Many businesses worldwide will be facing a new road in 2023, despite all the uncertainty. As companies redesigned their social media strategy, it was an almost instant fight-or-flight situation.

Strategies that were successful in 2022 would not work in the new year. 2022 placed social media strategies at top of the business agenda, with brick-and-mortar shops being forced to close their doors in order to rely heavily upon the digital landscape.

It quickly became a matter of necessity and not clinical or defined research.

The market was flooded with social media campaigns. What else could businesses do? Problem was, many companies ran Social Media Campaigns because their competitors were doing it.

While it is nice to be present on social media, it is essential that you do so in today’s digital world. It’s not enough just to be online and hope for the best.

A social media strategy that is based on results is essential.

Before we bore you with more information, let’s get to the core elements and considerations of creating a social media strategy that delivers legitimate results.

The three “W”s

Why?

Are you trying to promote yourself on social media? Do you want brand exposure Are you looking for a service or product that people will buy? Are you looking to increase traffic or generate leads through your accounts? You must understand the “why” before you do anything.

The second is the What.

These will in many cases be influenced by the “Why” but this is not always true. You may be able to operate in many industries and offer different products and services depending on the nature of your business. Think about the ‘what’, and be realistic with what you can do. It is better to be focused on a few key things and do them well than trying to tick all the boxes. This can lead to a scattered approach that leaves little or no room for improvement.

You may have finally guessed it: it’s the Who.

It’s not a British rock band. It is the target audience that you want to reach with your amazing social media strategy. You should know who your target audience is inside and out. This will allow you to create content they will love and share. You can turn your followers into customers by getting to know your audience better.

Set specific, measurable and achievable goals

Next, you need to plan exactly what you want from your social media strategy. This is where it’s important to be realistic with yourself. These are some things to keep in mind:

  • BE SPECIFIC — Everything, from the process to the audience and the outcomes.
  • MAKE THEM MEASURABLE – easy enough to analyze. It is important to be able to track and compare data over time.
  • TIME SENSITIVE is a must. You must have a starting and an ending date. Your goals should be within your team’s capabilities.

If all this sounds confusing, consider “Let’s create three blog posts targeting the industry with these topics in six weeks to increase website visitors by 20%.” It is specific, measurable, and achievable over a certain time period.

Compare what your competitors do

You can learn from the wins and losses of other Brisbane businesses to make your own. You can access all this information publicly so why not??

Choose a few companies you believe will give tangible evidence to guide your social media strategy. Here are some things to think about:

  • What are they writing? Blogs, product comparisons, thought leadership?
  • How do they develop their content? What is the tone, messaging, and advice?

Keep in mind that no one likes a copycat, and you must be true to your core values.

Find your top platform

This is an easy decision. Look at all metrics on the various social media platforms that you use and decide which basket to place your eggs. The platform you choose should reflect your main goals at the start of planning.

Create a content calendar and pipeline

We all know how fast things can change, and the impact that power disruptions can have on your business’ day-to-day operations. A stockpile of content is your insurance policy for social media.

A calendar can also help you strategize how to leverage your pipeline to capitalize on specific days or events that offer unique content.

You should be able to make adjustments as needed

Social media is an ever-evolving world. Everyone is zigging one day, the next they are zagging. This is important to be able to adapt your strategy to change as needed. You will learn what works over time, but sometimes a trend will pop up that requires you to be flexible.

Data, data and more data

Right? Data is your business’s most important currency. Without data-driven metrics that help you evaluate your strategy, no social media strategy can be successful. You should consider the following metrics:

  • REACH This is the number of followers who see your content.
  • CLICKS – The number of times that a user clicks on the content.
  • ENGAGEMENT – The total number and impressions divided by the interactions.
  • HASHTAGS: Which hashtags work best?

In today’s digital market, it is essential to create the right social media strategy many businesses can use. This requires careful planning and a little creativity.

Remember, it’s not worth doing it just because your competitors do it. You’ll be pleased with the results if you make it outcome-focused.