Social media success can sometimes seem like dumb luck. A company just happens to have a video go viral or some celebrity gives a surprise shout out to a brand. While it can be easy to assume that have a good social media presence is all about the right message at the right time, it is actually vitally important to craft a social media strategy.
As social media evolved, algorithms were developed. The idea was that the social media platforms wanted to make sure that you were getting the content you wanted, when you wanted it.
What started out as a simple effort to optimize the millions of pieces of content being posted, soon turned into a bidding war for consumers’ attention. That is why you need a social media strategy.
Cards on the table, the social media algorithms cannot be beat. They change too fast and are too sophisticated. That being said, you can work within the algorithms to maximize the reach, engagement, and impact of your social content. This is where the strategy comes in.
Social media strategy is a delicate balance of research, reporting, insights, and creativity. You need to understand the numbers first before you do anything. Looking at your engagement rates, follower count, reach, and audience demographics, you will be able to get an insight into how you are doing on social.
Data should always drive your content. Small adjustments like changing the phrasing in a status or adding some text to an image can make all the difference. Taking the time to deep dive into what you have already done and how it’s performed can help you move forward with a plan.
The next thing you can do is look at your competitors. What are they doing that you like?
Where are they succeeding? What is their customers’ response to the content? This can give you a lot of insight into what is working for other people. You don’t want to copy it, you want to adapt it for your audience.
Finally, use all the data and insights you have gathered to start formulating a social media creative plan. Start high level with what types of posts you want, the type of content that is working, what you want your brand voice to be and if you want to spend any money on advertising on social. Data driven social media is the key to doing well.
At the end of the day, you need to have a strategy if you want to be successful on social media and there just isn’t a “one fits all” solution when it comes to that. Difference industries and audiences demand different strategies. Successful companies adapt to that and constantly update and tweak their strategies to make sure that they are performing as optimally as possible.
While this blog gives you a few steps as a good place to start a do-it-yourself approach to social media strategy, you really are better off working with the experts. SimplyBuilt can build you a custom social media strategy so your business can start using social media to its full potential. Contact us today!
