OREANDA-NEWS. November 10, 2015. “Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning, and focused effort.” - Paul J. Meyer

Creating and executing a successful social media strategy takes effort. It can be a little daunting starting from the beginning, but I’ve laid out a few steps (complete with thought-provoking questions) to help you get the ball rolling! Whether you’re just starting out on social media or giving your current strategy a refresh, these will help you form a plan and set you up for success:

1. Determine your audience.

This is Marketing 101 and you probably already know this info. Who is your audience? What are their demographics? This will be the foundation of your strategy.

2. Decide on channels.

Based off your target audience, determine the appropriate channels to reach them! Every channel has a unique audience and unique purpose. For example, if your target market is professionals and you have content geared towards business advice, focus on LinkedIn. If you have a younger audience that responds well to visuals, focus on Instagram. Don’t use the same strategy for every channel! Also, don’t try to be on every channel at once. It’s better to get started and do great on a few platforms, than to do poorly on all of them.

3. Come up with a posting strategy.

How often will you post to each channel? What days? What time of day? What type of content? What’s the tone of your voice? Much of this will depend on your audience. Try testing different times of day, weekends, and different content types to find the right mix!

4. Create an execution plan.

Who will be in charge of running social media? What tools will allow them to effectively do their job? Tip: Social Studio allows you to schedule posts, monitor conversations, and create reports!