Creating a Social Media Strategy That Delivers Real Results 

Social media marketing is one of the most powerful tools in your digital arsenal. With the global population at 8.2 billion people, and 5.2 billion of those being active social media users, the business potential is obvious. But so is the overwhelm. Without a tight social game plan, it’s easy to burn through time and resources just trying to stay visible, let alone get ahead. In this blog, we’re taking a dive into how to create a social media strategy that delivers real results. 

Why most social media strategies fail (and how to fix yours) 

“Just post regularly” is not a successful social media strategy – although plenty of businesses still treat it like one. Your feed might look active, but it won’t deliver the results you want. There are lots of facets to a campaign but here are some of the most common reasons why social media strategies fail:   

1. Lack of clear goals: Every social media strategy needs objectives. Without defined outcomes, like increased conversions or brand awareness, you can’t create the right content or measure how well campaigns perform. 
2. Not understanding your platforms: different platforms appeal to different demographics and use a range of formats. It’s pointless spending time posting videos on TikTok when your clients are scrolling for articles on LinkedIn. 
3. Inconsistent and low-quality content: “Content is king” still holds true. Quality and consistency are key. If your posts are sporadic, off-message, or low-value you won’t just fail to connect – it could damage your brand.  
4. Poor engagement: Social media is a two-way conversation. If you don’t consistently interact with your audience, your brand could come across as distant and unapproachable.  
5. Weak Performance Tracking: If you fail to monitor results effectively, you can’t see what’s resonating, refine your strategy or gather the data you need to make wider marketing decisions. 

Once you know where the booby traps lie, you can navigate social media with confidence and efficiency. Now let’s shift the focus from avoiding mistakes to building a stronger social media strategy.  

How to define goals and choose the right platforms 

Defining your goals: This is where you need to get specific. A vague “We need to increase lead generation,” is a vastly different proposition than, “We need to get 50 new leads per month from Facebook”.  

There are several methodologies you could use to tighten up your social strategy: 

• SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant & Time-bound) 
• FAST (Frequently discussed, Ambitious, Specific & Transparent) 
• PACT (Purposeful, Actionable, Continuous, Trackable) 
• WISH (Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, Plan) 

Or devise your own. It doesn’t matter which system you choose as long as it helps you stay focussed, accountable and on target. 

Choosing the right social media platforms: It pays to be picky. You don’t need to be everywhere or to spread yourself too thinly. Choose the channels where your core audience hangs out and that suit the type of business you run. Algorithms change and consumer trends shift but here’s how the main platforms generally break down: 

• Instagram is great for visual brands and products, like lifestyle, fashion, and food  
• LinkedIn is for B2B companies and professionals 
• Facebook is the place for local businesses, community engagement and events 
• TikTok is huge with younger audiences who engage with short form content 

Most businesses have audiences and offerings that straddle multiple platforms. The key is to research where you can make the most impact and concentrate your efforts there. 

Crafting a content plan that resonates with your audience 

Now you’ve organised your plan and your platforms, you can get to work on the content. Understanding your audience demographics, what they care about and how you can solve their problems are crucial elements of a good social media content strategy. It’s also important to: 

• Keep your branding consistent: from your tone to your templates, it’s good to keep the customer experience cohesive and on-message. 
• Categorise your content: variety is the spice of life. A mix of content – educational, promotional, entertaining, inspirational – will keep things fresh and stops you coming across as overly salesy. 
• Be flexible: leave some wiggle room to tap into trends and add reactive content. 
• Create a calendar: a useful way to ensure an even spread of topics, stick to a schedule, and get a clearer visual of your overall content plan. 

Scheduling, engagement, and performance tracking tips

Scheduling

Posting regularly shows you are reliable, consistent, and invested in encouraging ongoing dialogue with your customers – all of which boost engagement and brand recognition.  

There are scheduling tools to help – like Buffer, Hootsuite, Sprout Social and Social Pilot. They can save you time and stress, as well as help you plan ahead and create more well-thought-out content instead of constantly posting on the fly. 

Engagement 

It’s called social media for a reason. Keep things conversational and create content that makes people want to interact with your brand. Reply to comments, thank followers for reviews, ask questions, conduct surveys, and give customers content that makes them feel like to you care about the same things that they do. 

Performance tracking 

Each platform will give you native insights and scheduling tools also offer useful metrics to track your social media performance. So, keep an eye on Google Analytics for website traffic to and from your socials, follower counts, engagement rates, click-throughs, and conversions.  

Adapting your strategy based on data and trends 

Don’t expect your efforts to be perfect from the get-go. A strong social media strategy always incudes refining and improvement in the process. If you let the metrics guide you, that’s where the magic happens. So, check in regularly to determine: 

• Which types of content perform best? 
• What days and times are your customers most active or likely to engage? 
• Are there any recent social media trends on Insta, LinkedIn etc. that might resonate with your audience? 
• Are your goals and content aligned? 
• What are your competitors posting? 
• What feedback are you getting? 

Keep your strategy flexible and adaptable so you can make the most of opportunities and ride the changes with ease. 

Key takeaways for creating a social media strategy that gets real results 

• Set clear goals 
• Choose the right platforms 
• Create content that speaks to people 
• Post consistently, engage regularly and track continuously 

Need a hand to level up your social media marketing? Our Web Adept strategists can help you with everything from full social media management and crafting successful social media ad campaigns to bespoke consultancy and training.  

Contact us for a no obligation chat today and let’s get your socials working smarter not harder.  

Categories