Social media is now an integral part of any brand. With 95% of the United States now on social media, it’s important to leverage social media in order to reach an even bigger audience and to create brand loyalists. However, many businesses realize this and tend to launch into social media marketing without first creating a strategy.

Sejal Parekh, Brand and Creative Strategist says: “It is critical for any business to have a social media strategy. They key is to have a strategy that is actionable and understands your customers; helps you converse with them about the things they care about, in the places or in the platforms where they are already hanging out.”

There is a difference between a social media marketing plan and a social media strategy as well. A strategy is where you’re headed. A plan is how you’ll get there.

Here are a couple of reasons why a strategy is essential:

Intentional: With every other form of marketing you implement in your business, chances are you know what goals you want to achieve with them – and how to go about achieving those goals. Why, then, would you not treat social media the same way? A social media marketing strategy will help your brand tackle its goals with a sense of purpose.

Without a strategy, you’ll just be posting content that’ll be bouncing off the walls and not connecting. Implementing a strategy will ensure your message not only gets out there, but connects with the target audience.

Proactive. A social media strategy ensures you are proactive. That you always know what to post, rather than having to always brainstorm in the moment. A strategy in line with your business goals will facilitate creating content that resonates with your audience, gives you the opportunity to refine the quality of your material, and enables you to think about how you can get creative with social posts.

Among other things, a great strategy will also allow you leverage trends and hot topics to your advantage. This is important when relating to your audience.

Consistent: Where many brands fail at social media marketing is in the area of consistency. Your audience will leave if they do not see consistent feeds and updates. At the same time, if you post too much, you may risk spamming your audience. Either will fail to get the kind of engagement and community you are looking for on social media.

In the end, the word ‘strategy’ can be easily misused. Not all plans dedicated towards boosting your business’ reach and potential on social media will work. It’s essential to track your goals to see if your strategy is effective. We at Savvy Social would love to partner with you to create a customized, winning strategy. Contact us at [email protected] to talk next steps!