Building a Social Media Strategy That Actually Works

Social media is everywhere, but most businesses use it poorly. They post inconsistently, don't engage with their audience, and wonder why they're not seeing results.

A real social media strategy is different. It's intentional, measurable, and designed to achieve specific business goals.

Step 1: Define Your Business Objectives

Before posting anything, ask yourself: What does success look like?

Common social media goals include:

• Brand Awareness: Increase reach and visibility
• Lead Generation: Collect contact information
• Website Traffic: Drive clicks to your site
• Community Building: Create engagement and loyalty
• Customer Service: Support and assist customers
• Sales: Direct social commerce or product sales

You should have 1-3 primary goals. Trying to do everything means you do nothing well.

Step 2: Know Your Audience

Create detailed profiles of your ideal customer:

• Age, gender, location
• Pain points and challenges
• Where they spend time on social (TikTok vs. LinkedIn are very different)
• What content they engage with
• What problems you solve for them
• How they make purchasing decisions

Your content strategy flows directly from understanding your audience.

Step 3: Choose the Right Platforms

Not all platforms are right for all businesses. Consider:

• Instagram: Visual brands, lifestyle, fashion, food
• LinkedIn: B2B, professional services, recruitment
• TikTok: Younger audiences, creative/entertainment brands
• Facebook: Older audiences, local businesses, broad appeal
• Twitter/X: News, real-time updates, thought leadership
• YouTube: Long-form video content, tutorials, entertainment

Start with 1-2 platforms and do them well rather than 5 platforms done poorly.

Step 4: Create a Content Calendar

Consistency matters. Plan your content:

• Monthly themes or topics
• Weekly posting schedule
• Mix of content types (80% value, 20% sales)
• Key dates and promotional periods
• Content pillars (topics you regularly cover)

Use a tool like Monday.com, Asana, or even a spreadsheet to plan ahead.

Step 5: Follow the 80/20 Rule

Your content should be:

• 80% value: Educational, entertaining, inspiring content
• 20% promotional: Direct product or service promotion

People follow you for value, not to be sold to constantly.

Step 6: Engage, Don't Just Broadcast

Social media is two-way. You should:

• Respond to comments and messages quickly
• Ask questions to spark conversation
• Share and comment on other relevant content
• Start conversations about topics your audience cares about
• Build relationships, not just collect followers

Accounts that only broadcast see lower engagement and slower growth.

Step 7: Create Platform-Specific Content

Don't just copy-paste the same content across platforms. Adapt:

• Instagram: Visually stunning, caption with story
• LinkedIn: Professional, data-driven, industry insights
• TikTok: Authentic, entertaining, trending sounds
• Facebook: Community-focused, events, groups

Different platforms have different cultures.

Step 8: Measure What Matters

Track metrics that connect to your goals:

• Brand Awareness: Reach, impressions, mentions
• Engagement: Likes, comments, shares, saves
• Traffic: Clicks to website, website visitors from social
• Leads: Form submissions, email signups
• Sales: Revenue attributed to social

Use platform analytics and Google Analytics to track performance.

Step 9: Test and Iterate

What works changes over time. Test:

• Different posting times
• Different content formats
• Different messaging
• Different visuals
• Different hashtags

Track what performs best and do more of it.

The Social Media Strategy Template

Your strategy should document:

1. Goals: What are you trying to achieve?
2. Audience: Who are you talking to?
3. Platforms: Where are they?
4. Content Pillars: What topics will you cover?
5. Posting Schedule: When and how often?
6. Content Mix: What types of content?
7. Success Metrics: How will you measure success?
8. Team Responsibilities: Who's doing what?

Final Thoughts

Social media works best when it's strategic, not sporadic. Spend time planning, be consistent with posting, engage authentically, and measure your results.

The businesses winning on social media aren't doing anything magical—they're just doing the basics exceptionally well.