How to Develop a Social Media Strategy in 2023

 
 
 

How to Develop a Social Media Strategy in 2023

In 2023, social media is a necessity for every successful business. 78% of consumers are more likely to purchase if they’ve had a positive experience with your social media.

Social media can help build trust in your business and make you more relatable. This helps to increase your business growth.

 

WHAT IS SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY? 

A social media strategy includes understanding your target audience and what appeals to them. From there, you’ll figure out what to post, when to post it and how often to post. Your strategy should have set goals and have actionable steps to reach them.

HOW TO GET STARTED?

Your first step should be to find your purpose. To do this, ask yourself these 5 questions;

  1. What is your social media identity?
    For example, you might want to come across as that relatable ‘best friend’. Or maybe you want to be ‘the expert’, who can educate your audience on a topic.

  2. Who is your target audience?
    Let’s expand on the ‘expert’ example. Maybe you’re the ‘expert’ on healthier food for pets. Is your target audience the average pet-owner? Veterinarians? Large dog-breed owners? Understanding that will drive what your content should be. 

  3. What type of content will you post? 

Videos? Images? Reels? Carousel posts? The media you choose may appeal to different demographics.

For example, Gen Z are more inclined toward short videos, whereas older demographics generally prefer images with longer captions. 

4. When are you going to post? 

Timing can play a big part in how much your content is seen. If you have an existing account, check your analytics to see when your followers are most active. There’s a lot of debate on how much you should actually be posting. Test out different frequencies and find what works best with your audience. 

5. Where are you going to post?
Different platforms work better for different brands and different target audiences. For example, older age groups are most active on Facebook and LinkedIn, whereas younger demographics opt for Instagram and TikTok. 

WHAT SHOULD I POST? 

You want to make content that stays true to your brand. 

A good strategy usually includes having a variety of different purposes behind your content. We refer to this as the three content ‘pillars’. 

The first is educational. You want to provide some content that is valuable to your audience, giving them a reason to follow you and continue to stay engaged. For example, an eco-friendly clothing company may post educational images or videos about sustainability. 

The second is promotional. Showing your product or service and how your audience will benefit from it.

The third is entertaining. People are on social media to be entertained. Provide them with content that engages them within a few seconds and is enjoyable to watch till the end. 

HOW DO I KNOW MY STRATEGY IS WORKING? 

When you begin your social media strategy, we suggest testing out different ideas to see what works for you. Then, check your analytics tab which is a built in feature of most social media platforms, and see what has been performing well. The rule of thumb is to review your performance each month. 

Some key insights to check… 

  1. Followers
    Are they going up or down?

  2. Engagement
    Are people liking, commenting, sharing, etc?

  3. Best performing content?
    Which pieces of content have the highest engagement rates? 

IN SUMMARY

A good social media strategy grows brand awareness and therefore helps you achieve business growth. At Swiirl, we’ve been helping brands develop effective strategies for years. We’d love to help you create yours and get closer to your business goals.

 
 
annelise beard