How to Create a Social Media Marketing Strategy in 7 Steps

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Step 1. Choose goals that align with the company's objectives
The first step in creating a social media strategy is to define clear goals, without which you have no way to measure your return on investment (or ROI) .

The strategy document designed by Hootsuite helps you track your SMART marketing goals .

As a reminder, this acronym is used to refer to specific, measurable, achievable, armenia phone number data realistic, and time-bound goals . If you need help getting started, we've developed social media strategy guides covering a variety of use cases: small businesses , financial services , utilities , higher education , healthcare , real estate , law firms , and charities .

Track relevant indicators
Forget "empty" metrics like follower count: they're just ego boosts. Instead, focus on key performance indicators (KPIs) like conversion rate or clicks. According to a recent Hootsuite study, 69% of marketers prioritize these KPIs to track their ROI ( with 79% of them focusing on brand awareness ).

Not sure where to start? If you need some inspiration, take a look at these essential social media metrics .

Choose metrics that demonstrate the value of your work, such as Instagram story views or cost per click on Facebook.

Track your social media goals on a social media strategy document like the one designed by Hootsuite
Start by listing at least three goals , linking them to your business to convince your boss.

It's easy to waste time thinking about what type of content to post and what metrics to track, but you need to focus on what you actually want from social media. It's not about starting to post and track every metric: connect your goals to your business, and your metrics to your goals.


Amanda Wood
Social Media Marketing Manager at Hootsuite
Step 2. Get to know your audience well
Get to know your fans, followers, and customers: treat them like real people with “real” wants and needs, and you’ll know how to target and retain them.

Hootsuite Analytics reveals who your followers are, where they live, and how they respond to your content – ​​61% of organizations rely on AI-powered analytics to ease their workload, according to a recent Hootsuite survey .

Instagram audience reports in the Hootsuite Analytics tool
Use our free buyer persona template to list your target audience's demographics, including age, location, and interests , then add this information to your Hootsuite strategy document .

integrate key information about your target customers into your social media strategy document
Jugnoo, an Indian tuk-tuk service similar to Uber, found through Facebook Analytics that 90% of users who referred other customers were between the ages of 18 and 34, and 65% of them used Android.

The company used this information to target its ads on Android, reducing the cost of sponsorships by 40% . Your data gives you the same opportunity.

Check out our guide to social media analytics and the tools to use to track it .

Step 3. Evaluate your competitors' results
Chances are your competitors are already on social media, so you can learn from what they're doing.

Conduct a competitive analysis
Competitive analysis allows you to identify your competitors and analyze their successes (and failures). You'll better understand what to expect in your industry and set your own social media goals.