It’s no joke that social media platforms are more popular than ever. According to research, there will be 5.17 billion social media users worldwide by 2026, proving how widespread social media is. 

Why shouldn’t businesses consider it the same when everybody uses it? In fact, do you know that social media marketing is one of the best digital marketing campaigns?

Like any other marketing campaign, social media marketing involves strategies, one of the most important of which is content strategy.

A successful content strategy can turn your brand into a household name and your followers into fans. When you start uploading quality content, you can make your brand more presentable and professional.

In this article, I will discuss some unique steps to create a social media content strategy. I will share some excellent tips and tricks to ensure the success of your social media content strategy. So, don’t forget to read this article to the end. 

How to create a Social Content Strategy?

Now that I’ve covered the introduction part, it’s time to discuss the primary area of this article. But you may ask, why do you need to create a content strategy for social media? Why can’t you just write and post content without any worries?

Well, if you follow that method, your social media marketing strategy will be dommed within a few weeks or months. Just like website content marketing, you need to create and follow a proven strategy for social media content. 

1. Set clear goals

The first step towards creating a long-term social media strategy is setting clear goals. The clearer the goals will be, the better you can plan the content you want to post.

For example, say your goal is to spread brand awareness or increase sales. To measure success, you need to set Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).

Your KPIs for brand awareness would be follower count and reach. If you want to increase sales, your KPIs would be click-through rates and conversion rates.

Keeping a close eye on KPIs over time will clearly show how you progress towards your goals. The KPIs will also let you know which social media posts work best for your brand and which posts need improvement. 

Depending on the insights from the KPI, you can improve your social media content strategy. However, remember that KPIs will be different for different brands. So, make sure you’re not copying your competitors. 

2. Research target audience 

Before creating content, you need to understand who you’re dealing with. Because the topics you focus on and the messaging you use will depend on the needs of your target audience.

I have seen many businesses overlook the importance of audience research. Thus, they fail to leverage the full benefits of their social media marketing campaigns. In fact, forgetting competitor research is a common social media content strategy mistake you must avoid. 

Therefore, you will need to do audience research to learn about your audience’s characteristics. But why have I been emphasizing audience research so much?

Simply put – it can break or make your content strategy. Researching them will help you know which content types they like and which posts on social media they are more engaged with. This way, you can prevent writing on irrelevant content topics.  

Start by researching basic things like demographics. Then, gather insights on how your audience talks about your brand, products, and industry. This will help you paint a clearer picture of your target audience.

If you’re facing problems, you can use social media marketing tools. These tools will prove highly beneficial for researching your target audience. 

3. Analyze competitors

To discover how your social media content strategy is performing, you need to look at your own data and your competitors’ data. You can also get some inspiration from your competitors’ content.

You can analyze your competitors’ profiles by analyzing how active your competitors are on social media platforms. Which platforms are they most active on? What types of content do they publish? Which time are they most active?

A competitor analysis tool can help automate and simplify the process. You can gather valuable insights like growth rate, engagement rate, and top content.

Sometimes, even after analyzing competitors, you won’t get relevant insights. In such cases, ensure you’re not focusing only on their social media content strategy. Try to broaden your research, and you will discover various hidden insights. 

4. Choosing the right platform

Choose the right social media platform based on insights from audience research and competitor analysis. Select the right type of content that will perform well on each platform.

This is because a specific platform is suitable for specific types of content. For example, LinkedIn is more about uploading professional and meaningful content. On the other hand, your language can become more formal when uploading content on Instagram. 

If you mix these two, your target audience won’t like it. This is primarily because different types of audiences exist on different social media platforms. In short, you must understand the context of social testing.

Let’s look at each platform so you can precisely choose the right one.

  • Facebook: Facebook is one of the most popular platforms. It is suitable for both B2B and B2C companies. One of Facebook’s biggest strengths is its ability to target specific audiences through paid campaigns and advertisements.
  • Instagram: Today, some of the best businesses use Instagram in their marketing strategy to reach new audiences or engage with existing audiences. They make engaging content, run campaigns, and partner with influencers.
  • X (Formerly Twitter): On average, 1.3 billion accounts have been created, and 500 million people visit X without logging in. So, it’s worth the investment when it comes to using it for business.
  • Pinterest: Pinterest is famous across eCommerce businesses. It is suitable for brands whose customers do a lot of planning before purchasing.
  • YouTube: YouTube is the world’s second-biggest search engine, which is good for many businesses. Currently, YouTube has more than 2.49 billion users worldwide, with 122 million daily visitors. Users upload more than 500 hours of videos every minute.
  • LinkedIn: LinkedIn is a great choice for B2B companies. It allows employees and the brand to show other relevant professionals that they are thought leaders.
  • TikTok: TikTok is the world’s most downloaded app. It exploded in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic and is still going strong.

As you can see, these platforms are highly effective at promoting your business and brand offerings. You just need to create the perfect strategy per the social media platform you choose. 

5. Build a social media content plan

The next step is determining which content you will post to reach as much of your audience as possible. You need to explore different types of content ideas. 

So, the question is, which type of content would be best to post? We have already mentioned that short-form videos for social media are the best.

But when choosing the best type of content, think with your buyer’s perspective, what they want to see and engage with.

Moreover, people want to see authentic, non-promotional content that promotes transparency in business practices and values.

Whatever you do, just keep things fresh all the time. Content should not be repetitive because it can drive away the audience. Keep your content rolling every time.

Here are a few content ideas:

  • Leverage user-generated content
  • Partner with influencers
  • Feature employees in your posts
  • Catch the trends ( as long as they fit your brand)
  • Host giveaways and contests
  • Host live streams to engage with your audience
  • Create polls or quizzes in posts or stories

The best way to discover the best content formats is to dig into data and see which types of posts are performing well. A social media analytics tool makes this easy.

6. Create a content calendar

Once you have identified which content performs the best, it’s time to create a content calendar. It’s one of the most popular content strategies you must know. 

A social media calendar will help you see the big picture of your content plan, visualize ideas, organize content, and execute content strategy easily.

Your social media content calendar will be the hub of your content strategy. When planning content, don’t hesitate to repurpose it and schedule it across different social media platforms.

When you create a perfect content calendar, you can dedicate what to post and when to post. Look closely at data to see which content performed the best on certain platforms. This will help you maintain a consistent social media content strategy. 

The content calendar also makes working with different people across the company easier. It promotes cross-team collaboration to build a perfect plan. Moreover, you will know whether you need to upload content on new topics or revamp the old ones. 

7. Develop a plan to boost engagement

You are more likely to engage with more people when you start meaningful conversations on social media. Otherwise, your brand turns into a casual observer.

Practice proactive engagement strategies. According to data, 85% of consumers want to be proactively reached online.

Social media content strategy is a prime opportunity for brands to engage with their audience daily. As the audience likes, comments on, and shares the content, you will have a thorough idea of their preferences. You can also engage with them in the comment section, giving them a touch of personality. 

Moreover, conservation requires input from both sides and social media is no different. Responding to comments, shares, and direct messages on social media makes your audience feel valuable.

8. Create and publish content

After all the planning and preparations, you’re ready to publish content. However, when you create a strategy, you must remember it’s more than hitting the “Publish” button.

A good strategy involves finding ways to effectively publish content to maximize reach and brand awareness. You cannot just publish your content randomly and expect your audiences to engage quickly. 

I have seen many marketers make this mistake in their social media content strategy. They publish their content as soon as they are done proofreading it, regardless of the time. You must avoid making this same mistake. 

This is where the content calendar comes into the picture again. You can schedule your content for a specific time, and it will be uploaded automatically. I recommend uploading how-to and promotional content once a week and informative content thrice a week. 

9. Pre-schedule your content

As mentioned above, you cannot randomly upload your content. You need to schedule them at a specific time and day. This approach will optimize your content creation strategy. 

Pre-scheduling is a no-brainer especially when your audience is most active. Pre-scheduling lets you schedule your content in advance to publish it at most appropriate times.

This way, you can increase reach and engagement. Your audiences will know at which time your brand uploads content. Even if it doesn’t appear on their feed, they will manually search your brand name and then engage with your content. 

10. Get your audience to share your posts

Other people sharing your content is excellent proof of quality content and a successful content strategy. Your content strategy should include responding to audiences and reposting the shared content.

Motivate your audience to engage by asking questions and encouraging them to share their opinions. Leverage your company’s employees to spread the word. Employee advocacy is a great strategy for spreading brand awareness.

11. Utilize platform-specific features

Certain platforms have specific features that can maximize your reach. For example, platforms like X (Twitter) and Instagram have hashtags that can be used to increase reach.

Hashtags allow your followers to see your content and all people who follow a certain hashtag or trend.

On LinkedIn and Facebook, join groups related to your industry and share relevant content according to the conversation.

However, don’t forget to measure the results. Even though this is the last step of an effective social media content strategy, proper tracking is crucial for long-term results.

Analyzing social media metrics will help you tweak and improve your strategy over time. Track how your content is performing and the variables affecting it.

Ready to create a Social Media Content Strategy?

Creating a social media content strategy might seem like a lot of work, but it’s worth every effort. Setting clear goals and understanding your audience will help you with social media management. 

Research your competitors, choose the right platforms, and make a content plan that keeps things fresh and engaging. With social media scheduling tools, you can stay organized. Pre-schedule posts to make the most of your time.

Remember to encourage engagement and always monitor your results. With a well-thought-out strategy, you’ll connect with your audience, boost your visibility, and see real results.

Frequently Asked Questions

A social media content strategy is a carefully planned approach to creating and distributing content on social media platforms. It outlines the goals, target audience, messaging, and tactics that will be used to achieve specific business objectives.

Social media content pillars are the foundational themes or topics that guide your content creation. They help you stay consistent, relevant, and focused on your overall social media goals.

A social media content roadmap is a strategic plan that outlines the content you will create and distribute on social media platforms. It serves as a guide to ensure your content is consistent, relevant, and aligned with your overall social media goals.