Organizations and institutions of all types are feeling the pressure to have a social presence. It’s an easy, affordable way to advertise and grow your following, right? A planned approach to social can certainly elevate awareness of your brand, business or product; on the other hand, making a social media account without a plan in mind can lead to lots of hours logged in without much profit coming back.
To avoid disaster, here are three vital reasons to develop a strategy before stepping into the social media game:
1. Social strategies ensure social media works for you, not the other way around.
In the early eras of social media, back when it was just the basics of Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, the platforms were far less saturated, making it easier for posts to be seen. Now, with nearly 2.5 billion users on Facebook and 1 billion on Instagram, to name two among the dozens of popular platforms, that’s not the case. A plan is necessary to compete with all the voices vying for your audience’s attention. This is true not merely because of the sheer amount of competition out there, but because social media gets more intelligent each year in how it hides and boosts its content.
Facebook, which now owns Instagram, changes its algorithm frequently. For users, this means that the same strategy implemented in 2019, for instance, may not be as successful in 2020 if not updated. Unlike in the early days, these platforms now operate on a “pay to play” model, so the interaction isn’t designed to support organic growth. Of course, one can still expand their presence without putting money behind boosting, but that requires a strict strategy.
2. Social strategies allow you to measure success.
While posting here and there from your phone on a whim may curate some attention, such sporadic uploading and tracking makes it difficult to assess what’s working. The creation of a social strategy involves goal setting. Social media success can be defined differently by every user. For example, a small business of five individuals starting with no followers might set the modest goal of gaining 200 followers in six months by posting four times a week with 10 likes on average per post. Whatever numbers work for you, setting goals in a strategy provides a frame of reference to see which tactics are successful.
3. A smart social strategy will determine which team members work on each task.
Some companies and organizations can staff an entire social media department, and this can be effective, though it isn’t always practical elsewhere. The posting, comment monitoring, replying and tracking can quickly become overwhelming and out-of-hand if not delegated individually ahead of time. A social strategy ensures no task - great or small - falls through the cracks.
Social media can be an excellent tool when well-utilized. The sure-fire way to stay on track with your social goals and make it work for you is to sit down with your team, discuss goals, create a strategy, and, most importantly, stick to it.