How to Create a Social Media Marketing Strategy

September 25, 2024

You’ve just launched a new seasonal drink at your local coffee shop, and you believe it could be a hit. However, as you scroll through social media, you realize you’re posting randomly and unsure of how to engage your audience, leaving you feeling disconnected from potential customers.

Meanwhile, other cafes attract crowds with creative promotions, your posts barely get noticed, making you feel frustrated and overlooked. You know social media could showcase your offerings and connect you with your community, but without a clear strategy, it feels like a tough challenge.

What is Social Media Marketing?

Social media marketing involves connecting with your target audience in the spaces where they spend their time, engaging them in meaningful interactions with your brand.

This can include sharing content, responding to comments, and creating conversations that resonate with your followers. However, your strategy will need to vary based on which social networks your audience uses most.

6 Steps to Create a Social Media Marketing Strategy

Even though social media is always changing, the basic steps for success remain the same. Essentially, you're using the same approach as creating a marketing strategy, just focused on a specific channel.

Step 1: Set Clear Goals

The first step in making a social media marketing plan is to decide what you want to achieve and make sure it matches your overall business goals. Ask yourself: “What do I want from my social media efforts?” This could be raising brand awareness, getting more visitors to your website, generating leads, increasing customer interaction, or improving customer satisfaction.

Once you have your main goals, break them down into smaller, actionable steps. This helps you see the specific actions needed to reach your goals. For instance, if you want to drive more traffic to your website through social media, useful steps could be posting more often, making content easier to share, or running targeted ads.

Step 2: Understand Your Buyer Personas and Audience

After setting your goals, it’s important to figure out how to achieve them. Think of your goals as castles; they need a strong foundation to stand on. This foundation comes from knowing your buyer personas and audience so you can address their needs and interests.

If you don’t know who your audience is, you won’t be able to share the right content to get their attention and help you reach your goals. Start by thinking about the people you want to reach, why you want to connect with them, and how to group them together.

For instance, if your business sells trendy leggings and joggers, your target audience might be millennials who enjoy stylish athletic wear, often called athleisure.

Understanding your buyer personas and audience, you can create content that attracts the followers and customers you want. This will also help you make engaging content that keeps them interested.

Step 3: Choose Your Social Media Platforms

As a social media marketer, it’s important to pick the right platforms for a business. It’s not possible to specify exactly which channels to use; it really depends on the target audience, where they spend their time, and what type of content the business wants to create.

For example, if your main audience is Gen Z, TikTok is a must. If you’re targeting athleisure-loving millennials, focus your efforts on Instagram, as they make up the largest user base there.

Stephanie Morgan, CEO of Social Lock, shares this advice: “Think about your audience’s habits and where they hang out online. If that’s Pinterest, then use it for your brand. If it’s TikTok, focus on that.” She adds, “Don’t waste your time on platforms where your ideal clients aren’t active.”

Also, consider what each platform is good at. If you want to share videos, for instance, YouTube is a great choice.

You’re not limited to just a few platforms. It’s important to be active on multiple channels, and trying out new or less common ones can help you reach different audiences. However, only experiment if you already have a solid strategy that works; focusing too much on something new when you're starting out can be risky.

Step 4: Identify your Key Metrics and KPIs

Your social media strategy should rely on data, no matter your goals or industry. This means concentrating on the metrics that really matter, not just superficial ones.

Reach: This is the number of unique users who saw your post. How much of your content actually gets into users’ feeds?
Clicks: This counts the number of clicks on your content or account. Tracking clicks for each campaign helps you understand what sparks interest or encourages purchases.
Engagement: This is the total number of interactions divided by the number of impressions. It shows how your audience views you and how willing they are to engage.
Hashtag performance: Which hashtags did you use most? Which ones are closely linked to your brand? Knowing this can guide your future content.
Organic and paid likes: This looks beyond just the total number of likes to see if they come from paid or organic content. Since gaining organic engagement is tougher, many brands use ads. Understanding this can help you manage your ad budget and time spent on different types.
Sentiment: This measures how users feel about your content, brand, or hashtags. Did customers find your latest campaign offensive? What feelings do people associate with your campaign hashtag? It’s important to dig deeper to see how people talk about or feel about your brand.

Step 5: Understand Your Competition

If you're new to social media marketing or have some experience, it's important to know what's happening in your industry and with your competitors. A good competitive analysis shows you who your competitors are and what they do well or poorly. This information helps you set your social media goals and find new opportunities.

For instance, if your main competitor is strong on Facebook but doesn’t pay much attention to

Twitter or Instagram, you can focus on those platforms where your audience isn’t being reached. You won’t ignore Facebook because it works, but you will also create a presence where there’s a new audience ready to connect with you.

Step 6: Create Unique and Engaging Content

With billions of social media users, it's likely that some of your followers have seen your competitors’ content. That's why it's important to produce engaging content that stands out and encourages people to follow and interact with your brand. When your content captures their interest, social media algorithms will favor it, making it more visible.

Not sure what’s engaging? Here are some consumer insights from Max Iskiev's research:

Consumers engage most with visual content, especially images (53%) and short videos (44%).
Millennials prefer short-form videos, while Boomers favor images.
Relatable content is the most memorable, and humor resonates best with Gen Z and Millennials.

To boost creativity, consider what your competitors are sharing and how you can uniquely present your products. Also, use platform features like live videos on Facebook for product lau n ches or giveaways.

Engage to Connect

Creating a social media marketing strategy is important for connecting with your audience and promoting your brand effectively. It’s not just about putting out posts; it’s about building relationships and engaging with your community in meaningful ways.

The key question isn’t if you have a strategy, but how well you understand your audience and what they need. Are you sharing content that really speaks to them, or just adding to the clutter? Take time to think about your approach and find the right balance that will help you make real connections and achieve lasting success.

FAQs

Why do I need a social media marketing strategy?

Having a strategy helps you stay focused and organized when implementing your marketing strategies. It ensures your posts are consistent and relevant, making it easier to engage your audience and build your brand.

How do I know which social media platforms to use?

To choose the right platforms, think about where your target audience spends their time. Research which social networks they use most and focus your efforts there.

What should I include in my social media posts?

Your posts should include engaging content like images, videos, and captions that highlight your products or services. Be sure to encourage interaction by asking questions or inviting followers to share their experiences.