Social media is one of the best ways for businesses to engage with their clientele.

It’s perhaps the most engaging way to disseminate content to the masses. Unlike other forms of mass communication, like emails, flyers, or even commercials, social media posts offer a public, two-way communication.

When communication happens in a public sphere–where others can see the interaction happening–it attracts more attention and has a snowball-like effect, that can lead to a post’s virality.

Many factors come into play when you are trying to get the snowball of attention rolling. On top of deciding which social media platform you should use and what content you should share, it is critical to post during peak times so your clients see your content.

We have all felt the letdown of sharing something incredible and having it go completely unnoticed by the masses. After a day of no attention, we know the post has fallen into the social media abyss never to be seen, liked or shared by anyone.

If this is happening to your business posts the times you’re posting may be causing you to miss out on chances to bring prospective clients to your services.

There are many things to consider when you are looking for the best times to post. Since not all businesses are the same, the times for posting vary as well. Your clientele demographic will play a large part in when you are posting. If your business is targeting a younger audience you may find the posting times go later into the night than if you are targeting an older audience.

Understanding the social platforms you use and how your audience engages with them is critical for posting at the best times. While there is no cookie cutter answer, there are trends that you can use to influence your posting habits. As a general rule of thumb, here are some of the best overall posting times for the most popular social media sites.

Facebook Activity Trends

Activity on Facebook grows toward the end of the week, starting Wednesday from 3:00-4:00p.m. and continues on Thursdays and Fridays between 1:00-4:00 p.m. During the beginning of the week on Mondays and Tuesdays there is less overall activity. On the weekends the best times are midday from 12:00-1:00 p.m.

At a glance:

Sunday: 12:00-1:00 p.m.

Wednesday: 3:00-4:00 p.m.

Thursday: 1:00-4:00 p.m.

Friday: 1:00-4:00 p.m.

Saturday: 12:00-1:00 p.m.

Pro tip: To look at when your audience is using Facebook click the insights tab at the top your Facebook page. Then select posts from the column on the left. This will bring up a graph displaying, “When your fans are Online” use this as guideline to post during peak times.

Twitter Activity Trends

Twitter has most of its activity during the workweek, think lunchtime, breaks and commutes. Posting during the week between 12:00-3:00 p.m. brings more engagement. Depending on your business you may have a more active weekend following.

At a glance:

Monday: 12:00-3:00 p.m.

Tuesday: 12:00-3:00 p.m.

Wednesday:12:00-3:00 p.m. & 5:00-6:00 p.m.

Thursday: 12:00-3:00 p.m.

Friday: 12:00-3:00 p.m.

Pro tip: Just like Facebook, Twitter has an analytics page that will help you determine when your audience is engaging with your content. Go to analytics.twitter.com then select the tweets tab at the top of the page. This will bring up a graph that display when people are engaging with your tweets. Use this information to guide which days are most effective for your content.

Instagram Activity Trends

Instagram is a mobile application so users can engage with content from anywhere. Trending times on Instagram are mornings during the workweek from 8:00-9:00 a.m. as well at 5:00 p.m. Videos do well posting at 9:00 p.m. Some Instagram followers are night owls and you may find success posting at 2:00 a.m.

At a glance:

Sunday: 12:00-1:00 p.m.

Wednesday: 3:00-4:00 p.m.

Thursday: 1:00-4:00 p.m.

Friday: 1:00-4:00 p.m.

Saturday: 12:00-1:00 p.m

Pro tip: Instagram is one of the more difficult social sites to generate traffic with but if you are working to do that understanding your audience’s activity is critical. Instagram doesn’t have a native analytics tool but there are a number of apps, like IconoSquare that you can purchase to help track your audiences is engagement.

Understanding your audience is the most critical part to when you are posting. These posting times are a great jumping off point but your audience may be different. If you want to fully connect with your followers, it is important to know their habits.

Social media posting times is just one of many digital marketing topics on which we’re experts and we at Get Found Fast have developed a new seminar series called The Digital Download to help you discover the true digital marketer within yourself. Learn more on how to bring that marketer out and start to enhance an online presence for yourself, your company or your brand. Join us to learn how to master the techniques behind getting lead generation, improving your website and growing your online revenue.