Getting a social media strategy in place is about more than throwing up content on your platform until something “goes viral.” In fact, “going viral” is something that can be replicated to different extents, as websites like Buzzfeed and Cracked have demonstrated for more than 10 years filling up Facebook Newsfeeds.
Before getting to where they are, though, you have to realize that it's all about the system you have in place. In the following article, we demonstrate the seven steps for building your very own social media strategy that works. Let's begin!
1. Determine Your Social Media Objective
Every successful social media campaign needs clearly defined objectives. Without it, you're blindly posting into the ether and hoping for an outcome that you won't know is the right one until you see it.
To set clear objectives, you need to decide on things like the right time of the day to post, the social network that your audience mostly frequents, the type of content they are likely to respond to, and what you want the end result to be. Marketing with Instagram, for example, will be mostly visual and gauged in different reactions than Facebook, which is more text- or video-driven.
2. Create a Content Calendar
Ideally, you want a presence on every social network. That might not be possible, especially if you're dealing with a younger audience that skews TikTok and an older one that prefers Facebook. No worries!
As long as you create a content calendar ahead of time, you'll be in a great position to post frequently and in a manner that's most engaging to the specific platform. We recommend sitting down a month ahead of time to schedule out special days that have meaning to your business or campaign.
From there, try to pencil in ideas for what you can post on each platform for that particular day. This method will also help you understand the areas where you need in-depth and original content as opposed to memes and curated content.
3. Incorporate Automation as Much as Possible
It can get a little crazy opening up multiple windows and switching between the back end of social networks every time you need to post something. Fortunately, there is a simpler way.
Look into software tools that can help you with physical posting. There are many out there, and you owe it to yourself to see which works best for you. As long as you can schedule posts well in advance without losing the visual aesthetic you're aiming for, you should be fine.
4. Check Your Analytics
Each social network has a detailed analytics side that will allow you to see how users are engaging with your content. Not only that, you'll get to see the depth of that engagement, from simple Likes to multiple comments.
Checking your analytics regularly is a good way to see the content that's performing well and the content that isn't getting so much as a Like. Furthermore, you can tell where your biggest following is coming from, as well as who's all clicking through to your website.
Your most valuable audience members are the ones that take their presence from your social network to your main platform. Find and nurture these people as much as possible!
5. Interact With Your Audience on Social Media
Social media is not the place to be shy. You want to interact with your followers and do so often. It's how you build a sense of community.
It's also an effective way of showing your audience the character of your brand. How will you interact with trolls? What will you do to rectify the mistakes that you've made as a company?
Your interactions will tell all, and they will influence how many people and how often they choose to interact with you. We recommend keeping positive comments professional and open for all to see. Move any complaints to the DMs, but not before acknowledging the comments in a kind and courteous manner for other users to see.
This is a win-win for you. If the person follows you over to the DMs, then they're serious about getting their problem taken care of and giving you another chance to shine.
If they refuse, then it turns the tables on them. It makes them look like the unreasonable one and you look like the one concerned about the user/customer experience.
6. Use Organic as Testing for Paid Campaigns
Your social media strategy can also help you decide where your advertising dollars really need to be going. Tell us what seems more effective to you: spending money to promote an unproven post or posting until something catches fire and then using your budget strategically to expand that post's reach?
Of course, it's the latter. This gives you the chance to reach as many people as possible without draining your advertising budget. It also gives you clearer insight as to the types of content that perform the best on that particular platform.
To that end, no two platforms are alike. What works well on Twitter could be a total dud on Facebook. Your social media strategy must be considerably more nuanced.
7. Rinse and Repeat
It can seem like a copout to say “Rinse and Repeat” as our final step in building a social media strategy that works, but it's actually the most important thing you can do. You have to realize that social media marketing isn't something you can afford to leave to chance.
Social media platforms have been around long enough now for you to understand how users use them. That means:
- The headline styles that draw the most clicks
- The best visuals for catching the attention of your audience
- The length and format of videos that drive the most engagement
- The length of written posts that perform the best
- The reactions, negative or positive, a piece of content is likely to draw and how best to respond
You can learn how to use each of these to your advantage. However, proficiency will only come through repetition and responding to what works and what doesn't.
Your Social Media Strategy Will Help You Land With Your Audience
We hope this step-by-step guide to building a social media strategy that works will demystify what it takes to grow your followers from 0 to 1,000 and beyond. Just remember that it all starts with clear objectives, creating content, organizing your content calendar, and using your analytics and automation tools to do the heavy lifting.
From there, engage with your audience, using what you've learned to recreate positive results. Need help building your strategy? Reach out to Jumpworks today!
