SEO
What Is Marketing Automation & How to Get Started?
Marketing automation is a must for any marketer, no matter the size of their company. It doesn’t matter whether you sell products or services. Those who ignore marketing automation are missing out on powerful resources.
According to EmailMonday, around 56% of companies use some form of marketing automation, and 40% of B2C companies plan to adopt the technology.
But marketing automation can be overwhelming, with so many different platforms, integrations, and services available. How do you know what works best for your business?
Don’t worry. You’re not alone.
In this guide, we’ll go through the following:
Let’s start by defining marketing automation.
Marketing automation uses software, tools, or processes to automate repetitive tasks. This frees up time for more important tasks or increases efficiency. Automation can be used as part of an overall marketing strategy or for standalone tactics, such as email marketing, lead generation, sales, social media management, alerts, analytics, and reporting.
There are five main benefits of marketing automation. Here’s how it helps marketers and businesses.
1. Save time and money
The main benefit of marketing automation is it can save time and money because it automates repetitive tasks, such as sending emails or social media posting, which can reduce marketing expenditure.
For example, the University of Buenos Aires saved 28 employee salaries and $100,000 per annum by automating its student communication.
2. Increased sales
Marketing automation can increase sales, as it allows companies to scale their marketing efforts across multiple touchpoints, campaigns, and channels at the right time.
This sports nutritionist generated $50,000 in eight weeks by adding exit-intent automation.
3. Higher lead conversion
Drift reported that 58% of B2B companies don’t respond to sales leads. To combat this issue, marketers can improve sales funnels by automating initial and follow-up touches with prospects and customers, leading to higher revenue.
4. Improved engagement or customer service
Automation helps customer service by handling many customer requests or issues in real-time. It is possible to create automated responses to common questions, such as “What is my order status?” or “How do I use Ahrefs’ Content Explorer?”
5. Better analysis and reporting
Automation can provide marketing teams access to data, information, or insights that are easier to interpret.
For example, Ahrefs’ Rank Tracker contains information that integrates with this Google Data Studio report that lets you monitor your Google rankings and competitors.
Now let’s take a look at examples of marketing automation.
Here are some examples from marketers who use automation to help them improve different aspects of their businesses.
Drip campaigns
Drip campaigns are a series of emails automatically delivered over time that tell a story or educate prospects about a solution or problem.
Here’s an example: Blair Enns, who helps marketing agencies with pricing strategies, created a drip campaign to persuade people to buy his book.
After you opt in to get a free sample of his book, he sends you a series of emails based on his core message: “Charge more, buy my book.”
Outreach campaigns
Link building agencies use automation to follow up on prospects and earn more links from their outreach campaigns.
Here are the typical steps in an outreach campaign:
- Find prospects’ contact details
- Craft your pitch
- Outreach to prospects
- Secure links
According to Postaga, the average response rate for an initial email is 16%, and sending at least one follow-up will get a response rate of 27% on average.
So if you send 1,000 outreach emails and include one automated follow-up, that’s 110 more replies and link possibilities.
Sales conversion campaigns
I spoke to Adam Watson, the co-founder of Hollywood Mirrors, about automation.
Here’s his reply:
We automate emails depending on the customer behavior on the site.The customer gets the right email at the right time with the right offer.
We sent over one million automated emails last year from a small list, and they produce 25% of our total revenue.
One of five automated campaigns is triggered if the website captures an email address depending on on-site behavior.
- Welcome series — for subscribers who recently subscribed.
- Cart abandonment — those who add to the cart but don’t complete the purchase.
- Browse abandonment — subscribers who browse products but don’t purchase.
- Win back campaign — dormant customers who haven’t purchased recently.
- VIP automation — aimed at high or frequent spenders.
Automation helps with all KPIs such as conversion, sales, repeat orders, and customer lifetime value. The more a customer sees your brand over time, the more likely they will buy.
Another sales conversion automation example
Automation can also notify customers and staff about sales promotions, orders, shipping, and deliveries.
At the Nike.com shop, I added this product to my basket and then received this automated “Complete your purchase before we run out of your size” message.
I most certainly do not wish to miss out on this garment.
Chatbots
A website chatbot is an automated tool that can interact with visitors in real-time via text messages, emails, or phone calls. It can also automatically answer questions from visitors.
The Ahrefs chatbot provides visitors easy access to the Ahrefs Academy, help information, and chat with support staff.
When you click “send us a message,” the chatbot interprets your message and proposes relevant help pages.
If the help articles aren’t enough to answer your question, you can talk to Ahrefs support staff.
Alerts and notifications
An alert is a notification sent by a website owner whenever someone performs a specific action. For example, if someone joins your newsletter, you can email them to thank them for subscribing.
Last year, we launched Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, a free tool to help you get more out of your website.
Once you’ve verified a website and the domain is added to the dashboard, you can create automated backlink, keyword, Site Audit, and ranking notifications.
Click the three dots next to the domain name, then choose which notifications you wish to receive.
WordPress uses automation to notify you about comments posted on your website and enable plugin updates, saving web designers, developers, and bloggers time.
For invoicing purposes, I use Harvest to send out invoices. If the customer pays via Stripe or PayPal, automation sends me a payment notification and the customer receives a thank-you email.
In addition, I can set up the invoice settings so that slow payers get friendly reminders every seven days until they have paid.
Leads and appointments
If you promote services on your website, the aim is to collect information from site visitors, specifically those interested in your services.
This lead qualification automation asks website visitors a series of questions and aims to book an appointment with serious prospects. But the automation doesn’t put off those who aren’t ready to speak to a company representative yet.
In this example, here are the four questions a visitor is asked.
Question 1. What help do you need?
Question 2. What is your website built on?
Question 3. What is your budget?
Question 4. When are you looking to start?
If the prospect is a highly qualified lead, they are invited to book a call.
A less-qualified lead can sign up for a newsletter.
This automation enables marketers to get immediate and future leads from their websites.
Personalization
Automated personalization allows marketers to tailor their messages to specific individuals instead of sending the same message to everyone.
I sent subscribers a personalized website audit using Ahrefs’ Batch Analysis tool and ConvertKit custom fields.
I sent 262 subscribers a personalized email containing:
- Their Domain Rating (DR).
- The number of referring domains.
- The number of keywords they ranked for.
- Organic traffic.
Here’s the step-by-step process:
- Export subscribers from ConvertKit into Google Sheets
- Select Data > Split text to columns to get their domain name from their email address
- Copy and paste domain names into the Batch Analysis tool to extract the website metrics
- Create new columns in Google Sheets for the DR, referring domains, keywords, organic traffic data
- Match this data with subscribers
- Create custom fields in ConvertKit for the domain name, referring domains, keywords, organic traffic information
- Import Google Sheet information back into ConvertKit
- Create an email broadcast
- Insert the custom fields into the email body copy to personalize each subscriber’s domain name, referring domains, keywords, and organic traffic information
Segment customers
Customer segmentation is the process of grouping together customers based on similar behaviors, interests, or needs.
For example, you can create rules aimed at people who open emails and then tag them by a product they’ve bought or a page they’ve visited.
Here, we can see that people who visit and start to exit this spreadsheet website receive a pop-up message with segmentation options.
Upon selecting the “I’m new to Excel” option, I see that the website shows the “get 3 video lessons for beginners” offer.
Now the site owner can tailor follow-up content and offers aimed at their “beginner” customer segment.
Email triggers
An email trigger sends designated content to prospects or customers who take action on your site (e.g., sign up for a free trial, make a purchase, or raise a support request).
These emails confirm that your business noticed the customer’s request or action.
While most email marketing tools and automation platforms can trigger automatic emails, 49% of marketers don’t use these tools. So using these features gives you a competitive advantage.
Let’s say you sell training courses on a platform, such as Teachable or Podia.
After a customer buys your training course, you can send the order details to a marketing platform, such as Drip, ConvertKit, Mailchimp, etc., through an integration.
When the order details come through the marketing platform, you can trigger an automation that emails the customer a welcome email and then another email 14 days later to check on their progress in the training course they signed up for.
PPC and retargeting
Automated PPC bidding is when an advertiser bids automatically based on their budget and other criteria to make managing advertising campaigns easier.
Automated retargeting is when you display ads to people who have just visited your website to encourage them to return.
1250ships.com, an e‑commerce website, created a Google remarketing ad in Mailchimp that generated over $8,200 in revenue and gained 19 new customers—leading to a 3,879% ROI in the first three months.
And here’s how you can create a Google remarketing advert with Mailchimp.
Reports
Automation can generate specific reports for specified people, dates, and times.
You can create automated reports for customers, clients, or staff within Google Analytics.
For example, here’s how to create a report showing all channel traffic:
- Go to Google Analytics > Acquisition
- All Traffic > Channels
- Click the arrow next to the date range > Tick “Compare to the previous period” > Apply
- Click the share button > Customize the email report options
Additionally, Google Search Console sends regular performance reports each month.
Onboarding
Onboarding is the process of bringing users up to speed with your product/service as quickly as possible.
It’s about making sure they feel welcome and confident enough to use, purchase, and keep using your product/service.
Over the festive break, I considered migrating my website from WordPress to the Ghost CMS.
Here’s the Ghost onboarding process for trial customers.
I purchased a custom theme but changed my mind and canceled the trial period.
The ConvertFlow onboarding process is more comprehensive than Ghost’s, including a video course, case studies, results, and techniques.
While I have abandoned interest in these services, I still receive valuable emails from both brands.
Social media
Automated social media uses software to post updates about a business on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.
Marketers can do this manually, but it’s much more efficient if done automatically.
We use MeetEdgar to automate posting and content distribution on our main social channels; you can learn more about Ahrefs’ marketing stack in our very own Mateusz Makosiewicz’s guide.
It’s now time to put what you’ve learned about automation into practice.
If you’re new or want to automate more, here’s our seven-step guide to get started.
Step 1. Goal
Define a specific goal. Note that certain goals—such as saving time or money and increasing sales, leads, conversions, or engagement—are too broad. You need to examine things more closely.
For example, let’s say you looked at Google Analytics and discovered that 1.7% of traffic becomes a lead.
But after delving deeper, you discover you don’t convert many of these leads into paying clients.
Thus, one of your main goals can be to increase qualified leads or increase your conversion rates between the lead and customer stages.
Step 2. Identify technology
Take a look at the technology you are currently using.
Are there options available to reuse the existing technology to reach your goals?
Are there resources you’re not using or could be using?
For example, if you generate leads but do not convert them, is your team following up on those leads?
Could you speak to the sales team that interacts with prospects and build an automated sequence that answers the key questions sales leads have?
Step 3. Look externally
Look how others in your industry are automating parts of their businesses.
I used Ahrefs’ Content Explorer to find automation case studies rather than Google when researching this article.
Type “automation” AND “industry” (replace “industry” with your industry name) into the tool and sort by date.
You’ll discover many examples and case studies specific to your industry that you can learn from.
If you don’t believe your existing solutions or tools can help solve your issues or achieve your goal, look elsewhere.
For example, I’m comparing the templates offered by ConvertFlow and RightMessage because I believe their technology can help increase and convert more qualified leads than my current solution.
Most marketing automation tools will offer demonstrations, free trials, or “recipes” to help you decide if they are right for you.
Step 4. Map out the process
If you need to map out a process from scratch, use a mind-mapping tool like Xmind or MindMeister to visualize each user’s step.
This process for qualifying leads has already been mapped out.
However, there’s no educational and conversion process in place after the visitor subscribes to the newsletter.
Here’s an example of the process to generate qualified website leads.
- Define pages that prospects visit
- Create form, fields, and CTA
- Create a page, web form, and email reply
- Connect form submission with CRM by creating Zapier integration
- Set up a trigger to send follow-up emails
- Create relevant content for the email sequence
Step 5. Build, test, launch
After mapping out your process, it’s time to build the automation.
Most SaaS automation software lets you visually design the automation; if that fails, get your development team involved instead.
Then test out your process; for example, if you’re automating cart abandonment, go to Chrome Incognito and add a product to the basket:
Then abandon the order and ensure the automation works the way it’s supposed to:
Step 6. Measure
Measuring performance against the last 30 days is usually the most accurate way, and most automation solutions have methods for measuring.
Step 7. Repeat
After tackling one problem or goal, repeat the process by identifying another problem or goal.
Final thoughts
This article covered everything about marketing automation.
Automating repetitive marketing activities can help you save time and money; improve sales, leads, customer services, and engagement; and allow marketers to focus on higher-priority tasks.
The best approach is to start by automating small marketing tasks first, then move on to more significant tasks. You should also check out how to build a martech stack and what online marketing tools Ahrefs uses.
Got questions? Ping me on Twitter.
SEO
OpenAI Investigates ‘Lazy’ GPT-4 Complaints On Google Reviews, X
OpenAI, the company that launched ChatGPT a little over a year ago, has recently taken to social media to address concerns regarding the “lazy” performance of GPT-4 on social media and Google Reviews.
This move comes after growing user feedback online, which even includes a one-star review on the company’s Google Reviews.
OpenAI Gives Insight Into Training Chat Models, Performance Evaluations, And A/B Testing
OpenAI, through its @ChatGPTapp Twitter account, detailed the complexities involved in training chat models.
Screenshot from X, December 2023The organization highlighted that the process is not a “clean industrial process” and that variations in training runs can lead to noticeable differences in the AI’s personality, creative style, and political bias.
Thorough AI model testing includes offline evaluation metrics and online A/B tests. The final decision to release a new model is based on a data-driven approach to improve the “real” user experience.
OpenAI’s Google Review Score Affected By GPT-4 Performance, Billing Issues
This explanation comes after weeks of user feedback about GPT-4 becoming worse on social media networks like X.
Idk if anyone else has noticed this, but GPT-4 Turbo performance is significantly worse than GPT-4 standard.
I know it’s in preview right now but it’s significantly worse.
— Max Weinbach (@MaxWinebach) November 8, 2023
There has been discussion if GPT-4 has become “lazy” recently. My anecdotal testing suggests it may be true.
I repeated a sequence of old analyses I did with Code Interpreter. GPT-4 still knows what to do, but keeps telling me to do the work. One step is now many & some are odd. pic.twitter.com/OhGAMtd3Zq
— Ethan Mollick (@emollick) November 28, 2023
Complaints also appeared in OpenAI’s community forums.
Screenshot from OpenAI, December 2023The experience led one user to leave a one-star rating for OpenAI via Google Reviews. Other complaints regarded accounts, billing, and the artificial nature of AI.
Screenshot from Google Reviews, December 2023A recent user on Product Hunt gave OpenAI a rating that also appears to be related to GPT-4 worsening.
Screenshot from Product Hunt, December 2023GPT-4 isn’t the only issue that local reviewers complain about. On Yelp, OpenAI has a one-star rating for ChatGPT 3.5 performance.
OpenAI is now only 3.8 stars on Google Maps and a dismal 1 star on Yelp!
GPT-4’s degradation has really hurt their rating. Hope the business survives.https://t.co/RF8uJH1WQ5 pic.twitter.com/OghAZLCiVu
— Nate Chan (@nathanwchan) December 9, 2023
The complaint:
Screenshot from Yelp, December 2023In related OpenAI news, the review with the most likes aligns with recent rumors about a volatile workplace, alleging that OpenAI is a “Cutthroat environment. Not friendly. Toxic workers.”
Screenshot from Google Reviews, December 2023The reviews voted the most helpful on Glassdoor about OpenAI suggested that employee frustration and product development issues stem from the company’s shift in focus on profits.
Screenshots from Glassdoor, December 2023This incident provides a unique outlook on how customer and employee experiences can impact any business through local reviews and business ratings platforms.
Screenshot from Google, December 2023Google SGE Highlights Positive Google Reviews
In addition to occasional complaints, Google reviewers acknowledged the revolutionary impact of OpenAI’s technology on various fields.
The most positive review mentions about the company appear in Google SGE (Search Generative Experience).
Screenshot from Google SGE, December 2023Conclusion
OpenAI’s recent insights into training chat models and response to public feedback about GPT-4 performance illustrate AI technology’s dynamic and evolving nature and its impact on those who depend on the AI platform.
Especially the people who just received an invitation to join ChatGPT Plus after being waitlisted while OpenAI paused new subscriptions and upgrades. Or those developing GPTs for the upcoming GPT Store launch.
As AI advances, professionals in these fields must remain agile, informed, and responsive to technological developments and the public’s reception of these advancements.
Featured image: Tada Images/Shutterstock
SEO
ChatGPT Plus Upgrades Paused; Waitlisted Users Receive Invites
ChatGPT Plus subscriptions and upgrades remain paused after a surge in demand for new features created outages.
Some users who signed up for the waitlist have received invites to join ChatGPT Plus.
This has resulted in a few shares of the link that is accessible for everyone. For now.
Found a hack to skip chatGPT plus wait list.
Follow the steps
– login to ChatGPT
– now if you click on upgrade
– Signup for waitlist(may not be necessary)
– now change the URL to https://t.co/4izOdNzarG
– Wallah you are in for payment #ChatGPT4 #hack #GPT4 #GPTPlus pic.twitter.com/J1GizlrOAx— Ashish Mohite is building Notionpack Capture (@_ashishmohite) December 8, 2023
RELATED: GPT Store Set To Launch In 2024 After ‘Unexpected’ Delays
In addition to the invites, signs that more people are getting access to GPTs include an introductory screen popping up on free ChatGPT accounts.
Screenshot from ChatGPT, December 2023Unfortunately, they still aren’t accessible without a Plus subscription.
Screenshot from ChatGPT, December 2023You can sign up for the waitlist by clicking on the option to upgrade in the left sidebar of ChatGPT on a desktop browser.
Screenshot from ChatGPT, December 2023OpenAI also suggests ChatGPT Enterprise for those who need more capabilities, as outlined in the pricing plans below.
Screenshot from OpenAI, December 2023Why Are ChatGPT Plus Subscriptions Paused?
According to a post on X by OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman, the recent surge in usage following the DevDay developers conference has led to capacity challenges, resulting in the decision to pause ChatGPT Plus signups.
we are pausing new ChatGPT Plus sign-ups for a bit 🙁
the surge in usage post devday has exceeded our capacity and we want to make sure everyone has a great experience.
you can still sign-up to be notified within the app when subs reopen.
— Sam Altman (@sama) November 15, 2023
The decision to pause new ChatGPT signups follows a week where OpenAI services – including ChatGPT and the API – experienced a series of outages related to high-demand and DDoS attacks.
Demand for ChatGPT Plus resulted in eBay listings supposedly offering one or more months of the premium subscription.
chatgpt plus accounts selling ebay for a premium 🫡🇺🇸 https://t.co/VdN8tuexKM pic.twitter.com/W522NGHsRV
— surya (@sdand) November 15, 2023
When Will ChatGPT Plus Subscriptions Resume?
So far, we don’t have any official word on when ChatGPT Plus subscriptions will resume. We know the GPT Store is set to open early next year after recent boardroom drama led to “unexpected delays.”
Therefore, we hope that OpenAI will onboard waitlisted users in time to try out all of the GPTs created by OpenAI and community builders.
What Are GPTs?
GPTs allow users to create one or more personalized ChatGPT experiences based on a specific set of instructions, knowledge files, and actions.
Search marketers with ChatGPT Plus can try GPTs for helpful content assessment and learning SEO.
Two SEO GPTs I’ve created for assessment + learning 👀👇
1. Content Helpfulness and Quality SEO Analyzer: Assess a page content helpfulness, relevance, and quality for your targeted query based on Google’s guidelines vs your competitors and get tips: https://t.co/LsoP2UhF4N pic.twitter.com/O77MHiqwOq
— Aleyda Solis 🕊️ (@aleyda) November 12, 2023
2. The https://t.co/IFmKxxVDpW SEO Teacher: A friendly SEO expert teacher who will help you to learn SEO using reliable https://t.co/sCZ03C7fzq resources: https://t.co/UrMPUYwblH
I hope they’re helpful 🙌🤩
PS: Love how GPT opens up to SO much opportunity 🤯 pic.twitter.com/yqKozcZTDc
— Aleyda Solis 🕊️ (@aleyda) November 12, 2023
There are also GPTs for analyzing Google Search Console data.
oh wow. I think this GPT works.
Export data from GSC comparing keyword rankings before and after an update and upload it to ChatGPT and it will spit out this scatter plot for you.
It’s an easy way to see if most of your keyword declined or improved.
This site was impacted by… pic.twitter.com/wFGSnonqoZ
— Marie Haynes (@Marie_Haynes) November 9, 2023
And GPTs that will let you chat with analytics data from 20 platforms, including Google Ads, GA4, and Facebook.
Google search has indexed hundreds of public GPTs. According to an alleged list of GPT statistics in a GitHub repository, DALL-E, the top GPT from OpenAI, has received 5,620,981 visits since its launch last month. Included in the top 20 GPTs is Canva, with 291,349 views.
Weighing The Benefits Of The Pause
Ideally, this means that developers working on building GPTs and using the API should encounter fewer issues (like being unable to save GPT drafts).
But it could also mean a temporary decrease in new users of GPTs since they are only available to Plus subscribers – including the ones I tested for learning about ranking factors and gaining insights on E-E-A-T from Google’s Search Quality Rater Guidelines.
Screenshot from ChatGPT, November 2023Featured image: Robert Way/Shutterstock
SEO
The Best Times To Post On Social Media In 2024
Marketers worldwide know the importance of having a solid social media marketing strategy – and a key part of this is finding the best times to post on social media.
The old adage ‘timing is everything’ holds especially true in the world of social media, where the difference between a post that fades into obscurity and one that goes viral can often be just a matter of when it was shared.
With an always-growing array of social platforms hosting billions of users worldwide, it has never been more challenging to stand above the noise and make your voice heard on social.
To determine the best times to post on social media in 2024, we reviewed original data from leading social media management tools.
It’s important to note that the data from these sources present a variety of findings and suggestions, which underscore the fact that social media is an ever-evolving landscape. The most crucial thing is understanding the behavior of your own target audience.
Let’s dive in.
The Best Times To Post On Social Media
| Source | Day Of Week | Time To Post |
| Sprout Social | Tuesday and Wednesday | 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Local |
| Hootsuite | Monday | 12 p.m. EST |
| CoSchedule | Friday, Wednesday, and Monday (in that order) | 7 p.m. Local |
- Best times to post on social media: 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
- Best days to post on social media: Monday and Wednesday.
- Worst days to post on social media: Saturday and Sunday.
Determining an ideal time for posting on social media in general is complicated, as each platform is different, with unique users, features, and communities.
When deciding which social media platforms to focus on, you should think carefully about your brand’s target audience and overarching goals.
If you’re looking to reach a network of professionals, LinkedIn might be a good fit; if your brand is hoping to speak to Gen Z consumers, you might consider TikTok or Snapchat.
This explains why – when analyzing data from Sprout Social, Hootsuite, and CoSchedule on the best overall times to post on social media – we can draw some similarities but also see a variety of recommendations.
Weekdays emerge as a clear winner. CoSchedule and Sprout Social both highlight Wednesday as a good day, with Hootsuite and CoSchedule also highlighting Mondays as a strong day for engagement.
The most common time range among the sources is in the morning to mid-afternoon, with CoSchedule providing some very specific suggestions for post-timing.
Both CoSchedule and Sprout Social agree on avoiding Saturdays and Sundays.
The Best Times To Post On Facebook
| Source | Day Of Week | Time To Post |
| Sprout Social | Monday to Thursday | 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. Local |
| Hootsuite | Monday and Tuesday | 1 p.m. EST |
| CoSchedule | Friday, Wednesday, and Monday (in that order) | 9 a.m. Local |
- Best times to post on Facebook: 8 a.m. – 1 p.m.
- Best days to post on Facebook: Weekdays.
- Worst day to post on Facebook: Sunday.
Facebook remains the most used social media platform in the world, with the largest advertising market share (16%).
While it’s experienced a shift in user demographics over recent years – now catering to older users – its popularity continues to climb, and its potential as a brand marketing tool cannot be disputed.
Regarding the best times to post on Facebook, all of our sources agree that weekdays are best. Sprout Social, Hootsuite, and CoSchdule all name Monday as a great day to engage on Facebook, along with calling out various other days of the week.
There is a general consensus that Sundays should be avoided.
The sources vary in their suggestions for optimal time slots, but generally speaking, early to mid-morning seems to be the most popular selection.
The Best Times To Post On YouTube
| Source | Day Of Week | Time To Post |
| SocialPilot | Sunday | 2-4 p.m. EST |
| HubSpot | Friday and Saturday | 6-9 p.m. Local |
- Best times to post on YouTube: 2-4 p.m. on weekdays and 9-11 a.m. on weekends.
- Best days to post on YouTube: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
- Worst day to post on YouTube: Tuesday.
As the second most visited site in the world and the second most used social platform globally, YouTube offers an unparalleled opportunity for brands and individuals to connect with audiences through video.
And with its continued expansion – by introducing features like YouTube Shorts, initiatives like expanding the ways creators can get paid on the platform, and its increasing popularity as a search engine – the platform shows no signs of slowing.
YouTube is no longer just a video-sharing site; it’s a robust marketing tool that empowers businesses to raise brand awareness and drive meaningful engagement.
Finding recent data on the best times to post on YouTube proved harder than for some other channels, so these recommendations should be taken with a grain of salt.
While HubSpot suggests Friday and Saturday are the strongest days to publish on YouTube, SocialPilot specifically calls out Sunday as the most engaging day – so it’s worth experimenting with all three.
SocialPilot doesn’t specifically name the worst day, but according to HubSpot, you’d be wise to steer clear of Tuesday.
Both sources suggest the afternoon as an effective time for posting during the week. SocialPilot specifies that publishing in the mornings on weekends (9-11 a.m.) is effective, so this is important to bear in mind.
The Best Times To Post On Instagram
| Source | Day Of Week | Time To Post |
| Sprout Social | Tuesday and Wednesday | 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Local |
| Hootsuite | Wednesday | 2 p.m. EST |
| HubSpot | Saturday | 6-9 p.m. Local |
| CoSchedule | Wednesday, Friday, and Tuesday (in that order) |
9 a.m. Local |
| Later | Monday | 4 a.m. Local |
- Best times to post on Instagram: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Best day to post on Instagram: Wednesday.
- Worst day to post on Instagram: Sunday.
From its origins as a photo-sharing platform, Instagram has evolved into one of the most popular social media networks in the world – and an indispensable marketing tool.
With billions of users – 90% of whom are following at least one business – Instagram has become a powerful engine for ecommerce, brand awareness, and community-building.
As a leader in the social media space, Instagram constantly provides new formats and features for users to try out – from Reels to Stories, user quizzes and polls, and more.
We consulted a handful of sources to determine the top posting times for Instagram and came away with a mixed bag of answers.
Wednesday appears to take the cake as the most consistently recommended day, with CoSchedule, Sprout Social, and Hootsuite all suggesting it.
Generally, our sources seem to lean towards weekdays as being strongest for Instagram engagement – with the exception of HubSpot, which recommends Saturday.
In terms of timing, the morning to midday hours seem to be your best bet, especially around 8 a.m. through 1 p.m. HubSpot and Later provide times that significantly differ from other sources, which suggests that effectiveness can vary based on audience and content type.
The Best Times To Post On TikTok
| Source | Day Of Week | Time To Post |
| Sprout Social | Tuesday and Wednesday | 2-6 p.m. Local |
| Hootsuite | Thursday | 10 p.m. EST |
| SocialPilot | Tuesday and Thursday | 2 a.m. and 9 a.m. EST |
| HubSpot | Friday | 6-9 p.m. Local |
- Best time to post on TikTok: Inconclusive.
- Best day to post on TikTok: Tuesday.
- Worst day to post on TikTok: Inconclusive.
While it’s a relative newcomer to the fold, TikTok has quickly become one of the most beloved social platforms worldwide – and is drawing brands in increasing numbers.
With the average user spending nearly 54 minutes on the app daily, it’s hard to beat the hold that TikTok has among audiences. By optimizing your presence there, you can stand to generate some impressive returns on your marketing efforts.
So, what’s the best time to post on TikTok? The jury is out on this one – and it may take extra experimentation on your part to find the sweet spot that engages your audience.
Tuesday seems to rise to the top among the sources we consulted, with Wednesdays and Thursdays also getting recommendations. Generally speaking, it looks like midweek is a good time to test out your TikTok content, but there are plenty of discrepancies in the data.
While HubSpot named Friday as the best day, it also highlighted that Saturdays and Thursdays are strong for B2B brands, and Saturdays and Sundays work well for B2C brands.
Sprout Social found Sunday to be the worst performing day, while Monday and Tuesday are the worst days, according to HubSpot.
We also find a mix of recommended time slots, from early morning to mid-afternoon and also evening being suggested.
The Best Times To Post On Snapchat
Snapchat, the pioneer of ephemeral social media content (and the inspiration behind Instagram Stories), provides unique opportunities to reach younger demographics.
It differs from other platforms in how it works and the type of content that engages there. Snapchat typically centers around showcasing real-time experiences and authentic behind-the-scenes content versus polished marketing content.
This makes Snapchat an advantageous yet often underutilized tool in digital marketing. But it should not be overlooked, especially given that the platform continues to innovate.
While we have seen 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. cited as the best times to post on Snapchat in various secondary sources around the internet, we have found no recent original data to either confirm or refute this.
Given this, we would recommend testing out different times and days based on the behaviors and lifestyles of your target audience and then iterating based on your results (which is what you should be doing across the board, regardless!)
The Best Times To Post On Pinterest
| Source | Day Of Week | Time To Post |
| Sprout Social | Wednesday to Friday | 1-3 p.m. Local |
| HubSpot | Friday | 3-6 p.m. Local |
| CoSchedule | Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday (in that order) |
8 p.m. Local |
- Best times to post on Pinterest: 3-6 p.m.
- Best day to post on Pinterest: Friday.
- Worst day to post on Pinterest: Sunday.
Pinterest, once thought of as a simple inspiration board-style site, has today become a crucial player in the world of ecommerce.
Businesses can leverage Pinterest to showcase their products and drive conversions, but also to grow and expand brand awareness and sentiment.
Success on Pinterest can be found through sharing brand-specific imagery, optimizing for mobile, and appealing to your audience’s sense of aspiration and inspiration.
Friday, alongside other weekdays, is consistently mentioned as a strong day among our sources. On the other end, Sunday is commonly named as the least effective day for posting on Pinterest.
When it comes to the most fruitful posting time on the platform, it appears that the late afternoon to early evening, specifically around 3-6 p.m., is optimal for best engagement.
The Best Times To Post On X (Twitter)
| Source | Day Of Week | Time To Post |
| Sprout Social | Tuesday to Thursday | 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Local |
| Hootsuite | Monday and Wednesday | 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. EST |
| CoSchedule | Wednesday, Tuesday, and Friday (in that order) | 9 a.m. Local |
| HubSpot | Friday and Wednesday (in that order) | 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Local |
- Best times to post on X (Twitter): 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
- Best days to post on X (Twitter): Wednesday and Friday.
- Worst day to post on X (Twitter): Sunday.
X (formerly known as Twitter) has long been a place for marketers to connect and engage with their audience, join trending conversations, and build community.
The real-time nature of X (Twitter) differentiates it from other social platforms and allows for spur-of-the-moment and reactionary marketing moves. And with CEO Elon Musk’s big plans for the app, it’s undoubtedly a space to watch.
When looking for the top days to post among the sources we consulted, Wednesday and Friday are most often mentioned – with Sprout Social specifying Tuesday through Thursday.
Hootsuite nominates Monday and Wednesday as the top days, proving that weekdays reign supreme on X (Twitter).
Like many other platforms, Sunday seems to be the least effective day for post-engagement.
Looking for the best times to post on X (Twitter)?
Late morning, from around 9 a.m. to noon, seems to be the most recommended time – though, as always, this will differ based on your specific audience and the type of content you are sharing.
We always recommend testing and experimenting to see what works for you.
The Best Times To Post On LinkedIn
| Source | Day Of Week | Time To Post |
| Sprout Social | Tuesday to Thursday | 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. Local |
| Hootsuite | Monday | 4 p.m. EST |
| CoSchedule | Thursday, Tuesday, and Wednesday (in that order) | 10 a.m. Local |
| HubSpot | Monday, Wednesday, and Tuesday (in that order) | 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. Local |
- Best times to post on LinkedIn: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
- Best days to post on LinkedIn: Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
- Worst days to post on LinkedIn: Weekends.
Though first and foremost a platform for professionals, LinkedIn has picked up steam in recent years, becoming a hub of engagement and a frontrunner among social media networks.
It’s also an essential tool for businesses that want to reach business executives and decision-makers, as well as potential candidates.
Done right, LinkedIn content can go a long way in building a public perception of your brand and providing deep value to your target audience.
Digging into the data, we can see that weekdays provide the biggest opportunities for engagement on LinkedIn, which is hardly surprising. Tuesdays through Thursdays are often mentioned as the top days, with Mondays also highlighted by Hootsuite and HubSpot.
All of our sources agree that weekends are less effective for LinkedIn posts.
If you’re searching for the right time, you might try your hand at posting from late morning to mid-afternoon, based on what these sources discovered.
But (and not to sound like a broken record) your results may differ based on your brand, niche, target audience, and content.
What Is The Best Time For You To Post On Social Media?
Finding the best times to post on social media requires a delicate blend of testing, experimentation, and personal analytics.
And it never hurts to start your journey with industry insights like the ones we’ve covered in this article.
By aligning your content strategy with your target audience and trying out different posting strategies – taking into account these recommended time slots – you will be able to determine what works best for you and significantly enhance your social media presence and engagement.
Sources of data, November 2023.
All data above was taken from the sources below.
Each platform conducted its own extensive research, analyzing millions of posts across various social networks to find the times when users are most engaged.
Sources:
- Sprout Social analyzed nearly 2 billion engagements across 400,000 social profiles.
- Hootsuite analyzed thousands of social media posts using an audience of 8 million followers. For its Instagram updates, it analyzed over 30,000 posts.
- CoSchedule analyzed more than 35 million posts from more than 30,000 organizations.
- SocialPilot studied over 50,000 YouTube accounts and over 50,000 TikTok accounts to compile its data.
- Later analyzed over 11 million Instagram posts.
- HubSpot surveyed over 1,000 global marketers to discern the best times to post on social media. For its Instagram-specific data, it partnered with Mention to analyze over 37 million posts.
More resources:
Featured Image: Kaspars Grinvalds/Shutterstock
8 Best Zapier Alternatives to Automate Your Website
How Does Success of Your Business Depend on Choosing Type of Native Advertising?
Intro to Amazon Non-endemic Advertising: Benefits & Examples
YouTube Highlights its Top Trends, Topics and Creators of 2023
Paris mayor to stop using ‘global sewer’ X
Mastering The Laws of Marketing in Madness
With the end of the Hollywood writers and actors strikes, the creator economy is the next frontier for organized labor
12 Holiday Emails for Customers (Templates & Examples!)
8 Super-Helpful AI Features in Google Ads
Watch Live on December 11 – WordPress.com News
-
WORDPRESS4 days ago8 Best Zapier Alternatives to Automate Your Website
-
MARKETING7 days agoHow Does Success of Your Business Depend on Choosing Type of Native Advertising?
-
MARKETING6 days agoIntro to Amazon Non-endemic Advertising: Benefits & Examples
-
SOCIAL4 days agoYouTube Highlights its Top Trends, Topics and Creators of 2023
-
SOCIAL7 days agoParis mayor to stop using ‘global sewer’ X
-
MARKETING5 days agoMastering The Laws of Marketing in Madness
-
SOCIAL6 days agoWith the end of the Hollywood writers and actors strikes, the creator economy is the next frontier for organized labor
-
PPC5 days ago12 Holiday Emails for Customers (Templates & Examples!)
You must be logged in to post a comment Login