Why you don’t have any engagement on social media
Let me first define autoposting. I’m not saying you shouldn’t use tools such as HootSuite to schedule your posts. I am saying you shouldn’t have a post on one social media platform, Facebook, for example, automatically post to another like Twitter. Or have the same exact update go to all of your social media platforms at the same time.
Each platform has different types of posts and differently crafted posts that work best. As well as individual style and technical factors that make it important to post each update separately by platform.
Also, you should schedule posts as often as possible natively in each platform especially when it comes to Facebook. We are seeing explosive engagement on Facebook with native video versus posting a YouTube link. Also, tagging other pages and people is not currently available outside of Facebook.
Here are four examples of why posting from one platform to another is a bad idea along with a quick solution to these problems.
#1) Facebook to Twitter
I see many businesses post from Facebook to Twitter. If you find such a business, go ahead and look at their Twitter feed. Often it is difficult to figure out what the posts are about. The number of characters available on Twitter for your update is limited to 140, but you should keep your updates much shorter to allow for Retweets. Facebook posts tend to be much longer and just get cut off by Twitter with a link back to your Facebook page. Also, you are not engaging in the Twitter community using hashtags and tagging other people.
#2) Twitter to Facebook
It’s rare but I also see businesses post from Twitter to Facebook. Here you are likely bringing in Twitter handles that don’t translate on Facebook and hashtags that may or may not mean the same thing on Facebook. Also, Facebook thrives on visual content. You should always be posting with a photo or video directly into Facebook.
#3) Instagram to Twitter
Instagram makes it easy to post to other platforms when you publish your photo. However, when you post from Instagram to Twitter, the image does not carry over; instead it is converted to a link. So create that Instagram image and publish on Instagram, then go into Twitter or an app that posts images to Twitter and upload the photo.
Here are some more reasons not to publish from Instagram to Twitter:
- The hashtag conventions on Twitter and Instagram are different.
- The number of characters allowed on Twitter is limited.
- Links do not hyperlink in Instagram updates so should not be included. However, Twitter is all about links so you definitely want to include them in your updates.
- Are the people you are tagging on Instagram using the same handle on Twitter? They should be but if they aren’t you may be tagging someone else.
I do sometimes (not all the time) post from Instagram to Facebook. After publishing on Instagram, I go back to the image and choose SHARE, choose Facebook, and edit the update removing the tagging and hashtags. I most often do this when I am at an event. This can also help build your Instagram audience from Facebook because the image will have a link to your Instagram profile. The images are perfectly square which works great on Facebook especially on mobile. I tend to share a wider variety of images on Instagram so I definitely do not just post all my Instagram photos to Facebook. I pick and choose a few choice images to share to Facebook.
Please read my follow up post: Repurposing Instagram Content.
#4) Anywhere to LinkedIn; LinkedIn to anywhere
I never understand treating LinkedIn like a social network. LinkedIn is a business networking site. It is not a place to blast your message or share details about your vacation. Make sure you know your audience (and it will be different on each platform) and deliver the appropriate content to them.
My LinkedIn connections are my business associates. People I know and see around at local events. I have no desire to blast them with my latest promotion or event. I do occasionally share the best of the best of my content on LinkedIn. I also share business accomplishments that interest this audience. Think of LinkedIn as milestone type content. When you post on LinkedIn, use an image of the appropriate size and do not use hashtags.
The Solution: Repurposing Your Content
So, now that I’ve told you what NOT to do, I want to share with you what you can do. The solution is repurposing your content across the platforms.
You can use the same content, just not the same update. Here’s what it might look like if I was posting the same content to ALL the platforms discussed here:
- I write the update in Notepad or another text editor.
- I create all the appropriate sized images. 2015 Social Media Image Size Cheat Sheet
- I copy and paste the post in Facebook and schedule for later in the afternoon with an image or video. I will also tag any other appropriate Facebook pages.
- I copy and paste the post in HootSuite for Twitter. I will likely take the same update and rewrite it three different ways using appropriate hashtags (one or two) and maybe tagging a partner or the subject of the post. I would upload an image for one or two of these posts and schedule them out at various times based on when my Twitter audience is online.
- I craft an image and update for Instagram and post. Keep in mind that Instagram (and Pinterest) updates tend to have more shelf life so write them with that in mind. Also, find up to 11 appropriate hashtags that relate to the post and your audience. One or two of them can just be fun. This is social media, right?
- Copy and paste the original update in LinkedIn and rewrite to my business contacts – how is it important to them? Maybe if I am promoting an event, I’ll ask them whom they might know who can benefit from the topic instead of just blasting the registration page. I would also include an image here and post during normal working hours. LinkedIn is also not as immediate as Facebook or Twitter so make sure you give some time for your audience to act.
Mix these updates with other content so if I follow you on multiple platforms, I don’t just see “here’s my event”, “here’s my event”, “here’s my event” everywhere.
I hope you find that spending this small amount of additional time to craft your posts appropriately for each platform will exponentially increase your engagement across your social media platforms and you will start to get a better feel for what works on each platform for your particular audience.
Remember to choose the one platform that makes the most sense for your ideal customer profile and start there.
If you want to learn about more effective and timesaving tips for your social media, join me for my next free webinar.
This post originally appeared on the Constant Contact Member Blog at http://bit.ly/1DR1bCa.