What Is an SAP?
An SAP (strategy action plan) outlines how to turn thoughts or ideas into reality. When we create an SAP for social media posting, we are aligning the brand’s social medial messaging with any other marketing efforts by outlining our scheduled social media posts in calendar format.
The social media world is constantly changing, improving, and thriving! There are 3.5 billion active social media users, which equates to about 45% of the population (Emarsys, 2019). How do you take full advantage of this marketing tool for your business? Maybe you’re overwhelmed with all the information out there and where to start. Or maybe your business is on social media, but you haven’t quite seen the engagement and interaction from followers you were expecting. The great thing with social media is the endless freedom you have to try new things and improve as you go!
We wanted to show you how to create an effective strategy action plan for your business’s social media calendar. Because without a plan, you can’t get the results you’re dreaming of. Here are some tips for those just getting started on social media or those already on social media whose plan is not quite where you want it yet.
#1: Know Your Business Goals
To create an effective strategy action plan for your business’s social media calendar, you want to know where you’re going. What are your goals for being on social media? How do you want to portray your business on these online platforms? What’s your conversion goals? This is a great opportunity to get your team together and have a brainstorming session!
Understand Your Audience
Get a clearer vision of who your ideal customer is. How old are they, where are they located, and what is the problem that you want to help solve for them with your services/products? Knowing who your audience is and what they want to see on social media is key. Create a target audience persona for your business. Here is a list of things to include:
- Age
- Location
- Income level
- Typical job title/industry
- Interests
If you are online already, sometimes it’s hard to know your goals if you don’t know how you’re doing online. Now is the time to get a social media audit. Take time to review your social media analytics and conversion rates to see what is working and what is not.
#2: Choose the Right Platform
If you are ready to dive into the social media world, choose where you post wisely. We suggest starting on one or two platforms and build from there. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and other social platforms have different demographics. So once you know the demographic of your target audience, it’s easier to choose the right platform for an effective strategy action plan for your business’s social media calendar. Every business performs differently on each platform. So keep an eye on how your target audience is engaging with your content regularly.
#3: Plan Out Your Content
Now that you know your goals, target audience, and the appropriate platforms to use, it’s time for the magic! Content creation is the most fun and creative part of social media planning. Consider planning out your social media content calendar a month at a time. This may seem like a lot, but it gives you a better overall view of your content. It creates a clearer and more cohesive plan when writing and designing content. Plus, it eliminates the stress of having to come up with a post every day or even every week.
Collaborate with your team and delegate tasks at the end of each month for the following month and stay ahead of the game. Make sure to leave time for your team to make edits and schedule it out before the first of each month.
Here are some practical steps to plan out your social media calendar:
- Schedule content on days/times your audience will be online
- Start posting just a couple of times a week & add from there
- Remember quality over quantity wins every time.
- Incorporate helpful & consistent themes like Monday Motivation, Tip Tuesday, or Friday Read posts.
- Create helpful content that leads people to your site! (through blogs, email signups, or free resources/specials)
- Don’t forget the holidays! Plan fun & interactive holiday posts for your followers
#4: Always Be Adjusting & Improving
The key to continually improving your social media plan is continually improving your content and strategy. Change times/days based on how your posts are doing and adjust your content based on how your audience is engaging. Strive to improve copy, design, and brand consistency.
Creating an effective strategy action plan for your business’s social media calendar is more than just simply putting out a couple of posts a week. An effective strategy plan requires daily management, responding to followers, having online conversations, and monitoring your campaigns.
Contact Caledon
At Caledon Virtual, we have a team of marketing professionals who can keep a close eye on your accounts and engage with your audience to continually build your brand.
Reach out to us today if you are interested in receiving professional help with your SAP!
