To cross-post or not to cross-post, that is the question
If you’re wondering why I’ve gone all Shakespeare on you, it’s because I’ve recently discovered Upstart Crow on Netflix. Have you seen it? If not, you really should!
Anyway, back to business...
As I'm sure you know, there are ways of posting directly from Instagram to Facebook. What may seem like a mighty-fine time saving idea divides marketers - with some thinking it's the best thing since sliced bread, and others listing a whole lot of reasons why you shouldn't do it.
I personally choose not to do it, and there are two reasons for this...
1. There is evidence that cross-posting from one platform to the other can have negative implications on reach, and if I’ve spent time creating content I want as many people as possible to see it. There is also evidence suggesting reach is not affected (like I said – opinion is divided!), but I don’t think I’ll take the risk until it’s known for sure.
2. I won't name names or give examples because that's a bit nasty, but if I had £1 for every post I saw which is obviously automatically cross-posted from one platform to another without being amended I would be very rich indeed!
By this I mean Facebook posts where the tag doesn't work (it displays as @blahblahblah rather than being a clickable link in blue font), and posts with masses of hashtags in them.
It’s a known fact that hashtags on Facebook add no value at all. They allow them because they are popular on Twitter and Instagram, and Facebook wants to be everything to everyone, but it’s been statistically proven that they add no benefit to reach or engagement. They are searchable, so there is a teeny-tiny chance your content will be found, but the demographic on Facebook is very different to that on Twitter and Instagram so they are not used in the same way.
The exception I made recently was for a client. I created a bespoke hashtag for a series of CPD events and delegates were asked to upload content across all social media channels using said hashtag. This was the only hashtag I used in the Facebook posts, and there was a good reason for it so I’ll let myself off, but just this week I’ve seen a Facebook post with #DogsOfInstagram, #PetsOfInstagram, #DogsOfInsta and #Dogsagram (amongst others) on it which is as far from looking native as you can get. It just looks a bit lazy and will turn off your followers.
I've also seen tweets which ask people to 'like and share' posts, and posts shared to Instagram where links don't work, because they won’t. Posts like these look messy and won’t help you build up trust with your audience. It will appear that you don’t care enough about what and how you post.
Consider what does and doesn’t work on each platform you’re on.
Some of it is trial and error, but looking at stats and analysing which posts perform well will help you concentrate your efforts going forward.
I did a bit of analysis work on a client’s Facebook and Instagram account and the results were that, although nearly identical content had been posted on each, the best performing posts were totally different.
The more artistic posts (artistic in terms of images and wording – quotes, uplifting one-liners etc) did better on Instagram, and the more informative posts did better on Facebook. Much as it’s tempting to put every bit of content on both platforms because you can’t see the harm in it, it’s far better to tailor content to your audience when you’re able to judge what they do and don’t respond to.
Having read that back it sounds very anti-cross-posting, but my intention was to say this. If you choose to cross-post please keep an eye on your reach – it may or may not fall, but some evidence suggests it may – and please edit your posts so that they appear native and to ensure everything works correctly.
One last bit about hashtags…
You can use up to 30 hashtags on Instagram, but it’s widely acknowledged that posts with up to 11 tend to do better. There is no evidence to suggest that using them in the post or popping them in a comments box makes any difference, but personally I like to put them in the post. This is to save the reader an extra click plus, much as they may love your account, they might not bother to read comments if they don’t want to find out what others have to say so therefore won’t see the hashtags.
Keep hashtags to just one or possibly two (if you have a good reason to use them!) on Facebook. Use them within your text on Twitter if you’re short on characters, and look out for trending hashtags so you can join in the conversation to help get noticed.