For example:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Facebook is a good sales channel, while Pinterest or TikTok are sources of engagement and traffic.<\/li>\n
- Instagram allows you to elevate posts to a much more visually appealing level, making it very effective for brand awareness.<\/li>\n
- LinkedIn is ideal for B2B.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
3. Niche and competition analysis<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.gun.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Capture_1_50.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThe next step in creating the content strategy is to research our niche and competitors thoroughly to better understand the market. We will track the trends in that particular field, what people are searching for online, and what topics are being discussed.<\/p>\n
Regarding competition, we need to analyze the products or services offered by competitors, where we stand compared to them in terms of product range, prices, benefits, etc. Additionally, it’s important to observe the communication strategy adopted by our competitors:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Which social media accounts they are present on<\/li>\n
- How and what they communicate<\/li>\n
- Which products they highlight<\/li>\n
- The frequency of their communication<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Identifying the target audience<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
A crucial aspect, of course, is the target audience. In identifying it, we can use:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Facebook Insights<\/li>\n
- Instagram Insights<\/li>\n
- Audience Insights<\/li>\n
- Google Analytics<\/li>\n
- Previous experience and buyer persona developed over years of activity (if there is a history).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n\n
5. If there is already a business history, then we can conduct a SWOT analysis to identify what has worked and what we have done wrong in the past.<\/strong><\/p>\n
Strengths: What you have done well in social media so far, the advantages\/benefits of your business in terms of products, prices, materials used. Weaknesses: What has been lacking in the previous strategy. Threats: What the competition has in addition that could pose a threat to your results, what other external\/internal factors could influence the results (e.g., the trend of increasing costs in social media). Opportunities: What can be improved, what additional things can be done, what other platforms can be used, etc.<\/p>\n
- \n
- Communication Direction<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
In the communication direction, we establish:<\/p>\n
Mission, purpose, values, personality, and tone of voice The brand’s three communication pillars<\/p>\n
We’ll briefly define these terms to give you an idea of what needs to be identified for your brand.<\/p>\n
Mission = what the business aims for at a general level and how it can be useful in society. Example: educating the public about a certain topic.<\/p>\n
Purpose = what you aim to achieve (much more concrete\/numerical results). Example: increasing the value of acquisitions.<\/p>\n
Values = the main qualities and strengths. Example: quality, creativity, originality, etc.<\/p>\n
Brand personality = brand characteristics (how you want to position yourself in front of the target audience\/compared to competitors). Example: evergreen, young, modern, versatile.<\/p>\n
Tone of voice = communication tone. Example: friendly, authoritative, informative, credible.<\/p>\n
The three communication pillars = the three aspects based on which the communication\/strategy will be shaped. Example: Romanian producer, satisfied customers, unique design.<\/p>\n
- \n
- General information about content and its distribution<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Pillars\/subjects based on which the posts will be built: products, product categories, relevant information, discount\/sale campaigns, international days, etc. How the posts will be distributed, on which platform, with what objective, and what will be the focus. Posting frequency, performance indicators tracked, general target audience for each channel.<\/p>\n
What is a content plan and why use it?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
A content plan is an overview of the content to be posted on social networks and is generally organized for a period of one month.<\/p>\n
Creating a plan offers several advantages such as:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Planning posts in advance.<\/li>\n
- A secure structure to follow and the possibility to have time to prepare additional materials to use.<\/li>\n
- Avoiding the risk of running out of post ideas or forgetting to post.<\/li>\n
- Offering customers an overview of future content.<\/li>\n
- Avoiding rushing and having enough time to review certain mistakes. Good organization of the team working on the content area.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
What should a content plan contain?<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.gun.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Capture2_60.jpg\")
<\/p>\nWhen creating an editorial plan, we should start from the aspects identified in the strategy and also consider the materials we have available or can obtain.<\/p>\n
Therefore, for a good workflow, the content plan can be created in the form of a table that includes the following columns:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Platform where the post will be published<\/li>\n
- Posting date<\/li>\n
- Title or type of post (keywords about the topic, about the service\/product the post will be about)<\/li>\n
- The text and graphics to be published<\/li>\n
- Relevant links<\/li>\n
- Hashtags or other relevant information<\/li>\n
- Link to the scheduled\/published post preview.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The ideal scenario would be to have a different content plan for each channel, and this is our recommendation as well. Although the business and overall objectives are the same, each platform has a specific target audience and content.<\/p>\n
The core topics can remain the same but approached in different styles. Additionally, other key elements can be added for each channel (questions in Instagram Stories or Reels, challenges on TikTok, posts in dedicated Facebook groups, etc.).<\/p>\n
Thus, you can start with a general posting calendar that you can adapt according to the platform. For Facebook, posts can focus more on presenting\/selling products or services and providing information. In Instagram, visual elements are the most important, so pay more attention to the images, videos, or banners you use.<\/p>\n
Communication on LinkedIn should focus on making the brand’s values, mission, and the team behind it known. Therefore, you can opt for posts about the activities carried out, events you participate in, important people in the company, social responsibility campaigns, etc.<\/p>\n
Pinterest in Romania is still developing, but the audience is increasingly using it, especially for inspiration. Therefore, address useful topics that could serve as a source of inspiration in your field.<\/p>\n
How often do we post and when?<\/h3>\n
As we mentioned in a blog article some time ago, we believe that there isn’t a universally applicable time or frequency for every business. It’s all about testing various posting times and frequencies until you notice when you have the highest engagement.<\/p>\n
If we were to consider some „rules,” we could take into account the hours when people are at work, at home, or during lunch breaks. Of course, it also depends on the type of product or service you’re talking about and the platform you’re posting on.<\/p>\n
From our experience, we’ve observed that the highest engagement generally occurs between 8-10 in the morning and 9-11 in the evening.<\/p>\n
Regarding the frequency of posts, it’s recommended to have at least one post per day for Facebook and 2-3 posts per day for Instagram, including stories. However, don’t forget that more important than how often you post is what you post. If the topics aren’t interesting to your audience, then it won’t help much that you’ve posted four times a day.<\/p>\n
How do I know what types of posts are right for my business?<\/span><\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.gun.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Capture3.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThe types of posts to address depend on: niche, target audience, and platform. If we were to focus solely on what should be posted based on the business, it would be good to conduct research to see what people are looking for in that particular field and how we can meet their needs through posts. In addition, trends should also be taken into account.<\/p>\n
Here are the types of posts you could use:<\/strong><\/p>\n
- \n
- Sales-focused posts: These are texts where you talk about prices, discounts, and use a call-to-action for purchase: Buy Now!, Order from the website!, Add to cart!, etc.<\/li>\n
- Informative or educational posts: In these posts, you can talk about product features, service benefits, useful information, recommendations, etc.<\/li>\n
- Posts leveraging viral topics at the moment: Movies, events that have gained popularity on Social Media, memes, etc.<\/li>\n
- Brand awareness posts: Talk about your business achievements, the stages you’ve been through, what you’ve accomplished. Discuss key people in your company.<\/li>\n
- Entertainment posts: Somewhat similar to posts about viral topics, entertainment posts aim to show that your business has a sense of humor.<\/li>\n
- Engagement posts: Open-ended questions, polls, or posts encouraging people to participate in a challenge or leave a review.<\/li>\n
- Industry or company updates: Events you’ll be attending, launches of new products\/services, collaborations.<\/li>\n
- Reviews, testimonials, or user-generated content.<\/li>\n
- Contests or giveaways.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
What mistakes to avoid in Social Media?<\/h3>\n
Creating a content plan will help you avoid mistakes that could undermine your business’s image over time. But what are the most common mistakes to avoid in a Social Media strategy?<\/p>\n
- \n
- Avoid repetitive posts presenting the same services or products.<\/li>\n
- Don’t only focus on sales-oriented posts. Even if you have an online store and your goal is to acquire customers, the target audience won’t be thrilled to see just that. It is recommended to have a higher percentage of informative, educational, and entertaining posts and a smaller one of sales-oriented posts.<\/li>\n
- Don’t provide information that you are not very sure about, which can open sensitive topics and are unrelated to your brand’s profile (religious, political discussions, etc.).<\/li>\n
- Long posts with endless sentences and phrases that can easily bore the audience.<\/li>\n
- Read the text multiple times to make sure you haven’t overlooked any expression or drafting mistakes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Top 5 tools to make your activity easier<\/h3>\n
It’s no longer a secret that nowadays you can easily find useful tools for Social Media activities. Whether it’s scheduling posts, finding topics, monitoring comments, or reporting, you can streamline your work very quickly.<\/p>\n
Here are some of the tools we use or consider useful and accessible to anyone, whether you’re a beginner or advanced in this field:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Creator Studio and Audience Insights from Facebook.<\/li>\n
- Hootsuite (hootsuite.com<\/a>) is an accessible and easy-to-use tool that allows you to post, schedule certain posts, and comment on all social media platforms.<\/li>\n
- Canva (canva.com<\/a>) is an easy-to-use and rapid tool for creating banner or video templates.<\/li>\n
- Swydo (swydo.com<\/a>) helps you create reports with performance indicators so you can see how your campaigns have performed or what the results have been organically. Moreover, it’s a much easier-to-understand and more visual option to send to clients if necessary.<\/li>\n
- Google Trends (trends.google.com\/trends\/), Google Keyword Planner, or SEMrush (www.semrush.com<\/a>) can help you discover new topics when you’re running out of ideas.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- Canva (canva.com<\/a>) is an easy-to-use and rapid tool for creating banner or video templates.<\/li>\n
- General information about content and its distribution<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
- Communication Direction<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
- Identifying the target audience<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n