Each social platform has its own strengths. Which one is right for you?
In All Around Creative’s recent blog, Increase Engagement with AAC’s Guidelines for B2B Social Media, we took a look into some important pieces of social strategies. Let’s take it a step further and discuss the technical side of these social platforms to ensure that each is being used to its full potential. Do you know the optimal posting times and days? How about which platform is best for specific content? Let’s take a deeper look into these questions and more.
Identify Your Post
In our previous blog, we discussed best practices for making posts on social media. One best practice is setting a goal for each post. In the same sense, make sure you know what your message is before planning which platform to publish the post.
While you may want to post on every platform, a strategy is needed. If your message is published on all social platforms at the exact same time, there are a few issues to consider:
- It will make your brand look like spam: You could have the perfect message that is being told with immaculate copy, but if the same user opens three different social platforms and sees the exact same message from you on each, they are likely to consider your post spam and tune it out. This decreases engagement with your brand.
- Each platform has different requirements: Apart from the basics like file size, copy length, CTA, and media type, there are some other actions to consider. Tagging an account, person, or page might work for one platform, but not another. The content posted on Instagram is fundamentally different from LinkedIn. Make sure you stay on brand while also matching the requirements and tones of each social media platform.
- Your audience is on different platforms at different times: Your personas use social media, but which platform are they more active on and during what time are you most likely to grab their attention? Make sure you note when and where you are posting to receive the most engagement possible.
Ensure You’re Appealing to Your Personas
While on the topic of what to post when, let’s dive into the user demographics of each platform. Increditools summarizes each platform with some helpful statistics:
Facebook: Users spend an average of 33 minutes per day on the platform. 31% of the platform’s global audience is between 25 and 34 years old and 73% of college graduates are using Facebook. 180 million users are in the U.S.
Instagram: On average, users spend at least 29 minutes on the platform per day. 32% of the platform’s global audience is between 25 and 34 years old. 49% of college graduates are using Instagram. 160 million users are in the U.S.
LinkedIn: Users spend an average of 7 minutes per day on the platform. 59% of the platform’s global audience is between 25 and 34 years old. 51% of college graduates are on LinkedIn. 190 million users are in the U.S.
YouTube: Users spend an average of 30 minutes per day on the platform. 34% of the platform’s global audience is between 18 and 24 years old. 89% of college graduates are on YouTube. 247 million users are in the U.S.
Times and Frequency
Beyond copy and media for your posts, you need to consider what time you are posting and your overall cadence. Yes, there are algorithms that will penalize you for posting too infrequently, but there are also consequences for posting too often, such as a disengaged audience.
You will find many different recommendations for posting frequency. HubSpot generally says 4-6 times per week for each channel. LinkedIn is vastly different saying Instagram should be 3-7 times per week, Facebook 1-2 times a day, LinkedIn 1-5 times a day. With these major marketing and social authorities having such differing opinions, it’s hard to determine what is the best practice for your organization.
All Around Creative suggests using your own analytics to figure out what cadence works best for your brand and audience. Do some tests starting with 1-2 posts per week and adjust as your reports show the engagement. Larger followings might require more posts while smaller ones might see success with fewer posts. It all depends on your audience and message.
However, the best times for posting are pretty clear across the board. HubSpot posted information from their 2022 survey of 1,000+ marketers and came to the conclusion that Fridays are the best days to post. Two time slots are best according to this survey – 12 PM to 3PM and 6 PM to 9 PM. They break it down further for each platform:
- Instagram: On average, the best times to post are from 6 PM – 9 PM, 12 PM – 3 PM, and 3 PM – 6 PM. The best day is Saturday. The worst day is Monday.
- Facebook: On average, the best times to post are from 6 PM – 9 PM and 12 PM – 3 PM. The best days are Friday and Saturday. The worst day is Sunday.
- LinkedIn: On average, the best times to post are from 9 AM – 12 PM, 12 PM – 3 PM, and 3 PM – 6 PM. The best days are Mondays, Wednesdays, and Tuesdays in order. The worst days are Saturdays and Sundays.
- YouTube: On average, the best times to post are from 6 PM – 9 PM, 12 PM – 3 PM, or 3 PM – 6 PM. The best days are Fridays and Saturdays. The worst day is Tuesday.
Automation Relief
With an understanding of what to post, where to post it, and when to post it, you can see that social media marketing requires a substantial amount of time and resources. This is why organizations often hire Social Media Specialists to handle the day-to-day management of their accounts. Whether or not you have an employee dedicated to social media, marketing automation is the best way to ensure your socials are published without giving you a headache.
HubSpot is our recommended automation tool for streamlining your marketing activities, helping you increase the effectiveness and quantity of your campaigns. With HubSpot, you can:
- Automate lead nurturing with email drip campaigns
- Easily visualize and customize your workflows
- Automate lead scoring, follow-ups, notifications, and more
- Publish social posts immediately or schedule the posts for a specific time in the future
Interested in learning more about what HubSpot can do for you? Or simply want to speak to All Around Creative about your social media strategy? Contact Us and we can walk you through all things social.
Adrian Serna
Marketing Content Manager