When working with my mentor clients, I often get asked if it is okay to share Instagram posts directly to Facebook?
Of course, I would love to say yes, as I know how much time this could save you – especially when you are busy in the treatment room.
Be honest have you done this? Are you an Instagram to Facebook sharer?
Here is the usual scenario….you have had a busy in the treatment room, you pop something onto Instagram which works really well – then remember Facebook. You quickly share it across, just to get something onto the page without really thinking if your audience there will connect with it, or if the content even works. You feel relieved you have posted on your accounts and dash off to make tea for the family.
Are you nodding? Have you done this?
One thing to remember during these times, and any other time you are posting onto your business accounts is Instagram and Facebook are very different, and the content which works for one doesn’t work for the other.
Here are some reasons why you should avoid sharing your posts:
Hashtags
When using Instagram you can add up to 30 hashtags on each post and they are a fabulous way for users to find your content. I always say to my mentor clients, hashtags are like little signposts helping people to find us.
However, if you add them directly into your post caption and then share to Facebook, you really do not want 30 hashtags then appearing on your Facebook post. It just does not work.
You can work around this by putting the hashtags on Instagram in your first comment, rather than on the main caption – if you do want to share it.
Caption Text
When posting on Instagram, the caption text which works best are longer mini blog type posts, which allow your followers to connect with you and your business. However, this does not work well on Facebook, as users here prefer shorter captions with video and/or images.
Tagging
Tagging an account into your captions on Instagram is a great way of boosting your pages visibility. However, when you tag an account into your Instagram caption text by adding @mention and you then share this onto Facebook, the tag copied onto Facebook will not be a clickable live link.
How many times have you seen a Facebook post where the tagged account links simply don’t work? This is probably the reason why!
Consider
If you have been a fan of sharing your posts from Instagram to Facebook, consider ‘do I have time to run both successfully and well?’ ‘Am I getting the results I want from each account?’
If the answer is no, you may want to choose to focus on just one platform and do it really well. You are more likely to connect better with your followers and get the results you want for your therapy business.
Remember, each platform is unique, and does require different types of content to appeal to the audience who uses it.
Is it time you reviewed which accounts you use, to get the best results?