Posting Daily is Not a Social Media Content Strategy (Here's What Is)
Social media content strategy can feel like a shot in the dark. Tips on going viral range from posting consistently, polished content… all the way to posting whatever and wherever. There’s nothing quite like posting a piece of content you’re proud of, only for it to flop. Read on to find out how you can up your social media content strategy game and build your personal brand.
What is a Social Media Content Strategy?
If your goal is to grow your brand offline—but especially online—you will need a comprehensive social media content strategy. Posting content should help drive brand awareness and engagement across social media, targeting your specific audience and building customer connections and community. Planning what content to post and when is a large part of your social media strategy. A social media content strategy can and should include multiple social media platforms. Based on your audience, consider cross-posting to platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn. You may not necessarily need all the platforms, but figuring out which platforms are most used by your audience will be paramount when planning your social media content strategy.
Social Platforms and Their Strengths
Facebook: Skewing towards Gen X and Baby Boomers, Facebook is perfect for photo and video sharing. Especially if you’re a small business, Facebook allows users to find your business easily, as well as see any of your business’s events that a user may be interested in attending. Facebook also has a Reels format that many users enjoy, so if you’re cross-posting short-form videos to Instagram or TikTok, be sure to include Facebook. Instagram: Like Facebook, Instagram is an effective way for sharing photos and videos with an audience. Instagram is a must-have for up-and-coming influencers, with in-feed posts working to build a brand, as well as Reels boosting growth for many creators. You can also leverage story posts for more content. TikTok: TikTok is the hottest social platform right now, skewing more Gen A, Gen Z, and Millennials. For creators and brands who specialize in short-form video content, TikTok is the way to go. Consistent posting and quality content can ensure high and fast growth on TikTok. TikTok Shop can also be leveraged for creators looking to promote products and make extra cash. YouTube: YouTube is the go-to long-form app. If you’re already posting TikTok’s and Reels, that content can be repurposed for YouTube shorts. For creators and brands with high-quality video content to share, YouTube is the perfect platform for growth. Consistency is key on YouTube, so be sure to have a lot of content in the pipeline. LinkedIn: LinkedIn is the most professional of the major social media platforms. You can cross-post Shorts and Reels here but be sure to focus on the writing-heavy side of content creation. Users look to LinkedIn for thought leadership about the creator economy and other industries, so be prepared to share your expertise.
Setting Goals and Key Performance Indicators
When planning social media campaigns, it is vital to set specific goals and define key performance indicators (KPIs). This allows campaigns to be based on measurable objectives instead of intuition or blind trust in posting content. Goals may include driving brand awareness and engagement across your social media channels. Having measurable objectives when defining your goals is key: For example, with a goal to increase brand awareness, measurable objectives might include: - Increase the brand’s Instagram reach and impressions by X amount each month - Increase click-through rate from social media to the brand’s website by X amount throughout the campaign. - Increase email subscribers by X amount each month For social media, KPIs included engagement metrics such as likes, shares, and comments. KPIs might include reach and impressions, click-through rates, conversion rates, and traffic to your website. Be sure to look at what keywords are driving the most traffic, and how you may be able to leverage those keywords. Look at your analytics and reproduce the content that does the best. Other KPIs, while not directly tied to content strategy, still play an important role in your overall social media strategy. These may include tracking brand sentiment, website traffic, subscriptions, and sales. Specific tools to measure KPIs include using a hashtag or promo code for the duration of a campaign. This allows marketers to draw up a full report at the end of a campaign. Tracking these metrics will allow you to know what’s working about your campaigns and adjust accordingly. Lean into content that is performing well and recreate those content ideas.
Invest in Audience and Community
When planning your social media content strategy, understanding your audience is essential. One way of doing this is by creating audience personas and then tailoring your marketing to their needs and interests. Are you targeting young book lovers looking to purchase the latest releases? They might be swayed by an aesthetic TikTok over Facebook graphics. Are you marketing to sport types looking for the best equipment? Perhaps they can scroll through all their buying options on your Instagram page and easily compare prices. Perhaps you’re an up-and-coming influencer looking to market your TikTok Shop finds to your audience. Look at the metrics of who’s been converted to buying the product - what are the demographics, and what content does that demographic enjoy? Posting consistently and posting content your audience enjoys is the key to building a community. Especially for influencers and content creators, personality and authenticity should be key to your branding. Looking at what content does the best and reproducing that will be key when it comes to audience retention and community building.
Conclusion
Successful social media content strategies are multifaceted and often complex. Choosing the right platforms and utilizing analytics and KPIs to identify what content resonates best with your audience is key to a successful content strategy.