Why you shouldn’t post to all social networks at once and what to do instead
Are you still trying to post on all social networks at the same time? It’s 2022 guys! It’s time to rethink your social media posting strategy and move your campaigns to 2022.
Simultaneously posting on social networks is a bit of spam. Even worse, it can also affect the success of your campaigns if not done right.
If you want to know how to post on social media in one go (and do it right!), there are a few things you need to keep in mind. Here you will learn:
- Reasons why you shouldn’t post on all social networks at the same time
- How to Post to All Social Media at Once with Hootsuite
- How to post messages on all social networks at once and not look like spam
Read on for tips to take your social media scheduling strategy to the next level!
You won’t generate the required interaction
Your audience cannot be in the same place at the same time. They switch between TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram and other services.
If you post the same message on many platforms at the same time, chances are they will see it on one channel and miss it on others.
When this happens, it reduces engagement rates and can cause your campaign to fail.
Instead, think about how you can make sure your cross-posting doesn’t come across as spam. Focus on how to get the comments, likes, clicks and discussions your posts deserve!
Your audience will miss key messages
Before launching campaigns, make sure you’re sending the right message through the right channel at the right time.
When you post to all social networks at once, you fill your audience feeds with the same message.
This reduces the chance that they will interact with your content. They will skip your post and miss key messages and calls to action.
Each channel has a unique set of publishing requirements.
The list of differences between each social media platform is huge!
Each channel has a unique set of publishing requirements, such as:
- Image file size
- image dimensions,
- formatting,
- minimum and maximum pixel requirements,
- copy length,
- inclusion of CTA,
- the ability to post video content versus copied content
We recommend that you follow the requirements for each platform to maximize engagement and performance.
For example, let’s say you’re a bakery that specializes in cupcakes. You are running an awareness campaign for your new chocolate flavor. You’ve created an amazing Instagram feed and posted it on your IG account and YouTube feed.
Problem? The two social media channels have different video content upload requirements.
Instagram prefers vertical video. YouTube prefers content uploaded in landscape or landscape format.
If you need an app that posts to all social networks at once for a campaign, Hootsuite makes it easy. Hootsuite also shows each channel’s requirements, so you’ll always have a better chance of success.
The audience is active on different channels at different times
The world has 24 time zones, which means your social media feeds will appear at different times.
When we go to bed on the west coast of North America, our European friends wake up to start their day. Here we come to the idea that different audiences are active at different times.
If you post on all social media at the same time around 08:00 AM PT, you will most likely miss out on no European followers. All of them will work at 16:00 CET.
Rather, you need to distribute your posts and messages throughout the day. This way you can be sure that you will get maximum visibility and engagement from your followers.
If you’d like to learn more, check out this blog post on how to find the best time to post on social media.
You will mess up your optimization strategy (and look unprofessional)
Social media marketing is about optimizing campaigns to achieve high performance on every channel.
For example, on Twitter or Instagram, you are more likely to use hashtags to optimize your post for discovery. On Facebook, hashtags are not that important.
Posting the same content to every channel without optimization looks unprofessional. You show the world that you don’t understand how to manage social media.
Your social media feeds may look like spam
There’s nothing worse than checking out a cool new social account and getting high.
Cross-posting or posting to all social networks at once can look unprofessional at best and spam at worst. This brings us to…
If you’re in the mood to post on all social media at once, fear not! There is a way to make such a posting schedule look professional, polished, and spam-free.
Connect your social channels to Hootsuite
There is an application that publishes messages to all social networks at once: Hootsuite! (Of course we are biased.)
Connect the channels you use to Hootsuite or your favorite social media management tool.
Currently, you can connect your brand’s Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and Pinterest accounts to your Hootsuite dashboard. In this way, you can ensure complete coverage of each of the major social networks.
After logging in (or registering!), follow these steps:
1. Click +Add social account
2. Click the drop-down menu labeled “Select Destination”. Select the account you want to add profiles to, and then click the social network account you want to add.
3. Select the profile you want to add (personal or business). Please note that this option may not be available for all channels.
4. Follow the onscreen instructions to connect your network to Hootsuite. Hootsuite will ask you to authorize your account if you connect Instagram or Facebook business profiles.
Keep adding profiles until you have connected all your social media accounts to the Hootsuite platform.
2. Create your social media posts
You are now ready to see how to post to all social networks at the same time using a single post template that you can reassign per channel.
1. Click the Composer icon in the upper left corner of the Hootsuite control panel, then click Publish.
2. In the “Publish to”section, open the drop-down menu and select the channels where you want your post to appear.
3. Add a copy of your social post to the new post scheduler in the “Original Content”section and add images through the “Media”section.
4. To preview social media posts, tap the appropriate icon next to the original content. Here is an example of how our chocolate cupcake post would look on Facebook.
4. You will then need to edit and optimize each post for the channel you are posting on. To do this, click the icon icon next to Source Content and add hashtags, image alt text, or location tags appropriate for each platform.
Pro Tip: Don’t forget that each platform’s audience is different, so you should craft your posts accordingly. For example, a message for TikTok can be very different from a message for LinkedIn.
3. Schedule your social media posts
Now that you’ve created social media posts for each channel, you’re ready to go live!
1. If you are ready to publish immediately, click “Publish Now”in the lower right corner of the screen.
2. Alternatively, click “Schedule for Later”to select a date and time for your content to be published, and then click “Schedule”.
Pro Tip: If you’re planning on posting later, use Hootsuite’s guidelines to help you choose the best time to post. They are based on your account’s historical activity and reach and will help you post at times when your followers are most likely to interact with your content.
That’s all! In fact, there is nothing easier than publishing all messages on social networks at once using Hootsuite.
We recommend doing a full sanity check on your posts before hitting the post or schedule button. Here are a few nuggets worth keeping an eye on.
Is the copy the correct length?
It goes without saying that the text you wrote for one channel might not work for another:
- On Twitter, the maximum number of characters is 280.
- Facebook – 63,206 people.
- Instagram 2200
Learn the ideal post length for each platform and optimize.
Are your photos the right size?
Make sure you know the exact dimensions of your images for each social platform. This will make your content look professional and attractive.
Oh, and avoid pixelated photos, period. They don’t look good in people’s feeds and will make your brand look unpolished and unprofessional.
If you need help, check out the social media image sizes for each network, which also has a helpful cheat sheet!
Pro tip: Hootsuite customers can use the built-in photo editor to adjust the size of their images before posting. It’s an easy way to make sure all images are the right size and branded!
Does the content fit the channel?
As we mentioned earlier, different channels have different audiences. Make sure your social media posts reflect who you’re talking to.
For example, LinkedIn is mostly used by men aged 25-34. In contrast, Generation Z women predominantly use TikTok.
The way you communicate with each audience should match the demographics of the group. Double check that your campaign messages are consistent and relevant to the brand.
But most importantly, make sure it resonates with the audience you’re talking to!
Have you tagged the correct accounts and used the correct hashtags?
There’s nothing worse than creating the perfect social post, only to tag the wrong person or use the wrong hashtag. Believe it or not, this happens!
So, when you double check your social media posts:
- make sure you tag the correct brand or person.
- Make sure you get your hashtags right (and don’t accidentally cause a Twitter storm a la #susanalbumparty or #nowthatchersdead).
Posting to social media right away doesn’t have to be complicated. Imagine if you could:
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