How to create a successful social media strategy that actually works for your business

Written by Lynsey Campbell

Introduction.

A social media strategy isn’t just scheduling some posts ahead of time and saying it’ll “boost brand awareness”.

It should be a clear, actionable plan that helps you reach your target audience online, grow your social media presence and meet crucial business objectives.

The more specific your social media marketing plan is, the clearer your path to social media success.

But starting a social media strategy from scratch can be daunting. There’s nothing more intimidating than a blank Google Doc waiting for your ideas.

So we’re sharing our top tips on how to get started with an effective social media strategy for your business objectives, because with a strong foundation to work from, you’ll be well on your way to hitting your social media marketing goals.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

What a social media marketing strategy actually is.
Why a social strategy is important for your business.
Six simple steps to follow to create your very own strategy.
Some answers to some common social media strategy questions.

What is a social media strategy (and why do you need one)?

Social media marketing, like any kind of online or offline marketing, needs a plan to ensure the decisions you make are going to support your goals.

It defines the reasons behind your social network choices, your brand voice, and your content creation decisions.

Without a solid strategy, you’re just posting social media content on a sporadic basis without and rhyme or reason. It’s all guesswork.

The good news? Creating an efficient social media strategy doesn’t need to be tricky. We’re breaking it down into six simple steps to get your social media presence in gear.

How to create a social media strategy.

A social media marketing strategy is simply a roadmap to engaging with your target audience across your social media channels, identifying key metrics to track and how to generate leads.

The fundamentals of a successful social media strategy are simple in theory, but hard in practice.

So we’ve created an idiot’s guide to help you create your very own social strategy – no jargon, no heavy word count to get through, just six simple steps to keep in mind.

Just straight-talking advice that we believe in and deliver day-to-day for our clients.

So let’s get started.

1. Define your social media goals

So if your social media strategy is a roadmap, what’s your destination?

Ask yourself: “What do I want social media to do for my business?”

Your answer will be totally unique to your business:

Generate leads
Build website traffic
Increase brand awareness
Support recruitment or social customer service

Now, we’re not saying pick all of those. We’re not even saying pick any of them.

The only right answer here is the one that’s right for your broader business objectives.

Top tip: The best way to get started? Pick one or two that you can realistically manage. Anything that showcases key performance indicators means you can garner valuable insights from your social media presence that ensures your social media strategy is working.

2. Know your target audience

So if your social media strategy is a roadmap, what’s your destination?

Ask yourself: “What do I want social media to do for my business?”

Your answer will be totally unique to your business:

The basics: age, location, interests
The problems: what challenges do they face?
The solutions: how can you present your products or services as an answer to their problem?
The places: which social platforms are they on?

Top tip: Rely on data. Whether it’s Google Analytics 4, Meta Insights, LinkedIn data, or simply your CRM, use multiple platforms to learn from the information you already have.

3. Choose the right social media platforms for your business

So you have your social media marketing goals in place, you’ve determined your target audience – now it’s time to decide which social media platforms are right for your business.

Spoiler: it’s probably not all of them.

Now that may be a surprise coming from a social media marketing agency – surely we’d recommend clients be on every single social media platform so we can rack up a load of massive retainers?

That theory makes sense, to a point. It’s tempting to want to be on every social media channel, but stop and have a good think about your digital marketing as a whole:

Do your research: some competitive analysis and social media listening is always a good idea. If your competitors are focusing on LinkedIn as their sole social channel, why?
Think about your content creation: can you commit to creating content regularly and jumping on trends as soon as they happen? If not, maybe TikTok isn’t the best social media platform for you.
Look for your social media users: after step two, you’ve worked out your target audience, now think about which social media platforms they use. If they’re big on Insta, why focus solely on a LinkedIn presence?
The places: which social platforms are they on?

Top tip: Like your goals in step one, it makes a lot more sense to do well on one or two social platforms, rather than fail drastically on five.

4. Nail down your content strategy

Almost there now – it’s time to talk about the part content plays in your social media strategy.

This can seem overwhelming, but a solid content strategy is going to be one of the biggest steps you take towards an effective social media marketing strategy, so stick with it.

To get started, break things down into content pillars:

Educational content: how can you create engaging content that will help inform your audience?
- Think tips, how-to videos, industry insights.
Behind the scenes: social media pages that aren’t scared to share authentic content are likely to drive more customer engagement and establish a genuine brand voice.
- Think real-life content of your team, processes and any key lessons learned on your journey.
Promotional content: a winning social media strategy shouldn’t shy away from promoting your products or services with engaging content.
- Think product or service highlights and special offers.
Put people first: the best social media strategies focus on people, so think about building your follower count with community-based content.
- Think customer user-generated content, reviews and testimonials.

Top tip: Start with a brain dump. Get all your ideas down on a page and think about which content strategy pillars they fall into.

5. Start creating

The only way to begin is by beginning, and there’s no time like the present.

You have your goals, your target audience demographics, your social platforms of choice and your content strategy pillars in place.

Now it’s time to pull all of that together into a social media content calendar.

Start with 2-3 posts per week on your chosen social media channels.
Batch content creation when you can. Get into a flow state and put your best creative foot forward.
Creating engaging content can be a trial-and-error exercise. Test social media posts with different captions and relevant keywords, a few examples of user-generated content or a new video style for your multiple channels.
Find a social media management tool that works for you and supports your content calendar goals. Schedule in advance when you can for the most effective use of your time.

Top tip: Don’t overthink it. Your social media marketing campaigns shouldn’t feel like a mammoth chore (if they do, we know an agency that can help…) – have fun trying different social media posts until you find the best fit for your social presence.

6. Measure performance metrics and adapt

The best social media strategies rely on data.

All social media channels have different variations of key metrics that you can dive into for information on key performance indicators and some competitive analysis.

The social media metrics you focus on will depend on your goals, but may include:

Engagement: comments, shares and likes can be key indicators of a trusted social presence.
Clicks and enquiries: here we’re talking lead generation and more tangible results.
Follower count: if your monthly active users are growing, you’re increasing brand awareness.

Top tip: Whatever you do, don’t skip this step. Learning from previous performance, whether it’s successful or not, is a huge part of improving any social media marketing strategy.

Social strategy questions and straightforward answers.

Do I really need a social media strategy?

Picture the last piece of IKEA furniture you built. Did it come with instructions? We’re guessing the answer is yes.

You may be a rogue who prefers to ignore them and hope for the best, which can work out – sometimes. But to ensure the best results for your brand new purchase, it makes sense to follow the instructions you’ve been given.

An effective social media strategy is just like that. You could absolutely post sporadically without much planning or thought, but you’ll struggle to learn what’s working, what needs work and where your results are coming from.

A simple plan helps you focus and track success.

Do I really need a social media strategy?

There’s no definitive “best” social media platform; it depends on your business and your goals.

LinkedIn is a top choice for B2B, but that doesn’t mean Instagram couldn’t work for your business too.

Another great example is TikTok – what started as a social space for fun videos and lighthearted humour can now offer a wealth of business opportunities when powered by the right digital marketing strategy.

How long does it take to create a social media marketing strategy?

Starting small keeps things simple without needing you to carve hours out of your working week to work on your social media strategy. Fewer things done well is better than a load of half-hearted deliverables.

This being said, a more comprehensive social media strategy can lead to bigger results. Tying this in with wider business goals will mean a consolidated approach to all your digital marketing – not just social media. If you don’t have the time or headspace for that, we can help.