11 Jun How to Craft an Effective Social Media Content Strategy
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How to Craft an Effective Social Media Content Strategy
Social media posting is not a random thing. Even though it may seem like we post content whenever we feel like it, there’s a careful thought process behind it. Maybe you didn’t know, but there’s even a whole branch of marketing called social media content strategy, so you can see posting is not taken lightly at all. But what is social media content strategy, and how can you apply it to your own brand?
We will use a clever analogy to describe it. So, start by picturing your social media content strategy as a sports game. It can be any sports game you want, like soccer, for example. In a game of soccer, typically, there are a bunch of strategic moves that players execute to defend or attack more effectively. What we’re saying here is that the more you plan out your moves, the more in sync everything flows and the more chances you have of converting.
With social media content planning, it works more or less the same way. But in this case, your first strategic move would be to do a background search of what people want to see from you. Once you have a general feel of what your audience wants, you can start to plan your content and distribute it accordingly across your social media channels.
By now, we all know the importance of high-value content. It’s the difference between a successful brand and one that gets lost in the big sea of social media accounts. When you have high-value content, you are destined for success. And if you play your cards right, you can even turn your followers into brand ambassadors.
That’s every brand’s dream, right? And you can do it, too. You just need to plan your content strategically – don’t worry, we’ll show you how below. So, if you want to see what goes on behind content development strategies and learn how to develop your own, stick to the end!
social content strategy ideas
1). Start by defining your goals
Let’s continue with the metaphors, but this time we will use a car. So, on that thought, having no goals equals getting in a car without knowing where you’re going. If you’re driving without an end goal, you will probably get somewhere, but that place can end up being some random shack and your absolute total worst nightmare.
So, why would you risk it? Isn’t it better getting in your car once you have a clear idea of where you’re going? And isn’t it better if your final destination is your dream place? Let’s see how this metaphor translates to your brand. Basically, when you have clear goals, you are setting a clear path that you will follow to get to your destination.
When it comes to content creation, knowing what your goals are will allow you to produce great content that will boost engagement, inching you closer to your destination. Don’t be afraid of being too specific with your goals and don’t forget to track and measure them!
2). Know your audience
When it comes to content, you always need to have your audience in mind. After all, you are creating content for them. If your content is not relevant to your audience, they simply won’t engage with it. You need to know who your audience is and what they expect from you. And for that, you need to research.
If you don’t know your audience very well yet, you can start with small demographic details to draw a general picture of who they are and what they like. Here are some examples:
- Gender
- Age
- Residence
- Profession
- Interests
- Hobbies
- Worries
- Fears
This little list will allow you to put a name to a phantom face and to start thinking of your audience as real people with real fears and expectations. The more details you add to this description, the better grasp you will have of your target audience.
“Boost your social media marketing game today with the help of our experts.”
Knowing your audience like the back of your hand will allow you to create highly engaging content. So, go elbows deep into your target audience research.
There’s this little exercise to identify your audience in which you draw a stick figure onto a paper and put a name to it. Then, you start stating all its demographics and interests. Keep in mind, though, that you could have more than one potential target group and you need to identify all of them so that your content is relevant to all your followers.
3). Create relevant content
Now that you know who your audience is and where you want to go with your brand, you’re ready to start creating high-value content for them. Every new piece that you create should be aligned with your goals as well as your brand’s voice. Any inconsistencies could potentially cost you followers.
A good way to know what kind of content is working best is to use third-party services like Planoly, Hootsuite, or Sprout Social. These sites give you in-depth metrics about your posts so that you can see what’s working and what’s not. They also allow automatic scheduling so you can plan your content ahead.
If you would rather use Facebook’s Creator Studio, that works too. There are many choices available, so you can take your pick. When you create a content calendar, you can also attempt to go cross-channel and use the same content multiple times. Just sync your accounts and enjoy!
4). Be omnipresent
You now know how to produce great content that your audience loves and engages with, but that’s not the end. What you want now is being omnipresent. If you are hearing this term for the first time, boy you have missed out on a lot. But don’t worry, you can still catch this train! Let’s see what being omnipresent means.
Being omnipresent means distributing your content across many different platforms without producing single specific pieces for each. To put it simply – it means that your brand is everywhere. Being omnipresent sounds like a lot of effort, but it’s not. It would be if you were to create unique content for each platform, but that’s not how it works.
With this strategy, you’re recycling and converting your content so that you maximise its potential and minimise your effort. Sounds great, huh? But there’s more. When you are omnipresent, you are exposing your content to as many people as possible, which is great. That’s what every brand desires. How can you start applying this strategy?
For starters, you can encourage your followers to promote your content across other channels by adding share buttons on your site or by asking them questions and sharing their answers. This will not only allow you to be omnipresent, but it will also help you with social proof. There’s nothing we customers find more credible than other customers’ words and positive feedback.
A quick little tip that we can give you is to be aware of when your audience is most active. Bear in mind that this time frame may vary across channels, so you need to study each individually.
If you’re unsure how to do this, the same third-party apps that we were discussing earlier, offer these metrics. Another great tool to make the most of our hashtags. When you use specific hashtags that are related to your content, you are increasing your chances of new people finding you.
5). Track & measure
Last but not least is measuring your results. Do you remember we talked about having goals and how those would determine whether you reach your destination or not? Well, if you go back to those first goals, you will be able to see how far they took you. Setting goals for your brand is a vital step in any marketing strategy as is measuring them.
There’s virtually no way of knowing how well you did if you don’t measure your goals. Don’t be afraid of being too obsessive over this. Mastering your metrics means having more knowledge of what’s working and what’s not, and that will allow you to tweak your content accordingly. How can you measure your goals?
You can do it over different periods. One example would be to measure the results of one month. You can review them as a monthly or annual breakdown. It’ll depend on the goals you set for your brand. Some of the most important metrics to keep track of are the ROI (Return of Investment) and engagement.
Always go back to your metrics. They hold the key to success, and if you notice that one of your goals is not working out, tweak your strategy and change the approach. Use the knowledge that your metrics provide to steer you back on the right path.
Parting thoughts
Planning your social media content strategy is exactly like going on a road trip. From the moment you begin your journey, you will need to know exactly where you are going. You will also need to be aware of any potential U-turns or side-tracks and adapt to those changes accordingly. You will always need to stay alert to the road and check your GPS to see if you’re on the right track.
Listen to hitchhikers (your target audience) because they provide valuable information about your journey. But above all, don’t forget to enjoy the ride! After all, that’s what this is all about. However, if you find yourself struggling to get to your destination, and you need some help, here at edirect, we are always willing to lend a helping hand.
We can advise you on what to post on your social media accounts, and we can help you create powerful alliances with influencers. Just hit us up in the contact us section to get started.
