Most restaurants have a social media presence, but a strategy around the times and days of the week to post on each platform can have a tremendous impact on your brand’s engagement.
When planning your social media marketing, it’s important to assess the data provided by the platforms, but it’s also essential to tailor your strategy to fit your brand, location, and audience demographics.
If your restaurant has a two-for-one special on Tuesdays, for example, but strategists say that that day of the week isn’t one of the best days to post on Facebook, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t post about it. While many studies have said the best times to post on X (AKA Twitter) are in the morning, you shouldn’t hesitate to post in the evening if you know that’s the best time to reach your target audience.
Finding a balance between what works best for your brand and the data provided is critical. This balance requires tracking and analyzing the performance of your local social media efforts.
How to Create an Effective Social Schedule
According to a 2022 HubSpot survey, the best times to post on social media across all platforms are 6 PM to 9 PM and 12 PM to 3 PM and the best day of the week to post is Friday. But for restaurants, each platform serves its own unique purpose.
For the food and beverage industries, it’s important to examine the networks for their audience and format when determining what days and times work best. You might find that TikTok and YouTube videos, for example, perform better in the morning while posting images on Facebook and Instagram may do better in the late afternoon.
Although each social media platform sees its engagement increase at specific hours and days of the week, it’s important to tailor your approach to suit your brand and target audience.
We’ve put together this guide to help get you started but it’s important not to just throw posts into the wind and see what sticks. Creating a content calendar and calculating what time slots seem to do best for you is the best way to measure each network’s effectiveness. Once you start posting regularly and have collected enough data, review it regularly to determine when your audience is most active on the platform and what posting schedule they respond to the most.
The Best Times to Post on Facebook
While your restaurant should have individual local social profiles across multiple platforms, Facebook should be one of the networks to leverage, especially if you’re stretched for resources. With more than 2.93 billion monthly users, much of your target audience is likely active on Facebook.
For restaurants, the best times to post on Facebook are 7:00 p.m, 7:00 a.m., and 3:15 p.m.
The best day to post on Facebook are Friday, Wednesday, and Monday.
The worst times to post on Facebook are between midnight and 4:00 a.m.
The Best Times to Post on Instagram
In 2022, Instagram surpassed 2 billion monthly users, with most of its base accessing the platform via mobile. Because Instagram tends to have a younger audience, the best times to post are later in the day than on Facebook.
The best times to post on Instagram for restaurants are 9:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m.
The best days to post on Instagram are Wednesday, Friday, and Tuesday.
The worst times to post on Instagram are between midnight and 4:00 a.m.
The Best Times to Post on X (AKA Twitter)
Previously known as Twitter, X is a text-based social media platform that differs from other social platforms in terms of posting frequency. While your restaurant brand would likely want to keep posting limited to one or maybe two daily posts on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, your posting frequency on X should be slightly higher.
Unlike Facebook and Instagram, X, focuses on sharing brief informational messages. With a 280-character limit, X allows your restaurant to share information about menu updates, specials, promotions, and events. With 450 million monthly active users, much of your target audience is likely on this platform.
Because X is also more of a communal social media platform than others, consider favoriting, retweeting, and replying as long as you stick to your social media and brand guidelines.
23% of marketers say 9 AM - 12 PM is the best time to post on the platform. For restaurants, specifically, the top three times to post on X are all in the morning — 8:38 a.m., 9:26 a.m., and 10:00 a.m.
The worst times to post are between 2:00 and 5:00 a.m.
The best days to post on X are Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.
The Best Times for Restaurants to Post on LinkedIn
With about 31% of U.S. adults using LinkedIn to network, it’s no surprise that it’s the only social platform to report weekdays as the top days to post. LinkedIn can increase your restaurant brand’s investment opportunities and partnerships. Depending on the type of restaurant, you can also leverage LinkedIn to find potential employees.
One of the best times to post on LinkedIn is 1:00 a.m., followed by 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.
The best days to post on LinkedIn are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
The worst days to post on the platform are Sundays and Saturdays.
The Best Times for Restaurants to Post on YouTube
According to a Pew Research study, 82% of U.S. adults use YouTube.
The most popular time frame for the food and beverage industries to post on YouTube are from 3 PM - 6 PM.
18% of marketers surveyed recommend posting on Fridays, while 16% say Saturday is the best day to post.
Tuesday is the worst day to post on the platform.
The Best Times for Restaurants to Post on TikTok
Since 2020, TikTok has become the go-to short-form video platform for GenZ and Millennials. Quickly rising from a social media app for pre-teens posting viral dance videos to a critical marketing tool for small businesses, the platform reached 500 million monthly active users in year one.
The best times to post are 6 to 9 PM, 3 to 6 PM, and 12 to 3 PM.
The best day to post on TikTok is Friday.
The worst days to post on the platform are Monday and Tuesday.
The Best Times to Post on Threads
Threads is the newest player in the social media game. When considering the best time slots for this platform, it’s important to note that the most active audience on the platform so far is 18-30 year-olds.
11:00 PM to 02:00 AM is the best time to post on Threads to reach GenZ and Millenials.
8:00 AM to 11:00 AM, the time when most people are reaching their workstations and settling in, is one of the best times to post on Threads.
07:00 to 09:00 PM, the time when college students and staffers are wrapping up their day, is another promising slot to post on Threads.
By Eileen Strauss
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