5Ws — the stupidly simple way to a kick-ass social media strategy
You want to see what this social media thing is all about. Apparently, it’s good business. A bit of Googling proves many, like you, are crushing it on Facebook, Instagram and more.
You want in on the action.
Imagine this — your fans raving about you online, engaging on your social media, and products flying off the shelves.
How will you make it a reality?
Strategy.
Here’s a stupidly simple way to formulate your social media strategy — ask:
Why? Who? What? Where? When?
Let’s start askin’…
- Why do I want my business on social media?
To create awareness for your brand? Increase sales? Build a tribe of followers? Improve customer engagement? Provide better service? Or, a mix of these?
- Who is my audience?
To know your customer intimately, you must go beyond basic demographics.
What will they like that you can provide, where do they congregate online, what content formats do they prefer, why do they consume this content and what are their biggest challenges?
- What am I going to share?
What type of content and in what format(s)
- Where am I going to share?
If you’ve gone through steps 1 to 3, you can identify the best channel(s) for you. Don’t be on every social media platform just because. Be selective and crush it on one or two platforms. If you have the resources, maintain a presence on the others.
- When am I going to share?
Plan your content based on important milestones (for your business and the calendar in general) and days and times your audience is most active. There is no hard and fast rule for this. It’s trial and error based on how well you know your audience.
- Bonus W — Who will do this for me?
If you’re handy with social media and got some time on your hands, power to you. Maybe even a social savvy employee.
But, it might be a smart move to outsource it.
Why — you get expertise at a fraction of the cost of hiring full-time, and you get to focus on your business. Now, isn’t that a good deal?
