The best time to post on social media for your practice — part I

Much of determining the best time to post on social media depends on your target audience, when they’re online, and the platform …

Using social media as a means of marketing your practice and services is crucial in our digital age. But how can you figure out the best time to post on social media?

We interviewed a number of social media experts to get their take on when to post, how to analyze the data, and the biggest mistakes you can make when marketing your practice on social media platforms.

The best time to post on social media: finding the sweet spot

 It can be tough to find the exact right time of day to post on social media. Mainly, because there’s a lot to consider.

“The best time to post on social media for your practice will depend on a few factors, such as the type of content you are sharing, the size of your audience, and the time zone of your followers,” says Mark Voronov, co-founder and CEO of Social Plug. “Generally speaking, it is best to post during peak usage times for the social media platform you are using. For example, studies suggest the best times to post on Twitter and Facebook are between 1-3 p.m. on weekdays, while the best time to post on Instagram is Wednesdays at 3 p.m. However, it is important to test different times and days to find the best time for your particular audience.”

He adds, “You can also use analytics to determine when your followers are most active online and adjust your posting schedule accordingly. Remember, the best time to post on social media will vary depending on your practice’s needs and goals, so it is important to test and adjust your strategy until you find the best times for your audience.”

But you can’t take those times as social media dogma. It’s all about finding out what works for your patients or the types of patients that you want to attract into your practice.

Determining time frame

Cara Chatellier, founder and creative director of Bubbly Creative gives an example of how to determine the time.

She says that if chiropractors are usually attracting clients who have desk jobs and who work long days, and thus, have back pain, she would choose 3-5 times to test.

“Right in the morning when people are going to work (6:30-7:45 a.m.), midday while they’re at lunch (11:45 a.m.-1:15 p.m.), and then after work (5:30-7:30 p.m.). I would caution, though: sometimes posts perform better not because of the time they’re posted, but because of their content. On Instagram, trending audio and an entertaining video will get much better reach than a well-timed static video,” Chatellier says.

“The best time to post on social media depends on your target audience and when they’re online,” says Dave Candy, PR, DPT, OCS, ATC, CMPTP, FAAOMPT, and owner of More 4 Life physical therapy. “For example, a practice that treats younger, athletic people may have a different ideal time to post than for a practice that specializes in geriatrics.”

Methods

Sam McGraw, founder and CEO of Design Hub explains that there’s even more to take into consideration when determining the best time for your practice to post on social media.

“I would recommend the following steps for chiropractors to determine the best times to post on social media:

• Identify your target audience: (Sure, we’ve mentioned this before in the article, but take it a step further.) It’s important to understand who you are trying to reach with your social media posts. Are you targeting people who are already patients at your chiropractic practice, or are you trying to attract new patients? Understanding your target audience will help you determine the best times to reach them.
• Research your audience’s social media habits: Look into when your target audience is most active on social media. Different age groups, professions, and locations may have different patterns of social media usage. Tools like Hootsuite Insights or Socialbakers can help you understand when your audience is most active on social media.
• Test different posting times: Once you have a general idea of when your audience is most active, start testing different posting times to see which ones result in the most engagement (likes, comments, shares). You can use a tool like Hootsuite to schedule your posts in advance, so you can easily track the results.
• Analyze the results: After you have tested different posting times, take a look at the results and see which ones resulted in the most engagement. This will give you a good idea of the best times to post on social media for your chiropractic practice.”

“In terms of specific times of day to consider, some research suggests that the best time to post on social media are weekday mornings and afternoons, and weekends around noon,” McGraw continues. “However, these are just general guidelines and it’s important to test and see what works best for your specific audience and practice.”

Check out part II of the best time to post on social media to find out how to use analytics and avoid big mistakes overall.