Are you looking to build a presence on social media but aren’t sure where to begin? You’ve come to the right place.
According to Statista, approximately 67.5% of the World’s population is on social media, so it's no wonder that every business is eager to optimize its strategy. However, this immense popularity also brings with it a never-ending challenge for businesses: competition.
Getting started on social media as a brand-new company with zero followers can make success feel like an impossible dream. However, this couldn't be further from the truth.
With a social media strategy that includes all the essential elements – along with Transpond’s new and existing features built to elevate your marketing – you’ll be able to watch your followers grow by the day
What is a social media strategy?
A social media strategy is a plan that outlines how you will use social media to reach your goals. It covers what to post, how and when to post it, as well as who your target audience is. Plus it includes the content plan that drives it all.
In this blog post, we’ll break down each essential element of a successful social media strategy, guiding you through what’s needed and how you can achieve it.
- Set social media goals
The goals you decide on at this stage will determine how the rest of your strategy is shaped. So, why are you turning to social media? Whether you’re looking to understand your audience better, strengthen your brand identity, or expand into new demographics, your goals will guide every aspect of your content creation.
Regardless of whether you have one goal or multiple, it’s important to set key performance indicators (KPIs) for each. These help you decide which metrics to track.
- Learn about your target audience
With over five billion active social media users globally, your target audience is out there - the challenge is reaching them. To do that, you must first take the time to truly understand who they are, what they care about, and how they engage online. Only then can you create a strategy that stands out.
This stage is all about research. What social platforms are your audience using? What type of content do they enjoy consuming? Are they looking to learn, be entertained, or shop?
Top tip: Word-of-mouth is one of the most powerful forces on social media. If you can engage your audience so well that they start sharing positive experiences and recommending you to others online, you've cracked the code.
- Learn about your competition
Researching your audience not only helps you understand their needs and preferences, but also reveals which brands they're engaging with. Competitor analysis is a crucial part of your social media strategy, as it will inform your own content creation. By understanding what resonates with your audience elsewhere, you can craft more relevant content.
When looking at competitors, take note of:
- Their messaging and tone
- The platforms they’re using
- Frequency of posts
- Content types
- Branding
- Use of influencers
- Engagement with customers
- Choose your platforms
Now that you’ve discovered where your customers are, you can better understand which platforms you should be using to reach them.
A common misconception is that businesses need to be on every social platform to maximize their reach. In reality, this approach is often counterproductive. Investing time and resources into platforms where your target audience isn't active won't help you achieve your goals. It's far more effective to focus on the platforms where your audience spends their time.
- Create your content
Now it’s time to plan out your content.
With your KPIs in mind, you can create engaging content that showcases your messaging and brand while generating real results.
Not everyone is a natural when it comes to content creation, as there are many factors to consider. To help get you started, here are our top tips:
- Utilize short-form video: its popularity is increasing while people’s attention spans are decreasing.
- Remember your KPIs.
- Don’t just sell sell sell. People want to be entertained and educated too.
- Use natural content over staged content.
- Focus on the people behind the brand.
- Ads aren’t as important as you are made to believe.
- Schedule it!
So, you’ve perfected your social media content plan and are now ready to start posting.
The next step is scheduling.
Unless you’re willing to manually post on each platform at the actual time you want the post to go out (which is time-consuming and exhausting), scheduling is a must. It offers a range of benefits, including ensuring brand consistency, reaching your audience at peak moments, and saving you valuable time.
Transpond’s brand-new Social Campaign scheduling tool is designed to help you manage your omnichannel marketing campaigns with ease. You can plan, create, and automate posts for Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and more - all from a single dashboard.
How to schedule a post with Transpond
Step 1: Create a new campaign.
Step 2: Select the platforms you’d like this post to be shared with.
Step 3: Write your social post (remember to use our handy AI Assistant tool).
Step 4: Upload your image.
Step 5: Select ‘Schedule for later’ and choose the publish date and time.
That’s it – you’ve successfully scheduled a post! It really is that quick and easy.
At Transpond, we aim to make marketing as smooth and simple as possible, so you can focus on what matters most - growing your business. Discover how our intuitive scheduling tool can transform your social media presence today.