Recently I've been back into a training phase as I gear up for a few endurance races later this year. This morning, I was back in the pool at 5:30 am. While I generally enjoy swim workouts (more so than running), they can be a bit tedious and certainly boring at times. Even with intervals and workouts that require "pool toys", it is hard to break up the monotony of staring at the black line at the bottom of the pool. While it can sometimes be a chore to get started, the time in the pool can also be a nice break! With all the 'noise' at work, family and social demands, as well as my two young kids requiring a good bit of attention, it is sometimes nice to let my mind wander while doing nothing but swimming. It's almost therapeutic. 

Although I mention swims being somewhat of a break, for me that typically involves thinking about my business and clients. It's good focus time, and not something that I get much of during the week. 

On swim mornings, I am "that guy" waiting at the door a few minutes before the gym even opens. The reason I do this is to hopefully get in and get finished before the early morning (does that make me part of the earliest early?) crowd arrives. Today, like most days, I was about 30 minutes into my workout when more and more lanes filled up. It always feels great to finish up a workout while most people are just getting warmed-up! My happiness in timing it right once again got me thinking about social media. Stick with me here...

Set It And Forget It!

I've heard this statement a lot over the years from prospective clients as well as automation companies. The comment is something along the lines of, 

You just set your post at the start of the week, and they post at the scheduled day and time. You just set it and forget it. It couldn't be easier! 

Most companies will either take a stab in the dark at the right days and times to post, or they will look at best practices and base their schedule on that. They may run the same schedule for months or even years. 

What in the heck does this have to do with the pool?

I told you to stick with me! Thinking about my typical experience at the pool, there are two ways to look at this:

The Earliest Early Group: What if you tested posting on social extremely early in the morning? There may not be the largest portion of your audience active and awake, but you may be able to reach a small, yet dedicated group when there isn't a lot of content being published - a.k.a. "wide open lanes" of communication or their full attention.

The Early Group: sure, there may be more sets of eyes during the peak hours on social media, but just like the pool, you'll be "fighting for a lane". If you are going to compete at the peak times, make sure you are in the right lane!

Ideas to Try

If you have run the same schedule for any period of time, I urge you to switch it up a bit. What are some ways to do this?

• Post very early or very late in the day (think infomercial timing)
• Change up the day of the week which you choose to put your best content out
• Consider posting more on the weekend
• Post multiple times per day
• And if you are really feeling adventurous, look into a social network which you are not currently on and think about its viability for your company.

Take It To The Next Level

If a little creativity in your social media schedule produces great results for you, the next step is to consider a full-blown digital marketing campaign. Luckily, with the free guide below, you'll be able to plan and execute your first campaign like a pro!