An effective social media strategy begins with a goal analysis, proceeds with selecting suitable formats, and maintains a consistent tone of voice, optimising performance. The end goal? Transforming followers into loyal customers.
Editorial
Social Media Strategy: a case study for online success
Date
04 January 2024
With millions of people connected every day, defining an effective social media strategy is the best way to achieve tangible and lasting results.
However, sporadic posting is no longer sufficient. To truly make a difference, a strategic plan is required that speaks to the right audience, tells a compelling story and, most importantly, achieves specific objectives.
In this article, we explore in detail how to develop and implement a customised social media strategy, as an experienced Social Media Manager would, offering practical examples and insights on how to do this effectively.
What a social media strategy is and why it is important
Firstly, let’s clarify: a social media strategy is a strategic plan illustrating how to use social media to achieve specific goals. It’s not about appearing everywhere, but being present in the right way, on the right channels, and with the right content.
Why is this important? Without a clear strategy, energy and resources can be wasted without making any real impact. In contrast, a well-structured plan offers several advantages:
- Increasing brand visibility:recognisablility across multiple platforms allows you to reach a wide audience and foster loyalty.
- Engaging the audience: a well-thought-out strategy helps fosters dialogue with followers, resulting in various forms of engagement, such as likes, comments, shares.
- Generating leads: social media can attract potential customers through valuable content, promotions, and targeted advertising campaigns.
Consider brands like Nike and Apple. Their social media presence is integral to their success. They not only sell products but create communities where users actively participate and feel part of the brand’s story.
Analysing the current situation and defining goals
Before creating content, it’s essential to understand your starting point. Conducting an analysis of the brand's current social presence, or “as-is analysis”, provides valuable insights.
This involves assessing the platforms used, the quality and consistency of the content, and performance metrics (KPIs) such as the number of followers, engagement rate, and impressions.
For example, you might start by identifying the platforms where the brand is most active and comparing its results with brand competitors in the same niche, analysing which posts get the most interactions or identifying patterns within the data.
Defining SMART goals
Having analysed the situation, the next step is to define goals using the SMART method. This means that each objective should be:
- Specific: goals must be clearly defined. For example,“increase followers on Instagram by 20% within six months” is more effective than “increase followers”
- Measurable: it must be possible to monitor progress. Integrated social analysis platforms (e.g. Insights in Meta Business Suite) are ideal for monitoring results.
- Achievable: the goals must be realistic given the available resources.
- Relevant: the goals should align with the brand's mission and vision.
- Time-bound: there should be a precise deadline by which the result is achieved.
A well-structured goal could be: “Increase brand awareness among Millennials by increasing interactions on Instagram posts by 30% in the next three months”.
Identifying the target audience
Understanding your target audience is perhaps the most crucial step. A significant part of the strategy is precisely identifying and understanding the target audience. Starting by considering demographic data, an analysis of the preferences, behaviour and needs of the target audience is added.
This process can include social listening tools, i.e. the analysis of online conversations to better understand the expectations and problems the target audience is facing.
This information helps create content across platforms that resonates with the audience.
Strategy development: channels, content, and editorial calendar
Having defined the target audience and objectives, it is time to choose the right channels. Each social platform has its own distinct characteristics, so selecting the most approprioate one for the brand is essential. Here is a brief summary:
Instagram: ideal for visual content and emotional storytelling, with strong appeal to Millennials.
LinkedIn: perfect for communicating with a business audience and building professional relationships.
TikTok: excellent for reaching Gen Z and for short and creative video content.
Facebook: effective for communities, groups, and real-time news exchange.
YouTube: good for tutorials, educational content, and longer videos.
Creating a content strategy
After selecting channels, the creative part begins: the content strategy. This involves planning the types of content, main themes, tone of voice and publication frequency. It’s important to maintain consistency while also leaving room for creativity.
Content formats
Social media platforms offer many creative possibilities, and choosing the right format for each is essential. Here are some examples:
- Static posts for clear and high-impact messages, ideal for announcements or promotions.
- Short, dynamic videos on platforms such as TikTok or Instagram Reels are ideal for creative storytelling.
- Stories on Instagram, for more direct and personal interaction, perhaps with surveys or quizzes.
- Carousels, perfect on Instagram and LinkedIn, make it possible to tell a story on multiple slides, ideal for delving into complex topics or showcasing multiple products in a single post.
- Infographics to simplify complex concepts, excellent on Pinterest or LinkedIn.
The golden rule? Adapt the content to the platform, without ever losing sight of the brand identity.
Tone of voice
The tone of voice is the brand’s personality and should remain consistent across all platforms. For LinkedIn, a professional and authoritative tone is preferable, while on Instagram or TikTok a more informal, playful and engaging tone works well. The goal is to be recognisable everywhere, letting the brand personality shine through in every post.
Publication frequency
Consistency is everything: publishing too little makes the brand invisible, too often it risks becoming boring. A good editorial calendar helps to maintain the right balance, planning content in advance and taking into account holidays, events or product launches. This avoids last-minute stress and ensures that you are always there at the right time.
Communication macro-themes
To structure the content strategy, it’s helpful to define communication pillars, i.e. the main themes around which the content will revolve. These pillars represent the macro-topics that deal with key aspects of the brand and reflect the interests of the target audience. By defining these pillars, it is possible to create content that is consistent and varied, but always linked to the brand identity, ensuring that the message sent is consistently clear and recognisable.
A small but impactful tip with a major impact: quality over quantity. Each post should reflect the values of the brand and offer something relevant to the audience. Only then can a genuine and lasting bond be created .
Implementation, monitoring, and optimisation
One of social media’s advantages is the ability to monitor everything in real time. Once the strategy is implemented, it’s essential to monitor key metrics to determine what’s performing and what needs improvement.
Monitoring key metrics
The key metrics to monitor will vary according to the goals, but generally include:
- Engagement rate: measures audience interaction with content (likes, comments, shares).
- Follower growth: indicates the size of the audience.
- Impression and reach: show how many people have viewed your content.
- Conversions: assess the direct impact of your social media activities on sales or other desired actions (registrations, downloads, etc.).
Ongoing optimisation
Remember, strategy is not set in stone. It’s an ongoing process. Always be ready to optimise content. If a post doesn’t perform as expected, consider why—maybe the format or publication timing needs adjustment.
Experimentation, data analysis, and adapting the strategy are all part of the process.
After implementing the strategy, continue monitoring results and adjusting as necessary. Effective management tools, like Hootsuite, allow scheduling posts and tracking interactions.
The important thing is not to be afraid to change direction: social media is an ever-changing world, and keeping up with trends and audience tastes is the key to keeping interest in the brand alive.
Case study: how one company implemented a successful social media strategy
One example of a successful social media strategy is the campaign developed by IED Milano for Acqua alle Rose, aiming to engage a young, digital audience.
This is how the strategy was executed.
Step 1: Scenario analysis
The “paradox of choice” was identified as a key barrier for for consumers, making it difficult to choose between many alternatives. A survey identified the most important aspects of shopping experiences, both online and offline, inspired by Amazon's and Netflix's Customer Obsession approach to deliver personalised experiences.
Step 2: Benchmarking and insight
A competitor analysis provided further insight into how to engage consumers at each stage of the funnel. A key insight emerged from these analyses: consumers want to make the best choice in a simple way. This led to the development of the “Make it Easy” campaign concept, with the aim of simplifying the public's interaction with the brand and its products.
Step 3: Campaign development
The comprehensive digital campaign integrated the use of the brand's social and digital channels, as well as those of retailers to facilitate user conversion on platforms such as Amazon. Both digital and offline activities were planned to increase brand awareness, stimulate consideration and generate conversion, retention and advocacy.
Step 4: Implementation of activities
Initiatives included night-time physical activities outside selected locations in collaboration with Uber.. Influencers amplified the campaign, while a contest on Instagram and a TikTok challenge maximised audience engagement.
Do you want to learn how to develop winning and innovative social media strategies like those used for Acqua alle Rose? IED offers a wide range of dedicated courses that will provide you with the skills and knowledge to stand out in an ever-changing industry.
Your path as a Social Media Manager begins here! Find out about all the training proposals.
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