You’re busy. Managing your brand’s multiple social networks can be challenging. We get it. So maybe you post to all social media at once to maximize efficiency.
But here’s the thing: there’s a right way to post to all your social media networks at once and a less-than-right way. In fact, a sophisticated social media strategy doesn’t have to take a bunch of extra time.
If you want to know how to post to all social media at once — and do it right — there are a few things to remember. Here, you’ll learn:
Reasons why you should not post to all your social media at once.
How to use Hootsuite, an app that posts on all social media at once.
How to post to all your social media at once the right way, and avoid looking spammy.
Read on for tips to take your social media scheduling strategy to the next level.
Bonus: Download our free, customizable social media calendar template to easily plan and schedule all your content in advance.
4 reasons to NOT post to all your social media channels at once
1. Audiences are active on different channels at different times
If you are sharing content for your brand’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and Pinterest audiences at the same time of day, you’re likely missing out on reaching all your brand’s followers.
That’s because the time you’re most likely to reach your Facebook followers isn’t necessarily the same time your Twitter followers are online. In fact, there is an ideal time to post to each social channel.
For example, the best time for B2B brands to post content to Facebook is between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. EST:
Source: Hootsuite
And that optimal time window is shorter for Twitter, between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. EST:
Source: Hootsuite
For your content to reach as many of your social followers as possible, you want to post at a peak time. When you post to all social media at once, you’re probably missing out on at least one channel’s peak time. And that means missing out on engaging with some of your brand’s loyal followers.
2. You’re posting for different audiences
Another reason that your brand shouldn’t post on all social media at once is because, on each social platform, you’re probably speaking to a different demographic.
For example, your LinkedIn followers are more likely to be men ages 25 to 34:
Source: Hootsuite
But your Snapchat followers are more likely to be female and 34 years old or younger:
Source: Hootsuite
So, the user who followers your brand on Snapchat might be a very different person from the user who follows you on LinkedIn.
By tailoring the posting time, posting day and messaging, you are speaking directly to the audience of that particular social channel.
3. You’ll avoid content fatigue
That being said, your brand might also have some of the same followers connecting with your brand’s content over multiple social media platforms. In this case, when you post to all social media at once and with the same messaging, you’re risking that audience seeing repeat content. At best, this makes your brand look lazy, and at worst, it annoys your followers, who are already dealing with a deluge of content on the internet. It might even result in an unfollow.
Instead, mix up your content slightly. For example, here’s what Nike posts to Twitter:
Tweets by Nike
It isn’t the exact same as what it posts to Instagram:
4. It looks unprofessional
When you post to all social media at once, there is a greater chance that your brand is making social media mistakes.
Content won’t always look the way you intend it to look
Each social platform operates differently. For example, each channel has different dimension requirements for images and video. Twitter caps messaging at 280 characters. Instagram Reels are 15 to 30 seconds, while TikTok videos are one minute.
So when you mass post, that could mean images are cropped in a strange way for a different platform. Your video might not play. Or the content you want to show on Twitter isn’t shown in full.
Customizing content for each platform ensures that the content you share looks good on each platform.
Your hashtag strategy could fall flat
The number of hashtags you use in a post also differs from platform to platform.
For example, including the maximum of 30 hashtags in an Instagram post would just look weird on Facebook. And it wouldn’t work at all on Twitter, which has a 280 character limit.
Your brand likely hasn’t created a social media marketing plan
Spending time to craft a social media marketing plan gives your brand a good idea of who your audience is and how that audience differs on each social media channel.
It is also beneficial because:
You can create a coordinated, cohesive social campaign.
And once you have planned that, your brand can also plan to cross-promote social content.
You can plan your social content calendar so your audience can come to expect content at certain times. That can help you earn loyal followers.
How to post to multiple social media accounts at once (the right way)
But it is possible to post to all social media at once and make it work for your brand. When you use apps to post to all social media at once, you can edit your posts for each social platform.
Here’s how to use Hootsuite to post one message to multiple social platforms.
Step 1: Connect your social channels to Hootsuite.
Connect the channels your brand uses to Hootsuite or your preferred social media management tool (we’re biased, of course). Currently, you can connect your brand’s Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest accounts to your Hootsuite dashboard.
To connect a profile:
Click Add social network.
Choose which channel to add.
And follow the prompts. You’ll be asked to authorize the account if you are connecting Instagram or Facebook Business profiles.
Hootsuite will also ask if you want to connect more profiles. Keep adding until all your brand’s channels are integrated with the platform.
Step 2: In the Planner, select when you want to post on all social media.
Click on the date and time you want your content to publish.
Then, click Create Post.
Step 3: Select which profiles you want the post to publish on.
In the first box, choose the accounts where you want the message to be published.
To keep things easy here, we are posting to two social channels. But depending on your Hootsuite plan, you can publish content to up to 35 profiles.
Step 4: Enter your text and imagery.
Hootsuite will show you character limits as you type. You’ll be alerted if your message is too long for Twitter, for example:
You will also see a preview for the content that will post on all social media at once in the right frame.
Step 5: Select your publishing date and time.
Step 6: And hit schedule.
You will see your scheduled posts in your Planner.
Step 7: Don’t forget to customize for each platform!
Even when using an app that posts to all social media at once, it’s important to take the time to edit the content for the specific social platform.
That means considering things like image dimensions, hashtag usage, language, and the kind of caption you’re writing. You’ll find more details on this in the next section below.
And make sure each post has a slightly different message. (We explain why cross-posting word-for-word isn’t ideal here.)
To tailor for the specific social channel, click on the post. Then, click edit.
Update the messaging or image. Here, the post for Twitter was customized by cutting down the caption length and adding more hashtags.
And the LinkedIn message will be tailored by editing out the CTA asking followers to “retweet.”
6 things to check before publishing to multiple social media accounts
Even when using an app that posts to all social media at once, avoid making these mistakes.
Double-check caption length and character count
There is an ideal post length for each social media platform. Posting a long, beautifully written caption works on Instagram:
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by The New York Times (@nytimes)
But it could look too wordy on Facebook. And would be cut off on Twitter, as it extends way beyond the 280-character limit. Edit posts to make sure the written caption is the ideal length to capture your audience’s attention.
Bookmark this: We put together a reference guide on writing captions and the ideal post length for each social media platform.
Make sure your photos are sized properly
Avoid pixelated photos. Make sure you know the exact dimensions your images need to be for each social platform to keep your content looking professional and eye-catching.
Bookmark this: We put together this reference post that compiles all the ideal image sizes for each social media platform.
Pro tip: Hootsuite customers can use the in-dashboard photo editor to adjust the size of their images before publishing.
Post content that matches each platform’s audience
Sure, the Dolly Parton Challenge was a fun Instagram challenge at the beginning of 2020…
I couldn't resist the #dollypartonchallenge!! pic.twitter.com/TJ8O5YGxzh
— Pee-wee Herman (@peeweeherman) January 24, 2020
…but what lands on one channel might not make sense at all on another.
Maybe reconsider if you’re thinking of posting to all social media at once, particularly if you’re participating in a certain trend.
Use language that is specific to each social channel
Don’t post to Twitter calling on your followers to Pin the content. Or ask your Facebook followers to Retweet. Instead, edit each post to make sure the language you’re using is the appropriate language for the platform.
For example, Lush Cosmetics posts this message to Facebook:
Lush Newbie: An introduction ?✔️ Also known as a “soon-to-be-Lushie”✔️ While they're currently obsessed with I Want A…
Posted by Lush Cosmetics North America on Saturday, November 21, 2020
But customizes it for Instagram by directing followers to the link in its bio.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Lush Cosmetics North America (@lushcosmetics)
Consider how many hashtags you’re using
Publishing to all social channels without double-checking your hashtags could mean your post is overcrowded with hashtags. Or it could mean that you’re losing out on engagement by not using enough!
Bookmark this: This post includes details on the optimal number of hashtags for each social channel and tips for including them.
Double-check handles and tags
If you are mentioning another brand in a post, but then also publishing that same post to another social channel, keep in mind that the brand’s handle might change for the different platforms.
Forgetting to edit handles and tags means you could link to no user at all and lose out on extending your content’s reach. Or it could mean you accidentally tag someone completely different!
With these tips in mind, your brand will be able to make social media posting on multiple platforms both efficient and effective!
Save time managing your social media presence with Hootsuite. From a single dashboard you can publish and schedule posts across all networks, find relevant conversions, engage your audience, measure results, and more. Try it free today.
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