For Small Businesses with a Facebook page, posting is an effective way to stay engaged with your customers and is a vital part of your Digital Marketing Strategy.
It gives your customers the opportunity ‘like’ your Small Businesses page, and exposes them to your updates, discussions, new products, promotions, events and other posts you upload to your page wall. That’s the beauty of Facebook: it gives you the chance to engage your audience on a more personal level.
While you may be great at crafting these posts however, knowing what time and day to post them is a completely different conundrum. The aim of the Social Media game is to connect with your customers. And if you’re posting content that’s falling on deaf ears, due to lack of understanding about your audiences’ searching patterns, then you’re missing the mark. That’s why a good posting strategy is an absolutely key factor for every Business with a successful Facebook page.
Both Small Businesses and larger Companies have conducted numerous studies in an attempt to figure out what works best regarding posting times during the normal Business hours between 9am – 5pm.
The truth is, when it comes to posting on Facebook, or Social Media in general, there is no exact science to it. It really depends on the audience you’re trying to target (who they are and where they’re located), your overall objective and the kind of content you share.
In saying this however, while there is no universal ‘best times’ to post, there are resources that can help your Small Business find the optimal moments to strike. So that your posts are always in plain sight of your target market…
What Is The Best Day To Post On Social Media?
According to Digital Marketing experts, there is no set guideline for ‘the best days of the week to post’ on Facebook, as long as there is a post any day from Monday to Friday.
However, when it comes to the ‘best time to post’, the same research says 1pm will get you the most shares, while a 3pm post might get you the most clicks.
Recent studies have all also suggested that user engagement is at its highest on Thursdays and Fridays, while in contrast engagement is roughly 3.5% lower on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. The logic here suggests that users are in a happier state on the days closest to the weekend.
Some Digital Marketers will probably tell you that two posts per day is the ideal frequency. However, multiple studies tell otherwise, including a recent report that found that businesses with more than 10,000 followers were the only ones that saw an increased number of clicks when posting more than once per day.
Meanwhile, Smaller Businesses with less than 10,000 Facebook followers found that they received 50% fewer clicks per post when they published twice per day, while others that posted just 1-5 times per month saw their engagement nearly double.
Currently, Facebook’s algorithm prioritises content from a user’s friends and family in their news feeds. This presents Businesses with quite the hurdle since it makes it harder to get their content in front of their audience, and frequent posting may not necessarily be the answer. Therefore, try to aim for a minimum of one post per day, which should be sufficient enough to get the desired views, likes and even a comment or two.
When Is The Best Time For Small Businesses To Post On Facebook?
Since two Facebook posts a day is the industry standard, the question now becomes when are the best times to post?
Well, every Small Business’s audience is different, therefore the best time to engage with your followers to gain those clicks and likes will vary quite dramatically. That’s why the best advice for any Small Business is simply to do trial and error testing to figure out what works best for you.
Though there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to what you should post, its recommended to try posting a variety of content, from polls, to sales promotions, links to your blogs, memes and videos. Then post these at various days of the working week between 9am and 5pm.
Most Social Media platforms will allow you to quite easily analyse your own data, for example Facebook gives you access to the ‘Insights’ Tab, where you can view this information. After a few weeks, you’ll be able to ascertain which times saw you gain the most response from your audience, in terms of reach, likes, shares and comments. All of these will give you a general overview of the post’s success and the optimum times and days for you to engage with your followers.
In conclusion, while research says to just stick to one Facebook post per day, or five posts per week, the key to posting at the best times simply comes down to data analysis. Don't overwhelm your audience with Facebook posts, and be selective about what you're publishing. Posting on Facebook is a balancing act for sure, but by knowing the best times to post, you can help improve your visibility, credibility and your overall results from your Social Media posts almost instantly.
If you’re a Small Business owner that is struggling to maintain a strong Social Media presence, then let Sites n Stores do it for you! Contact us today and let our Social Media experts develop a custom-designed strategy that fulfils your business needs.