Google+ is my favorite social media platform. I love its versatility and amazing ability to reach target audiences in a single leap. In order to use Google+ effectively, however, it’s important to understand the best (and worst) times to post your content and updates. Some swear by the before work and after work strategy – that people often check in right before leaving for work or starting their day and again immediately after getting home or later in the evening before retiring for bed. Others are firm believers in the “tri-posting” method. They believe the best times to post are 10:00 AM, 2:00 PM and 6:00 PM ET, just three times a day.
The reality is there is no magical posting times or a one-size-fits-all solution. Some people will achieve maximum engagement sharing their content in the middle of the night, while others will see optimal results on Saturday mornings. To determine the best times to post, you need to listen and monitor. When are your posts and updates receiving the most engagement (i.e. +1’s, shares and comments)? What types of posts are generating the most buzz? Who is sharing your content? Where are they located?
According to Jesse Wojdylo, a web entrepreneur:
“One important factor in Google Plus exposure is getting to know your following. What times are they awake? What times are they on Google Plus? When are they likely to have 15 minutes to read an article? These are all things that are very important if you hope to get the most eyeballs on your content.”
I agree. You need to listen and watch. Take notes. Use Google Analytics. All of these factors will help you determine when to post to Google+.
To help give you a jumpstart and gain some deeper insight into when you will get the most engagement on Google+, considering using Timing+. The tool analyzes your data (your last 100 posts) to find out the best day and time for you to post your content to Google+. The tool will also show you a list of your best articles in terms of engagement.
My recommended day and time to post is Saturday between 5:00 and 6:00 PM ET. Sunday is my second best day of the week. How crazy is that? I never would have guessed weekends to be the ideal time to post some of the content I’m known for sharing. But it doesn’t matter. That is when my audience is ready to interact with me. Here is my full day ranking:
- Saturday
- Sunday
- Wednesday
- Friday
- Tuesday
- Monday
- Thursday
As far as I can tell, you can only use this tool for personal profiles at the moment, but it’s still pretty cool.
One word of caution: Don’t let best and worst times prohibit you from posting! Share, share, share your content and updates. You need to be out there and social in order to make Google+ work for you.
