Social media for education: Q3 2024 research and benchmarks

How do you know if your social strategy is hitting the mark? Is 100 likes a big deal or just average? And what’s the optimal time to share your content?

Unfortunately, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. It all comes down to factors like your industry, the platforms you’re active on, and the makeup of your audience.

That’s where social media benchmarks come into play. These numbers provide a snapshot of what’s typical for your industry in terms of engagement and growth, helping you see how your efforts measure up.

Keep reading for fresh 2024 benchmarks for the education sector that will help you put your results in perspective.

Psst: Once you grab your benchmarks, head to our guide to using social media for marketing in education to find out how to action these insights.

Best times to post on social media for education

Below, you’ll find recommendations for the best times to post on Instagram, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and LinkedIn for maximum engagement.

Note: Time of day was localized across 118 countries where sample data came from, i.e. the graphs are accurate across time zones.

Best time to post on Facebook

According to our research, Monday and Thursday evenings (8-10 pm) are the best times for educational institutions to post on Facebook.

Best time to post on Instagram

Late mornings and early afternoons (11 am-1 pm) on Saturdays are the best times for educational institutions to post on Instagram.

Best time to post on X (Twitter)

Tuesday and Thursday evening (6-10 pm) Tweets tend to generate the highest engagement for educational institutions on X.

Best time to post on LinkedIn

According to our research, 9 am on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays are the best times for educational institutions to post on LinkedIn.

How often should you post on social media in education?

Every institution’s ideal posting schedule is unique, and you should test different posting frequencies to find out what works best for your audience. That said, these industry-specific stats will help you find a data-informed starting point.

Our research found that educational institutions post on X and Facebook more often than on other social platforms — an average of 9 times a week. LinkedIn sits on the opposite side of the scale with 6 weekly uploads.

Below, you’ll find network-specific data that illustrates how posting frequency corresponds to overall engagement rates.

On Facebook, performance depends on the content you post more than it does on how often you post. Institutions that posted six times a week have seen similar engagement rates to those posting an average of 13 times per week.

On Instagram, you’re most likely to keep your audience engaged if you keep your posting schedule busy and consistent. 5-7 posts a week seems to be the sweet spot!

On LinkedIn, institutions posting 9 times a week see the highest average engagement on their posts…

… whereas on X (formerly Twitter), 1-4 posts a week are enough to keep engagement rates high.

Average engagement rates in education

Wondering if your engagement rates are high enough? Here are the industry averages across all major social networks as of September 2024:

• Instagram: 4.7%
• Facebook: 3.6%
• X (Twitter): 3.3%
• LinkedIn: 1.8%

What should educational institutions post on social media?

Different social networks offer different content formats — but how do you decide which should dominate your content mix?

Here’s what our research says.

On Facebook, album posts generate the most engagement — followed by posts with links, videos, and individual photos.

Instagram users particularly enjoy carousel posts, which — in education — generate more than double the engagement of Reels.

On LinkedIn, posts with photos and videos outperform posts with links.

Education follower growth rate

If your social media strategy revolves around growing your audience, make sure you’re setting realistic goals. Here is how other educational institutions are doing in Q3 2024:

• LinkedIn: 1.58%
• X (Twitter): 0.14%
• Instagram: 0.00%
• Facebook: 0.06%

Hootsuite is the most trusted social media management tool for educational institutions. Schedule content, use powerful social listening tools, and keep students, parents, and alumni engaged with a universal social inbox — all with ROI-proving analytics to push growth to the next level. Try it today.

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