(Best) Practice Makes Perfect: Understanding the Nuances of Social Media Platforms
“Practice makes perfect.” I have lost count of how many times that common expression has been said over me. Whether it is used in the context of sport performance or skill mastery, the concept of practicing to increase proficiency is a common theme across any skill. However, one area in which this saying has not been applied as much as it should is within the realm of social media management. Much like practicing a sport, there are both good and bad ways to approach it. A bad approach leads to little improvement, whereas good practice that has a plan and sets goals results in positive gains. As this applies to social media management, there are both good and bad practices that a brand could undertake when seeking to grow their brand presence and digital reputation. Developing good habits, as well as being attune to one’s audience, dramatically increases the amount of engagement an individual or brand might expect to receive.
I am currently in the process of learning firsthand the benefits of utilizing best social media best practices, as well as the negative effects of straying from the path. As I have undergone the task of maintaining a personal Instagram account related to my interest in music (@musicbysamueladams), I have begun to realize just how big an impact content types and content schedules have on producing engagement.
Prior to the past two week, I was completely unaware of the concept of best practices as it pertains to social media management. Since I began posting content seven weeks ago, it has followed an inconsistent upload schedule predicated upon when I was able to sit down to record something. This also resulted in content being posted at inconsistent, irregular times throughout the week. As I have begun to better understand best practices, especially the best times to post, I realize just how much this inconsistency has an impact on the engagement I am receiving. There exists plenty of research regarding the best times to post content on Instagram. Additionally, greater awareness regarding the concept of a content schedule has reshaped how I plan to go about posting on a consistent basis. Going forward, I plan to incorporate additional content forms and not just video clips. Additionally, developing a content strategy that better understands post frequency and timing. By doing so, I expect over the next 7 weeks to see upward momentum of my account so that my music might reach more people’s ears.
For the sake of an example, I will use Instagram as a way to explain ideal posting times and why those times are considered successful. The short answer is this: the best time to post will be determined by the location of one’s followers. The longer answer takes geographic location, as well as a multitude of other variables, into consideration which is what makes understanding the timing of content posting a crucial element to any social media strategy.
Research and analysis conducted by Later.com determined that the best overall time to post to Instagram is between 9am and 11am EST. Similarly, Hootsuite proposes that the best time to post to social media is from 9am to 12pm. However, every brand and their associated Instagram accounts have a unique audience with followers spread out across multiple cities, countries, and time zones. Therefore, it is very important to find that ideal time which correlates to the particular audience of said brand. Supporting the research produced by Later.com, Sprout Social discovered that, on average, the ideal posting time on Instagram is between 10 AM and 3 PM CDT. However, levels of engagement can fluctuate dramatically depending on what day of the week one posts. Here is what Sprout Social determined to be the ideal times to post on Instagram each day:
- Sunday: 8am — 2pm (although general engagement is low)
- Monday: 11am — 2pm
- Tuesday: 10am — 3pm
- Wednesday: 7am — 4pm (peaks from 11am — 2pm)
- Thursday: 10am — 2pm, 6pm — 7pm
- Friday: 9am — 2pm
- Saturday: 9am — 11am
These times are relevant to content posted to Instagram. It should be understood that these time frames do not universally guarantee success across all social media platforms. Content is only as successful as the number of people who engage with it. Although it will exist until it gets deleted, today’s social media algorithms constantly anticipate what new content users are likely wanting to see. As a result, posting at the incorrect time could result in content becoming buried within a user’s timeline, resulting in decreased engagement. By acknowledging the best social media practices when considering platforms, brands will best be able to cater content to their audience in an effective manner that produces the most engagement possible.
