Creating a Social Media Strategy from Scratch
Creating a full social media strategy may seem like a daunting task and it sometimes can be, but let’s take it one step at a time and get that stellar content out the door and to your audience! There are a few questions you should ask yourself before you start and we’ll address each of them before we talk about posting frequency, when to post, etc.
Buckle up, kiddos. We’re headed into strategy territory.
1. Why Do You Want to Be on Socials?
If you’re taking on existing social media accounts for a brand, you can probably skip right to step two since someone, somewhere has probably already answered this question. Although, it’s still great to approach the process as if they’re completely new accounts.
The first question you need to ask yourself is why you want your business to be on social media in the first place. Is your target audience there? Are they shopping there or searching for services there?
If the answer is yes - which it probably is - you should decide which platforms your business should be on. My advice is to pick 1-2 platforms (especially if you’re just starting out and don’t have a full team to dedicate to content creation and strategy) and focusing on crafting a strategy there first before taking on any other accounts.
Tip: You don’t have to be (and honestly, shouldn’t be) on every single platform! Pick the one or two that your audience uses most.
If your clients or customers are on social media, what kind of content do you think they’ll expect from your business? Will they want informative product demonstrations, user-generated content (UGC), or industry thought pieces? Narrowing your scope to what your audience might expect and what kinds of content you’re able to feasibly create is important when we’re building the foundation of our strategy. You could follow every viral trend or post whatever you want and still not resonate with or reach your ideal audience.
An account I follow that, in my opinion, truly has its Instagram strategy and aesthetic down is Sweetapolita, an artisan sprinkle company:
Another account I’ll reference here is Sugarpunch Marketing; I love Shanté’s content and how she approaches her own strategy as a marketing professional, mentor, and entrepreneur:
2. Align the Strategy with Your Business Goals
Okay, so you’ve established the why. Now it’s time to decide on the goals and KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) for your chosen platforms. For example, some businesses will be more reliant on conversions through social media than others and new businesses will have different goals from one that’s been around for 15 years.
When I’m crafting a new strategy, I work with supervisors and team members to figure out exactly what role we want our social media accounts to play in the overall marketing and growth of the company. Then, we break it down into actionable goals and relevant KPIs.
First up, let’s talk overall platform goals. Let’s say you’re a mid-sized accounting firm with strong word-of-mouth marketing and a few hundred local clients who wants to start out on social media. Chances are you won’t be using Instagram for lead generation but you might use TikTok for service discovery and LinkedIn for publishing industry or thought leadership pieces.
Tip: Did you know that approximately 40% of Gen Z prefers to search visually for products and services on TikTok and Instagram instead of searching on Google?
Using Sugarpunch as a real-world example of a business not being on every available platform, they’re not on Facebook. It might seem like a huge no-no to some, but most social media marketers I know don’t have a business Facebook account. Let’s “face” it; the ‘book has awful organic reach and low chance of organic growth. Another consideration for them, specifically, may be that their target audience isn’t on Facebook; they may be targeting potential clients and mentees on Instagram and TikTok.
A screenshot from the Sugarpunch Marketing website homepage showing their social media accounts.
After establishing goals, it’s time to figure out what to measure success by such as likes, follows, shares, and link clicks to keep those goals on track. Currently, our agency is measuring for brand awareness and thought leadership. Translated into measurable KPIs, those goals are tracked with content shares, reach, impressions, engagement, link clicks, and website form submissions. What you track and measure will vary based on where the business is at in its life cycle (both on socials and off) and what the company wants to gain from its social media efforts.
Ultimately, the platforms you choose will be highly dependent upon the role you want them to play, so spend some time thinking about this one and pick the best one (or two) for the job. Once you have your platforms, align those goals with measurable KPIs and start tracking your progress!
3. Base the Strategy on Data From Your Audit
So you have your platforms chosen and your KPI meters running; now it’s time to get your hands dirty and dig into any social media data you already have access to. If you’re taking over existing social media accounts, using data from a social media audit is key to informing your new strategy.
What’s that? You didn’t complete a social media audit? No worries, I’ve got you covered with this post.
Once you have those findings handy, let’s take a look at the data. By looking for trends in audience content preference, you can deliver exactly what your followers want to see from your account.
Let’s take a look at Sweetapolita’s accounts again.
They have an Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter at the moment so let’s quickly see if we spot any trends in their content and make some educated guesses on what their audience prefers!
*please note this is my perspective and opinion as an organic growth digital marketer*
Instagram: A little over a third of their total content posted is Reels; checks out as Reels is where it’s at in terms of impressions and engagement. The remainder of their posts are filled with single photo and carousel posts with single photos being the majority. Compared to their posts with just one photo, their carousels do at least 2x as well (engagement) so I hope they’ll notice that and plan more in the future.
Facebook: It looks like they’ve leaned into using Facebook as a shopping platform by allowing users to view and purchase product directly through the website/app. They do not cross-post Reels from Instagram (in fact, I don’t see any videos on their page) and the platform appears to have its own separate content set. Engagement is sitting at less than 1% for them on the platform, at the moment.
Pinterest: Seems as though Pinterest is another selling platform for Sweetapolita! When you go to their profile it takes you straight to the shop. Pinterest is a wonderful discovery tool and with the right ad strategy, this platform will continue to boost sales and brand interest. They are repurposing Reels for Pinterest which is smart; the platform has moved toward vertical video content just like most others.
Twitter: Welp. Looks like the Sweetapolita Twitter was abandoned in 2018, right around the time business started to take off for them! This is more than okay, this is great! They recognized that the platform no longer served the business and have allowed the page to quietly slip into the night. Not every brand is made for Twitter nor should every brand feel pressured to be there all day every day with quippy one-liners or roasting their competitors.
So what did we learn and how could it impact strategy?
They clearly understand that their audience expects different types of content on different platforms and they try to cater to that.
I see some opportunity for them to experiment on Facebook with different types of content to raise that engagement percentage.
They seem to have hit their stride with Instagram by posting Reels frequently but I’d also love to see them post more carousel content since it’s performing so well for them!
As an aside, their current Reels plus ASMR-type content of sprinkle mixing would do really well on TikTok, in my opinion!
Pinterest seems to be performing well for them as a shopping platform but it’s hard to judge organic performance of the content without having access to their metrics.
It’s refreshing to see a brand like Sweetapolita abandoning Twitter completely. It’s a great example of knowing when something isn’t working or will no longer serve your business and marketing goals. Knowing when to say “no” is huge.
By analyzing your own content and looking at audience trends you’ll be able to determine what your audience wants to see, when they want to see it, and how frequently they want to see it.
4. When and How Frequently Should I Post?
Tale as old as time. “What’s the best time to post on (insert social media platform here)?” To be honest, I still ask that question and look up graphs and charts that end up looking much like Charlie’s theory wall in this week’s gif. But, without some sort of plan your big picture can get lost in the hustle of content creation and your overall messaging could get muddy.
I’m going to tell you something you won’t like. Posting times and frequencies vary for each account and each business. When are your followers online? Do you have enough time to produce content to post 5 times per week? Do you even have enough content to fill 5 slots per week? Is the content you’re creating worth the time it takes to create it? Your content should add value to your viewers’ days! Don’t post something just to stick to some arbitrary content schedule.
In regards of the best times to post, I use Sprout Social to estimate when our audience will be online. Our agency has an account with them and it’s taken a lot of the guesswork out on my end - within reason, obviously. I don’t take their recommendations as gospel but it does help give me a framework for when most of our audience is online and able to see the content. The world of social media moves so fast now, especially Twitter, that your freshly-stirred content should go out when the customers are bellied up to the bar. After a while you get a feel for when you’ll have an audience online and that’s something that shouldn’t really change.
As for frequency, when I first started with this agency in January, I advocated for two posts per week to allow me to get familiar with the company and content and then eventually moved to three times per week. As our team grows and we have additional marketing staff, that frequency will increase again. But for now, it’s just me and I need to know what I can handle comfortably (just another consideration if you’re a one person social media show like me!).
5. Focus On Creating Amazing Content
My final piece of advice to you, dear reader, is to focus on creating stellar content. Consistency is key, sure, but so is quality. You can post at the best times every single day for months and not build a following if you’re delivering sub-par content; them’s the breaks.
Keep your eyes open for emerging trends on the platforms you use that can be applied to your business’s niche and add value to your viewer’s day. Ask yourself, “What will they get out of consuming this piece of content?” “Will they learn something, be surprised, or find a new must-have product?”
Tip: Educate. Entertain. Inspire.
Try your best to work ahead on content to give yourself that time to really think about your copy and visuals. Draft captions for each post and let them sit for a few days. Then, with some fresh eyes and brain power, come back and read them. Have you tied what your post is about back to the company and its products or services? Have you added a hometown touch if you work for a small business? Is your audience getting anything in return for consuming the content? What’s in it for them? I’ve fully scrapped and edited captions up until the day a post has gone live, so don’t be afraid to change gears or expand on what you already have written! Don’t just press “Schedule” and be done with it. Invest the time in your content and you’ll reap the rewards as you gain your audience’s trust.
In the End…
A social media content strategy is heavily dependent upon so many things and that’s why it might seem like a daunting task when you’ve taken it on for the first time. Just remember, the accounts you manage exist for three reasons:
Educate
Entertain
Inspire
Don’t lose sight of that! Try not to get hung up on following every single trend or copying what competitors are doing; every business is different and every approach to social media strategy should be, as well. Your strategy is inherently bespoke! Own it and don’t be afraid to pivot when the data says so!
Kiersten “KP” Pavoncello
KP is a Digital Marketing Coordinator from York, Pennsylvania. She graduated from Southern New Hampshire in 2022 with high honors and a Bachelor of Arts in Communication. When she’s not knee-deep in social strategy, KP is usually playing her favorite video games and spending time with her husband, son, and two cats.