Today, the power of social networks for the development of an activity no longer needs to be demonstrated. In fact, they have acquired a full place in the communication strategy of a company, we speak of social media strategy. The implementation of such a strategy requires a preliminary work of reflection since each of the social networks has its specificity. So, how do you define a social media strategy? Follow our advice.
Define a social media strategy in 5 steps
A social media strategy serves as a common thread in your approach on social networks. It gives a global vision of your objectives and the actions to be taken to achieve them. To help you, we recommend following 5 steps to set up your strategy.
- Define your objectives
- Define your target
- Define your editorial line
- Analyze your competition
- Measure your actions
Step 1: Define your goals
Your social media strategy must start from a goal. Indeed, when you decide to expose your business on social networks, you must first define one or more specific objectives in order to be able to measure the results of your actions. Going without a specific goal, just to copy the competition, is never a good idea. Most businesses that are on social media just because you have to be there don't see any real results and give up on the idea after a few months.
Ideally, a good objective must have SMART characteristics (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Achievable over Time) that is to say, it must be well defined and as precise as possible, even over time to motivate your actions . In practice, you can, for example, opt for an increase in your traffic, your leads or your conversions. This is measured respectively by the number of visits, the number of registrations and the number of purchases.
Step 2: Define your target
This step is essential to choose the right social network where you will focus and adapt the tone of the message. We do not communicate in the same way to a young person of 15 - 25 years as to a senior of 50 years and over. For example, we know that Facebook brings together a more mature audience, while Instagram targets a younger audience, and Tiktok targets an even younger audience. Likewise, each of the social networks has its principles. LinkedIn is a professional network, Twitter is all about hot opinions, YouTube is for videos, and Instagram is all about the visual. You should thus plan a message adapted to each of the networks which you intend to use.
As with goals, the more specific your persona, the more chance you'll have to seduce him. In fact, a personalized message allows you to build a special relationship. This user experience is also a very important concept in digital marketing since the more you know your target, the more you will be able to satisfy them.
Step 3: Define your editorial line
Choose an editorial line to give consistency to your messages on the different networks you use. This editorial line makes it possible to standardize all the messages delivered so that your audience does not get lost. Note also that we must not make the mistake of communicating in the same way on all social networks. Most brands that deliver the same messages across all networks don't have the results they expect. As we saw in the previous paragraph, it is essential to take into account the specificity of each of these networks in the design of your message. Adapt your tone to the type of network so as not to lose visibility.
In addition, we must remember to vary the content. Indeed, we see that most business pages that only talk about their product have fewer subscribers. Consider including news from your industry, inspirational quotes or stories behind the company or its products to humanize the relationship with your audience.
Step 4: Analyze your competition
Competitive intelligence allows you to see what works and what doesn't work for your competitors. This will save you from re-inventing the wheel. This monitoring helps you on the one hand to keep up to date with trends, and on the other hand, to answer key questions such as: how do your competitors communicate? What type of message works the most? Which influencers do they work with?
Answering these questions can help you design a message more suited to your audience and choose to collaborate with a particular influencer.
Step 5: Measure your actions
Finally, let's underline the importance of KPIs to measure the scope of your actions and thus rectify the situation. This action allows you to identify your shortcomings and correct them in time. So, for example, you can identify the publication frequency that best suits your audience and correct the schedule. A social media strategy evolves with new trends, since we know that technology keeps improving.
A well-defined social media strategy allows you to have an overview of your actions on social networks. Calling in a professional will help you design an effective strategy to reach your core target. Our digital agency supports you to optimize your strategy and improve your visibility on the web.
