A number of years ago, I recommended that you take the time to synchronize your social networks (Social Sync). By synchronize, I mean cross-promote. This is more important than ever today.
Why Synchronize?
Social Sync is an insurance policy for us. Those who remember the old days of social media likely remember all the effort put into building MySpace pages. When MySpace imploded, if you hadn’t migrated your audience to Twitter or Facebook, you lost that investment of time, energy, and effort.
Given the upheavals in social networks, apps, and the ever-changing landscape, synchronizing your social audiences is more important than ever. Today, Facebook is the dominant social network. Tomorrow? Maybe it’s Snapchat. Maybe it’s Instagram. Maybe it’s something we haven’t even seen yet. We have no way of knowing, but by synchronizing across our networks, we help preserve our investment in our audience.
How to Social Sync
Performing a Social Sync is easy. For whatever channels you participate on, ensure that your audiences know where else to find you.
For example, on Twitter, I might say something like this:
To synchronize our social networks, we’d have similar messages on our other channels on a regular basis.
We must do two things to make Social Sync successful.
First, define the purpose of each of our channels. For example, my Instagram channel is more personal. I share photos of what I’m cooking, where I’m going, etc. It’s a way to see a different side of what I do. My Twitter channel is news-heavy, especially around marketing and AI. My LinkedIn channel is similar, but I publish more original content there from time to time. By having defined purposes for each channel, we are better able to craft reasons for why someone should connect with us there.
Second, perform Social Sync regularly. I recommend adding it to your editorial calendar for social media, and putting it on a rotating basis. Here’s an example; if you’d like to make a copy of this spreadsheet, please do.
Simply work your Social Sync messages into a promotional slot and rotate them through your different networks.
Future Proof Your Social Audience
Suppose a new network comes out, or you join a network you haven’t been on before. If you’re in the habit of doing a Social Sync, you simply add the channel in. Just joined Snapchat? Add Snapchat into your rotation and you will work less at building a Snapchat audience.
Not sure about the future of Twitter? You might want to change your cadence to be more aggressive there, showcasing where else you post.
Social Sync future-proofs your social audience against the shifting sands of social media. Make sure you do it regularly so that you’re protected.
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