Social Media plays such a huge part in brand growth, but unless you use it properly, it will not help you gain any extra exposure. There are many different factors that go into creating successful social media accounts, and one of the biggest ones is posting at just the right time in order to get the most visibility.
Before you know the best and worst times to post on each social media platform, retailers need to provide attractive content if you want all of those eyeballs on your page. Two of the main points to keep in mind is that not all content needs to be shared everywhere, and not all content is suitable for every social media platform. While some sites encourage videos and fun pictures, for others, it is best to post facts or polls.
- The Best Content for Facebook
- The Best Content for Instagram
- The Best Content for Twitter
- The Best Content for LinkedIn
- The Best Content for Pinterest
- The Best Content for TikTok
- — Best Times to Post
The Best Content for Facebook
According to Buffer, videos and curated content will get the most attention on Facebook. From their own research, video posts generated the highest average reach among all post types. The average engagement on their video posts is almost on par with that of their photo posts, which have the highest average engagement. Buzzsumo analyzed 68 million Facebook posts and found a similar trend: videos have higher average engagement than images and links.
The Best Content for Instagram
Shopify says that it is important to have a mix of engaging content that will appeal to Instagram users at different stages of their customer journey. For example:
- Show off your products with high quality pictures and videos.
Be sure to avoid making your pictures look like ads, and include rich, interesting captions, not just product names and a few trending Instagram hashtags. - Produce fun Instagram reels.
Video is important in today’s current social setting, and using more of it in your feed will help you stand out. - Take followers behind the scenes.
Followers love behind-the-scenes content — it creates transparency that allows them to feel like they are getting to know the “real” you behind the brand. - Give your employees the spotlight.
Selfies and other “sneak peek” Instagram photos are another way to show your followers the human side of your brand, making it easier for them to form an emotional connection to you and trust you more.
The Best Content for Twitter
Twitter suggest that in order to get the best engagement on their platform, retailers should limit hashtags to one-to-two per tweet, be conversational with your followers, keep your tweet short and sweet, use analytics to see what tweets work best for your brand, monitor events and trending conversations so you can interact more, and use a lot of images, GIFs, and videos whenever possible.
The Best Content for LinkedIn
The key to succeeding on LinkedIn—and often going viral—is to be personable, according to an article from Gaetano DiNardi, the Director of Growth Marketing at Nextiva. Treat the platform like a forum for discussions, debates, and authentic conversations. It is the best way to prove you are not just there to sell. Some great posts to publish include opinion posts, controversial videos, personal stories and emotional hooks around your brand, the promotion of free products or sales, opening the floor to discussion, and going behind-the-scenes with your company, similar to Instagram.
The Best Content for Pinterest
This social media platform is all about images. Users post captivating and noteworthy pictures of themselves, apparel, DIY crafts, home decor, gardening, and basically anything that they want to show off to the world. According to Pinterest, they recommend brands use high quality, vertical images that will stand out in users’ feeds. They propose a 2:3 aspect ratio, or 1000 x 1500 pixels. Other ratios may negatively impact your picture’s performance.
The Best Content for TikTok
TikTok is a great platform to reach younger audiences, such as Millennials and Gen Z, that focuses on posting captivating videos. Cyberclick offers some great content ideas, which include joining in on any trending social challenges, posting dance videos, making playbacks, posting duet videos, creating videos that revolve around a day in your life as a business owner, and sharing educational videos.
Best Times to Post:
Now that you have all of these great content ideas to publish on each social media platform, Sprout Social offers the best and worst times to post on each site in Central Time (CST):
The Best & Worst Times to Post on Facebook
- Best times to post: Mondays through Fridays at 3 a.m., Tuesdays at 10 a.m. and noon
- Best days to post: Tuesdays through Fridays
- Worst days to post: Saturdays
The Best & Worst Times to Post on Instagram
- Best times to post: Mondays at 11 a.m., Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Thursdays and Fridays 10 a.m. and 11 a.m.
- Best days to post: Tuesdays and Wednesdays
- Worst days to post: Sundays
The Best & Worst Times to Post on Twitter
- Best times to post: Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 9 a.m.
- Best days to post: Tuesdays and Wednesdays
- Worst days to post: Sundays
The Best & Worst Times to Post on LinkedIn
- Best times to post: Tuesdays 10 a.m. to noon
- Best days to post: Wednesdays and Thursdays
- Worst days to post: Saturdays and Sundays
The Best & Worst Times to Post on Pinterest
- Best times to post: Fridays and Saturdays 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.
- Best days to post: Fridays and Saturdays
- Worst days to post: In the evenings during after-work commuting hours
The Best & Worst Times to Post on TikTok (in EST)
- Best times to post: 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., and from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
- Best days to post: Tuesdays at 9 a.m., Thursdays at 12 p.m., and Fridays at 5 a.m.
- Worst days to post: There is no definitive answer for this, but Recurpost says these specific times throughout the week have the lowest engagement:
- Mondays: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- Tuesdays: 10 a.m. to 12 a.m.
- Wednesdays: 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- Thursdays: 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
- Fridays: 4 p.m. to 4 a.m.
- Saturdays: 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.
- Sundays: 5 p.m. to 6 a.m.