Social Media Science: Mondays, Hump Days & Friday Dance-offs

When we’re using social media personally most of us just post our thoughts as they pop into our heads, pictures as they happen, articles as we read them. Sometimes no one seems to gives a crapola… other times you go viral.

This is no accident, there’s a science. And for business, this social media science is crucial to you being able to reach your audience. Here’s the Monday to Sundays of Social media…

“Motivate Me” Mondays

Unless your market are hospitality workers, the vast majority of people are kicking-off the work week on a Monday. Unfortunately the majority of this majority also don’t love their jobs (I’m hopeful that this percentage is decreasing!). Love your job or not, honestly we all need a little Monday morning motivation. Don’t ask people to read long things or make hard decisions. Give them a little positive boost and remind them that you’re there to help them get through.

Warning: Don’t fall into the trap of endless “It’s Monday” posts, be creative and show off the personality of your brand. Are you & your team diving into lattes to kick-start your day? Share it!

Tuesdays – Turn it on

Now that your followers are through the Monday rush they have a little more time for you. Whether that’s reading articles, engaging with you online, downloading your content or buying your stuff.

Basically, you’ve got the green light to turn on the charm and nudge them in the direction of your product or service.

Wednesday [Hump Day]

Anything goes on a Wednesday. People are getting on top of their week, they’re less reactive and more prone to be pro-actively planning ahead.

Hint: If you did a little sell on Tuesday, push out some awesome content on Wednesday, give them some value to help them as they enter “planning mode”.

Thursday – Now we’re talking

If there’s “a day” to sell – Thursdays is it. People are more decisive as they plan ahead for the weekend, they’re well and truly in “Get Shit Done” mode. They’ll make quicker decisions and feel in control enough to commit.

Remember: Regardless of the awesomeness of Thursday for ‘selling’, openly selling is still gross. Avoid directly telling people to buy (unless that bluntness is a characteristic of your brand) – be clever, be subtle.

Friday Funday

The clarity from Thursday has vanished. Your followers are either rushing through the pre-weekend ‘to do’ list or they’ve already kicked their heels back in Friday funday mode. This is an awesome day for hospitality businesses, or anyone selling weekend-recreational products and services, but if you’re trying to sell something that doesn’t spell “FUN” – don’t sell it on a Friday.

Hint: Keep Fridays FUN! Jokes, things to do on the weekend, tunes to groove to, fun quotes.

Saturday – Free Day

Like Wednesday, Saturday is a bit of a free day. It’s really dependant on the behaviour of your market. Ask yourself what your market would likely be doing on a Saturday and try to find something of value that fits in with that.

Everyone Loves Sundays

Seriously, everyone loves Sundays. Lazy breakfasts, beach walks, jogs, park with the kids or even a Sunday session. Most people are home early to get mentally prepped for the week ahead, so Sunday evenings are a great time for a post. Again, it’s a flexible day. Use it to strengthen your relationship with your followers, give them something awesome, whether it’s content they can use, the opportunity to jump on a competition, an event they might like or a video.

EXTRA TID-BITS TO KEEP IT FUN

– They know what day of the week it is: Don’t get caught in the trap of referring to the day of the week EVERY DAY. Sometimes it’s fun to say “Hey, here’s something awesome for a lazy Sunday” but if you’re playing the ‘day of the week’ card every day, it just gets boring.

– Positivity is positively awesome: Don’t be a neg. Always come from a positive space. Aim to add something great into your followers day.

– They’re your FRIENDS: So act like it. Be casual, be real, be authentic and don’t be afraid to have an opinion or use slang.

The big BUT… There’s no rules

While this is definitely the norm as to how people behave on different days of the week, consideration must always be given to the specific behaviours of your target market and what you’re trying to sell them.

When you’re looking at your social schedule, ask yourself what the majority of your target market is likely to be doing on any given day of the week to make sure you’re connecting with them in a way that they’ll be receptive to. Also make use of Facebook analytics, it will quickly tell you the days of the week and the times that your followers are online.

Happy posting!