How to Make a Social Media Strategy
Not sure if you knew or not, but we are living in the digital age, meaning social media is a necessity. Whether you operate a small business, large corporation, non-profit, pastor a church or you’re trying to grow your own brand, social media is more useful than ever for expanding your reach.
In this blog, I will talk about how to make a social media strategy for what ever your needs are. I can’t stress enough the importance of having a strategy in place for your social media platforms. Without one, you will lack consistency, interest, and all struggle altogether with everything social media. Here are seven tips for making a solid social media strategy for any platform.
Make clear and specific goals
Any good strategy requires brainstorming and a clear vision. Social media is no different. One of the best things you can do is write out what you are wanting to accomplish and the process of how to achieve it. Goals can include increasing brand awareness, driving traffic to your website, attracting people to your product, service, location or generating more leads. Having a clear vision for your social media will help you form a strategy.
2. Know your audience
Understanding who you are trying to reach is essential. If you are a church, what is the demographic of your congregation? If you run a business, do some market research to know what the demographics, preferences and behaviors of your target client or audience. No matter what industry you’re in, it’s key that you create content that is specifically tailored toward the interests of your audience.
3. Choose the right platforms
Each social media platform was created different and each needs a specific and clear strategy. Know who primarily uses which platform and create content that is specific for that audience. For example, platforms like Instagram and Tiktok are great for creating visually desirable content, you can really let your creativity flow through posts on those platforms. Whereas, Facebook is great for groups, ads and networking. Linkedin is ideal for B2B networking. Choose the platform that targets your ideal client.
4. Create engaging content
CONTENT CONTENT CONTENT. This needs to be the backbone of your strategy. Your content captures the heart of your brand, making it engaging will grow your page and get more people through your door. Keeping it authentic is a must. Authenticity not only attracts, but will get people bought into your brand. Make a content calendar that includes a mix of posts, reels/videos, stories, infographics and interactive content. Another key to creating engaging content is using original content. People want to see who you are and what you do. Making visually appealing content brings attention and encourages sharing.
5. Consistency is key
Utilize your content calendar and stick to it. Drafting content ahead of time will make your life on social media much easier. Using a scheduler tool to plan your posts in advance will ensure a consistent flow of posting. For my personal page, I challenged myself to post my photography everyday and the consistency in doing this has gained me increased reach and new followers daily.
6. Analyze and monitor performance
Every platform has useful tools to enable you to analyze and track performance of your page and posts to see what works great and maybe what isn’t working so great. Keep tabs on important metrics like engagement, clicks, reach, and conversion. Use this information to evaluate the effectiveness of your strategy and adjust accordingly if need be.
7. Be open to change
Not only is it extremely important to not only be aware of change, but also to learn to embrace it. Changes in algorithm lead to innovation on each platform which when utilized will help your reach. Stay up to date on current trends and features. Every time there is an adjustment made in an algorithm or features, it is an opportunity to use the tool of social media to its greatest capability, which will only benefit you.
Simply put, your brand needs a social media strategy guide. With social media ever changing, having a consistent baseline and strategy will help you adapt and take advantage of all that social media has to offer. Just remember, stay consistent, engage with your community, keep it real, be clear with what you want to achieve, and always analyze and adjust as needed. So get your strategy in place and get after it!