As a brand operating in the 21st century, it’s a given that you have a social media presence. But is it a thriving social media channel? Or does it just exist with the last post updated in March?

While we see brands like Netflix winning over Twitter, what are they doing differently to put their brand in the limelight?

We have listed five simple steps to create a social media strategy to win over your target audience.

1. Identify Your Target Audience

Be sure whom you want to reach through your social media accounts, whether it’s prospective clients, influencers or other businesses. Identify your target audience well, including their likes, preferences and other important variables.

Take time out to look at your audience personas, understand their challenges and what brands they already love via social media, as well as what your competitors are doing. This competitive analysis can help you understand how your social media presence can stand out from the crowd.

2. Create A Content Strategy

Start by creating a content strategy and distribution plan before working on posts for your social media channels. A clear definition of your desired state will allow you to use gap analysis to create a laser-focused action plan that will take you to your destination.

Here are some questions to get started:

• What types of content do you need to publish on social media?
• What’s the frequency of your content?
• What’s your plan to promote it?

While devising your content strategy, it’s essential to include user-generated content, ranging from good reviews to memes shared about your brand.

3. Create A Unique Strategy For Every Platform

You want to make sure each social media network you are present on serves a purpose. While Instagram can help your brand’s visibility and help identify potential customers, you can use LinkedIn to help you get more investment for your business and create stronger partnerships.

For example, IBM uses an entirely different social media strategy for their LinkedIn and their Twitter account. Their LinkedIn has spotlight posts on their employees putting their best foot forward with their inclusion and diversity policies, such as their Spotlight on Charusheela Khandale, Managing Consultant – FSS, IBM. At the same time, they align with ‘moment marketing’ on Twitter by jumping in on trends and even posting memes with interesting captions. For instance, IBM posted ‘Certified #ProudIBMer’ on the day Drake’s new album Certified Lover Boy was released.

4. Humanize Your Brand

Let your audiences see your personal side; this translates to interacting with your followers often. You can start with responding to comments on posts and making your content as interactive as possible, use polls or ask questions to get the conversation started in the comment section. Show them who you really are, and your followers will feel more connected to you.

Wendy’s Twitter account is an excellent example of this; they reply to every tweet they receive in a fun, humorous manner that connects with their audience and gets the conversation flowing.

5. Provide a Benefit to Your Audience

Ask yourself, ‘What’s in it for your customers visiting your page?’ Show them by giving something away of value – something designed to draw them into your business by building trust or piquing interest. Consider giving away a short trial, a free book or a discount code. For instance, GoPro’s YouTube account has several videos showing tips and tutorials using their products to get better pictures and videos. By doing this, they promote their product and also add value to their customers by helping them take better shots and create spectacular edits.

6. Consistently Post at a Comfortable Rate

As cliche as it sounds, posting consistently is one of the best things you can do to jumpstart your social media account. Try starting with once a week, and you can then increase it once you are comfortable. Buffer has researched how often you should post on social media to help with this mind-boggling dilemma, which is of great help!

In Conclusion:

As Susan Cooper, Social Media Influencer, said, “Engage, Enlighten, Encourage and especially…just be yourself! Social media is a community effort, everyone is an asset.”