Why I don't recommend cross posting from Instagram to Facebook
[et_pb_section fb_built="1" _builder_version="4.10.7" global_colors_info="{}"][et_pb_row _builder_version="4.10.7" _module_preset="default" global_colors_info="{}"][et_pb_column type="4_4" _builder_version="4.10.7" _module_preset="default" global_colors_info="{}"][et_pb_text _builder_version="4.10.7" _module_preset="default" hover_enabled="0" global_colors_info="{}" sticky_enabled="0"]
Cross posting from Instagram to Facebook (or vice versa) is now a built in feature on both platforms. Cross posting content can make managing social media easier and less time consuming. Who's not looking for ways to make life easier, right? Easy or not, whenever a client asks me to do this for them, I always say no. Here's why I don't recommend cross posting from one social media platform to another.
Missed Opportunities Due to Cross Posting
The main reason I don't recommend cross posting is because you're missing an opportunity to repurpose content and touch your audience through another medium at another time. If you post to Facebook in the morning, then take that same post, alter it a bit to fit Instagram and post it there later in the day, you don't have to come up with additional content BUT you may be able to increase the numbers of users that see your content.
Staggering posts can also help create another touch point for followers. On average, it can take a person 3 or more times of hearing the same message before they act. If they see your post on Facebook in the morning, then are scrolling IG after dinner and see it again cause you staggered your posts, you're touching that person twice, without having to do much more work! Which leads me to my next reason...
Give Followers a Reason to Follow You on Both Platforms
Above I mentioned altering your posts to fit each platform. If you are posting the exact same content on each platform, it doesn't give your audience a reason to follow you in both places. I recommend changing up the content slightly to fit each platform's style. Here's a great article on writing content for each platform.
Format
When you cross post from Instagram to Facebook sometimes all your hashtags come along. Facebook seems to be making some changes to improve this but it looks like it's not something that isn't universal just yet. While both platforms have adopted the use of hashtags in general, Instagram allows up to 30 hashtags but around 10-11 is ideal. Facebook doesn't have a limit BUT experts say that Facebook only recognizes the first 3 to 5 you use. So, you could be clogging up your Facebook post with hashtags that aren't helping.
What To Do Instead of Always Cross Posting
Instead of automatically crossposting, create a social media calendar each month. Write up your posts for one platform. Create the matching graphics. Then, go back through those posts and rework them to be optimized for the other platform you're going to post to. When you're ready to post them just copy and paste and you're done! Also, instead of cross posting every single post, you could strategically cross post content and change up the rest. Here's a great article with some additional details.
Bottom line, I don't recommend consistently cross posting the exact same content across all platforms.
To Sum It Up
Can you find articles that say it's ok to cross post? Yep. In fact, some "gurus" suggest it as a time saving measure. Facebook has guides on how to do it and are building out their platforms to support it so cross posting is by no means the worst thing you can do. This post is purely my opinion on what I feel is best practices from the training I have taken, the industry gurus I follow and from a communication standpoint. Whenever I advise clients on social media, my goal is to help you interact and engage with clients and potential clients in the most authentic way while also being efficient. If automatically posting between Facebook and Instagram works best for you, by all means try it!
FAQs
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_toggle title="How many times a day should I be posting to social? " _builder_version="4.10.7" _module_preset="default" global_colors_info="{}"]
I get this question alot and again, you can find research that supports multiple strategies. My general recommendation is try to post once per day IF YOU HAVE THE CONTENT. Don't just post to post. Quality is better than quantity so if you end up posting a few times a week that's better than nothing. If you post too much and your audience doesn't engage, over posting can actually hurt your reach.
[/et_pb_toggle][et_pb_toggle title="Doesn't cross posting help with my frequency?" _builder_version="4.10.7" _module_preset="default" global_colors_info="{}"]
Yes, cross posting can help create consistency, BUT it doesn't mean those posts are actually helping your business. If you're not tailoring posts and optimizing them for each platform, cross posting likely won't do much to improve engagement. Engagement is the goal so if you're just posting just to post and not taking the time to make the content standout on each platform, it doesn't really matter how many posts you're doing.
[/et_pb_toggle][et_pb_toggle title="This sounds time consuming. Is there an easier way to do this?" _builder_version="4.10.7" _module_preset="default" global_colors_info="{}"]
As I mentioned above, creating a calendar with posts is probably the most efficient way to go. Then you can either write out all your posts ahead of time, or grab posts as you need them and alter them for other platforms. Use Facebook's scheduling features to schedule content to go out and consider doing the same for Instagram. If you really don't have time to manage it all, that's where I come in and can help. Contact me.
[/et_pb_toggle][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]
