One Update Across Multiple Social Media Sites?
June 21, 2016 6:52 AM Subscribe
In a continued effort to find my people, I want to be able to update my social media without going insane. Currently, I have Instagram, Tumblr, Etsy, Twitter, Pinterest, Ello, and Facebook and jeez I do not want to have to post to each individually. Is there a service that can do this in a way that will make each site's update look right (no Instagram #tags on Tumblr, etc)? Cheap-as-in-freely?
I have tried If This/Then That - it does not work in so much that the tags end up looking like a mess on Tumblr. Instagram's built in post-across-media has the same problem with tags.
I only want to post once or twice a week. If I could schedule posts in advance, that would be great but not required. I would prefer not to have to do this from my phone, but can deal if needed.
Ideally, I would like to be able to craft a post with a picture of my work, a description that includes a link to my main website and my Etsy shop, and then whatever tags I would want included. The magic service (that probably only exists for SEO marketers and costs $10 a day) would then post it across social media sites with the tags going in to the right place.
If I could only pick a few sites to post to, I would opt for Tumblr, Instagram, and Facebook.
I have tried If This/Then That - it does not work in so much that the tags end up looking like a mess on Tumblr. Instagram's built in post-across-media has the same problem with tags.
I only want to post once or twice a week. If I could schedule posts in advance, that would be great but not required. I would prefer not to have to do this from my phone, but can deal if needed.
Ideally, I would like to be able to craft a post with a picture of my work, a description that includes a link to my main website and my Etsy shop, and then whatever tags I would want included. The magic service (that probably only exists for SEO marketers and costs $10 a day) would then post it across social media sites with the tags going in to the right place.
If I could only pick a few sites to post to, I would opt for Tumblr, Instagram, and Facebook.
I have been doing social media marketing professionally for close to a decade and I am not aware of any service, free or paid, that can alter post content (like tags) based on which platform it is posting to. If such a service exists for "SEO marketers" it probably costs a lot more than $10 a day or is custom-built.
HootSuite will post the same thing to multiple platforms but will not alter the content of the post. I also don't think HootSuite posts to Tumblr, Etsy, Ello, Instagram, or Pinterest.
I do use a social media platform (Sprout Social), but I write posts specific to the platform unless I know I can cross-post without it looking weird. For example, I write Twitter posts on their own, but I do get some efficiency by cross-posting the same thing to Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+. We have a company Instagram account but nothing I know can post to Instagram for you. Sprout can monitor activity on the account but Instagram posts have to originate from my phone or tablet.
Generally it's considered a best practice to tailor the content and tone of your posts to the platform, so even if such a service exists it may not lead to great engagement. (For example, I use emojis in our Instagram posts because the vibe there is more casual, but no where else.) I completely understand you're just trying to find your audience and want to make it as efficient as possible, but I am not sure what you are looking for exists or would be effective if it did. Sorry!
posted by misskaz at 7:53 AM on June 21, 2016 [1 favorite]
HootSuite will post the same thing to multiple platforms but will not alter the content of the post. I also don't think HootSuite posts to Tumblr, Etsy, Ello, Instagram, or Pinterest.
I do use a social media platform (Sprout Social), but I write posts specific to the platform unless I know I can cross-post without it looking weird. For example, I write Twitter posts on their own, but I do get some efficiency by cross-posting the same thing to Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+. We have a company Instagram account but nothing I know can post to Instagram for you. Sprout can monitor activity on the account but Instagram posts have to originate from my phone or tablet.
Generally it's considered a best practice to tailor the content and tone of your posts to the platform, so even if such a service exists it may not lead to great engagement. (For example, I use emojis in our Instagram posts because the vibe there is more casual, but no where else.) I completely understand you're just trying to find your audience and want to make it as efficient as possible, but I am not sure what you are looking for exists or would be effective if it did. Sorry!
posted by misskaz at 7:53 AM on June 21, 2016 [1 favorite]
I have been repeatedly asking Ello to make it possible to post to it from any other services. They say they are working on it.
posted by terrapin at 8:04 AM on June 21, 2016
posted by terrapin at 8:04 AM on June 21, 2016
Buffer handles Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest and works quite well in that regard. You can schedule and queue posts, specialising them for each platform if you want. I don't think there's anything else that has a wider reach in terms of a wider selection of sites.
posted by outlier at 8:48 AM on June 21, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by outlier at 8:48 AM on June 21, 2016 [2 favorites]
Tangentially related - you should really update your profile here. You can add etsy, insta, ello, pinterest, etc....tons more icons with quick links. I had to click on your profile and then go to your website and then click on the shop link and then click on the etsy link to see what you sell. Your work is seriously gorgeous.
posted by the webmistress at 10:02 AM on June 21, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by the webmistress at 10:02 AM on June 21, 2016 [2 favorites]
Finding your audience is as much about reciprocity as it is about hashtags & getting on as many platforms as possible. Social media thrives on .. you being social. I speak from experience here. Check out #cmworld on Twitter for great tips.
Seconding Buffer as a good tool (and don't give up on IFTTT).
posted by kariebookish at 10:06 AM on June 21, 2016 [2 favorites]
Seconding Buffer as a good tool (and don't give up on IFTTT).
posted by kariebookish at 10:06 AM on June 21, 2016 [2 favorites]
Hootsuite is probably your best option as far as being able to schedule posts on as many services as you can. Some services (Pinterest in particular) require additional fees from the third party services that integrate with Hootsuite, but I know it can handle Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Google +, and Instagram without any paid add-ins.
For Instagram, Hootsuite allows you to schedule your posts for a certain time, and then sends a notification to you on your phone when it's time to post. You still have to manually go through the motions to post to Instagram, but at least you get a little reminder buzz and you can just paste your caption in rather than having to compose it on the spot.
I use Sprout Social for work, which I like a lot better than Hootsuite for many reasons, but it doesn't handle as many types accounts as Hootsuite and is more expensive.
I think a combination of Hootsuite, IFTTT, and a little bit of manual posting would probably work best for your needs. Good luck!
posted by helloimjennsco at 10:09 AM on June 21, 2016 [1 favorite]
For Instagram, Hootsuite allows you to schedule your posts for a certain time, and then sends a notification to you on your phone when it's time to post. You still have to manually go through the motions to post to Instagram, but at least you get a little reminder buzz and you can just paste your caption in rather than having to compose it on the spot.
I use Sprout Social for work, which I like a lot better than Hootsuite for many reasons, but it doesn't handle as many types accounts as Hootsuite and is more expensive.
I think a combination of Hootsuite, IFTTT, and a little bit of manual posting would probably work best for your needs. Good luck!
posted by helloimjennsco at 10:09 AM on June 21, 2016 [1 favorite]
I have tried If This/Then That - it does not work in so much that the tags end up looking like a mess on Tumblr.
Have you edited the IFTTT recipe that is posting to Tumblr to try to fix these tags? There is place near the bottom of the recipe that will show you what will be part of the post and another for what will be in the tags. Here you can remove the words 'Instagram' and 'IFTTT' and add whatever parts of the post are available from your source (hit the beaker shaped icon at the end of the text box). You can also add specific words that you choose, but they will be the same words for every post.
posted by soelo at 10:35 AM on June 26, 2016
Have you edited the IFTTT recipe that is posting to Tumblr to try to fix these tags? There is place near the bottom of the recipe that will show you what will be part of the post and another for what will be in the tags. Here you can remove the words 'Instagram' and 'IFTTT' and add whatever parts of the post are available from your source (hit the beaker shaped icon at the end of the text box). You can also add specific words that you choose, but they will be the same words for every post.
posted by soelo at 10:35 AM on June 26, 2016
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posted by magnetsphere at 7:14 AM on June 21, 2016 [1 favorite]