So, you’ve set up your Facebook ad account successfully and it’s time to run your first ad but then another obstacle lingers: What is the Best Times to Run Facebook Ads in Nigeria?

Knowing when to run Facebook ads is just as important as knowing how to run and track your ad. This is because your audience has a social media routine that mostly does not involve staying active 24/7. 

If you fail to study this routine, you could risk running your ads when nobody is there to view them, which could significantly impact your ad’s effectiveness. 

Let’s break down together the best times to run Facebook ads for your business in Nigeria.

When is the Best Time to Run My Facebook Ads?

Well, if you asked me when the best time to run your Facebook ads is, then my simple answer would be: I do not know yet.

Wait, if I am writing an article on the best time to run your Facebook ads and still do not know when, then who does?

The truth is that all of the answers you need are right at your fingertips with a little bit of research.

I can tell you to publish in the morning, afternoon, or evening, but this will yield little to no result if you do not consider the following:

1. Your audience
2. The type of business you run
3. Your ad budget
4. Your ad goal
5. Your competitors
6. Time itself.

Understanding Your Audience

A full understanding of your audience is needed to ensure the success of your Facebook ads.

Therefore, avoid speculating. Instead, conduct thorough research on them to understand their habits and social media usage patterns.

The ideal time to run your ads will vary significantly depending on your target audience. Get to know your audience by grouping them according to their:

• Age
• Occupation and
• Location

Each group has different online behaviours, so their active hours on Facebook will differ.

For example, if you want to run an ad for a beauty product targeted at working-class women who prioritise their looks and appearance, then when do you think would be the best time to reach them?

You might consider running your ads in the afternoon (during lunch breaks), in the evening (when they’re back home), or at the weekend.

But what if you run them in the morning? Then, you risk showing your ads when your audiences are either trying to rush to work or stuck in a meeting but guess the last place they’ll be?

That’s right, Facebook!

“When you understand your Facebook audience, then you are one step closer to knowing when to run your Facebook ads.”

But this is just one of the factors to consider; what else should you keep in mind?

Understanding the Type of Business You Run

This is also crucial for determining the best time to run your Facebook ads.

Different businesses have unique customer behaviours, peak activity periods, and buying patterns.

This is especially important if you’re just starting your business. You might have your eyes fixed on a thriving business and want to mirror what they do for success but this doesn’t always work. 

They may already have systems in place that allow them to operate all day, every day. Systems you do not know of.

Therefore, you need to understand what works for your business.

Start by identifying your business type. Do you run—

• An e-commerce business
• A B2B business
• A restaurant/food business
• An entertainment/educational brand or
• A health and wellness brand?

Identifying your business type will aid identification of your audience and then you can understand their peak engagement time.

For example, a Facebook ad for an e-commerce business may better perform in the evenings (7 PM–11 PM) and weekends when many people scroll through social media after work.

On the other hand, an ad for a B2B brand may be effective during working hours (9 AM–5 PM, Monday–Friday) when decision-makers are in their work mode and more likely to engage.

Considering Your Ad Budget

Your ad budget can directly affect your Facebook ad campaign’s reach, effectiveness, and return on investment (ROI).

Running ads during peak periods like festive seasons may be more expensive due to increased competition, so if your budget is limited, you may get better results when you run ads during off-peak times when CPC (cost per click) and CPM (cost per mille) are lower.  

Read Also: 150 Marketing Terms Every Newbie Marketer Should Know

Considering and understanding the limitations of your ad budget will help you strategically time your Facebook ads to maximise impact, minimise costs, and improve your campaign performance.

Understanding Your Ad Campaign Goal

Your ad campaign goal will also help to determine the best time to run your Facebook ad.

For example, if your goal is brand awareness, you might want to run ads throughout the day to maximise visibility. 

However, if you’re focused on conversions (i.e., getting people to make purchases or sign up for a service), you’ll need to identify when your audience is most likely to take action. This can be during lunch breaks, evenings, or weekends in Nigeria.  

For engagement (likes, shares, and comments), your ad might perform better when people are leisurely scrolling, like during evenings or weekends.  

Finally, lead generation or sales ads work best when people have purchasing intent, such as during payday periods or festive seasons.  

Understanding Your Competitors

Ever heard the phrase, ‘Steal like an artist’? It applies to running Facebook ads, too.

Understanding your competitors can reduce your rate of trial and error when running your Facebook ads, especially if you are playing at a very high level in a very competitive market.

When you carefully analyse their ad schedules, you will be able to identify any gaps in them and then optimise your ad strategy better.

Understanding Time and Seasons

During seasonal or major holidays, people tend to be more active.

You can leverage this and adjust your ad schedules accordingly for better effectiveness.

By now you should have an idea of the best times to run Facebook ads, but let’s identify them together, starting with the best days to run your ads.

Best Days to Run Facebook Ads in Nigeria 

With all of the factors above considered, here are the best days that you can run effective Facebook ads in Nigeria:

1. Weekdays (Tuesday-Thursday)

If you’re wondering why Mondays and Fridays do not make the list, it is because these days usually have lower engagement due to work pressure at the start of the week and typical off-social media unwinding activities on Fridays (cinema, Netflix, outdoor hangouts).

On the other hand, Tuesdays to Thursdays often see higher engagement rates, as people are more likely to be browsing social media during work breaks or after work.

2. Weekends (Saturday-Sunday)

Weekends can also be effective for reaching a broader audience, especially if your target audience is more active during leisure times.

Best Times of The Day to Run Facebook Ads in Nigeria

As for the best times of the day to run Facebook ads, here are our suggestions based on research and the considerations above:

1. Early Morning (6:00 AM – 9:00 AM)

Many Nigerians check their phones first thing in the morning so the morning hours can be effective for reaching early risers and workers checking their feeds before work.

2. Lunchtime (12:00 PM – 2:00 PM)

This is a peak period when office workers take breaks and browse social media.

3. Evening (7:00 PM – 10:00 PM)

Evenings are one of the highest engagement periods when many people are relaxing at home after work and are active on Facebook.

4. Late Night (10 PM – 12 AM)

This is ideal and effective for young audiences and night owls.

Pro tip: You can use Facebook Ads Manager to schedule your ad delivery periods, especially for late-night ads.

Extra Tips to Optimise Your Facebook Ad Schedule

Here are some extra tips to help you know the best times to run your Facebook ads:

• A/B Testing (insert published article link):  Run ads at different times and compare results to determine the most effective times for your specific audience and campaign goals.
• Use Facebook Ads Manager to set precise start and end times for your campaigns.
• Regularly monitor your ad performance using Facebook’s analytics tools to know which ad schedules are driving the best results and adjust your strategy accordingly.
• If you are targeting a global audience, ensure your ad schedules are aligned with the time zones of your target locations.

Key Takeaways

Ready to run effective Facebook ads at a time guaranteed to bring results? Well, here are some things to remember:

• There is no one-size-fits-all solution for the best time to run Facebook ads
• Understand your audience
• Experiment with different times and
• Analyse your ad performance.

By doing these, you can significantly improve the effectiveness of your Facebook ads and achieve your marketing objectives.