Considering that there are more than 5.24 billion active social media users worldwide, your business cannot opt out of social media marketing. However, limiting your company’s social media presence to Facebook or X (formerly Twitter) won’t cut it.
Today’s successful organizations manage multiple social media accounts, which helps them amass significant marketing data and learn how to stand out from the competition. We’ll explain why having more than one social media account is beneficial and share tips for managing a multiplatform presence.
Why businesses need multiple social media accounts
There are many reasons to have a presence on several social media platforms. If your business isn’t on multiple networks, you may be missing out on these opportunities.
1. You may not be reaching a portion of your audience.
You can’t assume you’ll reach your entire target audience on a single networking site. While X and Facebook remain the most widely used platforms, many businesses are more likely to reach their ideal customers on Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube or niche social media sites.
“Relying on just one platform limits your audience,” cautioned Natalie Eagling, CEO of Madison Taylor Marketing. “By getting your content out across multiple platforms, you open the door to new segments of people and build brand awareness, credibility and customer engagement, ultimately creating momentum for your business.”
Becoming part of more than one community will increase your reach and help you connect with more people. However, instead of signing up for every social media account possible, consider which sites your target audience uses the most, even if it takes some trial and error.
“Unless you use multiple platforms, you’ll never be able to compare and understand which platform works best for your business,” explained Anastasia Parokha, head of marketing at Creative Fabrica.
2. You can improve your search engine rankings.
You may have heard the expression “content is king,” and for good reason: The more quality online content you generate, the better your website will rank. Social media is part of a strategic content marketing plan that can boost your search engine visibility, thanks in part to the high domain authority of platforms like Facebook.
3. You can provide a better customer service experience.
The last thing any company wants is a bad reputation — especially when word can spread quickly online. Having a presence on multiple social media platforms helps you track what people are saying online about your business. Customers can also easily direct message you with questions and concerns. By being proactive and responding quickly to negative comments about your business, products or services, you can resolve issues before they escalate and protect your brand reputation.
4. Your competition is already there.
You may not have an account on a specific social networking platform, but there’s a good chance your competition does. Instead of letting them reap all the benefits, community, goodwill and potential customers, establish a presence there for your brand (if it makes sense). It’s relatively easy to figure out which social media sites your competitors use, as most companies list their social accounts on their websites.
5. You can dramatically increase brand recognition.
Brand recognition is crucial to gaining new customers and keeping current ones engaged. However, if you’re only on one or two social platforms, you’ll miss ample opportunities to boost your brand visibility.
“Different people hang out on different platforms, and each channel brings its own unique flavor,” explained Victor André Enselmann, founder and CEO of digital marketing agency Modeva. “By maintaining multiple social accounts, you expand your reach and protect yourself from algorithm shifts that can suddenly tank your visibility.”
Shifting algorithms aren’t as big a cause for concern when you have multiple social accounts. “If Facebook changes the game, you’ve still got an engaged audience on LinkedIn or Instagram, and that can be a lifesaver when it comes to growth and stability,” Enselmann explained.
“The more platforms you use, the higher the chances of increasing brand recognition are,” added Parokha.
Multiple social media accounts can help you
boost online brand awareness, find your ideal customers, and protect your business from algorithm shifts.
How to manage multiple social media accounts
While having multiple social media accounts brings numerous benefits, knowing how to manage them is essential. Here are some best practices and tips.
1. Use social media management tools.
Social media management tools allow you to automate your posts so they appear on multiple social media accounts. Software such as Buffer, Hootsuite or Sprout Social enables you to schedule, publish, respond to and analyze posts within a single dashboard.
“This is the only way you can find out which platform works best for you and actually brings new customers or strengthens loyalty among the existing ones,” Parokha explained. “It’s crucial to monitor these things since you might want to allocate a bigger chunk of the budget to the platform with the best performance in the future.”
Additionally, scheduling posts can help you optimize your engagement with your target audience. Repurpose the same post for multiple social media accounts to get the most out of your marketing efforts.
2. Optimize your content.
The following tips will help you best optimize your content:
- Be consistent: Instead of posting when you have time, post at the same time every day so your audience knows when to expect it. “One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned at Modeva is the power of consistency,” said Enselmann. “I keep a single editorial calendar that covers all platforms, so my team knows exactly what goes live and when.”
- Post quality content: Have something meaningful and interesting to say.
- Incorporate images: Don’t post only links and text. People love pictures and infographics, and visuals are processed faster by the brain.
3. Plan ahead.
Managing multiple social media accounts can quickly become overwhelming. Create an editorial calendar to plan your main posts in advance. This will keep you on track and help you post consistently high-quality content.
While planning is essential, it's important to stay flexible enough to incorporate news,
social media trends, surprise sales and other timely content to keep your target audience engaged.
4. Connect with your audience.
The whole point of social media is to interact. Build in time daily or weekly to focus on connecting with your audience by responding promptly to comments, mentions and direct messages. Requesting and responding to user-generated content (UGC) is also key.
“Let’s be real: People don’t want to be sold to — they want to connect,” Eagling explained. “Responding to comments and messages quickly, sharing behind-the-scenes content, leveraging user-generated content and collaborating with influencers or brands to expand your reach … [these things] make all the difference. Remember, engagement drives growth.”
You can then use the data from your customer interactions to improve your product, service or business practices.
5. Refine your strategy.
Frequently analyze your social media accounts. Are they providing a solid digital marketing ROI? Do followers engage with your brand? Are there accounts outperforming the rest?
Use each social network’s analytics to determine whether the platform is performing well. Don’t be afraid to switch things up or focus on the social media accounts that are performing best.
“It’s critical to be intentional about where you show up,” Eagling emphasized. “Pick the platforms that align with your business and create content that feels right for that space.”
Sammi Caramella contributed to this article.
Social media platforms to consider
Not every social media platform will work for every business. However, diversifying your social media footprint is essential for reaching your broadest target audience. Consider using the following social media platforms to increase your online presence: