Get ahead of the game with these tips and tricks for posting to multiple social media accounts
In this day and age, social media management is a key aspect of marketing for any brand. With the variety of accounts and forms of social media that now exist, it can be intimidating to approach posting to them. Thankfully, scheduling platforms such as Sprout Social and Later are around to address this issue. Here, we’ve condensed the best way to use these platforms into three comprehensive checklists.
Organize everything you plan to post.
One of the most important elements of posting to social media is being organized. Before you start scheduling, make sure you have your process, copy and multimedia decided on and are prepared using your editorial calendar. Here’s what you should look for when organizing your social media content.
- Prepare images in the right size for each platform. An ideal Instagram post is usually 1080 x 1080 pixels whereas an optimal Facebook post is 1200 x 630 pixels. In general, Instagram posts appear more vertically oriented and Facebook posts appear horizontally oriented. You can often use a Facebook image for platforms such as Twitter and LinkedIn, but always check to make sure they look good by previewing the post on each platform.
- Make sure your social content matches each specific platform. While it’s essential to be consistent in your message across platforms, remember that each platform is unique. For example, you can write long-form text on Facebook and Instagram, but you have to stay within the 280-character limit on Twitter. Along with this, hashtag usage tends to vary across platforms; you wouldn’t use as many hashtags on Twitter as you would on Instagram, and you would be even more sparing on Facebook. Before you start posting, plan your hashtags out strategically.
- Ensure you have the correct links. Most shared content nowadays includes links, but not all social media sites share them in the same way. On Facebook, you may want to delete the manual text link that you input so that it’s not redundant with the preview. On Instagram, you have to put the link in your bio and remind people in the copy to check it there.
- Utilize all possible forms of social media. Don’t overlook tools like Instagram stories, polls and videos. Have these built into your social media strategy, too. While you may not be scheduling them ahead of time, knowing when you plan to post a story or go Live can help organize your overall social media strategy too.
Start scheduling.
Once you have everything prepped and you’re in the scheduling platform, start composing each post. Here are a few tips to keep in mind as you start scheduling each post.
- Triple check to make sure you’re posting to the right account and client. With each post you make, be sure to check both the client and the account you’re posting to on the platform. We’ve all heard of those social media horror stories, so use extra caution here.
- Ensure your post is correctly formatted. If you need to attach an image or video, make sure it corresponds with the platform you’re currently composing a post for. Delete the preview, change the thumbnail or shorten the link as needed.
- Don’t schedule anything that isn’t 100% complete. If you’re waiting on a media item or link, simply don’t schedule the post. This way, there’s no danger of accidentally sending out an incomplete post.
- Schedule during optimal times. Most scheduling platforms will tell you when to post based on your analytics. Unless there’s a reason you have to post at a specific time, schedule your posts at these optimal times to increase your reach and engagement.
- Check that your saved hashtags are relevant. Whatever hashtags you have planned or saved, make sure that they apply to your current post and eliminate any ones that don’t apply.
Perform quality assurance checks.
It’s not over when you’ve finished scheduling your posts—the essential final step is to double-check all of your work multiple times. Here’s a checklist to help you out:
- Don’t rush. Social media scheduling is a critical and important role for any organization and brand—it is oftentimes the first interaction your brand is having with your target audience. Since it is such an important role, make sure to take your time and check your work as your scheduling.
- Proofread and preview all of your scheduled posts before they post. After they’ve been set up to go out, have someone else proofread and preview every single post to make sure they all look right. In doing this, you can catch the small errors, such as typos, wonky images and faulty links.
- Check on all of your posts after they’re published. Along with this, double-check each post after it goes up on your social accounts. This includes clicking on any links to make sure they’re going to the right places. Because when it comes to putting your best foot forward on social media, you can never be too careful.
As long as you have the right tools and processes in place, you can become an expert in posting across multiple channels. Follow these steps and remember to stay organized, be creative and keep up with the trends by partaking in daily social listening.
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