What is a Social Media Strategy?

I hear so many people asking me ‘What is a social media strategy and why do i need one?’.

Simple, if you do not have a plan in place, how to you know what and when you are going to post or how are you going to track what posts work and what doesn’t?

You track your spending don’t you? Or your time? So why don’t you track your social media?

I like to help people put a social media strategy in place so that they can always be sure of what they are going to post consistently because consistency is key in social media and marketing your business, it can also help massively with SEO. It is ultimately a summary of everything you plan to do and hope to achieve for your business using social media. This plan should consist of an audit of where your accounts are now, goals for where you want them to be in the future, and everything you want to use to get there.

The more specific you can get with your plan, the more effective you’ll be in its implementation. Try to keep it concise. Don’t make your social media marketing strategy too broad that it’s unacheiveable. The plan will guide your actions, but it will also be a measure by which you determine whether you’re succeeding or failing. You don’t want to set yourself up for failure from the start.

First up you will need create some objectives or goals. Having these objectives will allow you to react when your social media campaigns are not meeting expectations. Without goals, you have no means of gauging success or proving your social media return on investment ROI.

You should also use the S.M.A.R.T. framework when setting your goals. This means that each objective should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound.

Assess where your social media is now by conducting an audit. You need to find out where you sit now so that you can make improvements or changes where necessary. Once you’ve conducted your audit you should have a clear picture of every social account representing your business and what purpose they serve. This should be reviewed regularly, especially as you scale your business. Your audit may well flag up multiple accounts, inactive accounts or fake accounts that you can then delete or report if needed to protect your brand.

I advise people to create a content calendar. Why? Your social media content calendar lists the dates and times you intend to publish Instagram and Facebook posts, tweets, and other content. It’s the perfect place to plan all of your social media activities—from images and link sharing to blog posts and videos—encompassing both your day-to-day posting and content for social media campaigns.

This is just a brief overview of what and why you need a social media marketing strategy for your business. If you would like to find out more or would like help with this please do get in contact or alternatively join the #SocialSavvy online social media coaching program