{"id":19401,"date":"2021-05-19T10:10:18","date_gmt":"2021-05-19T07:10:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/amazingkisumu.co.ke\/?p=19401"},"modified":"2021-05-19T10:10:18","modified_gmt":"2021-05-19T07:10:18","slug":"social-media-marketing-strategy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crowdol.com\/2021\/05\/19\/social-media-marketing-strategy\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Create a Winning Social Media Marketing Strategy"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A social media 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\u2019re succeeding or failing.<\/p>\n<p>The more specific your plan is, the more effective it will be. Keep it concise. Don\u2019t make it so lofty and broad that it\u2019s unattainable or impossible to measure.<\/p>\n<h4><span id=\"What_is_social_media_marketing\">What is social media marketing?<\/span><\/h4>\n<p>Social media marketing is the practice of using social media channels to sell or promote a brand, product or service.<\/p>\n<p>Social media marketing helps businesses:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Increase brand awareness<\/li>\n<li>Build engaged communities<\/li>\n<li>Sell products and services\u00a0using native social commerce solutions<\/li>\n<li>Measure brand sentiment through\u00a0social listening<\/li>\n<li>Provide\u00a0customer service on social media platforms<\/li>\n<li>Advertise their products and services to target audiences<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span id=\"What_is_a_social_media_strategy\">What is a social media strategy?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>A social media strategy is a document outlining your social media goals, the tactics you will use to achieve them and the metrics you will track to measure your progress.<\/p>\n<p>Your social media marketing strategy should also list all of your existing and planned social media accounts along with goals specific to each platform you\u2019re active on.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, a good social media plan should define the roles and responsibilities within your team and outline your reporting cadence.<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"How_to_create_a_social_media_marketing_strategy\"><b>How to create a social media marketing strategy<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><b>Step 1. Choose social media marketing goals that align to business objectives<\/b><\/h3>\n<h4><b>Set S.M.A.R.T. goals<\/b><\/h4>\n<p>The first step to creating a winning strategy is to establish your objectives and goals. Without goals, you have no way to measure success and\u00a0return on investment (ROI).<\/p>\n<p>Each of your goals should be:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Specific<\/li>\n<li>Measurable<\/li>\n<li>Attainable<\/li>\n<li>Relevant<\/li>\n<li>Time-bound<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This is the\u00a0S.M.A.R.T. goal framework. It will guide your actions and ensure they lead to real business results.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s an example of a S.M.A.R.T. goal:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cWe will use Twitter for customer support and lower our average response rate to under two hours by the end of the quarter.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h4><b>Track meaningful metrics<\/b><\/h4>\n<p>Vanity metrics like number of followers and likes are easy to track, but it\u2019s hard to prove their real value. Instead, focus on things like engagement, click-through, and conversion rates.<\/p>\n<p>You may want to track different goals for different networks, or even different uses for each network.<\/p>\n<p>For example, if you use LinkedIn to drive traffic to your website, you would measure click-throughs. If Instagram is for brand awareness, you might track the number of Instagram Story views. And if you advertise on Facebook, cost-per-click (CPC) is a common success metric.<\/p>\n<p>Social media goals should align with your overall marketing objectives. This makes it easier to show the value of your work and secure buy-in from your boss.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-240873 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/blog-assets.hootsuite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/social-media-strategy-social-media-goals-620x277.png\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/mk0hootsuiteblof6bud.kinstacdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/social-media-strategy-social-media-goals-620x277.png 620w, https:\/\/mk0hootsuiteblof6bud.kinstacdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/social-media-strategy-social-media-goals-310x139.png 310w, https:\/\/mk0hootsuiteblof6bud.kinstacdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/social-media-strategy-social-media-goals-768x343.png 768w, https:\/\/mk0hootsuiteblof6bud.kinstacdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/social-media-strategy-social-media-goals-625x279.png 625w, https:\/\/mk0hootsuiteblof6bud.kinstacdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/social-media-strategy-social-media-goals-940x420.png 940w, https:\/\/mk0hootsuiteblof6bud.kinstacdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/social-media-strategy-social-media-goals.png 1669w\" alt=\"Screenshot of chart showing how social media goals should align to business objectives\" width=\"620\" height=\"277\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 620px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 620\/277;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-240873\" src=\"https:\/\/blog-assets.hootsuite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/social-media-strategy-social-media-goals-620x277.png\" sizes=\"(max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mk0hootsuiteblof6bud.kinstacdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/social-media-strategy-social-media-goals-620x277.png 620w, https:\/\/mk0hootsuiteblof6bud.kinstacdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/social-media-strategy-social-media-goals-310x139.png 310w, https:\/\/mk0hootsuiteblof6bud.kinstacdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/social-media-strategy-social-media-goals-768x343.png 768w, https:\/\/mk0hootsuiteblof6bud.kinstacdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/social-media-strategy-social-media-goals-625x279.png 625w, https:\/\/mk0hootsuiteblof6bud.kinstacdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/social-media-strategy-social-media-goals-940x420.png 940w, https:\/\/mk0hootsuiteblof6bud.kinstacdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/social-media-strategy-social-media-goals.png 1669w\" alt=\"Screenshot of chart showing how social media goals should align to business objectives\" width=\"620\" height=\"277\" \/><\/noscript><\/p>\n<p>Start developing your social media marketing plan by writing down at least three goals for social media.<\/p>\n<h3><b>Step 2. Learn everything you can about your audience<\/b><\/h3>\n<h4><b>Create audience personas<\/b><\/h4>\n<p>Knowing who your audience is and what they want to see on social media is key. That way you can create content that they will like, comment on, and share. It\u2019s also critical if you want to turn social media followers into customers for your business.<\/p>\n<p>When it comes to your target customer, you should know things like:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Age<\/li>\n<li>Location<\/li>\n<li>average income<\/li>\n<li>Typical job title or industry<\/li>\n<li>Interests<\/li>\n<li>etc.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Get to know your fans, followers, and customers as real people with real wants and needs, and you will know how to target and engage them on social media.<\/p>\n<h4><b>Gather data<\/b><\/h4>\n<p>Don\u2019t make assumptions. Think Facebook is a better network for reaching Baby Boomers than Millennials? Well, the numbers show that Millennials still outnumber Boomers on the platform.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_240881\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-240881\">\n<p><figure id=\"attachment_240881\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-240881\" style=\"width: 620px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-240881 size-large lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/blog-assets.hootsuite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/social-media-strategy-graph-showing-Facebook-users-by-generation-620x595.png\" alt=\"Graph showing Facebook users by generation\" width=\"620\" height=\"595\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 620px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 620\/595;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-240881 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/blog-assets.hootsuite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/social-media-strategy-graph-showing-Facebook-users-by-generation-620x595.png\" alt=\"Graph showing Facebook users by generation\" width=\"620\" height=\"595\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-240881\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source:\u00a0PEW Research Center<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/figure>\n<p>Social media analytics can also provide a ton of valuable information about who your followers are, where they live, and how they interact with your brand on social media. These insights allow you to refine your strategy and better target your audience.<\/p>\n<p>Jugnoo, an Uber-like service for auto-rickshaws in India, used Facebook Analytics to learn that\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/developers.facebook.com\/success-stories\/jugnoo\/\">90% of their users who referred other customers<\/a>\u00a0were between 18- and 34-years-old, and 65% of that group was using Android. They used that information to target their ads, resulting in a 40% lower cost per referral.<\/p>\n<h3><b>Step 3. Know your competition<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>Odds are your competitors are already using social media, and that means you can learn from what they\u2019re doing.<\/p>\n<h4><b>Conduct a competitive analysis<\/b><\/h4>\n<p>A\u00a0competitive analysis\u00a0allows you to understand who the competition is and what they\u2019re doing well (and not so well). You\u2019ll get a good sense of what\u2019s expected in your industry, which will help you set social media targets of your own.<\/p>\n<p>It will also help you spot opportunities.<\/p>\n<p>Maybe one of your competitors is dominant on Facebook, for example, but has put little effort into Twitter or Instagram. You might want to focus on the networks where your audience is underserved, rather than trying to win fans away from a dominant player.<\/p>\n<h4><b>Use social media listening<\/b><\/h4>\n<p>Social listening\u00a0is another way to keep an eye on your competitors.<\/p>\n<p>Do searches of the competition\u2019s company name, account handles, and other relevant keywords on social media. Find out what they\u2019re sharing and what other people are saying about them.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><b>Pro tip<\/b>: Use a social media management tool like Hootsuite to set up listening streams to monitor relevant keywords and accounts in real-time.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>As you track, you may notice shifts in the way channels are used. Or, you might spot a specific post or campaign that really hits the mark\u2014or totally bombs.<\/p>\n<p>Use this kind of intel to inform your own social media marketing strategy.<\/p>\n<h3><b>Step 4. Do a social media audit<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>If you\u2019re already using social media, take stock of your efforts so far. Ask yourself the following questions:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>What\u2019s working, and what\u2019s not?<\/li>\n<li>Who is engaging with your?<\/li>\n<li>Which networks does your target audience use?<\/li>\n<li>How does your social media presence compare to the competition?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Once you collect that information, you\u2019ll be ready to start thinking about ways to improve.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ve created an easy-to-follow\u00a0social media audit guide and template\u00a0to walk you through each step of this process.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-240889 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/blog-assets.hootsuite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/social-media-strategy-social-media-audit-spreedsheet-620x257.png\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/mk0hootsuiteblof6bud.kinstacdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/social-media-strategy-social-media-audit-spreedsheet-620x257.png 620w, https:\/\/mk0hootsuiteblof6bud.kinstacdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/social-media-strategy-social-media-audit-spreedsheet-310x129.png 310w, https:\/\/mk0hootsuiteblof6bud.kinstacdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/social-media-strategy-social-media-audit-spreedsheet-768x319.png 768w, https:\/\/mk0hootsuiteblof6bud.kinstacdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/social-media-strategy-social-media-audit-spreedsheet-600x250.png 600w, https:\/\/mk0hootsuiteblof6bud.kinstacdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/social-media-strategy-social-media-audit-spreedsheet-625x259.png 625w, https:\/\/mk0hootsuiteblof6bud.kinstacdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/social-media-strategy-social-media-audit-spreedsheet-940x390.png 940w, https:\/\/mk0hootsuiteblof6bud.kinstacdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/social-media-strategy-social-media-audit-spreedsheet.png 1641w\" alt=\"Screenshot of a social media audit spreedsheet for building an effective social media strategy\" width=\"620\" height=\"257\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 620px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 620\/257;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-240889\" src=\"https:\/\/blog-assets.hootsuite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/social-media-strategy-social-media-audit-spreedsheet-620x257.png\" sizes=\"(max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mk0hootsuiteblof6bud.kinstacdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/social-media-strategy-social-media-audit-spreedsheet-620x257.png 620w, https:\/\/mk0hootsuiteblof6bud.kinstacdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/social-media-strategy-social-media-audit-spreedsheet-310x129.png 310w, https:\/\/mk0hootsuiteblof6bud.kinstacdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/social-media-strategy-social-media-audit-spreedsheet-768x319.png 768w, https:\/\/mk0hootsuiteblof6bud.kinstacdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/social-media-strategy-social-media-audit-spreedsheet-600x250.png 600w, https:\/\/mk0hootsuiteblof6bud.kinstacdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/social-media-strategy-social-media-audit-spreedsheet-625x259.png 625w, https:\/\/mk0hootsuiteblof6bud.kinstacdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/social-media-strategy-social-media-audit-spreedsheet-940x390.png 940w, https:\/\/mk0hootsuiteblof6bud.kinstacdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/social-media-strategy-social-media-audit-spreedsheet.png 1641w\" alt=\"Screenshot of a social media audit spreedsheet for building an effective social media strategy\" width=\"620\" height=\"257\" \/><\/noscript><\/p>\n<p>Your audit should give you a clear picture of what purpose each of your social accounts serves. If the purpose of an account isn\u2019t clear, think about whether it\u2019s worth keeping.<\/p>\n<p>To help you decide, ask yourself the following questions:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Is my audience here?<\/li>\n<li>If so, how are they using this platform?<\/li>\n<li>Can I use this account to help achieve my goals?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Asking these tough questions will keep your strategy focused.<\/p>\n<h4><b>Look for impostor accounts<\/b><\/h4>\n<p>During the audit you may discover fake accounts using your business name or the names of your products.<\/p>\n<p>These imposters can be harmful to your brand\u2014never mind capturing followers that should be yours.<\/p>\n<p>Report them.<\/p>\n<p>You may want to get your\u00a0Facebook,\u00a0Twitter, and\u00a0Instagram accounts verified\u00a0to ensure your fans know they are dealing with the real you.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bonus:\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/crowdol.com\/digital-marketing-strategy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Get a free social audit template<\/strong><\/a><strong>\u00a0<\/strong>to quickly and easily plan your own strategy. Also use it to track results and present the plan to your boss, teammates, and clients.<\/p>\n<h3><b>Step 5. Set up accounts and improve profiles<\/b><\/h3>\n<h4><b>Decide which networks to use<\/b><\/h4>\n<p>As you decide which social networks to use, you will also need to define your strategy for each.<\/p>\n<p>Benefit Cosmetics\u2019 social media manager, Angela Purcaro,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.emarketer.com\/Article\/How-Benefit-Cosmetics-Uses-Organic-vs-Paid-Social\/1016793\">told eMarketer<\/a>:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cFor our makeup tutorials \u2026 we\u2019re all about Snapchat and Instagram Stories. Twitter, on the other hand, is designated for customer service.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>For reference, here\u2019s how other small and medium-sized businesses are using social tools to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.emarketer.com\/Chart\/Methods-Used-Communicate-with-Customers-According-US-SMB-Professionals-Sep-2017-of-respondents\/214982\">communicate with customers<\/a>. Notice that Facebook and Instagram outrank even email for this purpose.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_240897\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-240897\">\n<p><figure id=\"attachment_240897\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-240897\" style=\"width: 620px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-240897 size-large lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/blog-assets.hootsuite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/social-media-strategy-chart-showing-how-small-business-use-social-media-to-communicate-with-customers-620x469.png\" alt=\"hart showing how small business use social media to communicate with customers\" width=\"620\" height=\"469\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 620px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 620\/469;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-240897 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/blog-assets.hootsuite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/social-media-strategy-chart-showing-how-small-business-use-social-media-to-communicate-with-customers-620x469.png\" alt=\"hart showing how small business use social media to communicate with customers\" width=\"620\" height=\"469\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-240897\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source:\u00a0eMarketer<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/figure>\n<blockquote><p><b>Pro tip<\/b>: Write out a mission statement for each network. A one-sentence declaration to keep you focused on a specific goal.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Example:\u00a0<i>\u201cWe will use Twitter for customer support to keep email and call volumes down.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n<p>One more:\u00a0<i>\u201cWe will use LinkedIn for promoting and sharing our company culture to help with recruitment and employee advocacy.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n<p>If you can\u2019t create a solid mission statement for a particular social media channel, you may want to ask yourself if it\u2019s worth it.<\/p>\n<h4><b>Set up your profiles<\/b><\/h4>\n<p>Once you\u2019ve decided which networks to focus on, it\u2019s time to create your profiles. Or improve existing ones so they align with your strategy.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Make sure you fill out all profile fields<\/li>\n<li>Include keywords people would use to search for your business<\/li>\n<li>Use consistent branding (logos, images, etc.) across networks so your profiles are easily recognizable<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote><p><b>Pro tip<\/b>: Use high-quality images that follow the recommended dimensions for each network. Check out our\u00a0always-up-to-date social media image size cheat sheet\u00a0for quick reference.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h3><b>Step 6. Find inspiration<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>While it\u2019s important that your brand be unique, you can still draw inspiration from other businesses that are great on social.<\/p>\n<h4><b>Social media success stories<\/b><\/h4>\n<p>You can usually find these on the business section of the social network\u2019s website. (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/business\/success\">Here\u2019s Facebook\u2019s<\/a>, for example.)<\/p>\n<p>Case studies can offer valuable insights that you can apply to your own social media plan.<\/p>\n<h4><b>Award-winning accounts and campaigns<\/b><\/h4>\n<p>You could also check out the winners of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/business\/news\/facebook-awards-winners-announcement\">The Facebook Awards<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/shortyawards.com\/\">The Shorty Awards<\/a>\u00a0for examples of brands that are at the top of their social media game.<\/p>\n<h4><b>Your favorite brands on social media<\/b><\/h4>\n<p>Who do you enjoy following on social media? What do they do that compels people to engage and share their content?<\/p>\n<p>National Geographic, for example, is one of the best on Instagram, combining stunning visuals with compelling captions.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sbi-embed-wrap\"><iframe id=\"instagram-embed-0\" class=\"instagram-media sbi-embed instagram-media-rendered lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/B_r1PoDFHfa\/embed\/captioned\/?cr=1&amp;v=13&amp;wp=522&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.hootsuite.com&amp;rp=%2Fhow-to-create-a-social-media-marketing-plan%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A10728.595000000496%7D\" height=\"802\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-instgrm-payload-id=\"instagram-media-payload-0\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-1_25=\"true\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-load-mode=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>Consistency also helps keep your content on-brand even if you have multiple people on your social media team.<\/p>\n<h4><b>Ask your followers<\/b><\/h4>\n<p>Consumers can also offer social media inspiration.<\/p>\n<p>What are your target customers talking about online? What can you learn about their wants and needs?<\/p>\n<p>If you have existing social channels, you could also ask your followers what they want from you. Just make sure that you follow through and deliver what they ask for.<\/p>\n<h3><b>Step 7. Create a social media content calendar<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>Sharing great content is essential, of course, but it\u2019s equally important to have a plan in place for when you\u2019ll share content to get the maximum impact.<\/p>\n<p>Your\u00a0social media content calendar\u00a0also needs to account for the time you spend interacting with the audience (although you need to allow for some spontaneous engagement as well).<\/p>\n<div class=\"content-upgrade _bonusVariantContentUpgrade\">\n<p><strong>Bonus:\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/crowdol.com\/digital-marketing-strategy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Get a free social media marketing\u00a0<\/strong><b>calendar <\/b><\/a>to quickly and easily plan your own strategy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h4><b>Set your posting schedule<\/b><\/h4>\n<p>Your social media content calendar lists the dates and times at which you will publish types of content on each channel. It\u2019s the perfect place to plan all of your social media activities\u2014from images and link sharing to blog posts and videos. It includes both your day-to-day posting and content for social media campaigns.<\/p>\n<p>Your calendar also ensures your posts are spaced out appropriately and\u00a0published at the best times to post.<\/p>\n<h4><b>Determine the right content mix<\/b><\/h4>\n<p>Make sure your content strategy and calendar reflect the mission statement you\u2019ve assigned to each social profile so that everything you post is working to support your business goals.<\/p>\n<p>You might decide that:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>50% of content will drive traffic back to your website<\/li>\n<li>25% of content will be\u00a0curated from other sources<\/li>\n<li>20% of content will support lead-generation goals (newsletter sign-ups, ebook downloads, etc.)<\/li>\n<li>5% of content will be about your company culture<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Placing these different post types in your content calendar will ensure you maintain the right mix.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re starting from scratch and you\u2019re not sure what types of content to post, try the 80-20 rule:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>80% of your posts should inform, educate, or entertain your audience<\/li>\n<li>20% can directly promote your brand.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You could also try the social media content marketing rule of thirds:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>One-third of your content promotes your business, converts readers, and generates profit.<\/li>\n<li>One-third of your content shares ideas and stories from thought leaders in your industry or like-minded businesses.<\/li>\n<li>One-third of your content is personal interactions with your audience<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote><p><b>Pro tip<\/b>: Once you have your calendar set, use a scheduling tool to prepare messages in advance rather than updating constantly throughout the day.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>We might be biased, but we think Hootsuite is the best social media scheduler. You can schedule posts to every network and the intuitive calendar view gives you a full picture of all your social activities each week.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s a quick video overview of how scheduling works in Hootsuite\u2019s post composing tool.<\/p>\n<h3><b>Step 8. Evaluate and adjust your strategy<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>Your social media strategy is a hugely important document for your business, and you can\u2019t assume you\u2019ll get it exactly right on the first try. As you start to implement your plan and track your results, you may find that some strategies don\u2019t work as well as you\u2019d anticipated, while others are working even better than expected.<\/p>\n<h4><b>Look at performance metrics<\/b><\/h4>\n<p>In addition to the analytics within each social network (see Step 2), you can use\u00a0UTM parameters\u00a0to track social visitors as they move through your website, so you can see exactly which social posts drive the most traffic to your website.<\/p>\n<h4><b>Re-evaluate, test, and do it all again<\/b><\/h4>\n<p>Once this data starts coming in, use it to re-evaluate your strategy regularly. You can also use this information to test different posts, campaigns, and strategies against one another. Constant testing allows you to understand what works and what doesn\u2019t, so you can refine your strategy in real-time.<\/p>\n<p>Surveys can also be a great way to find out how well your strategy is working. Ask your followers, email list, and website visitors whether you\u2019re meeting their needs and expectations, and what they\u2019d like to see more of. Then make sure to deliver on what they tell you.<\/p>\n<p>Social media moves fast. New networks emerge and others go through demographic shifts.<\/p>\n<p>Your business will go through periods of change as well.<\/p>\n<p>All of this means that your social media marketing strategy should be a living document that you review and adjust as needed. Refer to it often to stay on track, but don\u2019t be afraid to make changes so that it better reflects new goals, tools, or plans.<\/p>\n<p>When you update your social strategy, make sure to let everyone on your team know. That way they can all work together to help your business make the most of your accounts.<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"Social_media_strategy_template\"><b>Social media strategy template<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<div class=\"content-upgrade _bonusVariantContentUpgrade\">\n<p><strong>Bonus:\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/crowdol.com\/digital-marketing-strategy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Get a free social media strategy template<\/strong><\/a><strong>\u00a0<\/strong>to quickly and easily plan your own strategy. Also use it to track results and present the plan to your boss, teammates, and clients.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>What\u2019s next? When you\u2019re ready to put your plan into action, we\u2019re here to help\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A social media 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\u2019re succeeding or failing. The more specific your plan is, the more effective it will be. Keep it concise. Don\u2019t make it so lofty and broad [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":97733,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[90,91],"tags":[105,128,92,129,10,130,101,102,131,132,114,117,133],"class_list":["post-19401","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-marketing","category-social-media","tag-advertising","tag-brand-ambassador","tag-digital-marketing","tag-engagement-marketing","tag-marketing","tag-social-commerce","tag-social-media","tag-social-media-marketing","tag-social-media-marketing-strategy","tag-social-media-strategy","tag-social-network-advertising","tag-social-networks","tag-web-strategy"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/crowdol.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19401"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/crowdol.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/crowdol.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdol.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdol.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19401"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/crowdol.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19401\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdol.com\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/crowdol.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19401"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdol.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19401"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdol.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19401"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}