usually Fridays between nine and 10 in the morning, Twitter functions best as a way to quickly communicate. The “right” time is any time a consumer contacts you with a question or comment on Twitter.
• LinkedIn works best on Wednesdays. Any other day of the week has much lower engagement rates.
• Instagram is a lot like Facebook in many ways. Thursday is the best day, especially around three or four in the afternoon, while Saturday has the lowest engagement for the week.

Consider Your Goals

The data above shows an average time of when you’d get the most engagement overall on social media platforms. But if you have specific goals, you may want to dive deeper. Find out when people are more likely to share a post if you want shares; find out when they are most likely to click-through a blog link if you want to get readers on your site. Keep your goals in mind when determining your posting schedule.

Consider Audience Habits

Finally, be sure to consider your specific audience. Are they in a different time zone than you? Do they tend to be night owls rather than daytime social media browsers? While the industry standard data can help you narrow down your posting schedule, always keep in mind when your customers are actually online, as opposed to consumers as a whole.

Automate Your Posting to Make It Easy

To make this even easier, you can automate your postings to the best time for each platform with a tool like HootSuite, or with a service like Organically. Now your social media posts can be displayed at exactly the right time, no matter what your schedule looks like. This is the best way to ensure that the hard work you did on a post doesn’t go unnoticed. Reach the crowd you want by optimizing your posting schedule with Organically.