Having a social media presence is no longer optional for brands that want to succeed in digital marketing. It can be a powerful tool to help you achieve many of your marketing, sales and business goals. A social media marketing strategy outlines your goals, tactics and metrics to measure success. It also helps you craft bespoke content and messaging for each social media platform, and to decide which platforms to have a presence on.

Learn about the reasons to create a social media marketing strategy, and how to craft a social media marketing strategy below. To get some inspiration, you can check out these social media marketing strategy examples from some of the most well known eco brands in Sydney and eco businesses from across Australia.

Benefits of Social Media Marketing

When you consider the many benefits of social media marketing, it becomes clear that a social media marketing strategy can benefit your brand and your business.

1️⃣ Increases brand awareness

Having a social media presence can help to increase brand awareness, as many consumers discover brands on social media. A powerful social media marketing strategy can help you engage your audience on social media and create messaging that resonates with your fans and followers and drives engagement.

2️⃣ Instills trust in your brand

Consumers often look to social media to see what other people think about brands and to help make purchasing decisions. Having a presence on social media can, therefore, help create a sense of trust in your brand, particularly with younger generations. Over time, this can also instill brand loyalty.

An established and engaging social media presence can also be a signal to consumers that a brand is legitimate, as consumers are increasingly concerned about online fraud.

3️⃣ Can help to drive sales

Social commerce is growing and platforms are increasingly helping to make it possible to buy online, whether directly through social media platforms or through integrations with online shops.

Social commerce is helping to make online shopping more accessible and easy, directly linking social media to a full social commerce experience.

4️⃣ Increase website traffic

Another benefit of social media is its ability to increase website traffic. By encouraging users to click through to your website to read your blogs or access content, you can drive traffic to your website and enhance SEO.

How to Create a Social Media Marketing Strategy

7 Steps to Create a Social Media Marketing Strategy

Below are 7 ways that you can create and implement a successful social media marketing strategy for your brand. As you develop this plan, remember that you will need to consider who will be responsible for all aspects of this strategy. If you don’t have in-house marketing experts to develop and manage your marketing, you can consider hiring a marketing agency like Green Socials to do this with you, or on your behalf.

Check out our social media marketing services, and get in touch to book a free discovery call to explore how we can help you create a bespoke plan to elevate your impact.

1️⃣ Define Your Goals

Before you start creating content for social media, it’s important to establish clear objectives by setting marketing goals.

Setting goals helps you have a vision for what you want to achieve. Make sure your goals are SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

Below are some ideas of goals you may want to set:

Increasing brand awareness and visibility
Driving website traffic
Building an engaged community
Establishing thought leadership
Converting followers into qualified leads
Demonstrating business legitimacy
Boosting sales

2️⃣ Understand Your Target Audience

Your target audience will vary depending on the platform you’re using. Defining your ideal customer profile based on their interests, values, and demographics can help you to achieve your social media marketing goals.

For example, on Instagram, you may want to reach the following audience”

Female professionals aged 25-65+
Individuals interested in sustainability and business growth
Founders, directors, and marketing professionals

Your brand may target a distinct audience on LinkedIn, for example:

Male professionals aged 35-65+
Directors and business development professionals
People interested in business growth, engineering, and ecology

3️⃣ Research your competitors

Many aspects of marketing involve competitor research and analysis – including social media marketing.

Figure out who your competitors are, what they are doing on social media, and their strengths and weaknesses. Then, identify opportunities to differentiate your brand and stand out from the crowd.

This may involve unique and engaging messaging, and a range of social media marketing tactics, including clear calls to action, captivating designs, collaborative posts, and engaging influencers.

4️⃣ Choose Your Platforms Strategically

Creating content for social media platforms can be time-consuming and takes a concerted effort. That’s why it’s important to be strategic in choosing which platforms to have a social media presence on, as you can’t be on all of them.

For each platform that you choose, whether it’s Pinterest, TikTok, Instagram, or Facebook – you’ll need to consider the platforms that best align with your target audience and your marketing objectives.

A pro tip is to avoid spreading yourself too thinly and to be focused on which platforms to have a presence on so that you are able to maintain regular, high-quality, and engaging posts, engagement, and content.

5️⃣ Developing a content strategy

Once you have a good idea of who you want to target, which platforms you will be on, and what your marketing goals are, it’s time to develop your content strategy.

Creating your content strategy involves:

Identifying content pillars: these are key themes that align with your brand values, resonate with your audience, and align with your business objectives. These pillars typically include educating your audience, showcasing your company culture and values, and building trust and authority.
Creating a content calendar: planning what content you will post for a few weeks in advance to ensure consistency and variety.
Creating a variety of content formats: Every platform has unique content formats, whether it’s an Instagram reel video a LinkedIn carousel post, or Facebook Live.

6️⃣ Creating Platform-Specific Content

Once you have established your content pillars, it’s time to start creating content that is specific and adapted to each of the platforms you have a presence on.

You can share your brand’s story, showcase your products and services, provide valuable information, and spark conversations on social media in a way that engages your platform’s audience.

For example, your Instagram posts may focus on sharing:

Behind-the-scenes glimpses of your organiSation
Expert tips and insights about your products and services
Success stories
Weekly industry-related updates

By contrast, your LinkedIn content may focus on:

Professional insights and expertise
Case studies
Market research and industry polls
Thought leadership content

7️⃣ Measuring Success

Tracking how successful and effective your social media strategy has been is important to do on an ongoing basis. Measuring success, based on quantifiable indicators, helps you to keep adjusting your strategy so that it’s optimally effective at helping you to meet your goals.

Key performance indicators (KPIs) for your social media strategy may include:

Impressions and reach
Engagement rates
Website click-throughs
Email sign-ups
Social commerce purchases

Industry-Specific Considerations

Different industries require unique approaches when it comes to social media marketing. For example, if your business operates in the tech and innovation sector, you may want to focus on showcasing innovative solutions, highlight your sustainability initiatives, and share industry insights.

If your business is centred around a sustainable and eco-friendly product or service, you may want to tailor your social media marketing accordingly. Social media marketing for eco-friendly brands may involve:

Highlighting your sustainability initiatives
Educating your audience about sustainability, sustainable living and the power of conscious consumerism
Providing practical sustainability tips
Using sustainability hashtags like #ecofriendly, #zerowaste, and #sustdev
Partnering with sustainability influencers
Running eco campaigns

Building Community Engagement

Being successful at social media marketing is more than just creating and posting content. It requires you to create a thriving and engaged community.

To build an online community, consider:

Regularly engaging with your audience
Participating in industry conversations
Collaborating with like-minded businesses
Creating valuable, shareable content

Tips For Implementing Social Media Strategies

To ensure consistent and effective implementation, here are some tips:

Develop a content calendar
Maintain consistent brand messaging across platforms
Regularly analyse and adjust your strategy based on performance metrics
Stay authentic to your brand values

By following these guidelines and regularly reviewing your strategy's effectiveness, you'll be well-positioned to create a strong social media presence that resonates with your target audience and achieves your business objectives.

Final Thoughts on Creating a Successful Social Media Plan

By following these steps above and customising your social media marketing strategy to your brand and audience, you can create a social media marketing plan that builds brand loyalty and trust, enhances engagement, and boosts sales all while fostering your brand’s reputation online.

Here’s a useful guide on how to choose a digital marketing agency to help you craft a successful marketing strategy and elevate your business to new heights.

How to Create a Social Media Marketing Strategy