12 Oct 3 Steps for Making Your Social Media Strategy Agile
If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my 7 years working in social media, it’s that there are things you can’t unsee plans are great, but social media is unpredictable – so be ready. Below I’ve outlined three steps you can take to make your social media strategy agile to better accommodate the constant changes in the world of social media marketing.
1. Plan to Test
A month in social media time is like a year in regular time. You can’t assume that a strategy you set in January will still apply a week, month or year later. Things change rapidly. A new channel can become king. An old favorite can crumble. Internal changes can happen that make your strategy irrelevant. One way to keep the same basics of your strategy despite what’s happening is to plan to test things frequently. You know things are going to change, so leave room for that in your strategy and budget. Your strategy should allow you the freedom to try out relevant new channels, new types of media buys or new types of content as they appear. Doing this ensures you can capitalize on the latest & greatest without having to throw away your strategy or alter it dramatically.
2. Pay Attention to Performance Metrics
You should be analyzing your social media performance on a regular basis to see what’s working and what’s not. Look at it from a high level (overall strategy and channel-by-channel) all the way down to pieces of content and your community management performance. This is where you see what may need to be adjusted from your strategy. For certain areas, you might see that something out of your control affected it negatively or even positively. Critically thinking about your results will help you determine the next steps for switching up your entire strategy or just pieces of it. It can also give you ideas of new things to test, as mentioned in Step 1.
3. Schedule Time to Reassess Your Strategy
It’s easy to get swept up in day-to-day activities and forget the bigger picture. When you set your social media strategy, it’s good to also set up follow-up meetings and reminders to check in and reassess on a regular cadence. Whether that’s monthly or quarterly, have it on the books so you don’t forget. Make it a priority to reassess any time there’s a major shift in the industry or within your company, even if it’s just taking time yourself to go through the strategy and check to make sure that whatever’s changing won’t affect your plans.
With these simple steps, you can have a solid plan while also allowing flexibility for the crazy world that is social media marketing.
Need help with your social media strategy? We’re here to help. Simply visit our website or send us a tweet at @IgniteSMA!
