{"id":223807,"date":"2020-03-13T07:21:24","date_gmt":"2020-03-13T01:51:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.qcsglobal.com\/marketing\/8-steps-to-crafting-your-advanced-social-media-plan\/"},"modified":"2020-04-18T17:10:43","modified_gmt":"2020-04-18T11:40:43","slug":"8-steps-to-crafting-your-advanced-social-media-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/qcsglobal.com\/blogs\/8-steps-to-crafting-your-advanced-social-media-plan\/","title":{"rendered":"8 Steps to Crafting Your Advanced Social Media Plan"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Marketers usually start the<br \/>\nfinancial year with a social media <a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/blog\/marketing-plan\/\">marketing<br \/>\nplan<\/a>\u2014what channels they will target, their audience, the kind of<br \/>\ncontent they want to create.<\/p>\n<p>But halfway through the year,<br \/>\nthat social media plan will have to be changed because it hasn\u2019t done its job.<br \/>\nWhy?<\/p>\n<p>Because social media is<br \/>\nsaturated with content and consumers, and the changing algorithms are making it<br \/>\nharder for your posts to be seen. <\/p>\n<p>If you want the impressions your brand deserves, you need a new plan, something advanced that doesn\u2019t need to be changed every quarter.<\/p>\n<p><!--HubSpot Call-to-Action Code --><span class=\"hs-cta-wrapper\" id=\"hs-cta-wrapper-b2dd580e-767c-4a68-b224-cc4ea07f0cf6\"><span class=\"hs-cta-node hs-cta-b2dd580e-767c-4a68-b224-cc4ea07f0cf6\" id=\"hs-cta-b2dd580e-767c-4a68-b224-cc4ea07f0cf6\"><!--[if lte IE 8]>\n\n<div id=\"hs-cta-ie-element\"><\/div>\n\n<![endif]--><a href=\"https:\/\/cta-redirect.hubspot.com\/cta\/redirect\/1896803\/b2dd580e-767c-4a68-b224-cc4ea07f0cf6\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" id=\"hs-cta-img-b2dd580e-767c-4a68-b224-cc4ea07f0cf6\" style=\"border-width:0px;\" alt=\"Holiday Marketing Toolkit 2020\" src=\"https:\/\/no-cache.hubspot.com\/cta\/default\/1896803\/b2dd580e-767c-4a68-b224-cc4ea07f0cf6.png\" class=\"hs-cta-img lazyload\"\/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" id=\"hs-cta-img-b2dd580e-767c-4a68-b224-cc4ea07f0cf6\" style=\"border-width:0px;\" alt=\"Holiday Marketing Toolkit 2020\" src=\"https:\/\/no-cache.hubspot.com\/cta\/default\/1896803\/b2dd580e-767c-4a68-b224-cc4ea07f0cf6.png\" class=\"hs-cta-img lazyload\"\/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"hs-cta-img\" id=\"hs-cta-img-b2dd580e-767c-4a68-b224-cc4ea07f0cf6\" style=\"border-width:0px;\" src=\"https:\/\/no-cache.hubspot.com\/cta\/default\/1896803\/b2dd580e-767c-4a68-b224-cc4ea07f0cf6.png\" alt=\"Holiday Marketing Toolkit 2020\"\/><\/noscript><\/noscript><\/a><\/span><\/span><!-- end HubSpot Call-to-Action Code --><\/p>\n<p>In this guide, we will take you<br \/>\nthrough the steps of creating an advanced social media plan that will boost<br \/>\nyour content marketing strategy.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-1-794x1024.png 794w, https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-1-233x300.png 233w, https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-1-768x991.png 768w, https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-1.png 841w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 794px) 100vw, 794px\" src=\"https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-1-794x1024.png\" class=\"wp-image-33510 lazyload\"\/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-1-794x1024.png\" alt=\"crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-1\" class=\"wp-image-33510\" srcset=\"https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-1-794x1024.png 794w, https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-1-233x300.png 233w, https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-1-768x991.png 768w, https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-1.png 841w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 794px) 100vw, 794px\"\/><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<p><em>Content Audit. Source: Venngage<\/em><\/p>\n<p>A social media plan is<br \/>\nconstructed with a great deal of thought and detail. But if it isn\u2019t yielding<br \/>\nthe desired results, you need to take a long, hard look at your current plan.<\/p>\n<p>They say hindsight is 20\/20<br \/>\nvision, and you should make use of that adage. Look at what aspects of your<br \/>\ncurrent plan have worked.<\/p>\n<p>Then turn the clock back even<br \/>\nfurther\u2014what aspects of last year\u2019s social media plan yielded results? What<br \/>\nabout before then?<\/p>\n<p>Social media may have<br \/>\nprogressed in the past few years, but there are some aspects of <a href=\"https:\/\/looka.com\/blog\/how-to-use-content-marketing-to-grow-your-business\/\">content marketing<\/a> that continue to thrive\u2014such<br \/>\nas long-form writing, for example.<\/p>\n<p>How was your business<br \/>\nsuccessful in promoting those posts on social media before and can you use<br \/>\nthose strategies now? Or at the very least adapt them to current social media<br \/>\npractices.<\/p>\n<p>Once you have seen what worked,<br \/>\nit is time to examine what didn\u2019t. This part of the assessment process requires<br \/>\nyou to be brutal, but it is necessary.<\/p>\n<p>Is Facebook not generating the<br \/>\ntraffic and lead generation opportunities that Twitter and Instagram are?<br \/>\nPerhaps it is time to cut that channel out or change the strategy for Facebook<br \/>\nentirely.<\/p>\n<p>Has your Instagram account<br \/>\nfailed to give you more leads? It could be time to <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.kicksta.co\/8-reasons-to-switch-to-an-instagram-business-account\/\">switch to a business account<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>You also need to understand how<br \/>\nmuch effort is going into your channels and the kind of content you are<br \/>\ncreating for them. What results are they yielding? Is it proportionate to the<br \/>\nlabor and time being spent on it?<\/p>\n<p>Despite the amount of energy a<br \/>\nsocial media audit will take, you will find some surprising and helpful results<br \/>\nthat will help you structure your advanced social media plan.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-2-790x1024.png 790w, https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-2-231x300.png 231w, https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-2-768x996.png 768w, https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-2.png 893w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 790px) 100vw, 790px\" src=\"https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-2-790x1024.png\" class=\"wp-image-33513 lazyload\"\/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-2-790x1024.png\" alt=\"crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-2\" class=\"wp-image-33513\" srcset=\"https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-2-790x1024.png 790w, https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-2-231x300.png 231w, https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-2-768x996.png 768w, https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-2.png 893w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 790px) 100vw, 790px\"\/><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<p><em>Audience persona. Source: Venngage<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Having assessed your past and<br \/>\ncurrent social media plans, you will have a fair idea of what has and hasn\u2019t<br \/>\nbeen working for your social media strategy. <\/p>\n<p>To create a better plan, you<br \/>\nnow need to analyze your brand to <a href=\"https:\/\/foundationinc.co\/lab\/b2b-target-audience\/\">find your target audience<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Go back to the basics\u2014what is<br \/>\nyour brand\u2019s mission statement? What does the brand represent to its ideal<br \/>\naudience? <\/p>\n<p>Ask yourself what your brand<br \/>\nhas been trying to achieve through social media. Is it brand awareness, web<br \/>\ntraffic, or sales? Incorporate the needs of your brand into your plan.<\/p>\n<p>And on the flip side, study<br \/>\nyour audience. Have the demographics changed over time? Has your social media<br \/>\nplan accounted for these changes?<\/p>\n<p>Social media platforms share a<br \/>\ngreat deal of insight into the interests of followers. Have these interests<br \/>\nbeen changing over time? Your social media content should also be adapted to<br \/>\nthese changes.<\/p>\n<p>This step requires you to<br \/>\nreturn to the grassroots of your marketing strategy. You may even need to<br \/>\nexamine your business plan. <\/p>\n<p>Your brand and audience are<br \/>\nintrinsically tied to how you make your social media plan. Only with a thorough<br \/>\nunderstanding of these aspects can you create a foolproof plan.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-3\" srcset=\"https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-3-790x1024.png 790w, https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-3-232x300.png 232w, https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-3-768x995.png 768w, https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-3.png 897w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 790px) 100vw, 790px\" src=\"https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-3-790x1024.png\" class=\"wp-image-33516 lazyload\"\/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-3-790x1024.png\" alt=\"crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-3\" class=\"wp-image-33516\" srcset=\"https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-3-790x1024.png 790w, https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-3-232x300.png 232w, https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-3-768x995.png 768w, https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-3.png 897w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 790px) 100vw, 790px\"\/><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<p><em>Competitor analysis. Source: Venngage<\/em><\/p>\n<p>A comprehensive examination of<br \/>\nthe needs of your brand cannot be completed without understanding your<br \/>\ncompetitors. Ask yourself these questions:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>What are your competitors doing on<br \/>\nsocial media?<\/li>\n<li>Which competitor posts are doing<br \/>\nwell?<\/li>\n<li>How do their social media numbers<br \/>\ncompare to yours?<\/li>\n<li>What are your competitors doing<br \/>\nthat you aren\u2019t doing?<\/li>\n<li>Who is their target market? Where<br \/>\ndo they not overlap with you?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Asking these crucial questions<br \/>\nand doing in-depth research into your competitors is a crucial step in advancing<br \/>\nyour social media plan.<\/p>\n<p>Use <a href=\"https:\/\/venngage.com\/templates\/diagrams\/swot-analysis\">SWOT analysis templates<\/a> to examine your<br \/>\ncompetitors and compare them to your social media efforts thus far.<\/p>\n<p>Conducting a competitor<br \/>\nanalysis will give you insights into your industry and your particular niche.<br \/>\nIt will also give you an understanding of what you should be doing, and what<br \/>\nkinds of content you should be avoiding.<\/p>\n<p>When conducting a competitor<br \/>\nanalysis, remember that just because something is working well for one brand,<br \/>\nit doesn\u2019t mean that it will work for you.<\/p>\n<p>Social media is not a<br \/>\none-size-fits-all medium\u2014different brands evoke different reactions from their<br \/>\nfollowers.<\/p>\n<p>Also, while analyzing<br \/>\ncompetitors, avoid trying to co-opt their tactics. Not only will such a move<br \/>\nimpact your brand negatively\u2014wily followers will notice that you have copied<br \/>\nfrom someone else\u2014but the plan may not work at all because of your target<br \/>\ndemographic.<\/p>\n<p>Be inspired by people in your<br \/>\nindustry, but don\u2019t copy their work or methods. Being original is hard work,<br \/>\nbut the rewards will be immense.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-4\" srcset=\"https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-4-788x1024.png 788w, https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-4-231x300.png 231w, https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-4-768x998.png 768w, https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-4.png 902w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 788px) 100vw, 788px\" src=\"https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-4-788x1024.png\" class=\"wp-image-33519 lazyload\"\/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-4-788x1024.png\" alt=\"crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-4\" class=\"wp-image-33519\" srcset=\"https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-4-788x1024.png 788w, https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-4-231x300.png 231w, https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-4-768x998.png 768w, https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-4.png 902w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 788px) 100vw, 788px\"\/><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<p><em>Social media metrics. Source: Venngage<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Having understood your brand\u2019s<br \/>\nneeds and your competitors, you need to look at the metrics you have been<br \/>\nmeasuring on social media.<\/p>\n<p>There are numerous metrics you<br \/>\ncan examine on social media but which <a href=\"https:\/\/learn.g2crowd.com\/kpi-key-performance-indicator\">KPIs work for your brand<\/a>?<\/p>\n<p>Some of the more popular<br \/>\nmetrics that brands examine include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Mentions<\/li>\n<li>Comments<\/li>\n<li>Number of Followers <\/li>\n<li>Likes<\/li>\n<li>Shares\/ Retweets<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The old saying \u2018less is more\u2019<br \/>\nis never truer than with regards to social metrics. There are so many available<br \/>\nthat a marketing analyst can feel like they\u2019re drowning in numbers.<\/p>\n<p>And not all metrics are<br \/>\nequal\u2014impressions may be of greater importance to one brand, while for another,<br \/>\nfollower growth could be the aim.<\/p>\n<p>The metrics that you deem<br \/>\nimportant are also related to the stage your business is in. For a startup,<br \/>\nfollower growth may be more important as it means that they are boosting brand<br \/>\nawareness.<\/p>\n<p>While you were examining your<br \/>\ncurrent social media plan, you would have also taken note of the best and worst-performing<br \/>\nposts. This is where that information will come in handy.<\/p>\n<p>The metrics you achieved in the<br \/>\nprevious quarter or previous year can be used as your baselines to measure the<br \/>\nmetrics you can achieve with your new social media plan.<\/p>\n<p>But we have to reiterate the<br \/>\nimportance of choosing the right metrics, as those will impact the ultimate<br \/>\ngoals for your plan. <\/p>\n<p>Set your aim too high, and your<br \/>\nplan will never be profitable. Keep the goals too low and you will undersell<br \/>\nyour brand.<\/p>\n<p>Use the <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.timeneye.com\/smart-goal-setting\/\">SMART<br \/>\ngoal setting<\/a> method to give yourself two or three major goals and<br \/>\nyou will be able to create a social media plan that is goal-oriented.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-5\" srcset=\"https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-5.png 974w, https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-5-300x193.png 300w, https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-5-768x493.png 768w, https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-5-312x200.png 312w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 974px) 100vw, 974px\" src=\"https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-5.png\" class=\"wp-image-33522 lazyload\"\/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-5.png\" alt=\"crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-5\" class=\"wp-image-33522\" srcset=\"https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-5.png 974w, https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-5-300x193.png 300w, https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-5-768x493.png 768w, https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-5-312x200.png 312w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 974px) 100vw, 974px\"\/><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<p><em>Social media goals. Source: Venngage<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Having decided on your goals,<br \/>\nyou need to turn them into actionable tasks that can be executed by your team.<\/p>\n<p>If your goal is to attract 25%<br \/>\nmore followers on Instagram, you need to break that into tasks that will help<br \/>\nyou reach that goal. This could include any or all of the following tasks:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Creating content<\/li>\n<li>Posting content regularly<\/li>\n<li>Repurposing content for other<br \/>\nchannels<\/li>\n<li>Commenting and engaging with<br \/>\naudiences<\/li>\n<li>Following members of the target<br \/>\naudience<\/li>\n<li>Following industry experts<\/li>\n<li>Tapping into influencers<\/li>\n<li>Hosting a <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.wishpond.com\/post\/115675437658\/how-to-run-a-facebook-contest\">Facebook contest<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Advertising or promoting posts<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These tasks can be further<br \/>\nbroken down into smaller tasks that can be executed by members of your team.<br \/>\nTogether, they will help you achieve that goal of increasing your followers by<br \/>\n25%. <\/p>\n<p>A goal on its own may seem like<br \/>\na mammoth task but by breaking it into smaller tasks, you make the goal easier<br \/>\nto achieve in your social media plan.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-6\" srcset=\"https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-6.png 974w, https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-6-300x208.png 300w, https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-6-768x532.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 974px) 100vw, 974px\" src=\"https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-6.png\" class=\"wp-image-33525 lazyload\"\/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-6.png\" alt=\"crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-6\" class=\"wp-image-33525\" srcset=\"https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-6.png 974w, https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-6-300x208.png 300w, https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-6-768x532.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 974px) 100vw, 974px\"\/><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<p><em>High-level content calendar. Source: Venngage<\/em><\/p>\n<p>With your goals and tasks outlined,<br \/>\nyou can start creating a content calendar. Your first drafts for the calendar<br \/>\nwill need revisions, but you should not skip this step.<\/p>\n<p>You should start by creating a<br \/>\ncontent calendar overview for the year\u2014you won\u2019t have to go into too much<br \/>\ndetail for this. <\/p>\n<p>Avoid adding exact times and<br \/>\ndates\u2014we will discuss channel-specific content and scheduling times in the next<br \/>\nstep.<\/p>\n<p>Only add specifics if you are<br \/>\nabsolutely sure about them\u2014for instance if you have to create content for an<br \/>\nevent or launch that has already been set.<\/p>\n<p>Set out your high-level goals<br \/>\nper quarter or for every month and give a rough outline of what kind of content<br \/>\nneeds to be created and shared on social media. <\/p>\n<p>A content calendar will include<br \/>\nsuch information as to how many blogs and vlogs have to be created every month,<br \/>\nas well as an overview of how many social media posts are meant to be shared.<\/p>\n<p>Knowing how much content needs<br \/>\nto be created in a certain period helps the marketing team become<br \/>\ngoal-oriented. It also gives them an idea of what is expected of them.<\/p>\n<p>With a high-level understanding<br \/>\nof the content calendar, you can decide whether your social media plan is too<br \/>\nambitious or not ambitious enough.<\/p>\n<p>Once you have an overview of<br \/>\nthe calendar, you can get down to the details.<\/p>\n<p>With a content calendar for the<br \/>\nmonth\/ quarter\/ year set out, you can start scheduling in the exact times and<br \/>\nchannels for each piece of content.<\/p>\n<p>This part of the content<br \/>\ncalendar is extremely detailed\u2014you need to know exactly when you want to send<br \/>\nout a post for what kind of content, alongside the media that will be<br \/>\naccompanying it.<\/p>\n<p>This step is not something that<br \/>\ncan be done in a hurry. It is also best not to attempt to create a detailed<br \/>\ncontent calendar for a long period. A month is enough, but work out the details<br \/>\nof a week first. <\/p>\n<p>By being too ambitious in this<br \/>\nstep, you could make crucial mistakes that will have a snowball effect on your<br \/>\nentire plan. <\/p>\n<p>Use social media <a href=\"https:\/\/www.emailvendorselection.com\/best-lead-generation-tools\/\">lead generation tools<\/a> that will help with the<br \/>\nplanning and execution of your content calendar.<\/p>\n<p>Also, remember to be<br \/>\nflexible\u2014neither your content calendar nor your social media plan are cast in<br \/>\nstone. <\/p>\n<p>Things change, new trends<br \/>\nappear, and your calendar needs to have enough wiggle room to accommodate these<br \/>\nchanges.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-8\" srcset=\"https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-8-791x1024.png 791w, https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-8-232x300.png 232w, https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-8-768x994.png 768w, https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-8.png 899w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 791px) 100vw, 791px\" src=\"https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-8-791x1024.png\" class=\"wp-image-33528 lazyload\"\/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-8-791x1024.png\" alt=\"crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-8\" class=\"wp-image-33528\" srcset=\"https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-8-791x1024.png 791w, https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-8-232x300.png 232w, https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-8-768x994.png 768w, https:\/\/zdtqg3h0l2yrz5yd19tb2tnm-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/crafting-advanced-social-media-plan-8.png 899w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 791px) 100vw, 791px\"\/><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<p><em>Social media timeline. Source: Venngage<\/em><\/p>\n<p>You have examined your old<br \/>\nplans, measured your posts, analyzed your competitors, chosen your metrics and<br \/>\ndivided them into actionable tasks. Your high-level and detailed content<br \/>\ncalendars are ready.<\/p>\n<p>For all intents and purposes,<br \/>\nyour social media plan is good to go. But this is not the end of your planning<br \/>\nprocess.<\/p>\n<p>As we mentioned, your social media plan can\u2019t be set in stone. But it isn\u2019t only because of the changing nature of social media\u2014it is also because you want to avoid becoming complacent.<\/p>\n<p><!--HubSpot Call-to-Action Code --><span class=\"hs-cta-wrapper\" id=\"hs-cta-wrapper-b2dd580e-767c-4a68-b224-cc4ea07f0cf6\"><span class=\"hs-cta-node hs-cta-b2dd580e-767c-4a68-b224-cc4ea07f0cf6\" id=\"hs-cta-b2dd580e-767c-4a68-b224-cc4ea07f0cf6\"><!--[if lte IE 8]>\n\n<div id=\"hs-cta-ie-element\"><\/div>\n\n<![endif]--><a href=\"https:\/\/cta-redirect.hubspot.com\/cta\/redirect\/1896803\/b2dd580e-767c-4a68-b224-cc4ea07f0cf6\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" id=\"hs-cta-img-b2dd580e-767c-4a68-b224-cc4ea07f0cf6\" style=\"border-width:0px;\" alt=\"Holiday Marketing Toolkit 2020\" src=\"https:\/\/no-cache.hubspot.com\/cta\/default\/1896803\/b2dd580e-767c-4a68-b224-cc4ea07f0cf6.png\" class=\"hs-cta-img lazyload\"\/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" id=\"hs-cta-img-b2dd580e-767c-4a68-b224-cc4ea07f0cf6\" style=\"border-width:0px;\" alt=\"Holiday Marketing Toolkit 2020\" src=\"https:\/\/no-cache.hubspot.com\/cta\/default\/1896803\/b2dd580e-767c-4a68-b224-cc4ea07f0cf6.png\" class=\"hs-cta-img lazyload\"\/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"hs-cta-img\" id=\"hs-cta-img-b2dd580e-767c-4a68-b224-cc4ea07f0cf6\" style=\"border-width:0px;\" src=\"https:\/\/no-cache.hubspot.com\/cta\/default\/1896803\/b2dd580e-767c-4a68-b224-cc4ea07f0cf6.png\" alt=\"Holiday Marketing Toolkit 2020\"\/><\/noscript><\/noscript><\/a><\/span><\/span><!-- end HubSpot Call-to-Action Code --><\/p>\n<p>Your social media plan can, and<br \/>\nlikely will, change year on year depending on the latest innovations and trends<br \/>\nin the industry.<\/p>\n<p>The plan you have created is<br \/>\nmore advanced than what you used to have but it is still subject to change. And<br \/>\nyou need to be ready to accept those changes.<\/p>\n<p>Examine your plan once it is<br \/>\ncreated and conduct a SWOT analysis on the plan\u2014as you did earlier for your<br \/>\ncompetitors.<\/p>\n<p>Are there still weaknesses and<br \/>\nthreats that can be ironed out? Work on eliminating those and see how it improves<br \/>\nyour plan.<\/p>\n<p>By following these steps to<br \/>\ncreate an advanced social media plan, you can improve your engagement and<br \/>\nachieve your goals. But be prepared to keep working on making it better.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/mention.com\/en\/blog\/craft-advanced-social-media-plan\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Marketers usually start the financial year with a social media marketing plan\u2014what channels they will target, their audience, the kind of content they want to create. But halfway through the year, that social media plan will have to be changed because it hasn\u2019t done its job. Why? Because social media is saturated with content and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":223808,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/qcsglobal.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223807"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/qcsglobal.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/qcsglobal.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qcsglobal.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qcsglobal.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=223807"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/qcsglobal.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223807\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":224958,"href":"https:\/\/qcsglobal.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223807\/revisions\/224958"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qcsglobal.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/223808"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/qcsglobal.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=223807"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qcsglobal.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=223807"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qcsglobal.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=223807"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}