6 ingredients for a kick-ass social media strategy

Businesses doing social media well don’t achieve success by posting off the cuff. They have a plan. Even better, they have a social media strategy.

A good social media strategy is less about the nuts and bolts of putting together an awesome Instagram post and more about overarching business goals. What do you want your audience to feel or do when they see your social media feed? What’s the theme or themes of your social media channel? And how are you going to enrich your audiences’ day by informing, helping or entertaining them?

The detail can follow in a social media plan when you have set the direction for all your digital content in a strategy.

Here’s the ingredients you must add to your social media strategy to help you cook up the best content for your business.

Ingredient one: a review

Every new strategy should start with a review of what you do now. Which social media platforms are working well for you and what’s not so hot. This will help you decide where to focus your efforts and which activities to chop.

Ingredient two: set goals

Be clear about why you are on social media and what to you want to achieve. Do you want to grow an engaged community, improve brand awareness, drive traffic to your website, or generate new leads? Being clear about this will streamline your social media strategy to focus on the activities that really matter to your business. This will also help you measure success, and show you where to reinvest your time and budget in the future.

Ingredient three: know your audience

Who is your target audience and where do they hang out on social media? Combine this knowledge with the results of your social media review to understand if you have been maximising your chances of reaching them. Your audience and their interests should be the driver for all your social media content.

Ingredient four: know what you want to say

This links back to your overall PR and marketing strategy. What is your mission as a business? If it is to manufacture the most environmentally-friendly swimwear to help save the planet, for example, then it’s important that this message runs through your social media content in a way that aligns with your audiences’ values and interests.

Ingredient five: choose the right social media channels

Not every social media platform will perform well for every business. You’ll have the most success on the channels where your audience hang out and that play to the strengths of your business. If your products or services are very visual then Instagram could be your leading social media platform. Or if your sales are B2B then LinkedIn is a good place to focus your efforts.

Read more of our tips on mastering Instagram for business and how to generate leads with LinkedIn.

Ingredient six: research the best time share

There is no holy grail when it comes to the best time to share on social media. This is as unique as your business and your customers. Look at your previous social media activity and analytics to find out when your audience is online and ready to engage.

If you want more advice on crafting a social media strategy for your business or need someone to do it for you, Amplify PR is a Hampshire-based PR and content marketing agency which can help. We offer a range of social media packages for businesses in Southampton, Winchester and beyond. Get in touch to find out more.