When working on your social media strategy, it’s important to consider the 5 W’s of Social Media Marketing:
Who
Who is your audience? Who are you targeting?
It’s essential to identify your audience (primary and secondary) when creating your strategy. The content you create and the platform you will post will be determined by WHO you want to engage with your content. In a previous post, I breakdown the strategic approach of audiences and which platforms they are more inclined to use and engage in. For example, if your main target is a Gen Z audience, you would want to research the platforms they frequent – like Tik Tok, Instagram, Discord, BeReal, etc. You will similarly use the same approach if your audience is Boomer, who are more likely to use Facebook/Meta.
What
What are you posting? What kind of content are you creating for your audience?
Now that you’ve identified the WHO, let’s talk about the content you will create for them to engage with. Based on your audience, they will engage with different types of content differently, and the platforms themselves will reward your performance based on the content. For example, YouTube and Tik Tok are video-first platforms, while Instagram was first built to support pictures but has evolved into a media platform that supports videos such as “Reels” and IG Stories. Based on the platforms and audience, you will build the content — For example, you may want to create Reels for Instagram and prioritize shorter-form storytelling based on your audience and their preference. For longer-form storytelling, you may want to share your content on YouTube.
From my observations, here are my thoughts on the type of content to post for LinkedIn and Instagram:
- LinkedIn: Polls for Impressions and Carousels for Engagement
- Instagram: Carousels and multiple photos for engagement and Reels for Reach/Impressions
Where
Where are you posting your content? Which platforms are prioritizing?
Once you identify your audience and begin creating content for said audience, it’s almost necessary to choose which platform(s) you will prioritize. In a previous blog, I highlight various channels to choose from and audience that mostly use them. Important reminder: You may have the best content in the world, but if your target audience is not seeing it – then what’s the point?
When
When will you be posting your content? Do you have a social media/content calendar?
Creating a social media calendar is crucial for social media managers! Not only does it organize your thoughts, work, SANITY, it also allows your other team members to have visibility of what’s going on and better prepare them to help you. For example, I share my calendar with my internal partners who are looking for stories for us to post on our channels. Through this method, they are aware of when I need content and the type of content I’m looking for.
How
How will you be posting your content — manually or with a social media management tool?
In a previous post, I share tools and resources that I’ve heard of and used to post my social media content — to name a few: Hootsuite, SocialStudio, Brandwatch/Falcon, Emplifi/Social Baker, Later, SemRush, etc.
These SMM tools are advantageous ways to plan ahead and schedule;e your content ahead of time instead of manually posting it.
What other tips would you add to social media managers?
Mecca-Amirah Jackson 