3 things every business should include in a social media plan

Most brands realise the importance of a successful social media strategy, and that process starts with designing a proficient social media plan.

However, some companies don’t know how to go about formulating their social media plan. So, this article aims to help by providing some of the things that should be included.

1. What and how often you will post

One of the most critical elements of your plan is to devise a schedule for how much social media content you want to create.

It’s essential to be realistic because an overly ambitious plan will be hard to stick to. Equally, a plan with too few updates per week/month will likely lack the impact you’re looking for.

Consider what you want to achieve from your posts and the type of content you want to post.

Remember, you want to stay on brand and cater to your clients’ interests. If you get this right, you’ll remain relevant and stand out from your competition.

Always ask yourself what you can do on social media well that your competitors may struggle with, or even analyse their content to look for opportunities.

2. Which social media sites will you use

Once you have a solid grasp on how often you will post and the type of content you want to be known for, it’s essential to consider which social media sites you want to use.

Remember, each site has a different type of content that performs well, and the sector you are in will also play a part in deciding which platforms to use.

One mistake that brands often make is to think they need to be on every site; the problem is that the success per site can be limited.

If your resources are limited, you may want to start with just one and build from there. Even for more prominent brands, being on more than three can be a real challenge.

So, think more in terms of quality content on 1-3 sites rather than aiming to be on them all for the sake of it.

3. How you will measure your success

It’s crucial to set goals for your social media content, otherwise it will be hard to gauge whether you’ve been successful or not.

Ensure you have targets for your social media and a clear idea of how to measure them. Again, measuring them will depend on your goals and so the process could be different for each brand.

For example, one company may want social media to be used to direct traffic to their company website. For that brand, they will want to look at social media analytics and Google Analytics for details of their success.

Another brand may wish to grow their followers by 10% in a week, and they can measure that through the number of followers they gain in that week.

Above all, ensure your goals are easily measurable to be sure when you are winning.

A social media plan is crucial for businesses before producing social media content. If your business needs more advice on developing an effective plan, contact our digital experts here at MAD Ideas, today!