10 tips on creating a social media strategy

4. Choose which platforms

Once you have identified who your target market it, the next step is to carry out some research into the social media habits of this demographic and also to establish the type of communication that would resonate best with this group.

Is your message informative and requires a lot of text? Does your brand have strong imagery that is in itself a call to action? Are you looking to start a discussion about your product/service?

Depending on how your target audience “typically” engages with social media will have an important bearing on which social media platform(s) is the most appropriate for your strategy. So research your audience and research the various platforms available and decide which platforms will most effectively allow you to communicate your message with the people you are trying to reach.

5. Content plan/schedule

Remember the 5 W’s? Now that you know the audience you are trying to reach and the platform you are going to post to (the Who and the Where), the most daunting part of the strategy comes into play; creating effective content.

Objective (the Why)

As we said above, when creating content, you have to consider your business goals and how your social media posts will help to achieve them.

Content (the What)

When deciding the nature of your social media posts, keep in mind your target market and objectives. This will help clarify the most appropriate type of post (strong imagery, videos, text based information, infographics, product placements, user generated content…there are lots of options!) Some other things that should be front of your mind in setting your strategy are:

• Variety of content – you don’t want users to get bored of your posts
• Influencers – sharing their posts can be a simple but effective way to leverage off their reach, even better if you can get them to share yours
• Simple – most people use social media to switch off/kill time so appeal to this mindset
• Less is more – try to use images or videos to convey the message, avoiding long essays- people like shiny things, not words. I suggest no more than 100-150 words per post
• Tone – choose one you think will resonate with your target audience and stick with it
• Relevant – try to create content appealing to your target audience
• Leverage off upcoming events – e.g. Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Easter – a big occasion gives you a good excuse to promote your product/service, you might just need to get creative in finding the link
• BE AUTHENTIC – inconsistent messages or ones that contradict your image can do more harm than good. If you have an authentic message the people who it resonates with (your target market) will appreciate it all the more
• Stay active – make sure you’re interacting with others and responding to comments as this will build your social media presence & reach

Timing (the When)

What time is the best time to post? Remember who your target market is & when they would be using social media. If you’re unsure a quick survey of people who fit this demographic can answer this.

6. Look at your competitors

If you’re new to the social media game, there’s a good chance that one of your competitors is already established in their strategy. Obviously don’t just copy their strategy (remember that bit about being authentic?) but there’s no harm in seeing what they’re doing as it will allow you to:

• Look for inspiration in what they’re doing well
• Look at how you can appeal to clients that they are missing

Also, don’t be afraid to look at companies in different fields or with different audiences, you can learn a lot about what to do and more importantly on what not to do by those who have both succeeded and failed before you.

7. Be creative

Some of the most memorable (and therefore effective) social media campaigns have been the ones that tried something new. Don’t be afraid to step outside the box.

8. Create a calendar of your marketing initiatives so everything can line up

Correctly scheduling your social media posts is crucial to maximise their impact, as well as just making sure that you aren’t sending mixed messages across your different channels.

If you have a big launch or initiative coming up, make sure your social media messaging reflects this and doesn’t contradict with other forms of marketing that you’re invested in (traditional marketing or targeted ads). Aligning your messages around key events will give continuity and means you can save your traditional ad budget for the periods in-between, keeping your message constant from both a timing and content perspective.

9. Assign roles (accountability)

Like all things in life, holding people accountable for their actions is a sure-fire way to improve their dedication and execution. Assigning roles to people and holding them accountable will give you the best chance of producing and executing a coherent, consistent and effective social media strategy.

A great way to start is by choosing people whose role is to “champion” social media. The saying too many chefs spoil the broth definitely applies to social media and having one person champion a platform/strategy with a couple of other people who are across it to pick up the slack when necessary is the best way to avoid mixed messages, confusing responses and a disjointed strategy.