How do I create a social media strategy?

Most companies today are present on social media platforms. The reason for this is simple—a lot of people use social media every day, and companies want to be where their customers are. By creating a social media strategy and posting content, you can easily reach many people who you want to buy your product or use your services.

But it's not always easy to know how to succeed with your professional social media account. To grow your following, you need to post relevant and engaging content that is interesting to consume. Which is easier said than done. To make things a little easier, we've put together some of our tips on how we think about social media strategy.

Before you get started

The first thing you need to do before you start posting on social media is to identify your target audience and the purpose of your posts. One of the most important things in marketing is to be consistent, and that requires some preparation. Consider the following questions:

What do I want to achieve with my presence on social media? What is my purpose?

A professional social media account can serve many purposes. It could be to advertise a product to get more customers interested in buying it, to share knowledge to demonstrate your expertise, or to drive traffic to your website so that more people find it.

Who do I want to talk to?

Depending on who is in your target audience, you will want different types of posts. An older man at a construction company may not be interested in the same communication that appeals to a young woman working with environmental issues.

Which platform or platforms are best suited to my target audience and my purpose?

Who your potential followers are and what you want to achieve with your social media presence will also determine where you should be present. LinkedIn is mainly used in a work context and may therefore be best suited for those who want to reach other professionals. A more formal and informative approach is often preferable there. If you want to reach a younger target group or get private individuals interested in your product, you may have more success on Instagram or TikTok. There, it is more important to be entertaining and more informal in your approach.

You can, of course, be present on several different platforms and adapt your content based on where it will be posted. Our best tip for those who want to be present on multiple platforms is not to post the same content everywhere. This can make it uninteresting to follow you on all platforms. At Relativt, for example, we post on Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn, but we have different types of content on each platform. On Instagram, we post logos we have designed, on TikTok you can follow us in our everyday work, while on LinkedIn we write about our podcast and blog posts.

How often should I post?

Since continuity is so important in marketing, you should consider how often you should post. For many, it can be difficult to find the time to post several times a week, but if there is too long a gap between posts, your followers will forget about you. Find a frequency that suits you, so that you have time to come up with and implement your content ideas, and then stick to it. It's a good idea to plan when you create your content, as this will make it easier to prioritize in a hectic workday.

Planning your content

Once you have completed the strategic groundwork, it is time to move on to more concrete details. Now you can start thinking about the format of your content. Should it be video, and if so, filmed or animated? Should it be text, and if so, in text posts or carousels? Do you want to post images – should they be photographs or graphics? If you want to mix several types of formats, it can be a good idea to plan how often you will post what.

Once you have decided on the form of your content, you should also think about the themes you want to highlight in your posts. What do you want to share? Is it your opinions on various topics? Tips for beginners? Information that not everyone knows? This can of course vary greatly depending on who you are and what you want to achieve with your posts. If you run a flower shop, you might have different series where you talk about different flowers, what's in season right now, how to best care for your plants, and how to tie beautiful bouquets. If you work as a logistics manager, you might instead post about leadership, how to streamline logistics processes, and how your company works with the environment and sustainability. Feel free to brainstorm ideas to help yourself when inspiration runs dry!

One last important part of planning the content itself is to think about the tone you want to use in your communication. Do you want to be more formal or entertaining and light-hearted? Choose a tone based on what you think best suits your target audience and your purpose. Don't be afraid to show your personality – after all, your followers are people too and are therefore likely to be more interested in content that gives them a glimpse of the person behind the account.

Get started with your social media presence

Once the groundwork is done, it's finally time to start posting. Follow the social media plan and strategy you've set for yourself and don't be afraid if it doesn't have an immediate effect. This is a marathon, not a sprint. It often takes a while before you find your voice and your followers find you. However, as long as you continuously work on your social media presence, you will likely be able to build a larger following and a broader network. Dare to try different types of content to see what works for you and what you enjoy creating!

As with all other strategic work, evaluation is important. Look at what kind of posts are doing well and what you can learn from them. Are you achieving your goals? Why/why not? What are other people or companies in your field doing, and how can you learn from them? Update your social media strategy as you learn from your posts.

Good luck, and don't hesitate to get in touch with us at Relativt if you need help!