How to Create a Winning Social Media Strategy (In 9 Easy Steps!)

Step 1: Set Your Social Media Marketing Goals

A winning social media strategy is not a set of random posts you hope will bring you traffic and sales. Instead, it’s an organized plan designed to achieve specific goals.

An effective strategy helps you focus on what's most important. Share on X

An effective strategy helps you focus on what’s most important. Establish milestones you can use to check whether your plan is working. Make sure the goals are SMART, specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound.

Step 2: Research Your Competitors

Research your competitors. Find out what they’re doing, how they’re doing it, and why they’re doing it.

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You can then use this information to figure out how to do it better. Create a winning social media strategy based on this.

Step 3: Identify Your Target Audience

Look at your current customers. See their demographics. What is their age, gender, location, and income level? Then, consider the kind of person interested in what you offer. They may share similar interests or hobbies to the ones that already buy from you.

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Once you’ve done this research, identifying new potential customers will be easier. Reach out to them on social media platforms like Facebook or Twitter.

Step 4: Define The Tone And Voice Of Your Social Channels

Defining the tone and voice of your brand can be tricky. But this is necessary when creating a social media strategy.

The tone is your brand’s personality. You want to be consistent across all your social channels. How would you like people to feel friendly when interacting with you online? Professional? Excited? Thoughtful? The tone should reflect what kind of value you provide for consumers.

The tone is your brand's personality. Voice is people's perception of your brand. Share on X

Voice is people’s perception of your brand. For example, when they look at or use any material from your websites. Voice is more than words; it encompasses visuals such as photos and videos.

You want this part of your strategy to reflect the same values as its corresponding tone. While also helping build trust among followers. Hence, they feel comfortable interacting through comments sections on posts!

Step 5: Choose Which Social Media Platforms To Use

First, choose the platforms that your target audience uses. If you’re targeting millennials or Gen Z, Instagram will be a must-have. If older consumers are more likely to buy from you, Facebook may be the better choice.

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Next, choose the platforms to help you achieve your business goals with more sales. Increased traffic? More exposure? You may find that one platform is better suited than another because of its features. For example, Instagram does offer shopping capabilities, but Twitter does not.

6. Create A Content List

Make a content list of social media post ideas. For instance, you might want to create a social media calendar with the following topics:

• How-to videos
• Blog posts/articles
• Social media updates (including images, GIFs, and videos)
• Podcasts/vlogs

I recently updated my article on this topic. It’s called: 121 Social Media Post Ideas – Never Get Writer’s Block Again! This blog post shares a long list of social media post ideas. If you are short on time or want a quick reference, I have something for you. A cheat sheet!

7. Create A Social Media Calendar

A posting schedule is an essential part of a winning social media strategy. It isn’t easy to nail down because what works for one business may not work for another.

The best advice we can give you is to use a social media calendar. Share on X

The best advice we can give you is to use a social media calendar. A calendar allows you to plan your posts ahead of time. Take your content list and fill in your calendar!

8. Determine Optimal Posting Times

Identify the type of content that resonates with your audience. Then, it’s time to schedule it and determine when your audience will most likely see your posts.

Determine when your audience will most likely see your posts. Share on X

If possible, schedule them at times when they’ll be able to engage more. Like during lunchtime or in the evenings.

9. Track And Analyze Your Results

You can’t improve social media marketing results if you don’t know what they are. Use tools like Metricool to publish, track, and analyze your results.

Use tools like Metricool to publish, track, and analyze your results. Share on X

You will be able to track conversations and analyze data daily. With that information, adjust your strategy as needed. You should also use this information for budgeting purposes.

The data may show that specific posts aren’t performing well. They may need more attention. If so, it’s time to invest in them to generate better results.

Conclusion

Remember, social media is about your brand interacting with its customers. More than this, it’s about building dialogue to increase brand awareness and visibility.

As you devise your winning social media strategy, consider this. The more tailored your plan is to your goals and abilities, the more likely you will succeed.