By Bob Deakin
Algorithms and Cookies Series Part IV
Algorithms and cookies identify your audience and when they are most likely to engage with your content. So, when is the best time to post my blog?
Since this series concerns algorithms, cookies and social media strategy, it falls in with marketing, and technology. However, I write for the curious, not the expert. Therefore, my audience likely works regular hours, which puts them at their computers first thing in the morning.
I don’t need an algorithm to tell me that, but I do for everything else.
Don’t Make Eye Contact with Algorithms
In Part III, I touched on the importance of engagement. If you don’t want sources to engage with you, don’t engage with them. When you click on those pretty pics or “Like” your friend’s share, social media is watching.
“Every time you stop to admire a breathtaking travel photo or chuckle at a witty meme, the Facebook algorithm takes note. It learns what you’re into,” says Sarah Anderson in Understanding Social Media Algorithm 2024.
Social Champ gives ten tips for utilizing social media algorithms for your benefit. Factors algorithms use include your preferences, location, relationship with the content creator, relevance, amount of user engagement, credibility of source, and timeliness.
The Newer the Better
Timeliness is everything. Algorithms like newer posts, and discriminate against older ones. If you wish to increase your visibility in feeds, what’s trending is what works. Conversely, vintage news might be your thing, like airline commercials from the 70s or *N Sync songs from the 90s.
In this case, refer back to “relationship with the content creator” or “preferences” mentioned earlier. You’ve hung out in these places, and the algorithms have spotted you. Don’t deny it. Admit it and move on.
When Is Prime Time?
The timing of your posts is significant. General rule is 9 am EDT on weekdays, but your situation may be different.
In a story for LinkedIn, Rezuan Hossain explores times to target your audience. He and many others suggest Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at 9 am, as workers are more apt to be on their A-game. Midday (around noon) and early evenings are also a good idea, when they are ready for a break.
Looking further, Hossain identifies the following times based on the platform:
Facebook: Wednesdays and Fridays between 9 am and 1 pm seem to be favorable times for Facebook posts, with a slight dip in engagement on weekends.
Twitter: Weekdays between 8 am and 10 am, and 1 pm to 3 pm are considered prime times for Tweets. Tuesdays and Wednesdays often see higher engagement.
LinkedIn: Tuesdays and Wednesdays between 9 am and 12 pm are ideal for LinkedIn posts, catering to professionals during their workday.
Instagram: Tuesdays and Wednesdays between 9 am and 4 pm.
Know that 50 percent of the U.S. population is in the Eastern Time Zone, and that number increases to 80 percent when you add Central (one hour earlier). Realize too, that
if 9 am works in EDT, a 6 am post might not get engagement in Pacific time. Be creative.
If your audience is teen gamers, publish at midnight. If your fans like Elvis or the Beatles, publish at 6 am when they’ve been up for a couple of hours, or 2 pm before they get ready for dinner.
Cookies Are Good For You
Respect the cookies. These tiny bits of data are the most common method to identify online users and provide a personalized browsing experience. Third-party cookies are created by a website other than the one you're visiting, so tread lightly. They are still used by social media sites, but don’t hide as easily as they once did.
Work Ahead of Algorithms, Not Behind
If it’s attention you want, use algorithms to help you. Ask questions to your audience. They’ve seen enough pictures of your legs on a beach. Get them involved. Tag other users and pages to broaden your horizons. Use hashtags, as annoying as they are, to help categorize your content and cover more real estate.
Publishing consistently is a must. It doesn’t matter how regular, just that you keep pumping out something new. Videos are the only way to reach some. With kids, that’s all they will look at.
To become popular is to find something you enjoy publishing consistently. After all, it’s work, so you better like it. Good titles, captions, links and all will come, but you must know your subject and your audience.
There is no road map to becoming an influencer, but keep a steady course, and you’ll learn the rules of the road.
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