If you’re tired of posting without knowing why, here’s how to create a social media strategy: set goals, know your audience, pick platforms, plan content, then measure and adjust. A short, repeatable process gets you there.
This guide sits inside the wider topic of social media marketing, so read that overview if you want the bigger picture first.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Steps in Loomly’s strategy guide | 10 steps |
| Neal Schaffer’s content strategy framework | 4 phases, 18 steps |
| Marketers who say social media delivers measurable ROI | 71% |
| Consumers who discover new businesses via social media | 58% |
| Average brand posts per day across networks | 9.5 posts |
| Suggested content mix (value / curated / promotional) | 70/20/10 |
These figures come from Loomly’s strategy guide and Neal Schaffer’s content strategy guide. They can change, so check the source before you rely on them.
What is a social media strategy?
A social media strategy is a document that outlines your overall presence: the goals you set, the platforms you plan to use, the people you want to reach and the content that suits them, as Loomly’s guide describes it. The same guide puts it bluntly: just posting to post is not a social media strategy.
It helps to separate a strategy from a plan. A social media plan focuses on content planning, such as your calendar, publishing cadence and content ideas, while a strategy places that plan inside a framework that also defines your audience, competitive angle and KPIs.
The payoff is not only tidiness. Neal Schaffer’s guide reports that 71% of marketers say social media delivers measurable ROI, up from 63%, and that 58% of consumers discover new businesses via social media. It also notes that brands published an average of 9.5 posts per day across networks, so random posting has a lot of noise to cut through.
Loomly lists several practical reasons a written strategy earns its keep:
- It aligns your social presence with larger marketing and business goals.
- It defines what, when and where you post, so you waste less time.
- It shows how to measure performance, so you can keep improving.
- It keeps everyone on the same page, even when new hires join.
- It helps you explain your work to bosses and stakeholders.
Lay the foundation: audit, goals and audience
If you already post, begin by looking at what exists. Running a social media audit shows you what is in place, what is working and what needs improving, whether you are building a strategy for the first time or changing an existing one. Gather your logins, compile everything in a spreadsheet, and note any earlier goals and KPIs so you can check whether you hit them. If you are starting from scratch, skip the audit and go straight to goal-setting.
Next, decide what success looks like. A common method is to write SMART goals: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. Vague aims such as “get more followers” do not tell you what to do on Monday morning.
Keep goals connected to the business. GoDaddy’s small-business guide advises avoiding intangible goals such as going viral, and goals based on vanity metrics such as likes. It adds that with a small budget, you may do better focusing on campaigns aimed at directly boosting sales.
Then pick your KPIs. Schaffer’s guide advises tracking KPIs aligned to specific goals, because vanity metrics without context tell you nothing useful.
Finally, define who you are trying to reach. Customer personas are an idealized version of your customers, with each persona representing a different type of customer. Good personas cover how people like to consume information, what interests them and which platforms they are likely to use.
Study competitors and choose your platforms
Competitor research answers three questions: how are rivals using social media, what can you learn from them, and how can you set yourself apart. GoDaddy’s example is a freelance web designer who competes with large agencies and decides to emphasise a personal touch.
You can also do some of this research yourself. On a rival’s Facebook page, the “page transparency” section lets you see whether the page is running ads, and its ads library lets you explore ads past and present.
Platform choice should follow your audience rather than habit. CareerFoundry notes that other sites such as LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest, Reddit and TikTok have large and growing audiences that cater to more specific interests. A narrower platform can be a better fit than the biggest one if that is where your personas spend time.
A simple way to shortlist channels:
- List where your personas already spend time.
- Check which of those platforms your competitors use well, and which they ignore.
- Match each platform to a goal, such as awareness or sales.
- Start with the few you can maintain properly rather than all of them.
Plan your content, voice and resources
Consistency matters. CareerFoundry says a strategy ensures consistency of voice and tone across all channels, which supports trust with users. GoDaddy’s advice is to decide on your style and tone of voice and make only minor tweaks for different audiences.
For deciding what to post, Schaffer suggests a content mix rule of 70/20/10:
- 70% value-driven content.
- 20% curated or shared content.
- 10% promotional content.
Once your themes are clear, turn them into a social media content calendar so you know what goes out, when and where.
Allocate time and budget
Resources are the part many plans skip. Schaffer’s guide recommends the 50/30/20 resource allocation rule to prioritize your highest-impact social channels while still experimenting. Whatever split you choose, write down who does the work and what tools or budget they have.
Document, launch and review
Put everything in writing. A documented strategy lets everyone know what to do, even when new people join, and gives you something clear to present for approval. Loomly’s final step is to set up workflows to implement the strategy, so decide who drafts, who approves and who replies to comments.
Loomly’s full step list gives you a handy checklist:
- Take stock with a social media audit.
- Define your social media goals.
- Define your key performance indicators (KPIs).
- Identify your target audience.
- Research your competitors.
- Choose your social media platforms.
- Build a social media content calendar.
- Allocate resources and budget.
- Document your strategy.
- Set up workflows to implement your strategy.
Treat the document as living. Schaffer’s guide says to review and adapt monthly, since social media rewards agility over rigid adherence to outdated plans.
Frequently asked questions
Is a social media strategy the same as a content calendar?
Show answer
No. A content calendar belongs to the plan, which covers publishing cadence and content ideas. The strategy also defines your audience, competitive angle and KPIs.
Do I need an audit if I’m starting from scratch?
Show answer
Not necessarily. Loomly says that if you are starting your presence from scratch, you can skip the audit and move on to defining goals.
Which goals should I avoid?
Show answer
GoDaddy advises avoiding intangible goals such as going viral and goals built on vanity metrics such as likes. Tie goals to business results instead.
How often should I update my strategy?
Show answer
Neal Schaffer’s guide recommends reviewing and adapting monthly. Check results against your KPIs and adjust the plan rather than clinging to it.
