Setting up a successful social media strategy

We understand all too well that the busyness of everyday life often puts posting social media content on the back burner. But by posting a message sporadically on your social media channels, you often do not achieve the desired results. That is precisely why a social media strategy essential for both large and small businesses. Interesting content Spreading social in a structured and consistent way through well-chosen channels is the way to go to increase brand awareness, effectively reach your target audience, build an engaged community and boost sales. By taking a strategic approach, social becomes part of your daily activities and gets the priority it deserves.

A successful social strategy in 5 steps

1. Objectives

Creating a social strategy from scratch can be overwhelming. The first step in creating a good strategy is to set/establish your goals. Without goals, you have no reference to check if
your efforts produced the desired results and whether there is a return on investment. These goals can be very diverse, such as: increased brand awareness, more website visitors, better customer service....

Always describe your objectives using the SMART principle: specific, measurable, acceptable, realistic and time-bound.

"We will use Twitter for customer service and we want to reduce our average response time to less than two hours by the end of the quarter."

2. Determine the right social media channels for your business

Immediately starting with all social media channels is tempting, but in most cases not that smart. Each social media platform has its own advantages and disadvantages so you need to be selective and critical when choosing your channels.

Start with a small number of channels that really fit your brand/company. Where can you reach your target audience? By starting with a small selection, you save a lot of time and can pay extra attention to them.

3. Look for your tone of voice

A company's tone of voice can be thought of as a company's personality - it's how you speak to your audience. And it can vary from platform to platform.

You determine the voice by looking at your company: what do you want to radiate and how is that reflected in your writing style? The tone is determined by the target group you are writing for at that moment and for which platform you are creating a text. For example, the tone of a post on LinkedIn is probably different (more formal) than your tone on Instagram.
But both have the same premise: the voice of your business.

Tip: If you're having trouble defining your tone, think about your brand's values and mission. Are you formal and serious, or more relatable and friendly? If you know what your company stands for, it's already easier to set a tone of voice.

4. Define your content.

If you are starting from scratch and you are not sure what kind of content to post, try the 80-20 rule:
80% of your messages should inform, educate or entertain your audience
20% of your content can be aimed directly at promoting your brand

Look for themes that provide a connection, and that indirectly link to what you have to offer. Get inspiration from what the competition is doing, for example.

Draw up a content plan

A content calendar describes what content will be distributed when and on what channels. It is the perfect place to plan all your social media activities, from images and link sharing to blog posts and videos.

Tip: Once your content calendar is finalized, use a scheduling tool to schedule posts in advance to ensure they are posted and published at the right times.

 5. Measure and adjust

Things like the number of followers and likes are easy to track, but it is difficult to put a real value on them.
Instead, look at things like engagement, click-through and conversion rates. Social media goals should always align with your overall marketing objectives.

It may also be more interesting to track different goals for different channels. For example, if you're using LinkedIn to drive traffic to your website, it's interesting to look at the
look at click-through rates. If you want to use Instagram for brand awareness, you could track the number of views of Instagram stories. And if you're advertising on Facebook, cost-per-click (CPC) is a common measure of success.