people/musings

The Problem With Social Media Cross Promotion

In large organizations where numerous social media tools are being used by multiple departments, the appetite for cross promotion – that is, utilizing other departments social channels to reach non-traditional audiences – is strong.

For example, at Carleton University, where I work, there are nearly 60 official social media sites associated with various departments, faculties and clubs or societies which cater to a diverse group of student groups and other communities. Many of these social media accounts have audiences ranging from 470+ (@CarletonSEO) all the way to 9800+ (Fb.me/CarletonUniversity). As you can see, the reach of each of the accounts varies considerably, so if one department would like to reach a greater number of students, they might consider approaching another department to ask if they can help disseminate their message. Initially, this may seem like a good idea because it’s an opportunity for different units to work together and reach a greater number of students with their messaging. However, I would argue that it’s not in either departments’ best interests to cross promote, because doing so would defeat the purpose of having multiple accounts in the first place. We have multiple channels because we have multiple audiences to cater to. So, for example, at Carleton University it would not make sense to advertise learning support services information via the sports marketing Twitter account, even if it has a larger audience. Yes, a larger number of students could be reached, but the audience would not be getting what they opted for.

I don’t see this happening at Carleton, but it is just something to keep in mind for wherever you work. More is not always better. Relevant is better. It’s the same reason why we have a million television channels. You want the information you’re broadcasting to be relevant to the audience that’s opted to receive it. Keep that in mind, or expect your audience to tune you out.