Facebook has rapidly evolved into an important part of digital marketing for financial advisors. This is a remarkable transformation considering the platform began as an internet hangout for college students. If your financial advisory firm is not on Facebook, it is time to create a social media profile on the platform. Let’s take a look at some tips to select the best time to post on Facebook.
Posting on Facebook too early in the morning, too late in the evening, infrequently or excessively will backfire on your financial advisor marketing strategy. In short, it is a mistake to post before 7 a.m. and after 8 p.m. Furthermore, it is a mistake to post once every couple of weeks or more than 10 times per week.
The sweet spot for Facebook posting frequency is between three and 12 posts per week. However, if your Facebook following is particularly large or passionate about your services, your audience might prove receptive to multiple posts per day throughout the entirety of the week. In general, it is best to strive for one post per day.
Take some time to think about your target audience’s daily schedule. Financial advisory firms want to establish relationships with investors who earn substantial incomes, consequently these target clients are more than likely to work between 8:00 and 5:00. However, many people in the workforce check their Facebook feeds throughout the day, sometimes on an hourly basis.
Most people log into Facebook in the afternoon and evening hours. Buffer reports the optimal time to post on Facebook is between the afternoon hours of 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. This is the time when most people are at lunch and begin winding down for the day. The chit-chats with coworkers have been replaced by Facebook browsing sessions on smartphones so be sure to target the time frame of 1:00 to 5:00 pm during the workweek.
Facebook users log into the platform at different times on the weekend. Most people have available time on the weekends so they are certain to log into Facebook at least once or twice each day.
Facebook users are most likely to click and share posts between 12 Noon and 1 p.m. on the weekends. By the time 2 p.m. arrives, most people are transitioning to weekend projects or activities that they enjoy. This could be 18 holes of golf, projects around the house, or general relaxation.
Most financial advisory firm professionals are busy to the point that they find it difficult to remember to post to Facebook on the days and times listed above. Do not make the mistake of posting to Facebook when you have the time or remember to do so. A scattered approach will not produce the impact you are seeking for your target audience.
The moral of this story is your approach to Facebook should be highly strategic. Consider setting your smartphone’s alarms to the times on the days listed above as a reminder that you should post to Facebook. If you do not want to invest the time necessary to post at these specific times, consider hiring a digital marketing agency to help.
Getting professional help from a digital marketing agency can reduce the challenge of posting to Facebook at specific times. You can minimize the effort and stress of adding new content to Facebook by letting the experts help. They can also provide valuable statistics and additional metrics that help gauge your financial advisory firm’s success on the platform.
Merely posting to your Facebook account on the days and times listed above is not enough to maximize the impact of this important inbound marketing platform. Dedicate some time to engaging in an ongoing dialogue with your Facebook followers. For example, it is in your best interest to set aside half an hour every couple of days to respond to comments and inquiries posted to your Facebook page. It will also help to like, share, and comment on your followers’ posts as well.
Maintain an ongoing dialogue with your social media followers and you will find they are inclined to share your posts and pages with their Facebook social circle and also provide word-of-mouth recommendations off the platform. This is not to say you have to reply to every single comment made to your posts. Rather, it is more important to “like” those comments and respond to Facebook inquiries in a timely manner.
If your posts are not receiving much feedback, consider posting questions to your audience to get them to participate in online conversations. Ramp up the interaction with your Facebook followers and those who visit your page will begin to feel as though your value offering is worthy of their time and attention.
Those who study consumer behavior and psychology have found the best time for financial advisors to post on social media varies by their unique niche and target audience. Take a deep dive into the data and you will find the experts agree financial advisory firms should post to social media at Noon on Wednesdays.
The data shows the worst days for financial advisory firms to post content to Facebook is the weekend. After all, those inclined to pay for financial advisor services are likely to be busy with their family and interests on the weekend after a jam-packed workweek so they are less likely to invest their free time on the weekends scrolling through Facebook, especially after the Noon hour.
However, these individuals are likely to be quite receptive to Facebook in the middle of the workweek during lunch when they are looking for an outlet away from their work responsibilities that consume the rest of their day. Strategically time your posts for the Noon hour toward the middle of the workweek and you will find the response to your Facebook content is positive and frequent.