You often hear about the importance of a social media strategy and people selling them to you. But what is a social media strategy? A social media strategy serves as a guide for how you run your social media accounts, and includes everything from what you post to which influencers you interact with. By having a social media strategy you ensure that you stay consistent in your messaging and that there is purpose behind each post. I often see a strategy describes as how often you’re going to post different types of content, but it is much more than that. Creating your social media strategy requires you to research and to truly know your business.

A social media strategy contains:

• Analysis of current account (social media audit)
• Analysis of competitors – Ex: What is working for them? What are their weaknesses?
• Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats (SWOT analysis)
• Description of current followers and target audience
• Goals for each social media platform
• Strategies and tactics for achieving said goals – Ex: how often to post, when to post, what types of content, content to share, conversations to join
• How to engage and develop your audience

Just as important as the social media strategy, are the steps you use to bring that strategy to life. Let’s say one of your tactics is posting twice a day, every day. A step you can take is to content batch all of your posts for the next two weeks, and schedule one day to edit all those posts. This way you aren’t scrambling every day to shoot, edit, and copywriter. A strategy is supposed to make using social media easier.

A strategy that works is sustainable, meaning that you can implement it without burning out. You are prioritizing yourself when creating the strategy and tactics. When you have a sustainable strategy, you are being realistic with what you can achieve within a certain timeframe. Additionally, a sustainable strategy will allow you to enjoy your life without constant worry of what you should be doing for social media. It will also allow you to focus on what truly matters to your business, whether that be managing people, creating your products, or simply prioritizing your personal life.

To implement sustainable tactics ask yourself these questions:

1. Realistically, how many times can I handle posting?
2. How often can I commit to content creation without burning myself out?
3. Do I have any events coming up where I will not be able to create content for an extended period of time?

Having a social media strategy is essential to making sure you are using social media to your advantage. There are many people that will try to sell you a strategy template – but it may not be effective. Strategies are not a one-size fits all. You know yourself best and what is attainable, so do not feel guilty for not doing as much as others. Focus on creating a strategy with sustainable tactics, so you can enjoy the process of content creation without compromising your mental health.