In 2021, the necessity of a brand’s social media is all too clear. With over 50% of the global population on one platform or another, a presence on these sites is a must. Social media is an ever-evolving code that marketers everywhere strive to crack, because a well-crafted social media strategy has been shown to add zeros to many companies’ bottom lines.
There are numerous factors that go into creating an effective social media strategy. While there is no-one-size-fits-all master plan, there are several tricks you can keep up your sleeve to help increase your chances of success.
- Create a social media roadmap.
At Red Thinking, we believe one of the best ways to start a social media journey is with a roadmap.
A social media roadmap, just like its physical predecessor, acts as a template to help you figure out who you’re targeting, what you want to say, how you want to say it and WHY, along with plenty of detail.
Social media roadmaps get you to hone in on your social media goals and plan out how you intend to accomplish them, which streamlines the process going forward.
Social media roadmaps also give you an edge because they force you to focus on strategies that you can implement to start working toward the ultimate goal – conversions!
- Choose your where and when wisely.
When you are developing your social media roadmap, it is important to carefully consider which platform you’ll use, as well as when you will do your posting.
As mentioned previously, social media can be fickle, so it’s imperative to understand where and when your target audience is going to be ready and excited to interact with content like yours. This can also mean that you focus on different kinds of content on different platforms at different times.
- Get creative with your content.
As you continue to use your roadmap, try to think of the ways in which you can use each platform in the way that they were all truly intended – creatively.
If your content utilizes a platform in a unique way that resonates with your target audience, you can bet that your engagement and conversions will go up.
Storytelling through social media is always a great place to start. Something that will hook your audience and reel them in, keeping them excited for what comes next. This can also be done through innovation with a platform’s newest and most unique features. Many creators rose to prominence when Instagram started implementing reels because they saw the potential in the new medium and worked the space to their advantage, filling the new void with their branding. Keeping an ear to the proverbial ground can help you do the same.
- Give yourself the tools of the trade.
As you continue to hone in on what is working and what needs to be tweaked, consider what will best help guide your way. A social media hub that will allow you to plan, create and post can be a real life-saver, especially if you have multiple platforms under your belt.
We’re fans of using Sprout and it’s an efficiency and strategy game-changer! Coordinating everything manually can consume your day and keep you from being able to focus on the other things you need to do for your brand if you’re not careful, so automate what you can when you can.
Social media hubs can also sort through your content to show you what your audience is engaging with most so you can build on your successes. This will help as you reflect and continue to focus on discerning where you may want to tweak your strategy.
Bonus points for the hubs (like Sprout) that incorporate social listening. Social listening allows us to have a pulse on trending topics, conversations, and what people are saying about the brands we manage (and their competitors) online.
- Synthesize. Analyze. Utilize.
One of the, if not the, most important tools that any social media strategist can use for free is to learn from themselves. Whether your strategy is going well or poorly, it can tell you something about how to do even better.
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither is the perfect social media strategy.
As you begin executing your social media roadmap on live platforms, study what works and what doesn’t.
Which posts are getting the most likes, comments, and shares?
These posts are the ones to replicate, as you curate what works and lean away from what doesn’t, there is no way to account for every possibility, so the best thing anyone can do is to make sure data is being gathered and tracked so when trends form, you can see them.
Sometimes, this can even involve a major pivot, and that is okay. Rolling with the punches and adjusting is the best way to keep up.
