Facebook is not only a global platform that boasts users from all around the world (and across all time zones), but it is also a platform with users from all age groups and walks of life.
As such, when it comes to pinpointing the best time to post, it is virtually impossible to identify a single time at which to post to maximise engagement and interaction.
What we can do however, is share some tips on how to identify the best time to post for your audience – whether you’re sharing personal updates with friends and family or seeking engagement on a professional post from your business page.
When to Post Private Updates
Because Facebook tends to prioritise personal updates in your friends’ feeds, personal and private posts have a much higher chance of appearing near the top of a user’s feed, regardless of when the content was posted.
If you are wondering when the best time to post an update to be seen by friends and family is, you will likely find that any time works well. This is because these posts rank highly in the algorithm and will retain a high spot in your friends feeds for hours or even days after posting.
Tips for Business Pages and Profiles
Perhaps the most important thing you need to consider when posting from a business page or profile, is the location of your target audience and how to tailor your schedule to their time zone.
If you are a global brand then this isn’t so important – however, if you’re a local business or brand then it is worth posting at a time that you know your audience will likely be active.
Here are some general rules worth taking into consideration:
- Morning and evening is typically considered a good time to post, if you are promoting content that is unrelated to work / revolved around personal interests or activities
- B2B posts should be scheduled for working hours, as this is when workplace and business decisions are more likely to be discussed and made
- The time at which you post will impact the CTA you attach to your content. For example, you wouldn’t add ‘Call Now’ to a post that you share at 11pm!
Beyond these general rules, the best time to post will depend on your audience and how active they are on Facebook. Assuming that you have researched and found that Facebook is a platform that your audience regularly uses, conducting some A/B testing is a good way to trial different time allocations and posting schedules, and see which works best for you.
And while we’re on the topic of scheduling, we have one final tip for you.
The Value of Scheduling Tools
If you’re worried about meeting a certain schedule and ensuring that you always post content at the right time every day or on a regular basis, then you might be interested in exploring scheduling tools.
Platforms like Loomly and Hootsuite are designed to allow businesses to enter their content in advance and set it to be posted at a time and on a date of their choosing. These platforms allow users to post across different social apps and track both their feed and levels of engagement from a single dashboard.
Great for business owners and social posters who are time poor and who want to make the process of posting on Facebook more efficient, these tools offer excellent value.
We hope this helps you to understand the power of posting at the right time – and encourages you to consider a little research into your audience and their engagement.
