If you’ve already read part one of our series on creating a social media strategy, you’re ready for part 2!
Whether you’re new to social media, or want to be more effective on your platforms, you need to start with a strategy. Complete your strategy and get ready to post with this guide.
- Set Up Accounts & Improve Existing Ones
When you start a new social media profile, you need a specific channel strategy in mind. It’s a good exercise to create mission statements for each network. These one-sentence declarations will help you focus on a very specific goal for each account on each social network.
Some companies like to use Instagram for tutorials and lifestyle shots, and keep customer service on Twitter. It’s up to you and your brand to determine what’s best on each channel.
Once you’ve decided which channels you’ll use and why, you need to set up your accounts in their entirety. Fill out every field, use properly-sized, high quality images for profile and cover photos. And make sure your page uses words that will make it easy to find you.
If this is just the beginning of your social media journey, it’s better to feel more confident on fewer channels, rather than stretching yourself too thin. If you don’t have any idea what you would post on a certain social media channel (like Pinterest), it’s ok for your brand to skip it.
2. Get Inspired
When you’re browsing social media, pay attention to what catches your eye. What are your favorite brands posting, and are they getting their audiences engaged?
Check out winners of The Shorty Awards for examples of brands that are at the top of their social media game.
Pay attention to everything from types of images, tone of voice, how they respond to customers and more. As you do this research, note which elements you’d want to emulate for your own brand. Creating a personal style guide for your brand will make it easier to figure out posts later on. Plus, if you’ll have a team of people posting to your channels, they can do so in a consistent way.
3. Create a Social Media Calendar
You need a calendar to keep your posts organized. Note the caption, type of post (video, image, blog share, etc), platform, and time of day to post. It should include your daily posting, as well as content for any campaigns.
While making this calendar, you can determine the content mix. It should include a mix of images, videos, links to your website, shares from customers or other publications, or whatever feels best for your brand. A constant barrage of sales posts is not a good strategy. Think about what your followers will want to see.
If you’re not sure what types of content to post, try the 80-20 rule:
- 80% of your posts should inform, educate, or entertain your audience.
- 20% can directly promote your brand.
You could also try the rule of thirds:
- One-third of your social content promotes your business, converts readers, and generates profit.
- One-third of your social content shares ideas and stories from thought leaders in your industry or like-minded businesses.
- One-third of your social content involves personal interactions with your audience.
4. Test, Evaluate, and Try Again
Every brand and social media page is different. It may take some time to find the perfect strategy that engages your audience and grows your brand.
Familiarize yourself with the analytics features for each site, and note how your posts are performing. Don’t get too hung up on likes/reactions/comments. Instead, note if you’re increasing traffic to your site or gaining more followers. It all depends on your social media goals we determined in part one.
Social media is a constantly evolving beast, so do your best to stay updated on the latest trends, features, and platforms.