There’s posting to social media, then there’s having a social media strategy. And while both use the same platforms, there’s a big difference. Social media is just that — posting on your social media channels. This is great for your personal pages and accounts, but posting alone is not enough for business accounts. Posts for social media are easy to create but are less likely to get the results you desire without a strategy. For your business social media accounts, you need a social media strategy. 

So what is a social media strategy? According to Hootsuite, “A social media marketing strategy is a summary of everything you plan to do and hope to achieve on social media. It guides your actions and lets you know whether you’re succeeding or failing.” Just like with any strategy, a social media strategy requires SMART goals, which means Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-Bound goals. It’s not just posting on social media; it’s having a plan with goals before you post, in order to get the best results from your social media efforts. “Your social media strategy is your master plan for how you create, post, and engage with your social media content,” according to HubSpot.

Setting a social media strategy can be overwhelming, so we’re going to break it down into steps you can take.

1. Identify social media marketing goals. Set SMART goals that align with your business objectives. Focus on things like engagement, click-through, and conversion rates. Likes are easy to track, but they’re a vanity metric and don’t provide much value in terms of tracking your success.
   
   
2. Learn everything you can about your audience. You want to learn who your audience is, what they’re interested in, which social media platforms they use, job types/industries, etc. The more you know about your audience, the more you’ll be able to personalize your marketing to those folks. Not sure where to find this information? Start by looking at your social media analytics. The analytics provide a variety of information about your audience.
   
   
3. Research your competition. Knowing what/who you’re up against can give you ideas on what works and what doesn’t. Conduct a competitive analysis to see what they’re doing well and not so well to get an idea of your market. That will help you set your own social media targets.
   
   
4. Perform a social media audit. If you’re already on social media, it’s important to take stock of what you’re doing. Determine what is and isn’t working, who’s engaging with you, and how your social media presence compares with your competitors. Hootsuite created a simple social media audit guide and template you can use.
   
   
5. Decide which social networks to use. One of the biggest misconceptions about social media marketing is that you have to be active on all social media networks. While we do recommend claiming your handle on all the main networks, you should focus your efforts on where your audience is. For example, if your audience is on Instagram but not TikTok, focus on Instagram. Claim a handle on TikTok so no one can spoof you, but don’t focus your efforts there unless your audience is frequently using that platform. 
   
   
6. Start blogging. A key to a successful social media strategy is to stay up-to-date and relevant to your audience. Commit to creating new, consistent, quality content. Your blog posts can be repurposed into a multitude of social media posts, such as tips that link to your blog posts. Tips are easy to digest and could pique someone’s interest to read and share your post and blog link. Need help getting started? Check out our Blogging Business Tips and Recommendations article. 
   
   
7. Create educational content. In addition to blogging, you can create content such as ebooks, videos, checklists, and infographics that address your audience’s pain points. If your content is helpful, people are more likely to share it with others.
   
   
8. Measure your results. After you’ve had some time to get your social media strategy up and running, keep an eye on the analytics. All of the main social media networks have native analytics built into their platforms, or you can pay for a tool that tracks all of them. If your results aren’t what you had hoped, tweak your strategy to make improvements. Social media is ever-changing, so you’ll probably have to tweak your strategy multiple times to meet your goals.

Finally, ensure you are providing positive and consistent information across your various platforms. That means images on social media should be consistent with those on your website, blog, and any other digital platforms you use. Keep your brand voice the same across all platforms, while tailoring the content for the channels you participate in. And don’t forget to continually monitor your results and adjust as needed. Once your social media strategy is set, you can’t just forget it; you need to make changes as the platforms and your business evolves.

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