Social media platforms are no longer just places for people to connect. They’ve become common platforms for businesses to build their brand identity. And it’s no wonder, considering that these platforms are such enormous gathering places for the masses. After all, if you want to reach people, you have to go where they are. And LinkedIn is a unique platform that targets professional and career-based audiences. What’s more, it enjoys a popular following, with north of 740 million members. So, it’s logical that a business which succeeds at marketing through LinkedIn can bank on a lot of solid leads.

But marketing on LinkedIn is not easy. As with any platform, you have to have attractive, quality content that appeals to the professional crowd. But even that isn’t enough. That’s because if you want your audience to see your quality content, you have to post it at the right time. So, when is the right time?

Of course, there are some generalisations you can apply to your posting schedule. Tuesday through Thursday, between 8:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. are best, according to some success strategies. And forget about weekends and holidays, or any other time that’s far outside of business hours. Research suggests these hours have the lowest rates of active usage. But those are very broad generalisations, which makes them not very actionable.

 

 

Unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all answer to the question of when to post on LinkedIn. But, with a little digging, you should be able to draw conclusions about the best times to post based on your target market. If you know your audience, you can figure out when they’ll be listening, and when they won’t. For example, if business professionals are your target, you can bet they’ll be too busy during office hours to burn time on social media. The same often applies to college graduates and graduate students. But commute time and lunch hour can be prime time.

But you should also consider your specific industry when deciding on a posting schedule. One useful approach is to watch the behaviour of your competitors. That’s especially true if those competitors have been in the game longer than you. Your industry has unique needs and expectations, and there’s absolutely no reason why you shouldn’t learn about then from others in your industry.

 

Here are some useful generalisations about some different industries and their social media habits. But once again, keep in mind that generalisations are only good as a guideline. You should combine this information with what you know about your audience for maximum benefit.

 

Media

 

 

Audience members in the media industry usually check their social media in the morning hours between on work days. So, you’re likely to get the best results by posting in the morning between Monday-Friday.

 

Software

 

 

Software company professionals tend to follow their social media accounts outside of working hours. So before or after working hours is probably ideal.

 

Healthcare and Higher Education

 

 

These two industries are lumped together because their habits are similar. The best time to reach them through LinkedIn and other social media is mid-morning through lunchtime on workdays. That makes anywhere from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. the best.

 

B2B

 

 

Analyzing online behaviour has indicated that, for B2B business professionals, the best times to reach them are work days, but when they’re not working. That means before their work day starts, during lunch and during their commutes.

 

B2C

 

 

Business to consumer professionals have similar habits to B2B. You’ll do best when posting during non-working hours, on working days.

 

Just remember that social media marketing, in general, is absolutely a numbers game. It is paramount for your success that you focus your efforts when the largest group of your target audience is online. Otherwise, you can’t expect to get the kind viewership and engagement you want. You have to go where the people are. And that’s absolutely about branding yourself. Being amongst your target audience is the best way to identify with them. So, know your market, and you’ll enjoy real success in your LinkedIn marketing.

Click here to find out how the professional crew at Virtual Done Well can help you to manage your LinkedIn and other social media marketing plans.

 

 

Best Regards,
Chau Lim
Email: chau@virtualdonewell.com
Phone: +61 413 981 888