If you want to create a social media account for your business or personal brand, you need to have a Social Media Marketing Strategy. It will serve as your guidebook, a north star if you want, in navigating the simple yet complicated world of social media.
If you want to create a social media account for your business or personal brand, you need to have a Social Media Marketing Strategy. It will serve as your guidebook, a north star if you want, in navigating the simple yet complicated world of social media. Here’s an easy step-by-step guide. Don’t miss the surprise at the end. Here’s an easy step-by-step guide.
1. Objectives
Why are you on Social Media? It could be as simple as “to establish an online presence.” It could also be more specific, like “to sell a product” or “to be a beauty influencer.”
Social Media is a relatively free platform to achieve what you want, for yourself or for your business.
2. Goals
Your goals should be SMART.
Specific — “to be an influencer”
Measurable — “to gain 1 Million followers on Instagram”
Attainable — “Others can do it. I can too.”
Relevant — “I wanna be an influencer because (insert goals and values)”
Time-based — “to gain 1 Million followers in 2 years”
3. Specialization
Your specialization or specialty is your expertise.
In order to appear authoritative and trustworthy, talk about what you know.
If they like you, they will follow you but if they trust you, they will become advocates of your brand and the key to your growth.
Examples of specializations are “social media management,” “Instagram growth,” “content creation,” “Pinterest marketing,” “LinkedIn growth,” “Facebook ads,” “data analytics”, “copywriting,” “lead generation” or “branding”.
4. Niche
Your specialization is what you do. Your niche is whom you serve.
Examples of niches are “real estate,” “dental clinics,” and “salons and spas.”
The niche could also be location-specific like “New York Real Estate,” “London Salon and Spa,” or “Los Angeles Dental Clinics.”
If you combine your specialization and niche, that would be Social Media Management for Business Coaches Content Creation for New York Real Estate” or “Lead Generation for Los Angeles Dental Clinics.”
5. Client or Audience Profile
Make a profile of your ideal audience, or, if your objective is to sell, a profile of your ideal client.
List down all of the qualities of your ideal audience. List down their names. Put a face to the names even.
Think about their lifestyles. What do they do as soon as they wake up? What time do they sleep? Do they have a family? What are their hobbies? Where do they go on vacations?
After creating a profile, list down their problems. Is it difficult for them to wake up in the morning? Can they sleep well at night? Are they too busy to have a hobby? Is price range a concern for them?
6. Social Media Branding
Your Social Media Branding consists of your Visual Brand Guide and your Brand Voice.
The Visual Brand Guide includes the logo, color palette, display font, header font, body font, and mood board.
For example, blue with an understated summer theme is good for a seafood restaurant that wants to attract a laidback and moneyed clientele. Purple with a classic theme is perfect for a lawyer to establish credibility and trust.
Here’s the visual branding guide for my personal brand. I’m gloomy and brooding with a sense of humor, but also sweet and excitable (these are all descriptions I got from friends). I decided to choose blue for trust and orange for a bit of lighthearted fun.
Your Social Media Branding consists of your Visual Brand Guide and your Brand Voice. The Visual Brand Guide includes the logo, color palette, display font, header font, body font, and mood board. These are based on your specialization, niche, and client profile. It should also reflect your goals and objectives. For your color palette, you may check out color psychology and pick what resonates. For example, blue with an understated summer theme is good for a seafood restaurant that wants to at
After creating your visual guide, you need to establish your Brand Voice.
Your brand voice is your brand’s values and point of view. It’s the way that you communicate. It’s the way you present your ideas. It’s not limited to the tone and words used but also includes your whole personality.
7. Content Strategy
Always post with your ideal audience or client in mind.
If you want to gain their trust, show them empathy. If your ideal audience is stressed from working all day, you can ease their distress by making them laugh. If your purpose is to sell, post about a solution to your ideal client’s problems instead of outright selling. Wait for the right time to state your offer.
Research relevant keywords within your niche and specialization so you can appear in searches. Find out the best time to post. Experiment with which content format works best for your account. There is no single fool-proof content strategy. Test out what works for your account.
8. Content Creation
You can post content in different formats.
Instagram — photos, videos, reels (short-form video content), and stories
Facebook — you can post photos, videos, reels, text, and stories
TikTok — short-form videos and stories too
Twitter — short text, photos, and videos
Linkedin — like Facebook but work and business oriented
YouTube — long-form videos and short-form videos on YouTube Shorts
Pinterest — tall images that can link to your website or other social media accounts and short-form videos called Idea Pins
Stories are short-form photo, video, and text-sharing feature that appears for 24 hours only. It can be found by clicking on your profile picture.
