Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr are among the chief social media sites that guide our online lives — and salesmen who use the internet to make sales are no exception. During ‘prime time’ slots on the TV, commercials are more valuable because more people see the commercials that appear during those hours. Turns out that the social media sites follow similar rules. The following data was collected from a study performed by bit.ly, the link-tracking and -shortening service.
The Best Times to Post
Twitter: Monday, between 1PM and 3PM Eastern Standard Time.
Facebook: Wednesday between 3PM and 3:15PM Eastern Standard Time. Yep, it’s that narrow.
Tumblr: Between 7PM and 7:30PM on Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday.
The Peak Hours of Usage
Twitter: 9AM through 3PM Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Thursday.
Facebook: Weekdays, 11AM to 4PM Eastern Standard Time.
Tumblr: 7PM to 10PM any day except Friday or Saturday.
The Dead Zone (Don’t Post!)
Twitter: After 8 PM any day except Friday — when anytime after 3PM is a no-go.
Facebook: After 8PM any weekday — and the whole weekend is off-limits if you’re looking to go viral.
Tumblr: Wednesday. The whole thing.
Now, for the big caveat: these are averages of each social site’s entire system, and they’re only maximally effective if you’re targeted anyone and everyone on the entire social site. If you’ve got a narrow band of people you’re appealing to, these averages won’t apply. For example, if your niche targets graveyard-shift workers, you want to post your messages when everyone else is asleep in bed.
It’s every social media marketer’s job to understand their own audiences. If you’re targeting specifically Mahjongg players, for example, you’re going to want to use the same hours as above, but shift from Eastern Standard Time to China Standard Time. If you’re just getting started or your market just shifted, stick with the hours above — but if you know enough to customize, by all means, do so.
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