Your social media strategy can contribute directly to the overall success of your marketing strategy. In this article, we’ll cover what a social strategy is, why you need one, and how to get started.
What Is A Social Media Strategy?
A social media strategy outlines the content that you want to create and the social media channels you want to use to promote your business. It also outlines your social media goals and how they complement your overall digital marketing strategy.
What Do You Need To Consider?
A social media strategy needs to reflect your overall business strategy. You need to consider who your audience is, what kind of information they’re looking for, and what you can do to help them find it. You also need to consider how you can create social media content that engages your audience and encourages them to make meaningful interactions with your company.
How To Create A Social Media Strategy in 7 Easy Steps
1 – Define Your Goals
The first step is to determine your social media goals. Why do you want to promote your business on social media? And what do you want to achieve with your social media strategy? Your goals could include raising brand awareness, generating more leads, converting more prospects, or retaining more customers. Be as specific as you can with your goals and be sure to set achievable targets.
2 – Conduct Market Research
The next step is to research your audience and what social media channels they are using. If you know where your audience consumes content, what types of content they usually like, and how likely they are to engage with it, then you can create a much more effective strategy. If you know which social media channels your competitors are using, and what type of content they are creating, then you can try to outperform them by creating an even better social media strategy.
3 – Carry Out A Social Media Audit
The third step is to carry out a social media audit. You can go through your existing channels to see what your team is currently producing, how many subscribers they have, and what level of engagement they’re getting. You can also see what has worked well in the past and what you can potentially do again in the future. When doing your audit, think about the best way to achieve your goals. Make a list of reusable content, identify content gaps, and then start brainstorming new social media ideas.
4 – Choose Your Content Formats
There are lots of different types of social media content for you to choose from. You need to focus on formats that will help you achieve your marketing goals. For example, if you want to raise brand awareness, you can focus on developing more educational content. If you want to generate more leads, then you can focus on improving your promotional content.
5 – Choose Your Distribution Options
The next step is to decide how to distribute your content. You need to focus on the marketing tactics that will help you achieve your goals. For example, if you’re looking to maximise your reach, then you could try promoted posts. If you are looking for alternative options, you could look into influencer partnerships.
6 – Create An Editorial Calendar
Now you know roughly what you want to do, it’s time to start planning things in more detail. Use an editorial calendar to note down the title, format, and distribution channel for each piece of content. Then use a project management tool to assign tasks, set deadlines, and hand out creative briefs. That way you, and anyone else on your team, knows exactly what to do and when.
7 – Publish And Manage Your Content
After you’ve completed all of the above steps, you’re ready to get started. Publish and promote your content in line with your editorial calendar. Monitor your performance reports closely and keep your targets in mind. Use the results to optimise your campaigns, modify your strategy as needed, and keep working towards your long-term content marketing goals.
Final Thoughts
Having a social media strategy helps you focus your marketing efforts. It ensures you only spend time on tasks that will help you achieve your marketing goals. It also ensures you only spend budget on channels that will help you generate more leads. As such, having a good social media strategy can improve both your productivity and your performance. To learn more about marketing, check out my blog.
