Top 10 steps to a successful Social Media Strategy (that helps your business grow) – pt.2

If piecing together a successful social media strategy feels you with dread – where do you even start? Then you’re in luck! We’ve called upon the expertise of marketeer Sumaia Free to share a user-friendly top 10 guide to a successful social media strategy that helps your business grow.

We’ve split this guide into a three-part weekly series to help it all sink in – stay with us! Part two: Know Your Audience, Competitor Research, Leverage the best platforms for your business, Increase engagement, Improve brand reputation, Think about your content banks… read on for more!

2. Know your audience

Take a deep dive into your data. Think about who your customers are and also the potential audiences that you should target. Create personas for your key audience groups and think about what appeals to them. How old are they? Are they male or female? Where do they live? What other brands do they engage with? Once you understand this you can paint a picture of your audience and create a strategy tailored to suit them.

3. Competitor research

Who are your key competitors? What are they doing well and where are there gaps in their strategy? Do an audit of their social channels and look at which posts drive the most engagement and which posts flop? Use them as a social listening tool to see what your target audience are looking for and work this into your own strategy.

4. Leverage the best platforms for your business

Once you know your audience and have an idea of what they are looking for, think about what platforms they use. While it’s good to create an omni channel approach, it’s best to prioritise the platforms which your audience use most. TikTok for example has a predominately Gen Z audience so if you are targeting older demographics, this channel may not be for you.

5. Think about your content banks

What are your key messages? Try to break these into 4 or more categories to avoid your
content being repetitive. Once you know what content you want to share, make sure you have pictures, videos, graphics and blogs on hand so you can plan your content in advance and schedule your posts so they are cohesive.

Stay tuned for the the final pt.3 where Sumaia shares insight into Keywords and hashtags, Encourage conversation, Video is King, Outreach, Measure and monitor.

Share your thoughts in the comment box below!