A five step guide to planning your social media strategy, from brand story to content creation

What makes a strong social media strategy?

A strong social media strategy isn’t a nice to have for brands, it’s a must have. Today, most consumers look to social first when they’re researching a brand, product or service. 

People use YouTube like they use Google (to search for valuable content). Brand research is no longer amplified by in-store browsing but by influencer insights. And the final part of the consumer journey, actually buying a product or service, is now mainly done all in one platform (think TikTok shop). So, if you get it right, your social media strategy can not only raise your brand profile, build trust and credibility, and cultivate community - it can make you money too. 

At Clark Creative, we work with brands of all shapes and sizes across lifestyle, food and drink, property marketing, sport and fitness and more. Here are our top five tips on how to craft a compelling social strategy.

1. Know your brand story

Before you start creating content for social, you should have a clear idea of the story you’re trying to tell and how it fits in with your overall brand narrative. Consistency across channels is crucial; if a consumer sees a post on social media that doesn’t sound like your brand website or other comms they see, they’re unlikely to follow, engage or trust the content you’re sharing. Revert back to your brand book - what’s the story you’re telling? What are your key messages? If you need help crafting brand guidelines get in touch. 

2. Set objectives 

Every strategy should start with a clear set of objectives. What are you trying to achieve? What are your KPIs? And how will you measure success? Having a clear set of goals will mean everything you post has a purpose. If you’re not sure how to set them, try the SMART approach (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and timely). 

3. Understand your audience

Doing a deep dive into your audience and understanding their wants, needs and motivations is crucial if you’re trying to create a social presence that doesn’t just amplify your brand voice, but creates real connection. Use social media tools to find out more about the people you’re trying to reach; what platforms are they on? What content do they engage with? How do they like to scroll and interact with brands? What are their pain points? How can you help them? Social content generally falls into three categories - entertainment, education and emotion. So what kind of content would your audience engage with in these areas? Create buyer personas and go beyond just purely demographic data - try to look at psychometric data. By understanding your audience’s values, interests and motivations you’re much more likely to create a strategy that really resonates with them.

4. Identify channels and create content

Once you have your brand story and your audience data, you can start to look at a channel strategy and optimise content to suit the medium. A strong social strategy is all about meeting people where they are, and providing them with content that really evokes a feeling or action. And this can look different for every channel because the way consumers use channels varies. For example, you might create a long-form YouTube video solving a common problem or pain point your audience has, and that same video wouldn’t work on Instagram because the way a consumer uses that channel is very different. Instead, you might chop it into a 30-second Reel or maybe even partner with an influencer to create some content around the topic. So when you're creating content, whether it’s brand photography, videography, or copywriting for social media captions, always remember the audience and the platform. And most importantly, don’t be afraid to experiment, get creative, and have fun!

5. Measure, measure, measure

Social media strategies are not built to be static. They’re built to evolve. The world is ever-changing; platforms constantly shift (got to love the good old algorithm), audience wants and needs move on, and the social landscape never stands still. So it’s crucial to track and monitor your social performance with monthly analytics. Explore what’s working, identify what content attracts the best ROI and tweak your strategy to maximise performance. 

Want to create a social media strategy that gets results? Let’s chat.