What could be wrong with this idea? Well, let me tell you...
TWITTER IS ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS
It's not just pushing out information to your followers. Relationships involve more than 1 person...that means what takes place on Twitter is a conversation between people. OK, not every single tweet is going to be part of a conversation...but if you never have had a conversation on Twitter, you are really missing out. I watch TV shows and tweet back and forth about what's happening with friends.
Problem # 1
If people are both fans on Facebook and Followers on Twitter, they will see the exact same thing 2 times. I know when I have to read duplicates often, I am going to either unlike you on Facebook or unfollow you on Twitter. I don't need to see the same thing twice. Please have some respect for my time.
You may think that by having your Facebook posts feed into your Twitter account you are making it easier on yourself to be active on Twitter. Reality check - you aren't; you aren't being active on Twitter. Why? Because you aren't having a real conversation with anyone on Twitter.
One of the great benefits to Tweeting are the replies & the interaction you get from others. You can vent, joke, ask questions and you will often get a reply. If you get a reply, and fail to acknowledge it, you have failed. Not only have you failed in simple common courtesy, but also in your purpose for tweeting in the first place. Remember, you are using your Fan Page to promote your business. By failing to have your Twitter-persona acknowledge those people who have taken the time to reply to you, what impression are you leaving with them? Whether intended or not, I think the impression you are leaving is that you can't/won't/don't take the time to thank or respond. Hmmm...if you got this impression from someone you were thinking of buying from, would your intentions change?
Problems # 3
Think about all those folks who are able to see your Twitter feed at work. Think about all those Facebook links you post in Facebook...and therefore in Twitter because you are linking these accounts. Then think about how many companies ban or outright block Facebook at work. Yes, I work at one of these. I see lots of links that look interesting so I click on them (yes, during my lunch hour!) Oops, I've now been taking to a Facebook page! Thanks for taking me where I'm not allowed. If you do this too much, I will unfollow you on Twitter.
If you link the other way (Twitter feeding into Facebook) it doesn't make sense for those who don't Tweet. What are these status updates that contain the #, @ or RT?
Problem # 5
Facebook & Twitter are 2 different animals. Why would you want to treat them the same? When you post something on Facebook, you do not have the 140 character limitations that are on Twitter. This means the first 140 characters you use on Facebook show up on Twitter...and will probably not make a whole lot of sense. Are you trying to confuse potential customers or friends?
Problem # 6
Links. When you post a link in Facebook, space is no issue and you have the whole website address...and you know how long these can be! When you post a link on Twitter, if it's long, you really really should be shortening it with a tiny url.
So, to sum up...remember this please. Facebook is for telling your friends what you're doing. Twitter is for telling the world what you're doing. What you tell your friends is not the same as what you tell strangers. So please refrain from the "set it and forget it" mentality of this convenient app.
Want to do some more reading and get more opinions?
Why You Shouldn’t Trust Feeds For Social Updates
Don’t Link your Facebook Fan Page and Twitter Statuses
