Updated Date: May 19, 2022
When it comes to posting on Facebook, it turns out that the “when” is just as important as the “what” and the “why,” and in the world of social media marketing, timing is everything.
You’re probably already well-aware that Facebook can serve as an invaluable method for connecting with your audience and building your brand.
Offering a huge amount of potential for helping your business grow and succeed, Facebook is a smart and savvy way to bridge the gap between your brand and consumers. But figuring out what kind of content to share can be a challenge, and sometimes, it is even more difficult to determine the best time to post on Facebook.
For plenty of people that are fairly new to social media marketing, the idea that there’s an ideal time to post on Facebook is somewhat of a surprise. But for the social media experts at V Digital Services, it’s nuances like this that have made us so passionate about what we do and how we help our clients.
And now, our team wants to help you. So, we’ve put together a go-to guide that breaks down exactly what you need to know to time your Facebook posts for the best possible results, eliminating at least some of the uncertainty so you can share content with confidence.
Why Facebook Should Be One of the Stars of Your Social Media Strategy
First and foremost, it’s vital that Facebook is a foundational part of your digital marketing plans. If you haven’t already established a presence on the international social media platform, now’s the time. With more than 2.4 billion monthly active users and as the third most-visited website on the planet (Hootsuite), Facebook is a giant of the digital world.
And yet, successful marketing on Facebook remains somewhat of a mystery for many people. While that’s largely due to the unique challenges that come with reaching your specific target audience, it’s also because Facebook marketing best practices can change on a dime. But even so, it’s still one of the most powerful platforms for social media marketing and more than worth your time and effort.
If you’ve yet to venture into Facebook marketing territory, don’t worry – because with what you learn here, you’ll be well-equipped to dive right in.
When is the Best Time to Post on Facebook?
Like many digital marketing questions, this is one that doesn’t exactly have a single “right” answer. Generally, choosing the best time for your Facebook post will depend on your industry, what you know about your audience, and your goals.
But thanks to extensive data collection from the social media benchmarking tool known as Unmetric, we do have a loose answer of sorts:
- For B2B (business to business) brands, the best time to post on Facebook is between 9:00 AM and 2:00 PM EST, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.
- For B2C (business to consumer) brands, the best time to post on Facebook is 12:00 PM EST on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays.
If you do a little digging, you’re likely to find some variance in the information about the best times to post on Facebook and other social media platforms. For example, some studies have found that, if your aim is maximum exposure, 9:00 AM, 1:00 PM, and 3:00 PM on Sundays, Thursdays, Fridays are all ideal options. Other experts have said that avoiding posts after 5:00 PM is key, while still others point to Thursday and Friday afternoons as the best possible time.
So, why is it seemingly impossible to get a straight answer? Well, as we mentioned, picking the perfect posting time is a decision that should be based on several factors. Learning more about your audience, industry, and the tools available will help you take a more informed approach to make Facebook marketing work for you.
How to Choose the Best Time to Post on Facebook
We’ve established that there’s not necessarily a single “best” time for posting on Facebook, but there are some simple steps you can take to determine the ideal posting window for your business.
The VDS social media strategists have assembled a step-by-step guide to making the most of the timing to extend your reach on Facebook effectively. You’ll be learning:
- How to identify your target audience
- How to take time zones into consideration
- How to utilize statistical information
- How to make use of various tools/analytics
- How to schedule posts ahead of time
- How to decide whether to run ads on Facebook
Let’s dive into everything you need to know about mastering the art of posting at the right time – for the right people – on Facebook.
-
Zero in on your audience
Long before you start working on a posting schedule, you need to know who you’re posting for. Here are a few basic questions to help you define your target audience:
-
- What are the demographics of your ideal audience? Their ages? Gender?
- What does your target audience do for a living?
- Where is your target audience geographically located?
- What is the highest level of education held by your target audience?
- What does a typical day look like for your target audience?
Once you’ve fleshed out a full buyer persona, you can have a better understanding of your audience. Not only is this hugely valuable for all marketing efforts, but it’s also especially helpful in figuring out when your potential customers are most likely to be using Facebook.
For example, say your target audience is made up of corporate business executives. Ask yourself when they might be getting out their phones and smart devices to scroll through social media and when they’re likely to be busy in meetings.
Early in the morning and during the midday lunch hours could be an ideal time to get your content in their hands.
-
Pay close attention to time zones
As you’re narrowing down your options for posting times, don’t forget to take time differences into account. The geographical locations of your audience members can place them in varying time zones, making it a little more complicated to aim for a specific time.
However, there are some basic industry standards that you can use as rules of thumb:
-
- Plan your posting according to where the majority of your audience is located. If you’re working with a global audience, Google Analytics can help you figure out some accurate posting parameters.
- Consider that about 50 percent of the U.S. population is in the Eastern time zone, and when you add in the Central time zone, about 80 percent of the country is accounted for. Additionally, because these two time zones are just an hour apart, you can easily hit both with a well-timed post.
-
Do a little bit of research to find statistics specific to you
Countless companies have invested years into trying to prove the best time for posting on Facebook, which has yielded plenty of advantageous information for business owners and marketers alike. But as we’ve already said, there’s a considerable amount of variance.
Numerous studies have delved into the best post times according to industry, so with a little online digging, you can likely find recommendations to suit your business. Whether you’re in retail, education, consumer goods, or any other industry, try to locate some research-backed information tailored to you.
-
Make smart use of tools and analytics
Analytics are worth their weight in gold when you’re working to improve your online marketing efforts. On Facebook, the Facebook Insights tool can be a virtual guide to when to post content – so start using it to your advantage.
When you’re on your Facebook profile page, click “Insights” at the top of the webpage. By selecting posts in the left-hand column, you’ll be able to view details about the days and times that your fans are active on Facebook. By default, you’ll see an average of the data, though you can learn more about specific time by hovering over the corresponding data point.
Another way to use Insights is to view what time your most successful posts were shared. Starting in the same section (Posts within Page Insights), click “All Posts Published” under the data chart. In the “Published” column, the exact dates and times of each post will be displayed.
Sort through the data to quickly assess trends that connect higher engagement to publishing time – and as a result, you’ll be able to see exactly what’s already working well for your brand.
There are many other online tools, such as Fanpage Karma, that can help you keep tabs on posting times. Try assembling a few good sources to use as a reference for experimentation, giving you a reliable threshold for testing out the times that pay off for your posts.
-
Use automation to schedule future posts
Social media automation is an excellent way to improve not only your efficiency but also your efficacy. Automation empowers you to schedule posts in a way that generates higher engagement, as well as frees up your time to focus your energies elsewhere – all while the tool does the work of posting for you.
There are a variety of social media automation tools out there, and choosing one is entirely up to you. Depending on the one you select, you’ll be able to benefit from features such as post categorization, multi-platform functionality, and precision-level scheduling settings.
You won’t have to worry about missing posts on extra-busy days with an automation tool because everything will already be scheduled and ready to go.
-
Think about adding Facebook ads to your strategy
Even though organic posts can be a superb way to engage with your audience, it’s usually a mistake to put all your eggs in that one basket. Instead, cast a wider net by running ads in addition to sharing organic posts, and you can easily improve your odds for success.
Try to find a “sweet spot” between affordability and efficacy in order to maximize your ROI with Facebook ads. Sure, certain days might have the cheapest CPC (cost-per-click) rate, but those are also probably the times when the competition will be the most intense.
If you have any wiggle room in your budget, you may want to try experimenting with different ad times and days to see which are the best for your business.
When to Post on Facebook: A Quick Cheat Sheet
It’s true that the answer to figuring out the perfect posting time is probably more complicated than you’d think – but there are some general guidelines that you can always use in a pinch. While you’re working on nailing down the time that’s tailored to your unique needs and goals, here’s an at-a-glance reference to use in the meantime:
The best time to post on Facebook for maximum exposure
Aiming for as much exposure as possible? Here’s when several studies suggest hitting “Post”:
- Best days: Saturday and Sunday; Thursday and Friday; Wednesday
- Best times: 1:00 PM, 3:00 PM, 9:00 AM
The best time to post on Facebook on Sundays
Since many businesses take the weekend off, Sundays can be a good day to start the week off with some strong engagement. Although it’s generally the least active day for many social media users, it could still have some potential if you take good aim.
Both early in the morning (before 8:00 AM) and later at night (after 8:00 PM) appear to be the best times for getting high engagement levels on Sunday posts.
The best time to post on Facebook by day
If daily posting is your goal, here are some general windows within which to consider scheduling your content:
- Monday: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
- Tuesday: 10:00 AM and 1:00-2:00 PM
- Wednesday: 11:00 AM
- Thursday: 8:00 AM – 3:00 PM
- Friday: 11:00 AM
- Saturday: 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
- Sunday: 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Again, you’ll see that even within this guide, there are some differing suggestions. As we’ve consistently said, personalizing your posting time according to specific factors is critical.
If you aren’t sure how to even begin figuring out the complexities of Facebook, connecting with a professional team is your best bet – so don’t hesitate to call in the VDS team for some help.
Maximize Your Social Media Marketing Efforts with V Digital Services
Now that you’re better-prepared to factor time into your social media strategy, you can begin to take steps towards a plan to work smarter, not harder. Social media presence, and the digital landscape as a whole, offers an array of opportunities to reach and connect with both potential and existing customers – are you using it to the fullest potential?
Even for seasoned business owners, digital marketing can be a complex art and science. But for the team at V Digital Services, it’s our area of expertise. From refining your SEO strategy to hammering out a better approach to your social media content, we’re here to help you on your journey to effective marketing.
We’re a team of out-of-the-box thinkers with a solid understanding of the foundations of successful digital marketing, making us an outstanding partner in the pursuit of your goals.
Learn more about how to kick your social media marketing into high gear by reaching out to V Digital Services today.
Image Credit: Lenka Horavova / Shutterstock
Thaspol Sangsee / Shutterstock
STILLFX / Shutterstock
Content Strategy, Facebook