Easy 9 Steps to Build Your Social Media Marketing Plan
Creating a social media marketing plan means laying out the steps you want to take and the results you wish to achieve using social media. It helps steer your actions and shows you if you’re making progress or not.
The clearer and more specific your strategy, the better it works. Keep it short and to the point. Avoid making your plan too big or vague that it’s hard to reach or measure.
In this guide, I’ll show you a nine-step method to build your own successful social media plan.
What Is a Social Media Marketing Plan?
A social media marketing plan is a detailed guide showing your goals for using social media, how you plan to achieve these goals, and the way you’ll measure your performance.
This plan should also mention all your current and future social media accounts and set goals for each one that match your business’s wider online marketing strategy.
A good plan also defines who does what in your team and how often you’ll check and report on your progress.
Steps to Make a Social Media Marketing Plan in 9 Steps
Step 1: Create SMART Goals
The first step in crafting a top-notch social media strategy is to define clear goals. Without these goals, you can’t tell if you’re succeeding or getting a good return on investment (ROI).
Your goals for social media marketing should be SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.
Focus on Important Metrics
It’s easy to keep an eye on followers and likes, but proving their true worth can be tough. Instead, pay more attention to metrics like how much people interact with you, how often they click on your posts, and the rate at which they’re converted into customers or followers.
You might set different goals for different networks, or even for different activities on the same network.
For instance, if you’re using LinkedIn to get more traffic to your website, you would look at how many people are clicking through. If you’re using Instagram to make more people aware of your brand, you might count how many people watch your stories. And if you’re paying for ads on Facebook, you might look at how much each click costs you.
Your social media goals should support your overall marketing aims. This way, it’s easier to prove the value of your efforts and get support from your boss.
Kick off your social media marketing plan by noting down at least three social media goals.
“Choosing what to post and which metrics to monitor can feel overwhelming, but the key is to concentrate on your initial reasons for using social media,” advises Pavel Buev, a specialist at Ocean Power Agency. “Don’t just start posting and tracking anything and everything: match your goals with your business objectives and your tracking metrics with your goals.”
Step 2: Understand Your Audience Deeply
Get to know the people who follow you, like your posts, and buy your products as real individuals with their own needs and desires. This understanding will help you figure out how to connect with them on social media.
When thinking about your perfect customer, you should be aware of details such as:
- Their age
- Where they live
- How much money they make on average
- What kind of jobs they have or what industry they work in
- What they like to do
- And more
Make sure you write down these details in your plan!
You can learn a lot about your audience through social media analytics. These tools can tell you about your followers’ demographics, where they are from, and how they interact with your brand online. With this information, you can sharpen your strategy and aim your messages more precisely.
For example, Cabify, a company in Brazil that offers a service similar to Uber but for auto-rickshaws, discovered through Facebook Analytics that 90% of their customers who recommended their service to others were between 18 and 34 years old, and 65% of them were using Android phones. They used this insight to tailor their advertising, which cut their cost per referral by 40%.
Step 3: Learn From Your Competitors
Your competitors are likely already active on social media, which gives you a chance to learn from their efforts.
Perform a Competitive Analysis
Doing a competitive analysis lets you understand who your competitors are and what they’re good at (and where they’re lacking). You’ll see what’s normal in your field, helping you set your own social media goals.
This analysis will also reveal opportunities and gaps you can note in your social media plan.
For instance, you might notice a competitor is very popular on Facebook but hasn’t put much work into Twitter or Instagram. This could mean there’s room for you to attract an audience on these less crowded platforms instead of competing for attention on Facebook.
Listen to What’s Happening on Social Media
Social listening is another tool for monitoring your competitors.
Search for your competitors’ names, their social media handles, and any relevant keywords on social platforms. Look at what they’re posting and what people are saying about them. If they’re working with influencers, see how much interaction those efforts are getting.
By keeping track of these details, you might spot changes in how competitors and leaders in your industry use social media. You might discover new trends that are catching on. You could even find specific posts, content, or campaigns that are very successful — or ones that fail.
Use this information to fine-tune and guide your social media marketing strategy.
Step 4: Evaluate Your Social Media Use
If you’ve been using social media for your brand, it’s time to look closely at what you’ve achieved. Ask yourself:
- What strategies are successful, and which ones aren’t?
- Who is interacting with your brand?
- Which partnerships have brought value?
- Where does your target audience spend their time online?
- How do you stack up against your competitors on social media?
Gathering this data prepares you to enhance your strategy.
Your review should clarify the role of each of your social media accounts. If the purpose of an account isn’t obvious, consider if it’s worth maintaining.
To make this decision, ponder these questions:
- Is my intended audience active on this platform?
- How do they use this social media site?
- Can this account aid me in reaching my objectives?
Challenging yourself with these questions helps maintain a sharp, goal-driven social media strategy.
Identify Fake Accounts
While auditing, you might find false accounts using your business’s name or those of your products.
These fake accounts can damage your brand’s reputation and attract followers who should be yours.
Getting your accounts verified is a good step to assure your audience they’re engaging with a genuine brand.
Here’s how to get verified on various platforms:
- X (Twitter)
- TikTok
- YouTube
Verification helps your audience trust that they are interacting with the real you.
Step 5: Choose and Refine Your Social Media Accounts
Pick Which Networks to Use
Choosing the right social networks is crucial. You need to decide not just which platforms you’ll use, but also what your focus will be on each.
Angela Purcaro, the social media manager for Benefit Cosmetics, shared with eMarketer: “For our makeup tutorials, we love using Snapchat and Instagram Stories. [X], however, is our go-to for customer service.”
A good idea is to craft a mission statement for each network — a single sentence that keeps you aimed at a specific goal.
For example: “We will use X for customer support to reduce emails and calls.”
Or: “LinkedIn will be our platform for sharing our company culture to aid in recruitment and employee engagement.”
Another one: “Instagram will showcase our new products and share quality content from influencers.”
If making a strong mission statement for a network is tough, you might reconsider if it’s necessary for your strategy.
Note: While big companies may be present on many platforms, smaller businesses might need to choose. Pick the networks most impactful for your business and ensure your marketing team can manage them well.
Prepare Your Profiles
Once you’ve chosen your networks, set up new profiles or update existing ones to align with your strategy.
- Fill in all profile details.
- Use keywords that people would search for your business.
- Ensure consistent branding (like logos and images) across platforms to make your profiles recognizable.
Don’t let the vast number of options stress you out. It’s better to excel on a few channels than to barely manage many.
Optimize Profiles and Content for Search
If you’re unfamiliar with social SEO, it’s crucial to get up to speed.
With 44% of Gen Z using social media for purchase research, having your profiles optimized for search is vital.
This means clear, descriptive profile names, using relevant hashtags and keywords in your bio and posts, and utilizing features like alt text and captions to weave in your target keywords as naturally as possible.
Step 6: Seek Out Inspiration
Even though it’s crucial for your brand to stand out, looking at other businesses that excel in social media can spark ideas.
Natalia, a social media expert, says, “My role involves being active on social platforms: keeping up with trends, identifying standout campaigns, staying updated with platform changes, and recognizing who’s setting the bar high. This task might be the most enjoyable or challenging for you, but it’s as essential as any other step.”
Social Media Success Stories
You can find these stories on the social network’s business section (like Facebook’s, for instance).
Studying case studies can provide useful insights for your social media strategy.
Award-Winning Accounts and Campaigns
Consider exploring the winners of The Facebook Awards or The Shorty Awards to see brands that are excelling in their social media efforts.
Brands You Admire on Social Media
Think about the brands you love following on social media. What do they do that encourages engagement and sharing?
Take National Geographic on Instagram, for instance. They combine breathtaking photos with engaging stories.
Or look at Shopify. They use Facebook to highlight customer stories and case studies.
Notice how these brands maintain a consistent voice, tone, and style. Consistency informs followers about what to expect from your content and why they should follow you. What will they gain?
Having a consistent approach also ensures that your content remains true to your brand, even if many people manage your social media.
Consult Your Audience
Your audience can also be a source of inspiration.
What’s the buzz among your target customers online? What insights can you gather about their preferences and needs?
If you already have social media channels, you could ask your followers what they’d like to see from you. Just ensure you deliver on their requests.
Step 7: Plan Your Social Media Content Schedule
Posting excellent content is key, but equally crucial is having a plan for when to post this content to make the biggest splash.
Your social media content calendar should also include time for interacting with your audience, though you should remain flexible for unplanned engagement.
Organize Your Posting Plan
Your content calendar outlines when and what you’ll post on each channel. It’s your strategy for all social media activities, including images, sharing links, re-posting user-generated content, blog posts, and videos. This plan covers both your regular posts and those for special campaigns.
The calendar helps space out your posts properly and ensures they’re published at the most effective times.
Choose the Right Content Mix
Your content strategy and calendar should mirror the mission statement you’ve set for each social profile, ensuring all your posts contribute to your business objectives.
While it’s easy to want to participate in every trending meme, remember to maintain a strategic approach to your social media efforts.
You might determine that:
- 50% of your content will drive traffic to your website
- 25% will be curated from other sources
- 20% will support goals like generating leads (sign-ups for newsletters, ebook downloads, etc.)
- 5% will showcase your company culture
Using your content calendar to maintain this balance helps you keep the right mix.
If you’re unsure about what to post, consider these guidelines:
- 80% of your posts should inform, educate, or entertain your audience
- 20% can promote your brand directly
Another approach is the rule of thirds for social media content:
- One-third promotes your business, converts readers, and generates profit
- One-third shares thoughts and stories from industry leaders or similar businesses
- One-third involves personal interaction with your audience
Find the Right Posting Frequency
If you’re new to social media marketing, figuring out the optimal posting frequency can be tricky.
Post too often, and you might annoy your followers. Post too sparingly, and you might appear irrelevant.
Here are some general posting frequency guidelines:
- Instagram (feed): 3–7 times a week
- TikTok: 3–5 times a week
- Facebook: 1–2 times a day
- X (Twitter): 1–5 times a day
- LinkedIn: 1–5 times a day
Pro Tip: Use Scheduling Tools
After planning your social media content calendar, consider using scheduling tools to prepare your messages ahead of time. This saves you from needing to post in real time throughout the day.
Step 8: Craft Engaging Content
Remember the mission statements for each social media channel you outlined earlier? Now it’s time to dive deeper and share examples of content that will help you achieve your goals on each platform.
If you’re unsure about what to post, there are plenty of content idea lists online to spark inspiration. Alternatively, tools like OwlyWriter can help generate content that fits your brand quickly.
Here’s what you should aim to do:
- Make sure your content matches the purpose of each social media site.
- Show other team members (if you have them) what type of content will be shared on each platform.
This approach helps manage expectations and explains why certain content (like a detailed white paper or case study) might not be suitable for platforms like TikTok. It’s all about sticking to the strategy.
Your content should not only fit the platform but also serve the specific role you’ve assigned to that network.
For instance, it’s not effective to share broad brand awareness content on a platform you’ve dedicated to customer service. Similarly, posting highly polished corporate ads on TikTok might not resonate, since users there expect more raw and genuine videos.
Finding the right content for each network may require some experimentation, so be prepared to adjust your plans as you learn what works best.
Content creation can be challenging, contrary to what those outside the social media team might think. If you find yourself stuck, Natalia recommends returning to the basics:
Ask yourself whether your content types are cohesive. Is your content valuable? Does it strike a good balance between being informative, entertaining, and educational? What unique benefits does your content offer that make someone pause and engage? Establishing several core content themes or categories that reflect different facets of your brand’s story and what you can offer to your audience is a solid starting point.
Step 9: Monitor Results and Adjust Your Strategy
Your social media marketing strategy is vital for your business, but don’t expect to nail it on your first try.
As you roll out your plan and observe the outcomes, you’ll likely find that some approaches aren’t delivering as hoped, while others might exceed your expectations.
This is why it’s crucial to track your progress.
Review Your Performance Metrics
Beyond the built-in analytics of each social platform (mentioned in Step 2), using UTM parameters can help you trace how social media visitors navigate through your site. This way, you can identify which social media posts are bringing the most traffic.
Compare Your Results
Now that you have your data, how do you measure up against others in your field? Comparing your results with industry standards is an excellent way to gauge your social media performance.
Reassess, Experiment, and Repeat
As you gather this information, take the opportunity to reassess your strategy often. Experiment with various types of content, social media campaigns, and tactics to see what’s effective. Continuous experimentation helps you pinpoint what’s working and what’s not, enabling you to tweak your social media marketing approach on the fly.
You should evaluate the performance across all your channels weekly and familiarize yourself with the basics of social media reporting to monitor your long-term progress.
Surveys can be another effective tool to assess the success of your social media strategy. Ask your social media followers, email subscribers, and website visitors if your content meets their needs and what they’d like to see more of. Then, ensure you follow through on their feedback.
