How to Manage an Omnipresent Social Media Strategy
How to manage multiple channels.
If you're trying to build a sustainable business, social media is undoubtedly part of your strategy. And anyone without the unlimited budget of a large corporation knows they have to spend their time wisely. Is it better to focus on a single channel, or split your focus between creating content for multiple channels?
The advice to focus on growing a single social channel is outdated (unless you're positive that your target audience only spends time on one channel). The world moves too fast, and you might miss opportunities if you put all of your eggs in one basket. Or, worse, that single basket falls apart and suddenly you're starting from ground zero on another channel. Just look at the downfall of Twitter and how users have fled to multiple alternatives, including Bluesky and Threads.
Of course, creating content for multiple channels requires more effort — but it doesn't have to be exponentially more. You can learn and grow on multiple channels simultaneously by putting a few simple systems in place.
Cross-post to different channels
One of the easiest ways to show up on multiple channels is simply to copy and paste your content from one channel to another. This works if the platforms favor similar types of content, such as publishing a text-based post to both LinkedIn and Threads or publishing a video on both Instagram and TikTok. If you know the type of content your audience is looking for, you can attract a similar following across multiple channels.
Social media scheduling apps make this really easy. I use Buffer posts can be "duplicated" from one channel to another. By using a social media scheduling tool, you'll spend less time copying and pasting than you would if you manually publish across multiple apps.
One thing to keep in mind is that some people might notice the strategy, if they pay attention and follow you on multiple channels. I follow a few people across different channels and immediately notice if they publish identical content. You might decide not to worry about this, or you can make a very slight adjustment to your publishing process to address this issue.
I use Zapier (an automation tool) to add a delay between my published content across different platforms. For example, if I publish something on LinkedIn (via Buffer), Zapier picks up the post and holds it for 30 days. After 30 days, Zapier sends the post back to Buffer and then I publish it on Threads. At that point, I assume anyone who saw the original post will have forgotten about it.
I'm careful to only apply this strategy to non-time-sensitive posts. No one wants to see my holiday posts thirty days later! I have some filters set up, so these posts aren't included in my automation.
Tweak your content for each channel
Cross-posting is the easiest way to show up on multiple channels, but your content may not resonate in the same way. Each channel has its own vibe. For text-based LinkedIn is more button-up, and Threads is more "anything goes." Algorithms also favor (or punish) the format of your content, such as including hashtags, trending sounds, and external links. They also have different requirements for characters you can include or the length of video you can upload.
While it takes more effort, you may want to tweak the message for each channel instead of simply copying and pasting. A lengthy post I write for LinkedIn might get broken down into something shorter and punchier for Threads.
You can automate this process also, at least with text. When I schedule a post from LinkedIn, the post automatically runs through ChatGPT (via Zapier) before I schedule it for Threads. My instructions to ChatGPT are to take the original LinkedIn post and reformat it for Threads. I provide some examples of Threads posts and also the requirements of the platform (character limit; only one hashtag per post). The reformatted post is then sent back to Buffer.
I still tweak the ChatGPT output — it's never 100% how I would write the post — but it's usually pretty close, and much faster than rewriting the post by myself. Because it's based on my original content and my examples, it sounds like me. It just needs some final editing before I can publish it.
This process runs behind the scenes and whenever I open Buffer, my queue is ready with reformatted posts from 30 days ago that I need to apply a final polish and publish. If you're not comfortable using a tool like Zapier, you could quickly copy and paste your posts directly into ChatGPT with some instructions to reformat before you publish them on a different platform.
Edit your calls-to-action
While a lot of your content might be to educate or entertain your audience, sometimes you'll want them to take a specific next step, such as downloading a resource or signing up for a webinar.
Most social platforms try very hard to keep you on the platform, meaning they make it tricky for you to share a link. I've gotten around this in a few ways, but I have to change tactics depending on the platform.
On LinkedIn, I'll put the link in either an image or a video, instead of the text of the post itself. Let's say, for example, I'm hosting an upcoming webinar. I'll share an image (from Canva) announcing it, and the image will say "Sign up at webinars.annabyang.com." The URL is short enough that I assume people will follow it — and most people know that LinkedIn punishes links and understand why I do that.
I'll usually schedule several posts, so at least one will have the actual URL in the post itself, but at least the webinar announcement has more than one opportunity to be seen. If I create a video to announce the webinar, I'll say the URL at the end of the webinar and also display it with text at the bottom of the video.
I use similar tactics with Instagram, but for Instagram I use ManyChat [affiliate link]. With ManyChat, I can set up automation that if a user comments "WEBINAR" on a post, I can send the link via DMs. The instruction "Comment 'WEBINAR'" will either be in the image post, or I'll say it in a video. I also put it in the caption of the post. When a user adds a comment with the word you've set up, the DM with the link will arrive within seconds.
If I'm recording a video to use on both LinkedIn and Instagram, I record both CTAs in the same video. The video content is like this:
- Talk about the product/webinar that can be used for both platforms
- Let people know they can visit the URL to sign up
- Let people know they can comment with a keyword to receive a DM with a link to sign up
This is a single video. I then make a copy of it. In the first copy, I edit out the part about a comment and in the second copy, I edit out the part about the URL to sign up. That way, I have platform-specific CTAs using the same main video content.
Prioritize your attention
When you implement an omnipresent strategy, you can get sucked into spending too much time on platforms. In almost every case, creating content alone isn't enough; you have to engage with other people.
This is where you should prioritize. I set aside a block of time to engage with people every morning. I prioritize LinkedIn first, because that's my primary channel with my largest following. I also know that's the primary way clients find me. Then I'll spend a smaller amount of time on other channels. I don't have unlimited amounts of time, so I have to focus on the channels that are generating the most benefit for my business. I use a timer so I don't lose track of time. If I decide that I want to give Threads or Bluesky more attention, I'll adjust accordingly.
The key is not to push yourself on all platforms simultaneously. You're putting the content out there so people can find you, but also paying attention to what's working and putting more effort there. You may also find that a channel simply isn't worth the effort because you never get any results. However, I'd hesitate to give up on a channel too quickly, since any channel takes time. Examine the amount of time you spend and if the channel fits your overall goals.
I was very late to Twitter (before it became X), and the platform was well-established. My growth there was minimal, but I kept showing up because I had a feeling that potential clients might be there. I was right. I landed a client via Twitter that ended up paying me over $20,000. So the effort I put into Twitter — even though it was small compared to the amount of time I spent on LinkedIn — paid off. I never would have landed that client otherwise.
Hire a virtual assistant or a content strategist
I have a virtual assistant who helps me with my social media postings. She creates the Canva images I publish on different channels (using templates developed by a designer), while I handle the copywriting and captions for each post.
While my Instagram following is minuscule right now, it's something I want to grow over time. I also use the same images in multiple ways, with my VA changing the size so it's platform-appropriate (square vs. horizontal vs. vertical). It saves me time every week — time that I can spend focusing on the copy, rather than the images.
If you really want your channel to grow, consider hiring someone with strategy experience on the specific social media channel. You might work with this person on a short-term basis, while you learn the ins and outs of that channel, or you might have the person help you create content long-term.
Anna Burgess Yang
Keep an eye on trends
At some point, I think cross-posting to multiple platforms will look much different. In the future, we may publish only to the fediverse, and the content will be distributed across various social media sites.
If you're not familiar, the fediverse is an interconnected ecosystem for social media platforms, based on an open protocol. Not only could you publish your content once and have it distribute across platforms, but you can also port your follower graph between networks. Mastadon, Bluesky, and Meta have all been talking about the fediverse for years. With the fediverse, you truly own all of your content and aren't married to a specific platform.
Of course, the dream of using social media platforms in the fediverse doesn't exist yet. Meta is still working on Threads compatibility with the fediverse, one feature at a time. And Bluesky uses a different protocol than Mastadon and Meta, so interoperability is still in question.
However, it's not out of the realm of possibility and something to keep in mind. Someday maybe all of these efforts to be omnipresent across multiple channels won't be necessary.
Until then, build systems and processes that don't require a ton of lift and still allow you to show up where your audience can find you.
Check out my free eBook — a guide for creators looking better to manage their time and content across multiple platforms.
