KISS Metrics has done some serious research into social media. Their stats are for the U.S., but they make those of us in Canada and other parts of the world think about when we tweet, too. KISS metrics notes that nearly 50% of the US population lives in the Eastern Time Zone. If you add in those who live in the Central time zone, you get to 80% of the population.
So what? For maximum effectiveness, post to Twitter and other social media when people in the Eastern and Central Time Zones are likely to be on line.
Top Facts about Twitter
If you want to be re-Tweeted, the best time to Tweet is 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. That’s 3:00 p.m. for those of us living in Calgary and other parts of Alberta. Figure that out in your local time zone by converting the time at TimeandDate.com.
If your purpose isn’t to be re-Tweeted, but rather to have followers click on your links, the statistics change a bit. The report says that the highest click through rate (CTR) is noon and 6:00 p.m., Eastern time.
How often should you Tweet if you want people to click through to your links? Survey says… 1 to 4 times per hour. The click through rate (CTR) is apparently highest for those who Tweet their links every 15 to 60 minutes. If you tweet links more than 4 times per hour, your followers are likely to become numbed to your barage of Tweets. Personally, I never Tweet with links that much. I guess I need to start Tweeting more!
People are most likely to click on your links mid-week and on the weekends. That is when the click through rate (CTR) is highest.
Top Facts about Facebook
The best day to share on Facebook is Saturday. That’s when the most sharing is done. This offers good food for thought for companies, schools and non-profits who only share on Facebook during the work week. Maybe it is worth using a tool such as Hootsuite to schedule your FB updates so you are sharing when employees are off the clock.
And if you’re wondering when on Saturday (or any day) to post things that are most likely to be shared, the best time of day to post on Facebook is at noon.
If you have a Facebook page, the KISS metrics show that one post every day will help you build the most “likes”.
Check out the full post by KISS Metrics.
So, what’s the moral of the story? Use social media regularly and consistently, but don’t jam it down anyone’s throat. Share information when others are likely to share your links. Pay attention to when people are on line and post at times when your links and “shareables” are likely to be seen.
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Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D. 
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