I realize that in social media there are few set rules. Everyone has their own perceptions of what is right and what is wrong. So when it comes to linking your Facebook and Twitter accounts, or your Instagram and Facebook accounts, some people say "Yes!" while others scream "No!". If the title didn't give it away, I'm one of the latter category. While I don't propose this post to be a rant, per se, here are my thoughts...
Please, please, please STOP linking your accounts!
There are a multitude of reasons why I feel this way and I will attempt to explain them here in a way that I hope opens your eyes to my perspective. You may disagree with me - that's fine. There's a section for comments at the end and I welcome your perspective.
A little disclaimer before I start: If you are a less frequent user of a certain platform, then maybe linking your accounts works for you and helps generate additional traffic. If this is you, great! And you might not want to read any further. However, if you are a heavy user of various social media platforms, please read on.
Here goes!
Chances are that if I like you or your brand, I will follow you across more than one platform. So if I follow you on all these sites and you post the SAME information on each and every site, why should I continue to follow you on each site? In this case, I'll just follow you on Facebook so that I can flip over your posts quickly in my feed. You need to give people a reason to follow you on more than one site! It's all about that exclusivity thing - when I see something that you've only shared on Twitter, it makes me part of that elite group: better than all those Facebook followers, and more in the know than your Instagram followers. Everyone likes to feel like they have some special advantage and unique posts on each site let your fans feel a little more special.
If you've never seen a Facebook account that shows a user's every Tweet or Instagram posts, you are a very lucky person. Or you just don't follow a lot of socially active people. Either way, you are a rarity. If I shared every tweet to Facebook, I think my fans would riot! I tweet on average 30-40 times a day. Sure, I'm a pretty heavy Twitter user, but that's not the point. Can you imagine if you followed my Facebook page and I spammed your news feed with all those posts from Twitter (assuming EdgeRank even let you see that many posts)? I have a feeling you wouldn't like me very much.
What about the Instagrammers? Now, if you read my post earlier this week, you know about my new-found obsession with Instagram. But I specifically removed my auto share function so my photos are posted ONLY to Instagram unless I choose to share them to another site manually. Likewise, Instagram no longer feels the need to tell every single one of my Facebook friends which photos I've liked over there on Instagram. Yes, you will hear people tell you the best way to market your Instagram account is to share all your photos to Facebook. If you're not a heavy user, this might be ok. But if you're posting more than 3 photos a day, it's too much.
But, Jenn, if I don't post it to every site, how will I make sure everyone sees it? You DON'T!! Each social media platform is for a different type of audience. You should be posting unique posts to each site, not copying one generic post to every site!
A picture on Instagram should convey a message through a photo, and include a good description with proper use of hashtags. This same photo shared on Facebook looks trashy when the hashtags carry over (I don't care if Facebook is introducing hashtags! They aren't relevant yet and you look amateur for not creating unique content for Facebook).
Have you ever posted something to Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn and shared it directly to Twitter? How did that work out for you? Chances are your text was too long so it ended up cutting off your message with an ellipsis and a link to the original post. Ugly, unprofessional, and if you can't say it properly in 140 characters, then you shouldn't have put it on Twitter. Or what about that awesome photo you posted on Instagram and then shared on Twitter? Guess what, the photo comes up as a link to Instagram not a TwtiPic. So again, you have to click on a link and go to Instagram to view the photo. Here's the golden nugget: if you're viewing these posts on a mobile device, links are a pain in the ass!!! They don't often open in the proper app; they take you to an actual web page, and then you have to login to your account, and then.... yup, I've already given up! When I see these posts on my phone, I don't even attempt to open them. I skip them altogether.
Now, these posts are OK on occasion but they are NOT good all the time! Yes, I occasionally share an Instagram photo to Twitter. Why? So that people will see I'm on Instagram and maybe they'll follow me there. But these shared posts are few and far between. It's one thing to do a little cross sharing for promotional purposes. It's not OK to spam your sites with repeated content daily.
It's also worth mentioning that people want to engage with someone human. When you share the same post to every site, it looks lazy and a little robotic. It looks like you didn't have the time to customize your posts so you just created one generic one, slapped it onto each site, then walked away.
If your content is so amazing that it must be shared on each site, then customize it and make it amazing for EACH site!
LinkedIn is more professional and your cutesy cat photo isn't really appreciated here (yes, you can put photo posts on LinkedIn now) - find a way to describe it or write about it in a professional blog post. Facebook is more casual and a great joke or caption on that same cat photo could get great engagement for that day. Twitter runs quickly and the cat photo without a great lead in will probably not even be seen. Instagram is all about the photo and your witty comment may get lost under the photo. See, so tailoring the message for each platform is very important!
OK, so maybe it was a rant! I try to keep these types of rants/posts to a minimum because I like to bring you relatively unbiased and professional tips to help you succeed with your social media strategies. But, sometimes, you just need to get something off your chest. I think I have achieved that today!
As I mentioned above, you may very well disagree with me. If you do, please, let's discuss it further in the comments. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this topic!
I definitely see your point Jenn. I am probably guilty of posting across my sites, but I rarely post the same info to all my sites precisely for the reason you mention – they do not all have the same audience!
However, I will be scrutinizing my posts more closely now for sure since what you say makes sense and posting accordingly.
Kim, I think you generally do a great job. Even when you share the same “content” you typically alter the way in which you format the information or context. And this is great!
I am glad that this post got you thinking about it though. Sometimes we all need a little reminder of what we’re doing right!
I definitely see your point Jenn. I am probably guilty of posting across my sites, but I rarely post the same info to all my sites precisely for the reason you mention – they do not all have the same audience!
However, I will be scrutinizing my posts more closely now for sure since what you say makes sense and posting accordingly.
Kim, I think you generally do a great job. Even when you share the same “content” you typically alter the way in which you format the information or context. And this is great!
I am glad that this post got you thinking about it though. Sometimes we all need a little reminder of what we’re doing right!
Jenn, Great post and I couldn’t agree with you more! Content should be tailored to the audience receiving it. Auto posting to all your social sites fills up feeds – which eventually means that people will stop following the offender.
Absolutely Therese! You nailed it 🙂
Thanks for your comments and support!
Jenn, Great post and I couldn’t agree with you more! Content should be tailored to the audience receiving it. Auto posting to all your social sites fills up feeds – which eventually means that people will stop following the offender.
Absolutely Therese! You nailed it 🙂
Thanks for your comments and support!
I find that more people follow me on Twitter than they do on FB.. Considering that I have over 10K followers on twitter and significantly less than that between my combined blog page and also my personal page I find it useful to link it because certain things go straight to my FB blog page.
I also post things to linkedin and make careful use of things there I want to tweet since many would not see that post if they were not connected to me on linkedin.. and other things I just leave only on linkedin.
Ditto with Pinterest. I have specific groups for specific items and while some might be following me– because of the curation, I choose where the post goes and thus people can sift through my boards and see what it is they might want to see. Social media and digital marketing trends has it’s own board and other fluffier topics have their own niche as well.
I think that’s good Stevie! Obviously you use Twitter a lot and that’s where you get the traffic. Of course you want to share that information to other sites so that people can find you and the great things you’re sharing. It’s worth noting that you don’t just take one post on Twitter and share it to all sites. You still add independent posts to Facebook, Pinterest, etc. And you’re not sharing “every” post to the other sites. And that’s good.
Everyone has their own social media goals and strategies. And you have to find what works for you. If your posting options are driving traffic and are successful for you, then keep on doing it!
And keep on bringing those great posts! I always enjoying seeing your articles 🙂
I find that more people follow me on Twitter than they do on FB.. Considering that I have over 10K followers on twitter and significantly less than that between my combined blog page and also my personal page I find it useful to link it because certain things go straight to my FB blog page.
I also post things to linkedin and make careful use of things there I want to tweet since many would not see that post if they were not connected to me on linkedin.. and other things I just leave only on linkedin.
Ditto with Pinterest. I have specific groups for specific items and while some might be following me– because of the curation, I choose where the post goes and thus people can sift through my boards and see what it is they might want to see. Social media and digital marketing trends has it’s own board and other fluffier topics have their own niche as well.
I think that’s good Stevie! Obviously you use Twitter a lot and that’s where you get the traffic. Of course you want to share that information to other sites so that people can find you and the great things you’re sharing. It’s worth noting that you don’t just take one post on Twitter and share it to all sites. You still add independent posts to Facebook, Pinterest, etc. And you’re not sharing “every” post to the other sites. And that’s good.
Everyone has their own social media goals and strategies. And you have to find what works for you. If your posting options are driving traffic and are successful for you, then keep on doing it!
And keep on bringing those great posts! I always enjoying seeing your articles 🙂
This post has made me address some issues that I have already been thinking about but haven’t acted on. I just “unlinked” a couple of accounts based on this article. Thanks. Keep the thought provoking posts coming.
Thanks Darcy! I’m glad it motivated you to move forward with your social media strategy. I hope you find it helps you drive more traffic and success to the business.
And by the way, you were never a guilty of major infractions in this department! 😉
This post has made me address some issues that I have already been thinking about but haven’t acted on. I just “unlinked” a couple of accounts based on this article. Thanks. Keep the thought provoking posts coming.
Thanks Darcy! I’m glad it motivated you to move forward with your social media strategy. I hope you find it helps you drive more traffic and success to the business.
And by the way, you were never a guilty of major infractions in this department! 😉
Wow, I just got busted! I’m definitely going to have to rethink my social media strategy now (or actually get a strategy!). Sometimes I just get so excited and start sharing it across all platforms! But I think you’re right, there is a better way to use each social network for what it was designed for, way more effective that way too! Great post! 🙂
Sorry Josh! Didn’t mean to catch you red-handed 😉
But glad that it made you look at your strategy – or get you thinking about creating one altogether! On that note, yes, you need a strategy. You need to determine the purpose of each platform and what you hope to achieve. Once you have that down (and realize that this can be a moving target), it will help you determine what to post to each site.
For example, I share my blog post (just like this one) to multiple sites every day a new one goes live. But I put different intro blurbs on each site, tailored to the type of audience I have on each site. Or if I’m sharing a bunch of photos on Instagram, I’ll share ONE to Facebook and tell my audience to come see over on Instagram for the rest of the photos.
Find ways to share the same general “content” across your sites, but make it specific to each audience. I’m sure you’ll see an improvement in your engagement, and your followers will go up as well.
Wow, I just got busted! I’m definitely going to have to rethink my social media strategy now (or actually get a strategy!). Sometimes I just get so excited and start sharing it across all platforms! But I think you’re right, there is a better way to use each social network for what it was designed for, way more effective that way too! Great post! 🙂
Sorry Josh! Didn’t mean to catch you red-handed 😉
But glad that it made you look at your strategy – or get you thinking about creating one altogether! On that note, yes, you need a strategy. You need to determine the purpose of each platform and what you hope to achieve. Once you have that down (and realize that this can be a moving target), it will help you determine what to post to each site.
For example, I share my blog post (just like this one) to multiple sites every day a new one goes live. But I put different intro blurbs on each site, tailored to the type of audience I have on each site. Or if I’m sharing a bunch of photos on Instagram, I’ll share ONE to Facebook and tell my audience to come see over on Instagram for the rest of the photos.
Find ways to share the same general “content” across your sites, but make it specific to each audience. I’m sure you’ll see an improvement in your engagement, and your followers will go up as well.
I am guilty of this. I do share different things on each of my platforms in between my own posts so that I am not flooding everyone with just my work.
Christy, you definitely don’t overshare linked content! Yes, you share your blogs and whatnot across your multiple sites but you don’t have to worry about the linked content. I think you’re doing a great job with your Facebook page and it’s not full of your Tweets or other culprits that I’m talking about in this article.
I am guilty of this. I do share different things on each of my platforms in between my own posts so that I am not flooding everyone with just my work.
Christy, you definitely don’t overshare linked content! Yes, you share your blogs and whatnot across your multiple sites but you don’t have to worry about the linked content. I think you’re doing a great job with your Facebook page and it’s not full of your Tweets or other culprits that I’m talking about in this article.
Great point, well made. I like to think I’m not overly guilty of cross posting (a few slip through I know. My main sharing place is Twitter, and I’m about as prolific as you. On facebook – marketing goes to my page, I don’t share that kinda stuff on personal page at all… as for linkedIn and Google – not a lot really just great stuff i share from within.
You follow me on most, if not all of them, so I guess if I’m wrong you’ll tell me… least hope you will!
Thanks for the comments Liza. As I said on G+, you are definitely not guilty of this infraction! Sharing the same content across sites is fine, and even that you keep to a normal range. And I don’t think I’ve ever seen you copy your tweets to Facebook, let alone repeatedly. One of the reasons I enjoy following you across multiple platforms is because you do it right – I get something different from you on each site and each one is valuable to our connection! Keep up the good work 🙂
Great point, well made. I like to think I’m not overly guilty of cross posting (a few slip through I know. My main sharing place is Twitter, and I’m about as prolific as you. On facebook – marketing goes to my page, I don’t share that kinda stuff on personal page at all… as for linkedIn and Google – not a lot really just great stuff i share from within.
You follow me on most, if not all of them, so I guess if I’m wrong you’ll tell me… least hope you will!
Thanks for the comments Liza. As I said on G+, you are definitely not guilty of this infraction! Sharing the same content across sites is fine, and even that you keep to a normal range. And I don’t think I’ve ever seen you copy your tweets to Facebook, let alone repeatedly. One of the reasons I enjoy following you across multiple platforms is because you do it right – I get something different from you on each site and each one is valuable to our connection! Keep up the good work 🙂
Jenn I agree with you on some points and respectively disagree on others. I share my blog posts across all my main social media sites (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google + and Pinterest) I find my followers on those mediums are interested in those posts. Having said that, when it comes to sharing articles I read or tips O want to give I post them on the social media medium(s) I believe they will be best served on. Now my biggest pet peeve is seeing a double tweet, one posted through Hootesuite and then one immediately following from Facebook. Do these people ever read their own feeds?!?
Thank you for your comments Barbara. To be clear, I agree with you about sharing blog posts or other key posts across multiple sites. It is absolutely fine to share the same “content” across more than one site, just make sure to tailor the message on each site. For example, I put a different intro blurb on G+ for each blog post than I do on Facebook. Or if I post a bunch of photos to Instagram, I will share only one to Twitter, not all of them.
Like you said, the double posting or when every tweet is shared to Facebook all the time, that’s the linking that I’m talking about here. And yes, I also wonder if these people every read their own feeds!
Jenn I agree with you on some points and respectively disagree on others. I share my blog posts across all my main social media sites (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google + and Pinterest) I find my followers on those mediums are interested in those posts. Having said that, when it comes to sharing articles I read or tips O want to give I post them on the social media medium(s) I believe they will be best served on. Now my biggest pet peeve is seeing a double tweet, one posted through Hootesuite and then one immediately following from Facebook. Do these people ever read their own feeds?!?
Thank you for your comments Barbara. To be clear, I agree with you about sharing blog posts or other key posts across multiple sites. It is absolutely fine to share the same “content” across more than one site, just make sure to tailor the message on each site. For example, I put a different intro blurb on G+ for each blog post than I do on Facebook. Or if I post a bunch of photos to Instagram, I will share only one to Twitter, not all of them.
Like you said, the double posting or when every tweet is shared to Facebook all the time, that’s the linking that I’m talking about here. And yes, I also wonder if these people every read their own feeds!
Yes I get annoyed when I have to sort through links and get sent here and there, and I just realize that I do the same thing. I have just unlinked my fb page from twitter! 🙂
Good for you Arelis! You can always encourage your FB followers to join you on Twitter as well and increase those number of followers (or vice versa) now that they’re not linked anymore. I hope you enjoy the freedom that comes from having your sites separated.
Yes I get annoyed when I have to sort through links and get sent here and there, and I just realize that I do the same thing. I have just unlinked my fb page from twitter! 🙂
Good for you Arelis! You can always encourage your FB followers to join you on Twitter as well and increase those number of followers (or vice versa) now that they’re not linked anymore. I hope you enjoy the freedom that comes from having your sites separated.
I have different conversations on each platform I use, but when I write a new blog article I usually cross-post to all my platforms. I have mixed feelings about it. What do you think, Jenn?
Dan, I definitely think you should promote your new blog posts to every site. I do, and I think every blogger does. This is totally ok, and actually expected, I think.
It’s great that you’re maintaining different conversations on each platform. That’s how it should be. You can even have similar topics of conversation on more than one platform, as long as the conversation is tailored to each platform and audience.
Sharing the same content to multiple sites (on occasion) isn’t bad, and I actually encourage it (in moderation). It’s just frustrating when you see people’s tweets in your Facebook news feed. Or when you see every Instagram photo in someone’s Facebook news feed. It’s important to give people a reason to follow you on your other sites, and why should they if you link everything? They could just follow you on Facebook and see every FB post, every tweet, and every IG photo…