Every once in a while it’s worth stepping back and re-connecting with first principles. We’ve been blogging about different social media tactics, but what about the strategic framework that contains them all? To succeed, any individual social media campaign has to be part of a well thought out strategy that sets the pace for what you do, how you do it, when you do it and how you can ensure good results. Let’s take a look at the building blocks of this strategy.

1. Find your audience:You’ve done a lot of research; now don’t get lost in the data. Boil it down to simple, important factors: who do you need to reach, where can they be reached and what topics do they discuss?
2. Craft your message:Your message has to relate to your audience. Find out what their problems are and how your USP can answer these issues. Craft an underlying message that communicates this linkage.
3. Set the goalposts: Figure out why you are on social media. Is it to build awareness, to rally an audience around a specific campaign, to reach out to your existing customer community, to create a new sales funnel? What will count as a success? How can you measure it? How does this goal tie back to your profits?
4. Figure out your content strategy:You can’t just translate an ad campaign into social media terms. The way to get an audience and keep it is to provide them with great content. Figure out what kind of content will attract your target, how you will provide and how you will make it tie back in to your goals.
5. Allot a budget and resources:Keeping your social media activities going will need money and resources. Figure out what kind of a budget makes sense, who should be in charge, what functions you can assign in-house and what you should outsource.
6. Define metrics and parameters:It may not be possible to use every social media platform around. Set the limits for what you can and can’t do, how often you will use the platforms you choose and for what. Also define how you plan to measure the success of the content you share on these platforms.
7. Publish, measure, revise:Once you go live with your content, take the time to let it take effect. Measure all your responses and then refine your strategy for the next round.

It takes time, but it’s worth getting the basics of your strategy right before embarking on individual social media campaigns. Always keep the business context and your overall strategy in mind when you roll out a communication program. Or, work with a partner who understands the big picture – someone like the i-Vista Digital Communication team.