Here’s how to create a content strategy for social media

You just launched your small business and want to be successful online, so you create a TikTok account.

You post your first video, and… crickets. So you post another and another, but you’re still not getting any traction.

The problem? You don’t have a solid content strategy for social media.

A content strategy is essential for getting from point A to point B on today’s hottest platforms and tracking your results while you’re at it. Here’s how to create one and watch your return on investment (ROI) skyrocket.

What’s a content strategy for social media?

A content marketing strategy is your digital game plan for social media success.

According to Search Engine Journal, nearly 60% of the global population is on social media. It makes sense, then, that you should be there, too. And whether you’re an influencer just starting out or a small business (like a new restaurant) trying to find more customers, your content strategy roadmaps your social media marketing process, guiding what you post, when, why and for whom.

A social media content strategy leverages creativity and market and user behavior research to captivate an audience and foster engagement on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook. Beyond just posting, it helps you create intentional, impactful content that resonates with the needs and interests of your customers.

Why do you need a social media content strategy?

Ever wondered why some brands shine on socials and others fade into the background? The secret often lies in a well-crafted social media content strategy. Here are six benefits of having a social media content strategy.

It helps you develop a robust and organic presence

A solid strategy is your ticket to a thriving, organic online presence. Planning, creating and scheduling posts in advance ensures you follow the golden rule of social media: consistency.

Sporadic posting is social media growth’s Achilles heel, and a strategy mitigates this weakness by creating a calendar for you to follow.

Plus, planning ahead lets you organize content to avoid being too repetitive or too sporadic. Alternate between types of content to keep things fresh in your followers’ feeds.

It saves you time

Say peace out to daily scrambling and blank screen moments. Setting up a social media content strategy may seem time-consuming and daunting, but the hours you save are invaluable. Use the extra time for deeper analytics and strategy refinement. And to save even more time, use a social media strategy template.

It helps you hit your goals

If you want to make money on social media, you need a money-motivated strategy. Crafting a social media content strategy ensures your posts actively help you reach your goals instead of just floating in cyberspace, especially if you’re making user-generated content for brands or directing viewers to affiliate links. And setting and achieving specific milestones is motivating and helps measure success.

You precision-target your audience

An effective strategy leverages engagement tools such as polls and interactive Q&As in posts. This sheds light on your target audience’s desires and challenges so you can address them directly. And tracking what content performs best — or worst — helps you refine your content strategy to match what your audience really wants to see.

You get to be creative

A social network content strategy helps you figure out what’s striking a chord and what’s falling flat. These insights pave the way for better, more creative content creation, from Instagram Stories to Facebook Lives, LinkedIn posts, and TikTok videos capitalizing on trending hashtags. It’s a great way to gather inspiration and think outside the box.

You can outshine your competition

Social platforms are noisy, but a quality social media content strategy keeps you on your toes. Stay one step ahead of your competitors by establishing a unique brand voice, ensuring visual consistency and providing your audience valuable content that competitors don’t.

How to create a social media content strategy

Your social media strategy can make or break your online presence, so putting the work into turning followers into fans means achieving your objectives and growing your business.

Follow these eight steps to create a thoughtful and effective social media content strategy.

1. Consider your goals

Start with crystal-clear, measurable targets to help every piece of content align with your brand’s marketing aims and work toward a set goal. Common social strategy goals are to:

• Generate leads
• Expand your reach
• Increase web traffic
• Boost engagement

To boost sales via social media, you might guide users toward landing pages with your posts. And to generate leads, you might host a contest that requires contestants to provide their email. This is where creativity helps you engage your audience and grow your business simultaneously.

2. Decode your audience

Knowing who your content is for is a vital piece of the puzzle. Dive into the data to analyze what your audience says about you and similar brands. Use insights from free social media management tools like HootSuite or chat with your customer care team to get a pulse on what your target audience is all about.

3. Look at your competitors

Knowledge is power. Do a competitive analysis of the tactics similar influencers and small businesses employ on social media to develop your digital marketing benchmarks. Consider what they’re doing well (and poorly), and aim to exceed their standards.

4. Take stock with an audit

Do an audit of your social network presence to review, reflect and refine. Evaluate what you’ve posted so far, and consider using a tool to review your current content’s stats. This is a great time to think about your goals and seek out data that confirms whether or not you’re working toward them effectively.

5. Diversify your content

While short-form videos are all the rage on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, your audience might also appreciate in-depth how-tos, Instagram Lives and behind-the-scenes peeks.

When it comes to topics for your social media strategy, content pillars can help. Choose 3–5 topics your brand will consistently discuss, amplify and create content about on social media. Your mantra at this stage? Understand, adapt, optimize and entertain.

6. Use a content calendar

A content calendar is crucial to any effective but dynamic social media content strategy. It offers a big-picture view of what you’re posting and when to keep you on track. Try to stagger content types or formats to keep users from growing tired of seeing Reel after Reel of product reviews.

Many tools and features exist to help you schedule, repurpose, optimize and align your content with platform best practices that you can work into your strategy.

7. Promote your content

Amplify your content’s reach by distributing and promoting it strategically. Schedule posts for times with maximum visibility and encourage your audience to share your content. In moderation, try to repost content, respond to comments and use platform-specific tools like hashtags whenever possible.

8. Measure your results

Track, analyze and refine your content every month. From awareness metrics like impressions to engagement markers like clicks and shares, post analytics are imperative to understand what your audience does and doesn’t engage with. And regular analysis ensures your strategy remains agile and effective.

Boost your social media presence with Linktree

Competitor content and digital social media content strategy examples make it easy to check out how other influencers and small businesses are achieving their goals. With a bit of inspo and the tips outlined above, you can develop your own marketing plan in no time.

For more information on social media and content best practices, head to The Linktree Blog. We’ll show you how to navigate the settings and features of different social media platforms as a marketer, from using X’s advanced search to adding a link to your Instagram story.

While you browse our website, remember to sign up for Linktree and create a clickable, customizable link in bio on all your social profiles. We’re here to help you drive traffic to where it matters most.