If you have been following the Unstoppable Family for anytime at all you will already know that we use Facebook as our primary source for connecting to our audience, sharing our travels and marketing our business.
I can’t begin to count the number of studies I’ve read that claim they know the best time to post on Facebook, sort of makes my head spin.
While most of these studies conflict with one another, they also consistently conflict with my own analysis. This may not be what you want to hear, but the best time to post depends on your business and your audience. With a little extra effort and a little creative thinking, you can determine the best time for you and your crowd.
How can you determine the best time for your business?
Focus on understanding your audience
Research shows that a Facebook post receives half of its reach within 30 minutes. Consequently, you should try to determine when your fans are on Facebook and aim to schedule your posts around that time.
Step 1: Determine who your audience is
Look at your Facebook demographics. They may be different than you think. You can review the age range and gender break down by opening your Facebook Insights and visiting the “Likes” tab. If you have multiple locations or a large customer base, you will want to review the location of your audience as they may be spread across various time zones.
Step: 2: Think about what their day looks like
Now that you know the demographic of your audience, think about their day — is your typical fan a mom? A student? Likely to work at 9-5 job? All of these factors can help determine the best time to post on your page.
Step 3: Apply what you know
Use the information you now have about your audience to post effectively. These Facebook statistics might also help provide more insight about posting best practices.
Facebook Statistics And Usage
Today, more people access Facebook from a mobile device than a desktop — 751 million monthly active users to be exact. Smartphone owners even spend more time checking Facebook on their mobile device than they do using Google. (For those who are skeptical about their fans viewing their Facebook content via mobile, don’t worry. You can check it all out in Facebook Insights.)
Think about this…80 percent of 18-44 year olds check their smartphone as soon as they wake up. It’s likely that your fans are reaching for their phones and scanning their newsfeed as they start their day. This creates an optimal time to post. In the last month or so, I’ve tested posting between the hours of 6:30-8:30am on the Unstoppable Family page and always post my first post before 9am EST everyday to maximize my views.
Smartphone owners tend to reach for their phones around meal times and 86 percent of mobile internet users report using their device while watching TV. These individuals also spend almost double their time accessing social media via a mobile device on the weekends compared to weekdays.
Don’t jump to any conclusions just yet though. Weekends and weekdays, between 5:00-8:00pm, aren’t necessarily the optimal time to post because of newsfeed competition. During these hours, you’re likely to compete with your fans’ hundreds of friends and the other brands they follow.
On the Unstoppable Family Facebook Page, I’ve noticed that our posts receive the most engagement during off-peak hours when less overall posting is going on. Try to find your engagement sweet spot by determining the intersection of time when the majority of your audience is on Facebook and the time when the least overall posting is occurring.
Studies have also shown that more than half of users only access Facebook when they’re not at work or school. Also, the hours that people are commuting to and from work shows mobile usage peaks. Although it’s not safe if they’re driving, many mobile social media users are checking their phones on the way to work, which creates a great time to post about your business.
Let’s review. When is a good time to post on Facebook?
√ Early morning
χ During work (9am – 5pm)
√ Between work and dinner
χ After dinner (TV time)
√ Bedtime
χ Weekends
I hope this post and information served you. If so please leave a comment and share with others.
Big UNSTOPPABLE thanks to the guys at Constant Contact For this content!
Always BE UNSTOPPABLE
Rhonda Swan