Blog Post

How to link all your social media accounts... 

Frances Clifford • Dec 09, 2017

PLEASE DON'T

So often we get asked how you can just 'make life easier' and link all your social media accounts together. And everytime our answer is the same. Please don't!

People often post to Facebook and automatically have it linked to twitter...where you get that weird cut off sentence and FB URL. What use is that for your company?

Let's say I am an avid fan of your 'Handmade Socks Shop'...I love your socks and I am your ideal follower...I follow you everywhere! Why would I want to read about your new style of red stripey socks on all your social media formats!? Is that pair of socks any different on Pinterest to what it is on twitter? The answer is not really.

In addition the platforms are just not the same thing ! They all have different functionality and are all as different mediums.
Let's break some down;

Twitter is a microblogging facility. .short bursts of information! In keeping with trends using hashtags. And although Twitter may have increased its character allowance, it is still and should be used as a micro blogging site...with the all important hashtags! Twitter is really great for business-to-business interaction.

Facebook is a social networking site . Status updates and posts can be as long as you want although we would recommend 40-50 characters for optimum post engagement. Hashtags on Facebook was a new introduction as of 2013, and to start, it worked well...ish. But it is now a well known fact that posts that contain hashtags on Facebook just don't perform as well. The reach is less and the interaction weaker (however the odd funny one wouldn't do any harm).

Instagram is a high quality image based social media platform. High res pictures and interesting hashtags. Trends changing daily and hashtags to follow. It's a business image collection. 9-11 hashtags is the optimum amount.

Pinterest is a visual bookmarking tool that helps you discover and save creative ideas. People use Pinterest to discover and save ideas and visual concepts. URL's can be posted to your websites but not a hashtag to be seen!

LinkedIn is the online business networking tool it is not just a CV or profile— it's a platform to connect with other businesses. People engage with your business from a business perspective. People like full blogs on LinkedIn. 1500-2200 words ish, 4-6 images.

Now imagine trying to write, a status that is Facebook friendly - 40 characters, Instagram ready; high res image with 9-11 hashtags, that can then go on LinkedIn.... where are the other 1450 words coming from?! It just doesn't work and it's bad practice.
People don't read the 300 words you put on Insta...what a waste of your time!

If you want to use something where your Facebook, Twitter & Instagram can all be run from one place... Hootsuite is your app for that.

Remember, it's better to have one platform run well than 10 run badly.

Let us know your thoughts!

F x


LinkedIn Logo
by Frances Clifford 29 Feb, 2020
LinkedIn is just for jobs? ThinkIN again. Ok so terrible joke, but seriously, LinkedIn is the single only platform where professionals go, to do business. And that is it. That does of course involve job seeking and employment. But that is not its sole use. If I Google your name, what’s the first thing that shows up? 80% of the time it will be your LinkedIn profile. Is it up to date? Is it relevant? This is not intended to be a CV, much more of an insight into you, your business and your experience. Remember, this can show your personality. LinkedIn are said to be upping their stakes this year with their video sharing content. Additionally their algorithm is said to reward comments by pushing the content further afield. An interesting fact from Social Media Today “Research has also shown that LinkedIn users are 20x more likely to share a video on the platform than any other type of post. Combine that with the fact that LinkedIn members spend almost 3x more time watching video ads compared to time spent with static Sponsored Content, and it’s fairly safe to assume that LinkedIn is going to make video a key focus heading into 2020.” What if you don’t have videos? What should these be about? Think of what would happen with a potential client/customer in front of you now. Well why not start by aiming at brand awareness, who is your brand and what is it all about? Then aim for what products you offer and why yours stand out from the crowd. If you were lucky enough the attend the #SBSEvent2020 you would have seen Sara Davis inspiring speech on pitching. Sell the problem first, product last… your product or service, is the solution. Let's get back to the question in hand. As a small business why should I dedicate time to something with no guaranteed return. The answers are simple. Firstly its a free brand awareness platform. We always like free! What harm is there adding your company. Plus over time, Google will pick up on the LinkedIn company profile and chuck it conveniently into your company name search results. LinkedIn keep alluding to the fact they will be working on changes to their company pages. Jump on the band wagon before it is fully running! Rumour has it that LinkedIn will reward these companies through algorithm who set up before the trend is well established. Don’t ever doubt the value of social proof . That is inherently why social media is so invaluable. Get those followers up! Everyone is talking about themselves on LinkedIn. At the moment business posts are rarer. Go against the grain. Remember LinkedIn is still offering organic reach. Did you know when you accept a connection invite you immediately get offered to follow that company page? Did you know you can use Hootsuite and other social media management apps and platforms to schedule your content? Do you have enthusiastic employees? Why not add them into the mix. Share their work based content. They are a great asset in the LinkedIn world. Again, it is FREE. If you are already pushing all of your social media channels, what’s another to add to the mix?? Right, I’m off to rework our LinkedIn page. Want to follow suit? Click here I hope this was helpful, Fran
by Frances Clifford 30 Apr, 2018
What does a virtual assistant do?
by Frances Clifford 08 Mar, 2018
GDPR - Why? What? Where?
by Frances Clifford 26 Nov, 2017
Small Business Tips
Show More
Share by: