There’s posting to social media, then there’s having a social media strategy. And while both use the same platforms, there’s a big difference. Social media is just that — posting on your social media channels. This is great for your personal pages and accounts, but posting alone is not enough for business accounts. Posts for social media are easy to create but are less likely to get the results you desire without a strategy. For your business social media accounts, you need a social media strategy. 

So what is a social media strategy? According to Hootsuite, “A social media marketing strategy is a summary of everything you plan to do and hope to achieve on social media. It guides your actions and lets you know whether you’re succeeding or failing.” Just like with any strategy, a social media strategy requires SMART goals, which means Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-Bound goals. It’s not just posting on social media; it’s having a plan with goals before you post, in order to get the best results from your social media efforts. “Your social media strategy is your master plan for how you create, post, and engage with your social media content,” according to HubSpot.

Setting a social media strategy can be overwhelming, so we’re going to break it down into steps you can take.