The ingredients to an effective social media strategy

Social media is used by many organisation as part of a wider marketing strategy but getting the most out of the content you are sharing with your audience is key.

For those businesses who have dipped their toe into the social media waters or using an ad-hoc approach to content, it can be disappointing to not see the results they are expecting sooner.

Here are some key ingredients for a social media strategy designed to give you results:

Curated Content

Curated content is created by reputable sources and enhances your overall content strategy. It reinforces to readers that your ideas are supported by other thought leaders in your industry. It also shows readers that you do your research.

By sharing carefully chosen curated content gives readers trust in what you are saying, by showing that other reputable sources are saying it too. Otherwise readers may be skeptical about your content thinking 'of course you would say that, you are trying to sell me something!'.

Informative Content

This is content that uses your unique insight and expertise to help readers solve a problem or teach them something new. It's typically delivered in the form of a blog post or article.

The key to effective informative content is to consider what questions your audience are asking at the different points in their buyer journey, create content to answer these questions and remember this is about educating - not selling.

Promotional Content

This content is most effective once a reader has already established some trust in your brand through reading the other content types listed above. Promotional content can include gated content that sits behind a lead capture form such as eBooks or a prospectus, or it could be an offer designed to convert your reader into a customer.

Schedule

Posting your content at the time most convenient to your readers (and on the platform most convenient) will help it to get the best possible levels of engagement. Aim to post a variety of the above content types throughout the week at the times that your audience are most likely to be using social media. If you are unsure when these times are, it may be helpful to do some persona development.

Start your planning by thinking of which types of content you want to post and when, and drafting a structure, for example:

• Monday - Informative
• Tuesday - Curated
• Wednesday - Informative
• Thursday - Promotional
• Friday - Curated & Promotional

Then once you have decided on a structure, you can pad this out with some more information and do a more comprehensive content plan.

Think about what content you want to share and how they support your campaigns. To keep your feed varied and relevant, think carefully about the different content types you will share, here are a few ideas:

• Blog article
• Landing page
• Infographic
• eBook
• Photo
• Video
• Animation
• Webinar
• Report
• Worksheet
• Checklist
• Live stream
• Poll

Here's a handy free downloadable content planner from HubSpot that can help you get started.

This may seem like a lot of work, you're probably thinking "wait, I have to do this for every week of content forever?". Don't worry, the hardest bit is the first few weeks as you generate the initial lot of content - you may already have some relevant content to share too.

Once you have the content, it can be repurposed every few weeks. This will help you to reach the right person at the right time. Content can - and should - be re-promoted every two weeks.

How do I know this will work for me?

This type of social media strategy is effective because:

• It encourages you to focus on themes (week 1 I will share content about topic A and then week 2 is all about topics B and C)
• It considers the buyer's journey, by planning your content you can make sure that you are providing the right information at the right time and in the right format
• It's repeatable - get a few weeks under your belt and then it should be simple to recreate beyond that.
• It is user-friendly for your team - meaning anyone can read it and understand what needs to be done
• It's easy to measure results - because your content is based around key themes and topics, it allows you to report on specific campaigns.
• You will build your content library over time and then less work is required to write new content as much of your existing content can simply be repurposed.

Remember, the inbound methodology should underpin everything you do. Meaning your approach is less interruptive and more customer-focused. Provide value at every touch point.

Ready to generate more leads and enquiries for your organisation through your content? It's time to think about effective lead generation.

Download our free eBook on Inbound Lead Generation in Education.