Don't Duplicate, Recreate! (Facebook & Twitter Posts)

For business pages, syncing Facebook and Twitter posts is terrible practice. Posting the same content is fine – but literally duplicating the copy and messaging is not. 

By “content” I mean the topic or subject matter of your post, while by “copy and messaging” I mean actual words used and how the message is framed (phrase vs sentence, question vs statement, etc).

Why Can't We Duplicate?

Different Character Count

Twitter’s 140 limit forces you to be concise. This may mean sacrificing details (replaced by “Learn More” + link) or proper sentence structure (use of abbreviations or slang). This may look okay on Twitter, but robotic and auto-generated on Facebook.

Why waste Facebook’s 63,206 character limit? Inversely, posting from Facebook to Twitter results in fragmented and incomplete sentences.

 

Different Audience

Your Facebook fans and Twitter followers could be completely different. Some may add you on Facebook only and some may add you on Twitter only. This is because they are looking for different things.

Facebook fans are more likely to comment and discuss their thoughts and experiences with fellow fans, while Twitter followers are more likely to look for quick news snippets or updates. A Facebook user might Share a post so his/her friends will also Like it or join the conversation, while a Twitter user might Retweet a post because he/she feels it is worth sharing (but not necessarily worth discussing).

Different Format: Hashtags and Images

The infamous Twitter hashtag serves absolutely no purpose on Facebook but to annoy fans (there are Facebook pages about it here, here and here). Your friends may forgive you for desecrating their sacred walls with your blasphemous hashtags, but the same probably can’t be said for your clients!

Alternately, one of Facebook’s best features is the ability to attach images and link previews to status updates. Twitter does these too but only if you post directly from Twitter. Even then, users must click “View Photo” to see the image or preview. Thus, image sharing may not be the best idea for Twitter.

Instead, Rewrite (or Recreate) Your Posts to Fit the Platform

Facebook 

1. Utilize the space provided and provide as much info as you can without going over 400 characters (otherwise, fans have to click “See More” to read the rest). 
2. Ask for feedback, questions, comments, etc. explicitly. Example: Facebook just launched a new feature! [link]. What do you think of  it? Share your thoughts below!
3. Use images

Twitter

1. Make sure everything, including your URL, fits into the 140 character limit. Link shorteners such as bit.ly and TinyURL are your friends.  
2. Avoid questions and opt for declarative, imperative (commands) or exclamatory sentences. Example: Facebook Launches New Feature. [link]
3. Use hashtags. That way, non-fans can still find you.

There are tons more tips on how to recreate your content to fit Facebook and Twitter respectively, but these are the most important, basic ones. Have questions or want to share your thoughts? Drop a comment below!

Til then,
Mae