How to Create a Social Media Strategy

What is a Social Media Strategy?

A social media strategy is a document that outlines your goals, the tactics to achieve them, and the metrics to measure progress. 

It should list all existing and planned social media accounts with specific goals aligned with your broader digital marketing strategy. Additionally, a good plan defines team roles, responsibilities, and the reporting schedule.

How to Create a Social Media Strategy?

Set out your goals

When creating a social strategy, you need to be clear about your goals before moving forward with your social media campaign. There’s no point in creating content if you don’t know what you want to achieve with it. Remember that these goals have to be SMART. This is an acronym that stands for:

• Specific – Objective clearly states, so anyone reading it can understand, what will be done and who will do it.
• Measurable – The objective includes how the action will be measured. Measuring your objectives helps you determine if you are making progress. It keeps you on track and on schedule.
• Achievable – The objective is realistic given the realities faced in the community. Setting reasonable objectives helps set the project up for success 
• Relevant – A relevant objective makes sense, that is, it fits the purpose of the grant, it fits the culture and structure of the community, and it addresses the vision of the project.
• Time-bound – Every objective has a specific timeline for completion.

Whatever objectives you choose—whether boosting brand visibility or expanding social media lead generation—ensure they are defined with precise figures for clear, measurable success.

Audit Your Social Media Channels

It may seem tempting to skip this process, however, you need to know the strengths and weaknesses of your social media accounts before you do anything else.

Auditing your social media channels involves: 

• Reviewing past content and strategies: Examine previous engagement methods and content types to understand what has been done. 
• Assessing effectiveness: Evaluate the success of past strategies and determine which social media channels were most effective in reaching your audience. 
• Identifying popular themes: Pinpoint the content and topics that resonated most with your audience. 
• Discovering patterns for future strategies: Use insights from your evaluations to identify successful patterns to guide your upcoming social media efforts.

Identify Your Target Audience

Knowing your target audience will help you determine which social media platforms they use, how they engage with content and what times work best to publish on the respective channel. 

The best place to start is by brainstorming your target demographics, for example, who is your ideal customer? Try and make sure that you are being as specific as possible by identifying age, gender, industry, income, where they live, interests etc. This will help you identify who you want to target and how you can best use your social media channels to target them by either organic and paid social media traffic.

You could go one step further by emailing your current customers on what social channels they currently use and why, this may help with your social media strategy moving forward.

Social Media Metrics Marketers Track Regularly

It is important to make sure that you track your social media metrics as this will give you a clear indication on what is working well and what needs improving. Below are a list of social media metrics that will need continuous monitoring.

• Engagement – Like, shares and comments
• Followers – Growth & demographics
• Click through rates
• Social Media Traffic to website – Make sure you link through to your Google Analytics
• Reach and impressions
• Conversion Rates and Leads generated – from respective channels being used

There are many metrics that you can utilise for your social media channels. Ensure you narrow them down to what matters most to your business.

Find Inspiration for Content Creation

If you are struggling with what content to start posting on your social media channels, take a look at what others in your industry are doing. What is working well and what is not working well for them will help you when it comes to posting on your social media channels. 

You can also venture outside of your particular industry and draw inspiration from other business across social media; there are many great social media accounts out there, and you will be able to find something that appeals to you and your business. 

Businesses use each social media channel differently, so ensure you draw inspiration from different businesses across all social media channels and go from there. You may also already know what is working well currently on your social media channels, so ensure you build out on what is currently going well for you.

The 80-20 Rule

When starting your social media journey for your business, consider using the 80-20 rule. This means that 80% of your posts should aim to inform, educate, or entertain your audience, while 20% can focus on directly promoting your brand. This strategy helps build your social media presence and provides your followers with valuable information about your business.

Social media users are not interested in seeing a constant stream of advertisements. They log in seeking connection, entertainment, inspiration, and valuable information that enhances their lives. By offering helpful content, you provide something of value to your audience without constantly pushing your products or services. This approach helps establish a lasting relationship, encouraging loyalty to your brand.

Try utilising the below suggested forms of content for the 80-20 rule:

• Building Trust: By focusing mostly on providing value without expecting something in return, you build trust and credibility with your audience.
• Maintaining Interest: A mix of content keeps your audience interested and engaged, preventing them from feeling bombarded by ads and similar content.
• Encouraging Engagement: Non-promotional content can spark discussions, comments, and shares, boosting your reach and engagement on social media platforms.
• Balanced Brand Presence: A balanced approach helps in presenting a well-rounded brand personality, making your social media presence more appealing.

In summary, the 80-20 rule is about striking the right balance between engaging your audience and promoting your brand, ensuring that your social media strategy is effective and well-received.

Don’t Post Too Much or Too Little

Finding the right balance in posting on social media can be tricky but is crucial for maintaining a positive and engaging online presence. Here are some tips to help you strike the right balance:

Quality Over Quantity

• Relevance: Make sure your posts are relevant to your audience’s interests and aligned with your brand or personal image.

Consistency

• Regular Schedule: Posting consistently helps keep your audience engaged and sets expectations. This doesn’t mean posting every day but having a regular pattern, whether it’s weekly, bi-weekly, etc.

Engagement and Interaction

• Respond to Comments: Engage with your audience by responding to their comments and messages. This helps build a community and shows that you value their interaction.

Monitor Performance and Feedback

• Analytics: Use analytics tools provided by social media platforms to track how your posts are performing. This can help you understand what type of content resonates best with your audience.
• Adjust Based on Feedback: If you notice a drop in engagement, it might be a sign to adjust your posting frequency or content strategy.

Avoid Overposting

• Frequency Limits: Posting too often can overwhelm your followers and lead to decreased engagement or even unfollowing. Pay attention to the reception of your posts to find a good posting frequency.
• Respectful Timing: Consider the timing of your posts and try not to post during inopportune times, such as late at night or too early in the morning.

Plan and Schedule Content

• Content Calendar: Creating a content calendar can help you plan your posts in advance, ensuring a steady flow of content without sudden bursts of activity.
• Adapt and Be Flexible: While planning is essential, be ready to adapt your content in response to current events or changing audience interests.

By focusing on these principles, you can maintain a healthy and engaging presence on social media, keeping your audience interested without overwhelming them.

Conclusion

In conclusion, a social media strategy is crucial for leveraging the full potential of digital platforms, fostering meaningful connections with customers, and achieving business goals efficiently. If you are looking at ways to boost your social media presence on your relevant social media channels, take a look at Virtual HQ’s channels for inspiration – LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter (X).

Virtual HQ offers exceptional Virtual Office locations, perfect for those seeking a professional image without the overheads of a physical location. Our Virtual Office Address Packages go beyond just providing a Business Address, we serve as your comprehensive solution for virtual operations.