How To Create An Effective Social Media Content Strategy

— November 21, 2017

Having an online presence nowadays, especially on social media, is crucial in the success of any business.

Online presence doesn’t only mean having a responsive website, but a content strategy in place as well.

According to research, over 80% of B2B marketers have their own content marketing strategy, but just a third of them have documented it. In practice, creating a functional content marketing plan will require meaningful effort and time.

Having a carefully thought-out and perfectly planned strategy for your content can really help you. In that regard, the following tips will guide you in creating a content strategy for social media.

1. Define your goals

It’s very important to know what you want to achieve from your social media platforms. Avoid skimping on the details when it comes to your social channels — try to be more specific.

One of the first step in this phase is to identify your target market. Knowing that very important detail will help you achieve your goal.

Always keep in mind as well that every social media platform is different and comes with a different audience too. Thus, when you are defining your goals, create separate expectations for each social media channel you are on.

2. Research your competitors

Just a little recon can take your brand to higher level. For instance, knowing what your competitors are doing on various social media can result in lots of information — including what you should do and what you should avoid.

Even finding the holes that your competitors have yet to discover is important, too, so you can react positively and accordingly.

3. Hone your brand’s identity

Social media offers great platforms to reinforce branding. However, you would not get far if you don’t know what your brand really is.

Knowing what unique voice, story, and other angles of your business is a critical step to take before you start creating content.

Just as your company image and your visuals tell a lot about your brand, so does your social media, too.

Among others, this means choosing the perfect cover photo for your social media accounts; after all, it’s one of the first things that people will see about you.

Additionally, the visuals you share on various platforms need to be in line with one another and deliver a consistent message.

4. Determine resource allotment

It’s also necessary to determine how much you are ready and willing to invest in your social efforts. For example, you can pay to promote your posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

You can also buy premium accounts to be able to schedule your social media posts. Having an online business, after all, means spending money to earn money.

Finally, you also need to consider whether you need to hire a professional to help manage your social accounts. Time is money, and if you can have someone take over on managing your social accounts means freeing you up to do other things.

Considering all these will help you to effectively budget your content strategy allocation for the year.

5. Analyze and optimize your content for best results

Just scheduling your content and answering comments isn’t enough when it comes to creating a great content strategy for your social media.

You will need to pay more attention to how your social posts perform on various platforms if you want to be successful.

Keep in mind that most social networking platforms provide insights and analytics for business pages. You should analyze them on a regular basis in order to fully understand what is popular and what is not.

This will help you optimize your online content and see your numbers and reach increase.

6. Always monitor your content (posts and updates) and reply to comments

When it comes to social media, you need to actively engage with your audience at least every day. An important part of having active social channels is replying to all questions, feedback, comments, and more.

You should always know there is no interaction that is too small — appreciating someone for retweeting or sharing your content, for example, could possibly earn you a great loyal follower.

7. Decide which social channels to be on

With the number of social networks nowadays, it’s important to decide which ones you should focus on for your business. If you already have one, you should consider whether you need another or not.

After all, signing up for a social network means investing time and money, and you need to decide which to prioritize.

Aside from social media, starting a blog is also another thing to think about when creating a content strategy. Being on Facebook or Twitter is fine, but it’s also important for your business to have a blog.

All these pointers can help you establish your online presence. When you have a responsive website, creating and implementing a great content strategy for social media would be the next step.

Don’t forget to create a unique, attractive content relevant to your business, and your target audience will surely love you and be loyal to your brand.

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