How do I create a social media strategy and why does it matter?
Social media strategy is essential if you want to take your business channels to the next level. If you have a small business you’re planning to scale up, social media is a great tool to help you reach new customers. And it’s well worth investing in social media strategy to increase your chances of getting the results your business deserves.
In this blog, we look at why a strategic approach is important, and what you should consider when you’re planning future social media posts.
What is a social media strategy?
Strategic social media is when your posts feed into an overall plan. This plan might be to increase followers, or increase interactions with the followers you already have. Ultimately, you’re probably hoping to increase conversions. The journey from lead to customer can be hard to unpick, but if you put energy into your social media and then see your business grow, you can assume you’ve done it right!
Why is a social media strategy important?
It’s important to have a social media strategy because it means that everything you post will work hard for your business. This also means that you’re more likely to see a return on the time and money you’ve invested in your social media marketing.
Strategic content is also more likely to be effective. Inconsistent posting, where you keep it up for a week and then abandon your accounts for a month, is not going to help you connect with your customers. But when you’ve decided what to post, and followed a strategy, it’s easier to be consistent and build an online community.
What should I consider when I’m creating a social media strategy?
Style and branding
Our social media managers always start by looking at your business and listening to you talk about it. This will help them to create a “style” for the posts, to do with the language of the written sections and what kind of images to use.
On-brand social media posts will help reassure readers that they are looking at the online face of the shop or business they already know. Branding also helps customers connect with your business, identifying themselves with what you offer and choosing to buy from you.
Aims
What do you want your social media posts to do? Have you got loads of followers but need to increase interactions? Do you want to build a community around your products and services? Do you just need your social channels to tick along quietly, sharing information and reminding customers who you are? Or something else?
Pin down these aims and make sure that all your posts work towards the same goal.
Successes so far
If you’ve already done a live Q&A, invited people to name a new product or share their photos using your hashtag, analyse the results. If it worked, it might be worth repeating the exercise. If it didn’t, try something else – here are some ideas to help you.
Outsource your social media strategy
If you’re aware your social media could benefit from a more strategic approach, outsourcing could be the answer. Our experienced social media managers love supporting scale-up businesses – they could be what you need to reach the next level. To find out more, explore our social media page here or contact your local regional director.
