A social media marketing strategy defines how your brand will attract and engage with consumers and what results you expect. It identifies the channels and customers to target and the content most likely to make an impact. You can track performance and optimize your posting schedule after creating a social media plan with marketing goals.
This guide walks you through six steps to build your social media strategy, from setting goals to measuring your return on investment (ROI). Use these tips to get the most out of your budget and save time.
1. Align social media goals with business objectives
An effective social media strategy helps your small business achieve its marketing goals, whether increasing sales or boosting brand awareness. According to the 2025 Sprout Social Index, 65% of leaders want to know how social media campaigns tie into business objectives.
For example, if you want to boost overall sales by 20% this year, your social media plan may incorporate Facebook Marketplace and channel-specific in-person or online promotions. Break this down by deciding how many sales you expect per channel, campaign, and time frame.
Other revenue-linked goals include increasing sign-ups to your customer loyalty program or generating leads through forms and downloads. Branding objectives aim to build awareness, community, and engagement. A solid brand strategy creates stronger relationships, increasing sales and customer loyalty.
[Read more: 3 Emerging Social Media Strategies Businesses Must Know to Grow]
2. Understand your target audience and competitors
For your audience, it’s essential to understand who they are, where they hang out, and what type of content they engage with. Combine this information with demographics to segment them into different groups by channel. Social analytics and listening tools provide insights about your competition and potential customers.
Next, check out your competition. What content is driving clicks or falling flat? Are they using videos and images, short or long posts, or paid advertisements? Do they work with top social media influencers? How do they respond to post comments or reviews? Use this information to create a unique approach that stands out.
3. Choose the right social media channels
Social media is time-intensive, especially as your audience grows. Manage your time and budget by starting with one to three channels where your customers are most active and engaged.
According to HubSpot’s 2025 Social Media Trends Report, video still reigns in 2025, with YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok “driving the most site traffic, social engagement, and audience growth.” Likewise, Sprout Social found respondents “are most likely to have Facebook, Instagram and YouTube profiles.” However, Gen Z ditches Facebook for TikTok, and business-to-business brands keep LinkedIn in the mix.
Review your social channel strategy to see if adding X (formerly Twitter), Pinterest, Discord, Reddit, Snapchat, or Twitch makes sense.
To calculate your return for social media campaigns, consider time spent, the cost of tools and apps, and paid advertising expenses versus sales.
4. Craft an effective social media content strategy
A social media content strategy is the framework for calendars and posts. It breaks down post formats, frequency, social search engine optimization (SEO) tactics, and engagement methods for each platform.
Consider the following guidelines:
- Content pillars: Keep the 80/20 rule in mind, where 80% of your content informs, educates, or entertains while 20% promotes your small business.
- Different formats: Post short tips, host TikTok contests, and share moments your audience can relate to using a variety of formats, including videos, photos, and polls.
- Social SEO: Consider search intent when optimizing captions, content descriptions, and hashtags. For example, a photographer monetizing Facebook could target “affordable wedding photos.”
- Frequency: Set a schedule for each platform that is doable for you, then adjust timing and frequency based on your audience's needs.
- Paid ads: Review costs for paid Instagram posts or similar promotional content to see if this is worth considering in the near term.
- Engagement: Decide how often to check in, interact, and reply on social media, and consider listening tools so you can respond quickly.
How to plan seasonal content ideas, daily posts, and campaigns
Have a list of ideas ready by brainstorming content for each pillar.
Here are some suggestions to get you started:
- For a YouTube strategy, you can post microblog content on the YouTube community tab or support creators through a multichannel YouTube network.
- Use Instagram to highlight your beauty transformations, food presentations with high-quality photos, or Instagram Reels with music.
- With a Facebook strategy, you can create communities for loyal fans to update them on the latest specials or give them first dibs on the newest inventory.
- Monetizing TikTok using fun, short-form video content is a great way to introduce people to your small business team.
[Read more: 6 Elements of a Great Social Media Post]
5. Organize and automate your social media calendar
Organize your social media action plan ahead of time so you can focus on what consumers say they want from brands: deliver value, engage with the online community, and listen. Plus, when you're ready to outsource social media, you have a system and workflows prepared. Use a social media content calendar to visualize your posting schedule by entering key dates, holidays, and promotional campaigns.
Practical tips for automating your content workflow
A consistent social media posting schedule can improve post visibility and increase trust in your brand.
To implement your social media strategy while running your small business, try these tips:
- Create templates for repeatable post formats: Use image, infographic, and design templates to add fresh content without starting from scratch.
- Set up social media automation tools: Schedule content to post automatically using drag-and-drop marketing tools.
- Build ChatGPT prompt cheat sheets: For example, keep a list of prompts to help you develop YouTube video titles, post ideas, or CTAs.
- Edit with artificial intelligence (AI): Use AI-powered content tools to shorten videos, eliminate image backgrounds, and correct spelling.
6. Track social media metrics
Social media key performance indicators (KPIs) measure your performance and the effectiveness of your overall strategy. You may have metrics for individual channels, campaigns, and your plan.
Consider monitoring social media KPIs, such as:
- Profile impressions and reach.
- Followers.
- Click-through rate (CTR).
- Engagement rate.
- Posting frequency.
- Video plays.
- Customer testimonials
- Clicks.
- Audience growth rate.
- Social shares.
How to measure ROI on your social media campaigns
To calculate your return for social media campaigns, consider time spent, the cost of tools and apps, and paid advertising expenses versus sales.
Here’s how to track social media sales and see where your revenue comes from:
- Track social media links: Use UTM parameters to see where traffic comes from. Fill in the details for Google’s UTM builder and paste links into campaign posts.
- Use Google Analytics: Establish goals for leads or purchases and monitor conversions tied to UTM links.
- Calculate ROI: Factor in the cost of your time and other expenses to determine ROI. The ROI formula is: ROI = (gain - cost) / cost.
Tools to scale your social media marketing strategy
Posting in real-time can help improve visibility in social media feeds. But it’s not always conducive to your work schedule or personal life. Most social media platforms are affordable and well worth the monthly or annual fee. They provide in-depth analytics and automate many aspects of your social media strategy.
Check out the following social media management tools:
- Buffer: With Buffer, you pay for the channels you use and can connect up to three for free. It offers an AI assistant, a link shortener, and in-depth analytics.
- CoSchedule: Create a real-time marketing calendar and publish it on one social profile for free with CoSchedule. It has AI tools and paid plans for bulk social media scheduling.
- Zoho Social: Schedule posts, monitor interactions, and target audiences using Zoho Social. It offers affordable options for popular and lesser-known channels.
- SocialBee: With SocialBee, an AI assistant can help create your social media strategy, automate your schedule, and manage your social mentions.
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