A new study suggests that certain brands will see engagement rates increase significantly when they publish media to their Facebook Pages on the weekends.

Social media marketing helps brands engage with consumers, and most organizations turn to Facebook first in their efforts to build awareness online. In fact, Nielsen recently reported that Facebook served more than 152 million monthly active American users between July 2011 and July 2012, making it the most active network in the U.S. More, Webmarketing123 pointed out that brands generate a significant percentage of leads and conversions from Facebook marketing – 30 percent of new B2B leads and 19 percent of B2B conversions, compared to 67 percent of new B2C leads and 39 percent of B2C conversions.

LinchpinSEO StatsHowever, social media marketers face unique challenges unseen in other industries, such as ever-evolving tech trends that alter how brands utilize unique network features. In order for social media content to have the biggest impact online, marketers must understand the optimal days of the week to publish compelling media. LinchpinSEO recently published an infographic to help identify key activity times for businesses across various industry verticals. It turns out, the magic happens on the weekend.

Ad and marketing WeekendLinchpinSEO noted that interaction rates for weekend posts receive 14.5 percent higher Likes, comments and shares on Facebook, yet only 14 percent of updates occur on Saturday or Sunday. The source outlined business sectors that have potential to increase engagement significantly by publishing media to their Facebook Pages on the weekends. Advertising and consulting, for example, generate 69 percent higher interaction rates by posting content on the weekends, but most firms only dedicate 11 percent of the media they produce for those two days of the week. In addition, the automotive field will increase interaction with their Facebook Pages by 15 percent when they update on weekends, the entertainment industry by 20 percent, nonprofits by 14 percent, publishing companies by 5 percent and sports by 11 percent.

Clearly, the weekend offers brands new opportunities for lead generation, especially through Facebook marketing. LinchpinSEO defined interactions as being Likes, comments or shares. Most posts receive Likes over any other type of engagement, accounting for 79 percent of all interactions via Facebook. Comments make up 15 percent of all action between brands and their followers, while shares equate to 6 percent. Organizations that want to increase the percentage of Likes, comments and shares they receive on Facebook must begin publishing branded content on the weekends – it’s as simple as that.

Ted Karczewski is an Executive Communications Associate at Brafton. He works to develop his own voice and apply his passions to the evolving world of SEO and content marketing, but he doesn't shy away from writing for fun. After graduating from Suffolk University, Ted used his Communications degree to test out Sports Journalism before Marketing at Brafton.