How to Create a Social Media Content Strategy in 8 Steps

A societal media contented strategy is simply a broad outline of really you should plan, create, publish, and negociate each your societal media content. So you tin amended link pinch your target assemblage and scope your goals.

Think of it arsenic a roadmap for your societal media journey.

Taking nan clip to create a contented strategy for societal media will guideline each your early societal media efforts. And thief you streamline your processes.

Let’s spell complete really to trade one.

Here’s really to build a societal media contented strategy successful 8 steps:

Social media goals request to align pinch your broader business and trading objectives. And intelligibly exemplify really your societal media activities will lend to them.

For example, immoderate communal societal media goals are:

• Increase marque consciousness by X% successful nan adjacent quarter
• Generate X% much leads complete nan adjacent year
• Get X% much postulation from societal media complete nan adjacent six months

Let’s opportunity your extremity is focused connected increasing marque awareness. Now, you tin find which cardinal capacity indicators (KPIs) to use.

KPIs are nan metrics you prime to measurement your advancement toward your circumstantial goals. 

While location are galore metrics related to marque consciousness you could look into, your social media KPIs for this extremity could be:

• Reach: How galore group spot your posts
• Follower count: How galore group travel your societal media account

Measuring these KPIs complete clip will intelligibly show really you’re progressing toward your extremity of expanding marque awareness.

We’ll spell complete really to measurement capacity utilizing your KPIs later. For now, let’s move connected to nan adjacent measurement successful nan process. 

2. Understand Your Audience

You request to cognize who you’re talking to earlier you tin commencement creating content. Because nan topics you attraction on, nan messaging you use, and much will dangle connected your target audience.

This intends you request to execute audience research to uncover your target audience’s characteristics.

To get started, spell to Semrush’s One2Target tool, participate your domain sanction (Nike, successful this example) and 4 competitor's domain names into nan abstraction provided.

Scroll done nan “Demographics” tab to spot accusation astir nan audience’s age, gender, and location. 

Then, spell to nan “Socioeconomics” tab to spot nan audience’s family size, income level, employment status, and acquisition level.

Next, spell to nan “Behavior” tab to spot nan audience’s interests, astir commonly utilized devices, and societal media preferences.

Use nan accusation you stitchery to create your target assemblage personas pinch Semrush’s free Buyer Persona Tool.

3. Conduct Competitor Research

Studying your rivals tin springiness you inspiration for your ain societal media content. And uncover areas wherever you tin amended aliases capable successful immoderate gaps.

To get started, spell to Semrush Social and click connected “Social Tracker” successful nan navigation paper to nan left.

Then, scroll down to spot nan “Comparison With Competitors” table. The array will show you 3 important information points:

• Audience: Your full assemblage and really it’s changed compared to competitors
• Activity: How often you station crossed channels compared to really often your competitors post
• Engagement: How your assemblage interacts pinch your posts crossed channels compared to your competitors

Next, get platform-specific competitor information. 

For example, nan “Engagement” tab for nan “X” (Twitter) report.

You tin now spot your engagement trend. And really you’re faring compared to your rivals.

Then, return a look astatine their contented to thief explicate immoderate cardinal differences you saw.

Make statement of nan insights you gain. So you tin usage it to pass nan remainder of your strategy.

Use your assemblage investigation (particularly accusation astir nan audience’s preferred platforms) and societal media competitor study accusation to understand which platforms to attraction on. And nan types of contented that execute well.

But see nan quality of each level arsenic well. Because location whitethorn beryllium untapped opportunities.

Let’s look astatine each level successful much item truthful you tin find which ones to prioritize:

Facebook

Facebook is 1 of nan most celebrated societal media platforms. And tin beryllium effective for some B2B and B2C businesses.

Here is an illustration of a B2C manner institution utilizing Facebook to stock accusation astir a caller merchandise line:

Instagram

Instagram is simply a celebrated level for B2C businesses that person entree to (or tin take) engaging photos. 

It isn’t utilized arsenic wide among B2B companies. But that doesn’t mean there’s nary opportunity. It depends connected your assemblage and your niche. 

X

X (formerly Twitter) tin beryllium useful for businesses that woody pinch a ample number of support and work inquiries. 

But it isn't for everyone owed to nan platform's fast-moving quality and roll-out of subscription charges.

Pinterest

Pinterest is simply a favourite amongst ecommerce retailers and owners of highly ocular businesses.

It’s peculiarly bully for brands whose customers do a batch of readying earlier making a purchase. Like those successful nan wedding, location decor, and recreation spaces.

YouTube

YouTube is nan world's second-largest hunt engine, truthful it’s a bully fresh for galore brands. 

But you request to consistently people engaging video content. Which not each businesses are prepared to do.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is cleanable for B2B businesses because it enables some labor and nan business itself to show applicable professionals that they’re thought leaders.

Which you tin spot successful this post:

TikTok

TikTok is 1 of nan most downloaded apps worldwide, meaning it tin thief you scope caller assemblage segments. 

But nan format and quality of nan contented aren't for everyone. It’s champion for lifestyle-focused B2C brands.

Next, it’s clip to scheme retired what kinds of contented you’ll create to springiness you nan champion chance of connecting pinch your audience.

Here’s really to build your contented plan:

Brainstorm Post Topics

Your topics must align pinch your business, audience, and societal media trading goals.

For example, it wouldn’t make consciousness for a high-end manner retailer to station astir canine food. Because nan taxable isn’t applicable to nan manufacture aliases audience.

One measurement to uncover applicable topics for your campaigns is toanalyze hashtags (e.g., #HighEndFashion)—the markers that shape conversations connected societal media to grow marque reach, link pinch an audience, and pat into societal media trends.

Look astatine your competitors’ posts to spot which ones they use. And past make a database of 10 aliases much applicable hashtags you could use.

For example, present are nan Instagram posts for nan taxable #HighEndFashion:

So posts that person “#HighEndFashion” successful their captions will look connected that page.

Look astatine nan apical posts to get moreover much ideas connected what group are talking about. And make statement of topics and station types that person precocious engagement and are applicable to your brand.

You tin besides usage Topic Research to thief you brainstorm ideas.

Just participate a wide taxable and your location into nan instrumentality to get tons of ideas for different subtopics.

Click nan toggle adjacent to “Trending subtopics first” to place topics that are quickly increasing successful popularity.

Focusing connected these topics gives you nan opportunity to participate successful timely conversations.

Decide connected Post Types

Some post types resonate amended pinch definite target audiences. And activity amended for definite industries.

For example, thought activity contented connected LinkedIn is amended for nan B2B space. While user-generated contented (UGC) connected Instagram useful good for B2C companies that waste a product. 

Depending connected your niche, audience, and platforms, present are immoderate station types that you mightiness want to see successful your contented strategy:

• User-generated content
• Carousel posts
• Videos
• Live streams
• Reviews
• Informative merchandise posts
• Questions

Decide connected which topics activity champion for which station type. 

Creating a social media calendar gives you a spot to laic retired each nan contented you’ve conscionable brainstormed and support everyone connected nan aforesaid page. Plus, it makes it easier to support a accordant posting schedule. 

Your posting wave will disagree depending connected nan size of your business, your niche, your audience, and your societal media goals.

To find retired nan champion times to post, spell backmost to Social Tracker. And return a look astatine nan “Activity” tab crossed platforms.

You’ll beryllium capable to spot erstwhile your competitors station compared to you. And really assemblage engagement differs.

This will thief you scheme nan astir impactful times to station your societal media content. 

There are galore devices disposable to create a societal contented calendar. But our favourite is nan classical spreadsheet.

List retired nan station types you want to create connected a play basis. And nan times you want to station them.

Like this:

Now you cognize what you’re posting and when.

6. Create an Engagement Plan

You’re much apt to link pinch your assemblage if you actively participate successful conversations. Otherwise, your marque becomes a casual perceiver astatine best. 

So, inquire questions and promote comments, interaction, and imaginative discussion.

You tin besides tally polls and competitions to get group talking. 

Of course, that intends you request to promptly respond to replies and messages. 

7. Create and Post Content

With each nan readying and mentation done, you’re fresh to commencement penning and publishing societal media content.

Make that process easier utilizing Semrush’s AI Social Content Generator.

Open nan app and travel nan prompts to group up your account.

Then, click connected nan “Create New” fastener successful nan apical correct area of nan screen. And prime what benignant of station you want to create (e.g., prime “Blog to Post” to make societal contented from a published blog post).

The app will create nan station caption for you. Which you tin edit if you find immoderate errors.

Then, prime a template to create your chosen station types and deed “Generate.”

The app will past make ready-made posts that you tin people erstwhile you’re ready.

Do that pinch Social Poster.

That way, you tin schedule aggregate posts crossed aggregate platforms.

And you tin do batches to schedule tons of posts each astatine once. Leaving you free to attraction connected different areas of social media management.

8. Measure Your Performance

Now, it’s clip to revisit nan KPIs you defined earlier. To find whether you’re succeeding aliases whether you request to adjust. 

The nonstop KPIs you usage will beryllium circumstantial to your extremity and your business. But present are a fewer examples of KPIs that align pinch nan main goals we outlined astatine nan beginning:

• Brand awareness: Reach and follower count
• Generate leads: Conversion complaint and lead magnet downloads
• Drive website traffic: Organic societal traffic

Use Social Analytics to position information for your Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn profiles. 

Go to Semrush Social and click connected “Social Analytics” successful nan left-hand menu.

From nan “Overview” tab, you’ll spot a speedy summary of your accounts.

Including caller followers, station reach, engagements, and mean engagement rate.

You tin besides spot platform-specific accusation by clicking connected nan level you want to spot information for.

Monitor your capacity to spot what does and doesn’t work. And usage this accusation to amended your strategy complete time.

Social media occurrence almost ever starts pinch a coagulated contented strategy. And nan correct technology.

Use our Semrush Social app to show your performance, support an oculus connected your competitors, and more.