How to Cross-Promote on Social Media (+ Proven Strategies)

Unlocking the true potential of social media and making your message stand out in the crowded online world can be challenging. 

But there is a strategy that transcends the limits of individual endeavors.  

Harness the power of cross-promotion to unlock new opportunities, expand your influence and strengthen your online presence. Gain insights and strategies to implement cross-promotion effectively and drive growth in your business. 

In this comprehensive blog, learn the details of cross-promotion on social media. And discover effective strategies to promote your brand and elevate your business. 

What is cross-promotion on social media? 

Cross-promotion on social media is a strategic alliance where individuals, brands or influencers collaborate to promote each other's content or products on various platforms. 

The aim is to expand the reach to a larger audience across different social networks. This approach is cost-effective and boosts visibility for all parties involved. 

Learn More: Why is the ROI of social media still so elusive? 

Simply put, cross-promotion is a collaborative marketing strategy on social media. It involves multiple parties endorsing each other's offerings to reach a wider and more diverse customer base. 

Key stats 

Nielsen's research reveals that 92% of consumers place trust in recommendations from acquaintances, while 70% have faith in consumer opinions shared online. Cross-promotion capitalizes on this trust, providing a cost-effective means to engage a more extensive and attentive audience. 

• For instance, Nike and Apple have teamed up to integrate their fitness apps for a seamless user experience. They communicate this partnership on their social media accounts, highlighting how their products work together to promote users' health and fitness. 
• Similarly, Starbucks and Spotify have collaborated to offer exclusive Starbucks playlists, which they promote on their social media profiles. Customers are encouraged to enjoy music while enjoying their favorite coffee. 

Cross-promotion and cross-posting are two strategies that may appear similar, but they serve different purposes. Understanding the difference between these two strategies is crucial for an effective marketing approach. 

Cross-promotion vs. cross-posting on social media 

Cross-promotion: Cross-promotion involves a collaborative effort where two or more entities actively support and promote each other's content or offerings on their respective social media platforms. It's all about partnership and mutual endorsement. This strategy leverages the trust and engagement of both parties' audiences. 

GoPro and Red Bull have a strong partnership where they collaborate on extreme sports content. GoPro captures exciting moments and Red Bull shares it on their social media, demonstrating the capabilities of GoPro cameras. This collaboration benefits both brands. 

Cross-posting: Cross-posting is more like duplicating your content and sharing it across various social media platforms. It lacks the strategic collaboration found in cross-promotion. Instead, it's merely about broadcasting the same message to multiple audiences without the element of mutual support. In essence, it's self-sharing. 

Amazon shares a standard holiday sales promotion across its social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, without any specific partnership or collaboration. They use the same message and visuals across all platforms. 

Learn More: Social media collaboration: How to plan it effectively 

Now that we've clarified the distinction between cross-promotion and cross-posting, let's delve deeper into the various forms and methods of cross-promotion.  

Types of cross-promotions on social media 

Here are a few common types of cross-promotion to help you achieve your goals. 

1. Influencer posts 

Influencers team up with brands to promote products or services to their devoted followers. Their stamp of approval goes a long way in influencing purchasing decisions.  

Daniel Wellington collaborates with fashion influencers to promote their watches, utilizing their large followings and fashion knowledge. 

Learn More: The right way to find influencers 

2. Promotional videos 

Create and share partner-focused videos on your social media channels. These videos can include reviews, tutorials or engaging content about your partner's products or services. 

Canon has formed a partnership with National Geographic, featuring its cameras in their documentaries and travel videos. This collaboration highlights Canon's camera quality and aligns the brand with a trusted source of stunning visuals, benefiting both parties in the market.  

3. Giveaways and contests 

Join forces with other brands to host exciting giveaways or contests. By requiring participants to follow both accounts and tag friends, you can generate buzz and expand your reach. 

Sephora frequently collaborates with beauty brands on Instagram giveaways. Participants follow both Sephora and the partnering brand, tag friends and share the post to win beauty products. This boosts engagement and gains new followers. 

4. Podcasts 

Podcasts provide a fantastic platform for in-depth discussions. Inviting guests to your podcast or appearing on theirs can introduce you to new listeners. 

The New York Times partnered with the popular podcast Serial to create their podcast, "The Daily." This collaboration helped them reach a wider audience and demonstrated the benefits of co-hosted content. 

5. Email marketing 

Cross-promotion isn't limited to social media. Collaborating on email marketing campaigns can help you reach a partner's subscribers directly. 

Airbnb and Uber teamed up to send promotional emails, offering travel credits to guests who signed up for Uber. This partnership benefited both brands and incentivized users to expand their travel options. 

6. Webinars 

Hosting webinars or online events together is another effective strategy. It's a chance to showcase your expertise and interact with a live audience. 

Through a collaborative effort, Sprinklr partners with industry thought leaders to host webinars on the latest social media trends and strategies. This partnership allows Sprinklr to showcase its expertise and provide valuable insights to its audience, while the experts gain exposure to a wider platform and establish themselves as industry leaders. This cross-promotion on social media benefits both parties involved. 

Why cross-promotion on social media is so powerful 

Cross-promotion on social media offers numerous benefits that can greatly impact your brand's online presence and business success. Let's understand these benefits in detail. 

• Enhanced brand visibility: Cross-promoting on social media expands your brand's reach and boosts your online presence across multiple platforms, exposing your brand to a wider audience. This increased visibility helps your brand connect with a diverse range of users. 
• Website traffic boost: Cross-promotion is a powerful strategy to increase website traffic. Share content with links to your website or specific landing pages to attract users from various social media platforms. This not only boosts website traffic but also generates potential leads and conversions.  
• Improved engagement: To optimize user engagement on social media platforms, customize your content to suit the unique preferences of each platform and its audience. This customization will increase the likelihood of interactions such as likes, shares and comments, fostering a strong sense of community around your brand. 
• Reach your target audience: Use audience insights to understand your ideal customer's demographics, interests and behaviors. Cross-promote on relevant social media platforms to reach your target audience, increasing the chances of connecting with potential customers who align with your brand.  
• Enhanced brand reputation: Maintaining a consistent presence on various social platforms builds and strengthens your brand's reputation. Customers encountering your brand across different platforms perceive it as trustworthy and dedicated to its online presence. 

Pro Tip: Modern consumers expect companies to have an active presence on all popular social media channels. Unfortunately, channel-specific point solutions are siloed — which makes it difficult for social media teams to maintain brand consistency at scale. Social media scheduling, publishing and posting tools in Sprinklr Social can automate dozens of manual tasks, creating positive experiences for customers across all digital touchpoints. 

• Cost-effective marketing: Cross-promotion is often more budget-friendly compared to traditional advertising. It allows you to reach a wider audience without substantial advertising expenses. 
• Community building: Cross-promotion fosters a sense of community around your brand. Users from various platforms may start interacting with each other around your content, creating a supportive and engaged community. 

 Learn More: The value of brand communities 

• Reinforce brand consistency: Consistency is crucial for your brand message and identity. Cross-promotion maintains this consistency across platforms, ensuring a unified brand presence. 

How to cross-promote on social media effectively 

Follow these five simple steps to create an effective social media cross-promotion strategy. 

Step 1: Understanding and setting the right goal 

Establish your cross-promotion marketing aim. Clearly define the outcome you want to achieve, whether it's boosting brand recognition, attracting followers, or driving sales. Having a specific objective will keep you focused and aligned with your goals. 

Learn More: How to set social media goals for your business 

Step 2: Identifying the target audience and choosing the correct platform 

Partner with entities whose demographic matches your target audience. Also, choose the right social media platforms for your campaign. Not all platforms are created equal, and each platform has its unique user base and strengths.  

Step 3: Choosing the apt form of content for each platform 

Customize your content for each platform. What works on Instagram might not work on Twitter or LinkedIn. Tailor your message to fit the medium.  

Step 4: Setting clear terms and expectations 

Ensure a successful partnership by setting clear terms and expectations. Clearly define roles and responsibilities and establish the terms of promotion. This prevents future misunderstandings.  

Step 5: Monitoring and evaluation 

Monitor your cross-promotion efforts effectively with a social media monitoring tool. Measure key metrics such as engagement, reach and conversions to evaluate the success of your campaign and make necessary adjustments. 

Learn More: Top social media metrics to track 

6 proven strategies to optimize your cross-promotion efforts on social media 

Effective cross-promotion on social media requires a strategic approach. Here are seven proven strategies to optimize your cross-promotion efforts. 

Posting unique content on each platform 

Tailor your content for each social media platform to maximize engagement and relevance. Adapt to the specific audience and format of Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn. Not every post will resonate across all platforms, so customize your message accordingly. 
 
Learn More: Social media messaging: How to get it right? 

Leveraging link-sharing options 

Take full advantage of platform-specific features such as "swipe-up" links on Instagram Stories or embedded links in posts. These tools can direct traffic to your website, blog or other social media profiles, increasing your reach and encouraging users to explore further.  

Promoting new projects naturally 

Cross-promotion doesn't have to be a formal campaign. A casual and authentic mention of your partner's new project can generate excitement. Keep it human and genuine to maintain your audience's trust. 

Embracing platform-based formats 

Every social media platform has its unique features. Instagram offers Stories, Twitter has polls and Facebook has groups. Utilize these platform-specific formats creatively to enhance your cross-promotion strategy and capture the attention of your target audience. 

Cross-promotion calendar 

Create a structured calendar that outlines when and where cross-promotion activities will take place. This ensures consistency and allows both parties to plan effectively. A calendar helps maintain an ongoing and effective cross-promotion strategy. 

Quick Tip: Having trouble managing your cross-promotion campaigns? Sprinklr’s Unified Calendar brings all your cross-promotion activities in a unified platform — giving your team full visibility into campaign planning and production, so you can streamline workflows, eliminate redundancies and keep your messaging on-target on every channel. 

Learn More: What is a content calendar?  

Collaborative content creation  

Go beyond just sharing content and start engaging in collaborative content creation. Joint videos, blog posts or social media takeovers can provide an additional layer of engagement and authenticity, making your cross-promotion posts even more valuable and appealing to your audience. 

Ready to raise your social media game to the next level? 

Using social media cross-promotion is vital for boosting audience engagement and building a strong online presence for your brand. 

By understanding the core principles of cross-promotion, choosing partners wisely and implementing effective strategies you can tap into the immense potential of social media cross-promotion to harness the power of social media cross-promotion and strengthen your brand.  

Take your social media marketing to the next level with Sprinklr Social. Our comprehensive platform is designed to streamline your social media efforts and help you master the ever-changing landscape. Don't miss out on the opportunity to explore cross-promotion and elevate your online presence.  

Book a demo today to learn more about how Sprinklr can help you.