There is just so much advice online about when you should post to your socials. I like to look at Sprout Social recommendations because after years of analysing social app data I know Sprout’s is pretty accurate.
This article from Sprout is built from Sprout’s massive bank of social media data and because Sprout service agencies of all different sizes, the data is generated from accounts of all different sizes. So if you’re looking for direction, it’s a great place to start.
That said, there are a few things to consider when using these kinds of templates…
✏️ Do you need to consider local time-zone?
Yes, you do but don’t be discouraged or overwhelmed by that. Remember, the data provided here might be CST time-zone, but if it is based on a large data pool then it is going to be reliant on human behaviour rather than locally based trends. And that means you can apply the advice from Sprout with relative confidence.
If you’re not sure what to do just choose your days and times to post and then stick to those for a month. Be consistent and then check the data at the end of the month. Are you seeing an increase in your engagement? If you are you’re headed in the right direction.
✏️ Can you pick up a trend in this data?
I sure can. There are clear differences between engagement times for each industry and platform.
But what does that mean for you?
Well your course of action should be to make sure you’re mixing up the type of content your posting. Are you thinking outside the square? Are you finding ways to relate, inspire, educate and entertain throughout your strategy? Or are you posting the same type of content over and over? Don’t be repetitive – find ways to say the same thing in different ways if you need to. Think outside the square and your followers will find your stuff interesting enough to keep coming back.
✏️ Should you just cross-promote and hope for the best?
There are exceptions but I don’t generally recommend that. You should have a different strategy in place for your different channels. Your audience will see no benefit from being on all your channels if they are just repeats of the same content. Different platforms contain audiences looking for different things at different times of day. Mix things up.
Of course, none of this matters if you haven’t clearly planned out your goals for your social strategy because you’ll have no idea if you’re hitting the mark.
🕵️♀️ At the end of the day, it’s all about creating a community of followers that enjoy your content and trust what you have to say. Your audience can tell if you’re not being authentic.
Once you have that community, you want to encourage them to set up notifications for your posts so they will always get the awesome content you’re putting out!
The bottom line is, if you’re not engaging with your followers they’re not going to engage with you.
Hit me up if you have any questions!
