Social Media Marketing Strategy: Explained in 20 Steps

Are you struggling to create a social media marketing strategy that actually works? You're not alone. According to a study by Hootsuite, 84% of small businesses fail at social media marketing. But it doesn't have to be that way. With the right steps, you can create a social media strategy that will help you reach your target audience and achieve your marketing goals."

"As Peter Drucker, the father of modern management, once said, 'The aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well the product or service fits him and sells itself.' And that's exactly what a solid social media marketing strategy does - it helps you understand your audience, and reach them where they are, with the right message at the right time."

"In this article, we'll give you the lowdown on the 20 essential steps you need to take to create a social media marketing strategy that works. From identifying your target audience to tracking your progress, we've got you covered."

A social media marketing strategy is a plan of action that outlines the goals, objectives, and tactics a business will use to promote its products or services on social media platforms.

The strategy typically includes a detailed plan for creating and distributing content, engaging with followers, and measuring the success of the campaign.

It also includes identifying the target audience, researching and analyzing competitors, choosing the appropriate social media platforms, creating a social media content calendar, and using analytics to track performance and make data-driven decisions.

The ultimate goal of a social media marketing strategy is to increase brand awareness, reach the target audience, and ultimately drive sales or conversions.

Creating a social media marketing strategy can seem daunting, but it doesn't have to be. By following the 20 essential steps outlined in this article, you can develop a strategy that is tailored to your unique business needs and goals. From identifying your target audience to tracking your progress, each step is essential for building a successful strategy.

By understanding your audience, creating high-quality content, engaging with your audience, and using analytics to track your progress, you can ensure that your social media marketing efforts are reaching the right people, with the right message at the right time. This guide will take you through all the important aspects of creating a successful social media marketing strategy.

"Defining your target audience and specific goals for your social media presence" means figuring out who you want to reach with your social media content and what you want to achieve through that content.

"Target audience" refers to the group of people you want to reach through your social media content. This can be a specific demographic, such as age, gender, location, or interests. For example, if you are selling a new type of baby stroller, your target audience would be new and expectant parents.

"Specific goals" refer to what you want to achieve through your social media content. These goals could be to increase brand awareness, generate leads, or drive sales. For example, if your goal is to increase brand awareness, you will want to create content that is designed to introduce people to your brand and make them familiar with it.

"Researching your competitors and industry leaders on social media" means looking at what other companies and people who are in the same business as you are doing on social media.

Imagine you are selling cookies, and you want to sell more cookies than anyone else. You would look at other cookie sellers and see what they are doing to sell their cookies.

Are they using certain words to describe their cookies?

Are they posting pictures of their cookies?

Are they having a special sale?

By looking at what they are doing, you can get ideas on how to sell your cookies better.

It's like when you want to play a new game and you watch your friends play it first, so you know how to play it. It's the same thing, but with cookies!

You would also want to look at people who are leaders in the cookie industry, like famous bakers or famous cookie shops, to see what they are doing that is making them so successful.

"Choosing the social media platforms that are most relevant to your audience and goals" means identifying the right sites or apps to share your message and reach your target audience effectively.

Think about it like this: you want to share a message or promote something, it's like throwing a party. You want to make sure the right people show up, right? So you need to choose the right location and send out the invites to the right people.

It's the same thing when it comes to social media, you have to choose the platforms that align with your audience and goals.

For example, if you're trying to sell a fashion brand and your target audience is teenagers, you'll want to focus on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat where they spend most of their time.

And if your goal is to generate leads, you'll want to focus on platforms that allow direct messaging and that have a search function.

By choosing the right platforms, you can make sure your message gets to the right people and achieve your goals. It's all about being strategic and understanding your audience.

"Creating a detailed content calendar" means making a plan for what kind of posts you will make, when you will make them, and on which social media platforms you will share them.

Think about it like this: you want to make sure you're always posting cool stuff on your social accounts, right? But it can be hard to come up with new ideas all the time and remember to post them at the right time. That's where a content calendar comes in.

A social media content calendar is like a schedule for your social media posts. It helps you plan out what you will post, when, and on which platforms. For example, you might decide to post a funny video on TikTok on Mondays, a motivational quote on Instagram on Wednesdays, and a behind-the-scenes look at your business on Facebook on Fridays. By planning out your content in advance, you can make sure you're always putting out great content and reaching your target audience effectively.

It also helps you to align your social media marketing strategy with your marketing goals, target audience and demographics, and other marketing efforts. Additionally, it will help you to track the performance of your content, measure the success of your social media efforts, and make data-driven decisions.

In other words, a content calendar is an essential part of any effective social media strategy, and it will help you to increase brand awareness and reach potential customers.

You want people to recognize your brand and associate it with certain things, just like how you have a unique style and personality, and you want people to recognize you and associate you with certain things.

A consistent brand voice means using the same tone and language across all your social accounts.

A consistent visual identity means using the same colors, logos, and imagery across all your social media accounts.

This helps to make your brand easily recognizable and memorable. It helps to increase brand awareness and aligns with your target audience, social media marketing goals and other marketing efforts.

It also helps to build trust and credibility with your audience, and make your brand stand out among the competition.

It's important to remember that this consistency should be applied across all your social media channels, as part of your social media strategy, and it's an essential part of any successful social media marketing plan.

Creating high-quality, engaging, and diverse content is key to making your social media presence stand out! With a well-crafted social media marketing strategy and a clear understanding of your target audience, you'll be able to create content that not only aligns with your brand voice and goals, but also resonates with your audience.

When creating content, focus on providing value and educating your audience. Share tips and tricks, behind-the-scenes looks at your business, and user-generated content.

Make sure to diversify the types of content you produce as well. Incorporate short-form videos, educational content, and images into your content calendar. This will keep your audience interested and engaged with your brand.

Remember, your social media content is a representation of your brand, so make sure it's high-quality, engaging, and diverse. By doing so, you'll not only increase brand awareness but also build trust and credibility with your audience, and make your brand stand out among the competition.

have you ever wondered how your social media posts are performing? Like, are people actually engaging with your content or is it just falling flat? That's where analytics come in! By using analytics tools, you can track the performance of your content and see how it's doing. This way, you can adjust your social media strategy accordingly and make sure you're reaching your target audience and achieving your goals.

It's like, imagine you're playing a game and you're not sure if you're winning or losing. You can check the score to see where you stand and make adjustments to your game plan. It's the same thing with social media, you can use analytics tools to track how your posts are doing and make adjustments to your strategy.

These tools can help you to measure your progress, track your ROI, and make data-driven decisions. It allows you to optimize headlines, images, and other elements of your content to improve engagement. And also A/B testing is a great way to see which version of a post is doing better and adjust accordingly.

So don't just post and pray, use analytics to track the performance of your content and adjust your strategy accordingly. It's a crucial part of a successful social media marketing plan and it's essential to measure social media success.

You know what's important for building a strong relationship with your audience? Engaging with them! And one of the best ways to do that is by responding to comments and messages in a timely manner.

It's like, imagine you're hanging out with friends and one of them says something to you. You're not just going to ignore them, right? You're going to respond and have a conversation. It's the same thing with social media, when someone takes the time to leave a comment or message, you should respond and have a conversation with them.

Responding to comments and messages shows that you value your audience and care about what they have to say. It also allows you to address any concerns or questions they may have, and build trust and credibility with your audience.

Don't let comments and messages go unanswered, make sure to respond to them in a timely manner. It's an important aspect of a successful social media strategy and it helps to increase brand awareness and align with your target audience, social media marketing goals and other marketing efforts.

Want to reach a larger audience and drive more traffic to your website? One effective way to do that is by using paid advertising on social media platforms.

It's like, imagine you're throwing a party and you want as many people as possible to come. You could just rely on word of mouth, but what if you really want to pack the house? One way to do that is by putting up flyers made using flyer maker or running an ad in the local newspaper. It's the same thing with social media, you can use paid social media ads to reach a larger audience and drive more traffic to your website.

Paid social media ads allows you to target specific demographics, such as age, location, and interests. This way, you're reaching people who are most likely to be interested in your product or service. Paid advertising also allows you to drive traffic to your website, which can help you to generate leads and increase conversions.

It's an essential part of any successful social media marketing plan and helps to increase brand awareness, drive more traffic to your website, and align with your marketing goals. With paid promotion, you can run cross-channel campaigns and reach a larger audience, giving you more opportunities to connect with potential customers and gain valuable insights.

Want to increase engagement and drive sales on your social media? One effective way to do that is by hosting giveaways, contests, and other promotions.

Giveaways and contests are a great way to incentivize your audience to engage with your content. They can drive engagement by encouraging users to share, comment, and like your posts in order to enter the contest.

Additionally, hosting promotions can also drive sales. You can offer discounts or special deals to your social media followers to encourage them to make a purchase. It helps you to increase brand awareness, align with your target audience, social media marketing goals and other marketing efforts.

Remember to make sure your promotions align with your brand and overall marketing strategy. And also make sure to follow the guidelines of the social media channel you're hosting the promotion on.

Want to expand your reach on social media? One great way to do that is by collaborating with influencers, other brands, and industry leaders.

Influencer marketing involves partnering with influencers, who already have a large following, can help to introduce your brand to a new audience. Collaborating with other brands can also help to expand your reach by accessing their audience. Additionally, working with industry leaders can help to establish your brand as an authority in your industry.

It's a win-win situation for both parties, by collaborating with influencers, other brands, and industry leaders, you can increase brand awareness, align with your target audience and reach new potential customers. It also helps to get valuable insights and feedback and expand your reach in a way that aligns with your social media marketing goals and other marketing efforts.

Remember to choose collaborators that align with your brand and overall marketing strategy, and make sure to set clear goals and expectations for the collaboration. By collaborating with the right people, you can expand your reach and make a bigger impact on social media.

You know what's lit? Keeping an ear to the ground on social media!

And the best way to do that is by using social media listening tools to monitor mentions of your brand and industry keywords.

Think about it, it's like being at the coolest party ever and everyone is talking about you and your brand. But you're too busy dancing to hear them. That's where social media listening tools come in, they keep an ear out for you and let you know when people are talking about you on social media.

These tools allow you to track mentions of your brand, industry keywords, and even your competitors. This way, you can stay on top of what people are saying about you, and respond to any questions or concerns they may have. It also helps you to identify potential customers and gather valuable insights and feedback.

By using social media listening tools, you can stay on top of your game and make sure you're always in the loop. Plus, it's a crucial part of any successful social media marketing plan, and it helps you to align with your target audience, and measure the success of your social media efforts.

Don't be the person who misses out on the conversation, use social media listening tools to monitor mentions of your brand and industry keywords and stay on top of the game.

It is crucial to continuously monitor and adjust your social media strategy in order to adapt to changes in algorithms, audience behavior, and trends. Social media marketing platforms are constantly evolving and updating their algorithms, audience behavior and trends. Therefore, it is important to stay updated with the latest changes in order to ensure that your strategy remains effective.

To stay updated, it is important to track your social media performance using analytics tools. These tools can help you to identify what is working and what is not. By tracking your progress, you can make data-driven decisions and make necessary adjustments to your strategy. Additionally, it is important to keep an eye on the latest trends and incorporate them into your strategy when appropriate.

A/B testing is a powerful tool that can help you optimize headlines, images, and other elements of your content to improve engagement. The idea behind A/B testing is to test two different versions of a piece of content, such as two different headlines, to see which one performs better.

For example, let's say you're creating a Facebook post to promote a new product. You could create two different headlines: "Introducing our new product" and "New product alert!" You would then post both versions of the post and see which headline gets more engagement (likes, comments, shares). The headline that performs better is the one that you should use in the future.

Another example is for images, you could test two different images for a post and see which one gets more engagement. This way you can optimize the images that will be more attractive to the audience.

A/B testing can also be applied to other elements of your content such as, call-to-action, placement of the element, color, etc. It helps to increase brand awareness and align with your target audience and social media marketing goals.

Regularly reviewing and analyzing your social media metrics is crucial for understanding the effectiveness of your social media strategy and making data-driven decisions. By closely monitoring your metrics, you can identify areas of success and areas for improvement, and adjust your social media marketing strategy accordingly.

For example, if you notice that your engagement rates on Instagram are low, you may want to experiment with different types of content, such as videos or interactive polls, to see if that improves engagement. On the other hand, if you notice that your website traffic from social media is high, you may want to focus on using social media to drive more traffic to your website and increase conversions.

Another example, you could analyze the social media analytics on your social posts, such as reach, engagement, likes, shares, comments, and click-through rate. You can use this data to identify which types of social posts are resonating with your audience and which aren't.

Creating a crisis management plan to handle negative comments or reviews is an important aspect of any social media marketing strategy. Social media platforms are a great way to connect with your audience and build a strong online presence, but they also present the potential for negative comments or reviews to arise.

For example, a customer may leave a negative review on your Facebook page, complaining about a poor experience with your product or service. Or, you may receive negative comments on a tweet about a recent change in your company policies.

It's important to have a plan in place to address these situations in a timely and professional manner. This plan should include the following steps:

By having a crisis management plan in place, you can quickly and effectively address negative comments or reviews, minimize damage to your brand reputation and align with your social media marketing strategy.

Creating a content repurpose strategy is an effective way to recycle and reuse high-performing content. By repurposing your content, you can maximize your efforts and stretch your budget further. It's a smart way to get more mileage out of your high-performing content and to maximize your social media marketing efforts.

For example, you could take a blog post that performed well and turn it into a video or infographics. This way you can reach a different audience and give a new perspective to the information. Another example, you could take a popular tweet and turn it into a social media ad. This way you can reach a larger audience and increase brand awareness.

It's also important to track your social media metrics regularly, such as reach, engagement, likes, shares, comments, and click-through rate. You can use this data to identify which types of content are resonating with your audience and which aren't.

Video content is a powerful tool that should be included in your social media strategy. Videos are the most engaging form of content on social media, and they can be used in a variety of ways to increase brand awareness, reach your target audience and achieve your social media marketing goals.

For example, you can use video marketing to showcase your products, services or company culture. This can help to increase brand awareness and align with your target audience. Additionally, video content can be used to create educational content that can help to increase brand awareness and drive more traffic to your website.

Another example is to use short-form videos on social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. These platforms are great for reaching younger audiences, and by creating engaging and entertaining video content, you can increase brand awareness and reach your target audience.

Using social media polls and surveys is a great way to gather feedback from your audience. It allows you to understand the needs, preferences, and opinions of your target audience, and use that information to improve your social media strategy, increase brand awareness and align with your target audience.

For example, you can use social media polls to gather feedback on a new product or service. This can help you to understand what your customers like and dislike about the product, and make changes accordingly. Additionally, you can use surveys to gather feedback on your customer service or overall customer experience. This can help you to identify areas for improvement, and make changes to your customer service strategy.

Another example is to use polls to gather feedback on your social media content. This allows you to understand which type of content resonates best with your audience, and adjust your content strategy accordingly.

Using Instagram/Facebook/Pinterest stories, IGTV, TikTok is a great way to stay up-to-date with the latest trends and reach a younger audience. These social media platforms offer a wide range of features that can be used to create engaging and dynamic content that can help increase brand awareness and reach your target audience.

For example, Instagram stories and IGTV are great for showcasing behind-the-scenes footage, product demonstrations, and exclusive content. This can help to increase brand awareness and align with your target audience. Additionally, TikTok is a popular social network among younger audiences and is great for creating short-form videos that are entertaining and engaging.

Facebook stories and Pinterest are also great platforms to reach a younger audience and stay up-to-date with the latest trends. You can use Facebook stories to create interactive polls, quizzes and share exclusive content, while on Pinterest you can create boards with curated content, infographics and more.

Here are a few things that you want to avoid in your social media marketing strategy.

It's important to avoid these common mistakes in order to have a successful social media marketing strategy and reach your target audience and achieve your social media marketing goals.

In conclusion, creating a social media marketing strategy is essential for any business looking to reach its target audience and achieve its marketing goals. By following the 20 steps outlined in this article, you can develop social media strategies that are tailored to your unique business needs and goals.

From identifying your target audience to tracking your progress, each step is essential for building a successful social media strategy. By understanding your audience, creating high-quality content, engaging with your audience, and using analytics to track your progress, you can ensure that your social media marketing efforts are reaching the right people, with the right message at the right time.

Remember, as Peter Drucker said, the aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well the product or service fits him and sells itself. With a solid social media marketing strategy, you'll be well on your way to achieving that goal.