4 Tips for Creating a Successful Social Media Strategy

By Kathryn Miller, Digital Media Coordinator at Linhart Public Relations, CWCC Member and Women’s Leadership Foundation Committee Member

Social media continues to advance daily with updated features, new platforms and innovative advertising tools for businesses to reach consumers in new ways. As a result, it can be difficult to keep up with the changes and understand the best approach to achieve overall business goals.  To help navigate the dynamic landscape, here are four tips to keep in mind that will help create a successful social media strategy:

1. Align with your business’s target demographic. Rather than cast an open net out to millions of social media users, focus on building an online community that targets individuals who are already interested in, and more likely to engage with, your brand or service.
2. Select the right platforms. Just as there is an abundance of news outlets for various demographics to receive their daily updates, the same is true with social media platforms. As new options and features continue to appear, it’s important to select and maintain the platform(s) your target audience actually uses in order to connect with them. While it’s best to secure social accounts, don’t try to manage all of them if you don’t have the resources.
3. Create meaningful content. Once you’ve identified your audience and the social platforms they are on, create meaningful content that makes people think, feel and do. Creating interesting posts and sharing compelling content is key to connecting with your online audience. By doing so, you will become a valuable resource for your customer or consumer, and in turn, give them a reason to follow you, as well as engage with your brand or organization and share your content with others, expanding your online reach.
4. Pay to play. How do you rise above the “noise” on social channels to ensure your content is being seen among your target audience? If you haven’t considered social media advertising, now is the time to do so. As platforms continue to introduce new advertising capabilities for businesses – with Instagram and Pinterest being the latest – it’s crucial to implement social advertising into your social media strategy in order to boost your content and so that it reaches your target audience.

About Kathryn
After spending time as public relations intern in New York City, Kathryn ventured back to her digital roots and landed a position as the digital media coordinator for Linhart Public Relations, based in Denver. From social media management and graphic design to content creation and blogger relations, Kathryn provides a wide variety of digital skills and expertise to Linhart PR and its clients.