Crafting a results-driven social media strategy

Crafting a results-driven social media strategy

Everything in life needs a game plan, and what you hope to achieve on social media is no different. By drawing out a social media strategy, you're noting everything you hope to achieve on social media. This game plan will guide your actions and lets you know whether you’re succeeding or failing. Every post, reply, like and comment should serve a purpose. 

Here's how to generate a social media strategy that will help you generate desired results:

Define your goals: What do you want to achieve with your social media presence? A few examples are, increasing brand awareness, driving traffic to your website, generating leads, or increasing sales. Your goals should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART).

Know your audience: Channel Gandhi: To talk to your audience, you must know them. Understand who your target audience is, what they are interested in, and where they spend their time on social media. Use the data that is readily available to you, or go get more insights by using analytics tools to gather data on demographics, interests and behaviours.

Choose the right platforms: Based on your target audience and goals, identify which social media platforms are the most appropriate for your business. Different platforms have different user demographics and features, so choose the ones that align with your goals and audience.

Develop your content strategy: Create a content plan that aligns with your goals and is tailored to your target audience. Determine the type of content you will create, such as blog posts, videos, images, or infographics, and how often you will post.

Engage with your audience: Social media is a two-way conversation, so make sure to actively engage with your followers. Respond to comments, messages, and mentions, and ask questions to spark conversation.

Analyse results: Use social media analytics tools to track your progress and measure the success of your strategy. 

Specifically, look at the following:

• Current data and analytics
• Previous successes among your audience
• Conducting surveys
• What your competitors are doing
• Audience feedback, comments and engagements
• Experimenting with content 

Stay up-to-date: Social media is constantly evolving, so stay informed about new trends, features and best practices. Attend webinars, read industry blogs and network with other social media professionals to stay ahead of the curve.

Remember, a social media strategy is not a one-time event. It should be regularly reviewed and updated based on your business goals, audience preferences, and the changing landscape of social media.