Are you noticing a decline in user engagement and conversions despite pouring hundreds of dollars into Facebook ads? Social media marketing networks are abuzz with different speculations on the best time to run Facebook ads to capture maximum user engagement and return on ad spend (ROAS). Brands seek to optimize ad spend by figuring out the best time to advertise on Facebook, so their ads drive maximum conversions.
If only it were that simple. Advertisers have been obsessing over the best time to run Facebook ads for years to take full advantage of the platform’s algorithm. In order to create an impactful Facebook ads schedule, marketers must understand how Facebook users engage with organic posts and paid ads.
Users engage with organic posts after voluntarily liking your Facebook page but paid ads are intrusive – users don’t choose to interact with them. This article offers an in-depth understanding of the Meta advertising algorithm to help you identify the best time to run Facebook ads.
Facebook Ads Schedule: Understanding the Meta Algorithm
It’s important to understand how Meta’s algorithm works in order to devise a Facebook ads schedule that secures maximum ROAS. Facebook and Instagram are powered by a complex AI-driven algorithm that personalizes the user experience based on unique interests and preferences. Multiple factors come into play as Meta’s algorithm ensures users interact with ads, organic posts and stories most relevant to their preferences.
Let’s take a closer look at how Facebook’s algorithm curates tailored experiences for every user.
Signals to Determine Content Preferences
Facebook’s innumerable bots and crawlers meticulously examine hundreds and thousands of signals to determine which content is most relevant for its users. For instance, Facebook analyzes the users past interactions in the form of likes and comments, and time spent watching videos. Past experiences heavily influence the algorithm, indicating the type of content users are most likely to engage with.
The algorithm also examines which content type users engage the most with, such as live streams, stories or videos. Meta aims to ensure a steady supply of fresh and original content across News Feeds, which is why new content is prioritized and circulated higher in the feeds.
Facebook Inventory & Suggestions
Facebook’s algorithm maintains detailed catalogs and inventories of all the content users will engage with by meticulously tracking and reviewing each piece of content. Typically, a Facebook user engages with content posted by family and friends, Facebook groups and pages, and videos and ads suggested by the platform based on relevance.
Predictive Analysis to Ensure Relevance
Meta’s algorithm relies on AI-powered predictive analysis to see how likely users are to interact with certain pieces of content. The algorithm relies on suggestions and signals to determine if users will comment on a specific post, share a video or click on a website link.
Then, the algorithm assigns a relevance score for every post, video or ad to determine the order in which it will be displayed on the user’s News Feed, ensuring that the most relevant posts appear first.
Understanding the algorithm is instrumental to determine the best time to run Facebook ads in order to create a Facebook ads schedule that aligns with your advertising goals and target audience. In case of misusage of unethical advertising practices you raise the chances of your Facebook ads to get rejected.
Factors that Determine the Best Time to Run Facebook Ads
Marketers must identify the factors that determine the ideal Facebook ads schedule for their unique advertising goals. If you want to optimize the advertising experience for maximum ROAS, it’s crucial to understand the key aspects that determine the best time to advertise on Facebook.
Let’s take a look:
Market Segment & Niche
The best time to run Facebook ads is mainly determined by the industry niche and market segment. For instance, business-to-business brands can connect with entrepreneurs and professionals during weekdays. The best time to run Facebook ads for B2B brands is during business hours when professionals are active at work.
In contrast, business-to-customer brands like ecommerce websites and service providers will find weekends to be the best time to run Facebook ads. Customers are more likely to indulge in online shopping over the weekends or during evenings. Weekend ad placements are widely considered the best time to run ads on Facebook for ecommerce brands.
Advertising Goals
While ROIs and conversion rates vary considerably during weekdays and weekends, the underlying advertising goals of a campaign are instrumental in determining the best time to run Facebook ads. Are you running a campaign to build brand awareness or do you seek to drive website purchases?
Marketers don’t need to figure out the best time to run Facebook ads while setting brand awareness campaigns. But if you seek to drive conversions, it’s important to identify the best time of day to run Facebook ads. Conversion-focused ad campaigns must capitalize on peak activity periods with interactive Facebook ad headlines, which tend to vary based on target audiences and geographic locations.
Target Audience Preferences
Consumer research is the key to curating a personalized and hyper-tailored advertising experience that’s genuinely relatable and relevant to the target audience. Facebook offers a plethora of data-driven tools to support advertisers, allowing them to develop an in-depth understanding of user behavior and content preferences.
Monitoring user activities and behaviors is crucial to determine the best time to run Facebook ads for maximum ROAS. Here are some aspects to analyze as you examine the content consumption patterns and timings of your target audience:
Facebook Usage Duration & Frequency
Facebook has an active daily user base of over 2 billion individuals, of which some use the platform for longer durations while others log in and out for shorter periods throughout the day. Marketers trying to identify the best time to run Facebook ads must examine usage patterns based on individual preferences and audience demographics.
For instance, older users such as millennials and baby boomers typically use the platform during dedicated hours after work. In contrast, younger audiences, especially Gen Z users, use Facebook throughout the day with a considerably shorter attention span.
Gaining in-depth insights into the usage duration and frequency of your target audience will help you determine the best time to post ads on Facebook.
Content Preferences & Consumption Patterns
Modern-day users are drawn toward images, videos and posts that are graphically rich, visually immersive, evocative and informative. Facebook is brimming with interactive video content offering valuable information and entertainment.
As you’re figuring out the best to run Facebook ads for your brands, examine which content types enjoy more popularity among your audience. Typically, Facebook ad images, videos, live-streams and user-generated content secure higher user engagement. Examining content consumption patterns and preferences will help you figure out the best time to advertise on Facebook based on user engagement levels.
What is the Best Time to Advertise on Facebook?
As explained above, there is no one-fits-all solution to figuring out the best time to run Facebook ads for your brand. Advertisers must prioritize audience research and develop an in-depth understanding of user behavior and content consumption patterns.
By understanding audience preferences, marketers can develop a strategic Facebook ads schedule that leverages the best time of day to run Facebook ads for their audience.
Let’s examine some crucial considerations to help you determine the best time to run Facebook ads for your target audience:
Best Time to Run Ads on Facebook: Weekdays vs. Weekends
Many advertisers run conversion-focused campaigns on weekends because they assume that users are more inclined to leisure browse on their days off work. While that may be true for certain audience demographics, user activity and behavioral patterns are much more complex. Activity patterns tend to vary, based on audience demographics and individual preferences like daily routines and work environments.
Business-to-Business brands secure higher ad engagement on weekdays, especially during commuting hours and lunch breaks. In contrast, business-to-consumer brands, especially ecommerce websites, witness higher conversion rates on weekends when users are free and more receptive to ads encouraging online purchases.
Identifying the Best Time of Day to Run Facebook Ads
Advertisers can identify the best time to run Facebook ads by closely examining the demographics, interests and lifestyles of their target audience. For instance, Gen Z users are active on Facebook throughout the day, while parents tend to use the app after freeing up from their domestic and professional responsibilities. Likewise, professionals tend to engage with ads during long commutes, lunch breaks or evenings.
GCG Media encourages marketers to utilize these user activity patterns to identify the best time to run Facebook ads for their brands:
Early Risers
Early risers are users who log into Facebook as soon as they wake up, engaging with the app’s content and ads as they get ready and embark on their morning commute or enjoy breakfast. If your target audience includes early risers, early morning hours are the best time of day to run Facebook ads for maximum ROIs.
Lunch Break Surge
Lunch breaks are also considered the best time to run Facebook ads as the app witnesses a surge in user activity when professionals gear up for a break. This time is ideal for both business-to-business and business-to-consumer brands eager to drive conversions.
Evening Engagement Revival
Facebook activity patterns indicate that user engagement typically reduces during mid-afternoon hours as users return to work, parental duties or other routine chores. App activity revives during the evenings when people are freed up from work and other responsibilities with ample free time to interact with social media content, mostly with Facebook reels.
As you work towards devising a strategic Facebook ads schedule, remember that these activity patterns are not a one-fits-all solution. They are merely pointers to offer you a sense of direction. It’s important to dig deep into the unique activity patterns and lifestyles of your target audience to identify the best time to run Facebook ads for maximum conversions.
Best Time to Run Facebook Ads: Leveraging Data-Driven Insights
Meta advertising empowers marketers with a range of data-driven tools to leverage the power of analytics in ad optimization and maximizing ROAS. It’s crucial to leverage data-driven insights in order to understand user activity patterns and find the best time to run Facebook Ads.
Before you create a Facebook ads schedule for your next ad campaign, utilize these analytical tools:
If you don’t regularly utilize Facebook Analytics to monitor user engagement, you’re not effectively optimizing ad campaigns to maximize ROAS. Meta’s analytical tools are cutting-edge and offer valuable insights into user engagement, ad interactions and overall ROAS. You can gain insight into which of your ads have been securing the highest engagement, conversions and interactions.
This will help you set a benchmark for the Facebook ads schedule and timelines when a higher number of users interact with your ads and convert into customers. Facebook Analytics offers access to various performance-tracking ad metrics that will improve ad optimization and effectiveness.
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Google Analytics
Advertisers who are relatively new to Facebook advertising and haven’t collected sufficient data on the app can turn to Google Analytics for website data mining. Google Analytics is a remarkable tool for website data mining, offering marketers some insight into managing their social media engagement. Once the data is analyzed correctly you can definitely craft the right approach to lower your cost per results.
For instance, tracking conversions through Google Analytics will help you figure out the best time to run Facebook ads based on when most users make online purchases after interacting with Facebook ads.
Meta Pixel
Meta Pixel is a must-have tool to figure out the best time to run Facebook ads and ensure robust ad optimization for higher conversions and revenue growth. Pixel is a code snippet that tracks conversions – recording when users complete the desired actions after interacting with Facebook ads.
Pixel is a powerful innovation that allows advertisers to examine the value their ads offer, tracking performance and return on ad spend. Meta Pixel will help you track the conversion rate and monitor timelines to identify the best time to run Facebook ads for higher conversions.
We strongly urge advertisers and businesses to leverage these tools and incorporate other analytical tools such as choosing the right Facebook keywords for ads as they work on devising a strategic Facebook ads schedule.