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From a marketing standpoint, there is no such thing as “social media”. It is almost meaningless to treat social networks as one thing, because the audience, use cases, technology, algorithms, optimal cadences, and other characteristics of each social platform continue to vary.
For example, , a study of CoSchedule discovered that the “optimal” daily post count on Twitter (your mileage may vary) is 15, but just one to two posts a day on Instagram and Facebook is a great spot.
Posting the same content on social media, across multiple channels, at once and hoping for spectacular results hasn’t worked for years — the difference is too big between what works in each location.
Posting the same content on social media, across multiple channels, at the same time is no longer a winning strategy. Click to Tweet
So instead of thinking about a “Social network” strategy you really need to apply Twitter strategy, Facebook strategy, Instagram strategy and LinkedIn strategy, etc.
Table of Contents
Get points from TV Network
Scripps Networks owns HGTV, The Food Network, DIY Network, Great American Country, etc. They don’t think of those channels collectively as “TV shows”. Instead, they think of HGTV viewers, DIY viewers, and GAC viewers because the demographics and psychographics of each group of viewers are different. And more importantly, each WANTS group from each channel is also different.
Similarly, Walt Disney Television owns ABC News, The Disney Channels, EPSN, etc. Can you imagine if ESPN randomly broadcast Mickey Mouse Club House and vice versa? Yes, that is strange.
Your social media strategy should take the same approach. For each social platform you’re active on, define a distinct strategy, audience, metrics, rhythm, and program that’s appropriate for that platform.
Social Media Channel Strategy Example (and Downloadable Template)
This is how it looks in chart form. Download This social media channel strategy template .
The goal of the channel
What is the overall desired outcome of being on this platform? One goal for each platform, and these should be tied to higher-level business results.
The goal of the channel
Two specific, measurable actions to guide progress toward a goal.
audience(s)
Who do you want to reach on this platform? Identify one or two specific segments, in as much detail as possible.
(Measurements
Define up to three goal-based metrics, or measure something that correlates with the goal. This is not the place for “follower count” as a yardstick.
RELATED E-BOOK: 3 Types of Social Media Metrics (And Why They’ll Get You Promoted)
Beat
How often you plan to add new content to the platform, shown on a weekly basis.
Display
Decide which two “programs” you will commit to participating in the platform and on what schedule.
Think TV Shows (Regularly Scheduled Programming) for Your Social Media Content Strategy
HGTV, or any other television network, doesn’t just randomly put an episode on the air. Everything revolves around specific shows, with defined audiences and narrative loops. Social media practitioners can learn a lot from this approach. However, much of what happens in society today is a “random act of content” with no repeatability, regulatory value, or consistency.
For each social platform, think about what social content initiatives you might run on a regular basis, keeping in mind your audience and goals for that platform. Then create and distribute these “programs” consistently. This gives your audience something to recognize, engage with, and (hopefully) look forward to on a regular basis.
Social media program example: David Weekley Homes
One of us customer to be David Weekley Homes , America’s largest private home builder. They were never on Instagram, but decided to target home furniture fans with the goal of making their brand the preferred private home builder among this audience. . To do so, we helped them design a daily Instagram “show” featuring two or three adorable photos of David Weekley’s model Home. From a cold start, they now regularly generate more than 5,000 likes per photo. More importantly, each photo gets 50+ comments — many from design experts — helping the company think about future layouts, designs, and more. It’s a highly targeted focus group, almost free.
Not only these shows, they also create tent poles for you social media strategy it makes it MUCH easier to plan your time and resources, because you know what you’re doing, in what format, and how often.
Your entire social media strategy doesn’t include episodes, but they do give you the kernels for your content and around them you post zero-show electrons as original, content. context and/or arrangement.
Download the free social media channel strategy template here .
