What is a social media strategy?
A social media strategy is a document that outlines your overall social media presence: the goals you have set for social media marketing, the platforms you plan to use, the people you’re trying to reach, and the types of content that will work best for your needs — along with other important information.
A social media strategy is, for lack of a better word, more strategic than a social media plan.
A social media plan focuses on content planning, like your content calendar, publishing cadence, and content ideas. A social media strategy is all-encompassing. It places a social media plan inside of a framework that also defines your audience, your competitive angle, your KPIs, and more.
You can get by with just a social media plan, but having a full-scale strategy can help you see even more success.
Why do you need a social media strategy?
Putting together a social media strategy takes a lot of time and effort, so it’s important to understand why you need to actually invest said time and effort.
Let’s walk you through a few reasons why having a strategy is key:
It aligns your social media presence with larger marketing and business goals. For example, if you’re hoping to use social media to generate sales, you can incorporate social commerce and related content into your strategy.
It defines what, when, and where you post, so you’re not wasting time. Define your content’s overall themes and figure out how to emotionally connect with your audience.
It shows how to measure performance and gauge success, so you can continue to grow. Knowing your goals and which KPIs to track can help you make sense of the muddled world of social media ROI.
It keeps everyone on your team organized and on the same page. When you have a documented strategy, you can make sure everyone knows what to do, even when you bring on new hires.
