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Many business owners struggle to establish a strong presence on social media. Inconsistent posting and a lack of strategy often lead to low engagement, poor reach, and missed opportunities. A well-planned social media strategy can help attract the right audience, increase brand visibility, and drive sales.
If you want to grow your business online, here’s how to develop an effective social media strategy.
Tips to Create Social Media Strategy for Your Business
At NU Media Edge, we’ve collaborated with businesses with a diverse range of industries across multiple countries from local service providers to e-commerce and healthcare, helping them craft tailored social media strategies. By analyzing engagement rates, reach, conversion data, and the latest trends in social media platforms and consumer behavior, we help clients refine their content, posting schedules, and ad strategies for maximum impact.
Here are some tips that businesses can follow to create their social media strategy.
Define Clear Smart Goals
Start by setting SMART goals for your social media strategy - Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Instead of broad objectives, refine them with clarity:
Increase brand awareness → Gain 1,000 new Instagram followers in three months.
Drive website traffic → Boost website visits by 20% through social media campaigns in six months.
Generate leads and sales → Capture 50 new leads per month using targeted ads.
Build a loyal community → Increase engagement rate by 15% through interactive content like polls and Q&A sessions.
SMART goals provide clear direction and measurable success, ensuring your efforts align with business growth.
Understand Your Target Audience
Knowing your audience allows you to create content that resonates with them. Consider:
Who they are (age, interests, location, lifestyle).
Which platforms they use the most.
What type of content they engage with (videos, blog posts, behind-the-scenes stories).
By understanding audience preferences, you can tailor your content to drive engagement and build lasting relationships.
Choose the Right Social Media Platforms
Not all platforms work for every business. Focus on the ones where your audience is most active:
Instagram - Ideal for visual content, lifestyle brands, and engagement.
Facebook - Great for community building, advertising, and local businesses.
LinkedIn - Best for B2B marketing and professional networking.
YouTube & TikTok - Effective for video marketing and storytelling.
Pinterest - A goldmine for e-commerce, DIY, fashion, home decor, and lifestyle brands. Pinterest users actively search for inspiration and products, making it great for driving traffic and conversions.
Threads - A growing platform for real-time conversations, community engagement, and brand authenticity. If you want to foster discussions and maintain a close connection with your audience, Threads is worth exploring.
Pro Tip: Instead of attempting to be present on every platform, focus on 2-3 platforms where your audience is most active and your content performs best. Quality engagement matters more than quantity!
Being selective with the right platforms ensures your content reaches the right audience at the right time.
Develop a Consistent Content Plan
Consistency is key to growing your social media presence. Your content should be a mix of:
Educational posts - Industry insights, how-to guides, and expert tips.
Engaging content - Polls, discussions, and user-generated content.
Promotional material - Special offers, testimonials, and product launches.
Trending topics - Leveraging trends to boost visibility.
A well-structured content calendar will help maintain consistency and align your messaging with business goals.
Prioritize Engagement Over Posting
Social media isn’t just about publishing content - it’s about building relationships. Engagement is key to long-term success.
Respond to comments and messages quickly.
Ask questions to spark meaningful conversations.
Share and acknowledge user-generated content to build trust.
Creating a two-way conversation with your audience fosters loyalty and strengthens your brand reputation.
Use Paid Advertising to Boost Reach
Organic reach is valuable but takes time. Paid social media ads can help expand your audience and accelerate growth.
Social media ads - Target specific demographics on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Retargeting campaigns - Re-engage users who have interacted with your content but haven’t converted.
Influencer collaborations - Partner with trusted industry voices to increase brand credibility.
Strategic ad campaigns can deliver measurable results while remaining cost-effective.
Track Performance and Optimize Your Strategy
Regularly analyzing your social media performance ensures continuous improvement. Monitor:
Engagement rates (likes, comments, shares).
Website traffic from social media.
Conversion rates and leads generated.
If a post underperforms, adjust your approach based on data insights. A flexible, data-driven strategy leads to long-term success.
Common Mistakes to Avoid While Creating Social Media Strategy
Social media is a powerful tool for growing your brand, but it can also be a double-edged sword if not handled correctly. Many businesses make avoidable mistakes that hurt their engagement, credibility, and overall success. Here are some of the biggest pitfalls to watch out for—and how to avoid them.
Not Understanding Your Audience
One of the biggest mistakes brands make is assuming they know their audience without doing proper research. If you don’t understand your customers' needs, pain points, and preferences, your content will miss the mark.
Improve: Use analytics, surveys, and social listening tools to learn what your audience actually wants. Pay attention to comments and direct messages - they’re gold mines for insights.
Example: A high-end fashion brand once launched a campaign targeting Gen Z with luxury formalwear. The problem? Gen Z prefers casual, street-style fashion. The campaign flopped because it didn’t align with their audience’s real interests.
Chasing Viral Trends Without a Strategy
Going viral is great, but if it doesn’t align with your brand values, it can do more harm than good. Some businesses jump on trending topics just to stay relevant, but if it feels forced, audiences will see right through it.
Example: In 2017, Pepsi released an ad featuring Kendall Jenner “solving” social justice issues by handing a police officer a soda. The backlash was immediate, people felt it trivialized real struggles. Pepsi had to pull the ad and issue an apology, proving that not all publicity is good publicity.
Improve: Before hopping on a trend, ask: Does this align with my brand? Will my audience relate to it? If not, skip it.
Posting Inconsistently (or Too Much!)
Inconsistent posting leads to low engagement and lost followers, while over-posting can overwhelm your audience. Finding the right balance is key.
Improve: Create a content calendar and stick to a schedule. Quality over quantity always wins.
Example: A restaurant posted sporadically, missing out on promoting their seasonal specials. Meanwhile, a competitor with a strong posting schedule attracted more diners just by staying consistent.
Ignoring Negative Feedback or Deleting Comments
Bad reviews and negative comments are inevitable, but deleting them instead of addressing the issue can damage trust. People want to see how businesses handle criticism.
Example: United Airlines faced a massive PR disaster in 2017 when a passenger was forcibly removed from a flight. Their first response? A cold, defensive statement. The public backlash was intense, and their stock took a hit.
Improve: Respond professionally and offer solutions. A sincere apology and quick action can turn unhappy customers into loyal ones.
Overusing Automation & Generic Responses
Automation is helpful, but relying too much on bots can make your brand feel robotic and disconnected.
Example: A major airline used auto-replies for all customer complaints on Twitter. People noticed and started making fun of how every response was the same, making the brand look unresponsive.
Improve: Use automation wisely, but always have a human touch in your replies. Personalized responses make a huge difference.
Developing a successful social media strategy requires clear goals, audience understanding, engaging content, and continuous optimization. By following these steps, you can build a strong online presence that supports business growth.
FAQs
What is the 50 30 20 rule for creating social media strategy?
The 50/30/20 rule helps balance content types for better engagement:
50% Value-Driven Content – Educational, entertaining, or inspiring posts.
30% Promotional Content – Sales, product highlights, and offers.
20% Engagement Content – User-generated content, trends, and direct audience interaction.
What are the 7 steps to creating a social media strategy?
Define your goals (brand awareness, lead generation, sales).
Identify your target audience.
Choose the right platforms.
Create engaging, high-quality content.
Plan a content calendar.
Engage with your audience consistently.
Analyze and adjust based on performance data.
What is a channel first social media strategy?
A channel-first strategy prioritizes the strengths of each platform rather than posting the same content everywhere. For example, using Instagram for visuals, LinkedIn for thought leadership, and TikTok for trends ensures content is tailored to audience behavior on each platform.
What are the best practices for developing a social media marketing strategy?
Know your audience and platform dynamics.
Maintain a consistent posting schedule.
Engage with followers, not just post.
Track metrics and adjust strategy accordingly.
Stay authentic—audiences connect with real, relatable brands.
Anna Mykheieva
Social Media Manager