Cross-Posting On Social Media: Best Practices
Those who spend a lot of time doing social media marketing know that cross-posting can be an effective way to reach a larger audience across multiple channels. For those who wonder, cross-posting means sharing the same piece of content across different platforms. While this strategy can be effective in reaching a large audience, not everyone gets the best results. Here are some best practices in cross-posting that should help you maximize your reach.
1. Create High-Quality Content
It goes without saying that creating high-quality content is useful and a good practice regardless of its purpose. In cross-posting specifically, the quality of your content can influence the extent to which your posts are shared and reshared by your audiences. The more engaging your content is, the more likely it is that your reach will grow organically.
To determine what your audience likes, pay attention to their questions and consider using tools that allow you to assess which content performs best and what type of content produces specific responses.
2. Keep An Eye On Each Platform’S Rules
Different social media platforms have different rules. This is an important thing to keep in mind when doing cross-sharing, especially if you automate the process. For instance, X has a far smaller character limit for posts compared to Meta. If you want to cross-post from Meta to X, you need to edit the content first to make sure its size is within X’s character limits.
Rules also vary on links, image and video ratios, and content. For example, on Instagram, you can’t have clickable links in descriptions but you can have them on your bio page. Considering each platform’s rules should help you decide whether repost on all social media platforms available is a good strategy for you.
3. Create Content That Resonates With Each Platform’S Audience
While you can find all sorts of people on social media, there is a correlation between certain demographic characteristics and the preference for one platform over the other. For example, X users tend to be older while Instagram and TikTok users tend to be younger. According to Sproutsocial, the largest age group on X are those between 25 and 34 while the largest group on Instagram and TikTok are those between 18 and 24.
Demographic differences are just part of the story. Each platform has its own subcultures and what looks good or is appreciated on one platform may not resonate with most people on another platform. For example, if you want to connect with the Z generation on TikTok, your media strategy will typically look very different than if you want to connect with members of the X generation on LinkedIn.
4. Schedule Your Content Sharing
Doing manual cross-sharing can be a daunting experience, especially if you manage multiple campaigns or a single large campaign. Fortunately, there are plenty of scheduling tools you can use.
You may have noticed that the time at which you add new content on a platform will influence the number of views and engagements that the content gets. To get the best results from a reposting strategy, you need to know when your audience is most active online on each platform. Tools such as Hootsuite can provide useful analytics of followers’ online activity that can help you make the right decision.
You should also care about posting frequency, as each platform has its algorithm, which determines how content is seen by a given audience. In many cases, the frequency of your posts is a factor that influences the extent to which the platform shows your content to its users.
5. Don’T Automate Everything
While automation can significantly improve your ability to reach a large audience, you shouldn’t automate everything. It is often not a good idea to share the same thing on all your social media accounts, as this can bore the audience and cause frustration.
For example, let’s say you represent a fashion brand. If you are on Instagram, creating a media content consisting of a vibrant image with the latest clothing line along with a message that will mostly be understood by members of the Z generation can resonate very well. On LinkedIn, on the other hand, you may have a higher chance of connecting with an audience if you focus less on visuals and more on creating engaging texts.
6. Work With Social Media Experts
If cross-posting sounds too complicated to you or you simply don’t have the time needed for it, consider hiring a social media professional. One way to do so is by searching for agencies that have many years of experience and plenty of customer reviews.
An often cheaper alternative is to find a freelancer with proven expertise in the field. You can use freelance websites as well as search websites for this. On Leadar, for example, you can search for talents, prospects, and business contacts by several parameters, including name, professional skills, and education.
7. Evaluate Return On Investment (Roi)
Just because you are repurposing an old piece of text doesn’t mean you will necessarily do it for free. Whether you do everything manually or partly automatize the task, you will have to invest time in your strategy. More so, automation tools and analytical tools will also cost you extra money, as will any agency or freelancer you decide to pay.
Depending on your campaign’s objectives, you can track metrics such as engagement rate, conversion rate, or follower growth. By comparing these metrics with the resources invested in managing each platform, you can determine which platforms are providing the best ROI and if you should continue using all of them.
Bottom Line: Repost Your Valuable Content To Connect With A Larger Audience
There is no single recipe for a successful cross-sharing strategy, as different brands have different needs. That being said, you are more likely to have a successful campaign if you focus on reusing your most valuable content and understand that not all media companies attract the same audiences.
Finally, keep in mind that being consistent with a strategy that works will significantly increase your chances of having multiple engaged audiences. In other words, make sure your audience doesn’t forget about you nor believe you have forgotten about them.
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