Social Media 101: Building a Sustainable Social Media Strategy
Simply defined, sustainability refers to the ability to maintain or support a process continuously over time.
Crafting a cohesive social media presence across new and old platforms requires significant investment, effort, teamwork, and time. This process involves developing unique strategies for each platform, constantly creating high-quality content, engaging with followers, and analyzing performance metrics.
Tl;dr: It’s a lot!
Trying to keep up with social media's rapid pace can lead to burnout if not managed sustainably.
Most of our clients come to us for strategic social media support after experiencing this burnout and being unsure how to move forward. Understanding their pain points has equipped us with the tools to educate them about adopting new strategies that leave them feeling empowered and connected instead of burned out and frustrated.
We’ve become experts at creating sustainable social media approaches that mitigate overwhelm and center longevity.
Sustainable Strategy
= Lasting Impact
Our approach to social media involves evaluating how your brand’s mission and values translate into the content you share, how represented by it your community feels, and what areas of opportunity remain untouched. These pillars allow us to set realistic goals and develop a content strategy that resonates without overwhelming your resources.
A sustainable strategy is well-thought-out and impactful, setting the groundwork for a long-lasting social presence that you can build upon as your brand grows and evolves.
Storytelling & Your Brand Narrative
Focusing on brand storytelling is a key aspect of building a sustainable social media strategy. Ensure you clearly and consistently communicate your mission and brand values, in a tone that’s right for your brand.
Ask yourself…
In a social media strategy project we completed with Robin Golf, we developed a #WhyWeGolf Instagram Series to explore players' unique relationships with golf and how it fits into the larger story of their lives.
To do so, we translated Robin Golf’s values of being Inviting, Frank, Spirited, and Aware into an engaging content series idea that helps people feel recognized, and understand that for the brand, it’s about more than the game.
Image courtesy of Robin Golf.
Backstory Pro Tip: Be sure to consider accessibility and the diverse needs of the communities that make up your audience. Remember, not everyone understands and engages with content the same way.
Quality Over Quantity
Equally important is maintaining consistency and prioritizing quality over quantity. We know it can be hard to achieve this with short-staffed teams or limited resources. We suggest starting with identifying a content cadence that aligns with your team's capacity so you don’t overextend yourself. This approach has proven effective in maintaining audience engagement and enhancing brand strength.
Backstory Pro Tip: Don’t be afraid to bring on additional support. A few hours a week of social copywriting or content development from an outside consultancy can make a world of difference in reaching your goals.
Identify Relevant Platforms
With so many social media platforms out there, it's crucial to decide which ones align with your brand's message and target audience. Remember what we said about quality vs. quantity? That same ethos applies to platforms. You don’t need to spread yourself thin.
For instance, a law firm might find LinkedIn more relevant than Pinterest, while a yoga studio that shares virtual videos from its classes might benefit more from YouTube.
Backstory Pro Tip: Block out 30 minutes, and create a T-chart. On the left, write down all of the platforms you’re currently using and on the right, either a check or an X based on how you feel about your presence on them. For all those with Xs, take a moment to evaluate if you need to readjust your strategy or nix the platform altogether.
Define Your Goals
No. Views?
Hard KPIs are important, but to build a sustainable brand presence, creating engaging content that attracts the audience you want to connect with may be more important than setting hard goals around follower growth, or specific engagement metrics.
Backstory Pro Tip: Balance is the key here. Try out a mix of quantitative and qualitative metrics to create a well-balanced way to gauge your success.
Diversify Content Types but Prioritize Video
Mix it up with videos, images, stories, and posts to keep your presence dynamic and interesting. This variety can and should cater to different audience preferences. Remember, there are still users who engage with photos on IG.
However, we’ll keep it real. Video continues to dominate social media. Leveraging different forms of video content, from short reels to in-depth tutorials, can significantly boost engagement and reach.
Backstory Pro Tip: Consider live videos, stories, and pre-recorded content to keep your strategy dynamic, engaging, and interesting.
Create a Sustainable Social Strategy of Your Own
Crafting a social strategy involves exploring your brand mission & values, focusing on the platforms that speak to that, and then developing a manageable plan with the elements above to avoid burnout and overwhelm. Being strategic about where and how you invest your time and resources is the key to lasting success.
Want to learn more about creating a sustainable social media strategy for your brand? Book an intro call with us here.
We can help you:
Develop a new social media strategy.
Elevate your existing social media strategy.
Identify your brand mission & values and how to work them into your current social media strategy.