Altering existing strategies can be difficult, too. The online landscape — be it platforms or audiences — continuously changes and forces the need to refine new tactics.

Download our free social media strategy template to help develop a plan with more ease and speed.

Edit it according to your current social structure, as well as the explanations and examples below:

Social media strategy template explanation

Overall goals

The opening section of the strategy should identify traditional business goals that social media activity will help meet.

The goals must adhere to the SMART method — they need to be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-based.

“Generating leads” isn’t time-based, whereas “generating 10,000% more leads in a day” isn’t attainable. On the other hand, “generating 10% more leads over a month using targeted ads and content” meets SMART criteria.

Defining goals — and keeping them in mind while completing the template — will ensure your social media strategy has a clear focus.

Sub-goals

Think of sub-goals as SMART steps that help reach goals that you had in mind while you develop a plan.

Sticking with the example of earning a 10% boost in leads, here are potential sub-goals:

• Gain X followers on platform Y
• Earn X paid impressions on platform Y
• Earn X organic impressions on platform Y
• Generate X total link clicks from platform Y
• Get users from X different demographics to complete an opt-in form

Target audiences

• One or Two Primary Audiences. These are typical customers who — ideally — will engage with your profiles and visit your website or physical locations. They can also be prospects who are demographically similar to your customers yet haven’t made a purchase.

• Two or More Secondary Audiences. These are consumers who don’t coincide with your brand’s typical customers. This could be due to their age, income, or other factors. However, they should be interested in your products or industry.

Competitor analysis

• Top Posts
• Types of Content Shared
• Average Engagement Rate
• Posting Time and Frequency
• Follower Growth
• Post Reach and Impressions

Self-analysis

As well as the metrics in the Competitor Analysis section, you should explore:

• Click Rates
• Top Fans and Followers
• Audience Demographics

Accessing this data will help guide you through the Channels, Content, and Tactics sections.

Channels

• Business Goals: Your ultimate goal is likely to increase sales. If you’re a company with photogenic products, make Pinterest a priority. Strategists say users log onto the platform with the explicit intent to make purchases. Plus, Pinterest has buy buttons.

• Sub-Goals: If you prioritize developing a large following, devote substantial resources to Facebook. As of April 2016, it is the most popular social platform with more than 1.5 billion users. For comparison, Tumblr has 555 million and Instagram has 400 million.

• Target Audiences: For brands with target audiences made up of teenagers and young adults, make Snapchat a focus. Although it lacks metrics marketers value, it is the most popular platform among this demographic as of February 2016.

• Competitor Analysis: If the bulk of competitors see desirable results on Twitter but can’t crack the code to Instagram, you should be able to build a strong Twitter presence from the outset. Contrarily, you’ll need to determine if you can use Instagram to get a leg up on the competition.

Content

For every platform in the Channels section, figure out:

• Content Tone
• Content Types
• Sharing Times
• Posting Frequency

Tactics

Monitoring

• Your brand and product names
• Competitor names
• Misspellings of terms relevant to your brand and competitors
• All of these phrases with positive terms such as “can” and negative terms such as “don’t”

Responding

Creating set responses for questions, complaints and other comments can prepare you for a range of social media situations, helping ensure each interaction goes smoothly.

He didn’t tag Delta, but the company responded to his tweet before day’s end and offered a room with a better view.

McCready wrote a post about the experience, saying “The staff at the Delta Vancouver Suites didn’t have to do anything … But now, I think more of them and the brand they represent.”

You can follow Delta’s example by creating responses for common issues, and reacting in a fast and helpful manner.

Roles

The purpose of this section is to designate responsibilities, according to the Tactics section of the template.

It can also act as a social media team hierarchy. If so, describe who reports to who and which roles involve approving content.

Budget

You must determine how much money a social media strategy needs to succeed, or else you’ll risk ignoring resources and not meeting goals.

The budget must cover:

• Ads and Boosted Posts
• Analytics and Management Tools
• Any New Position Created due to Strategy

If your boss or client does not approve your budget, you may have to adjust the entire strategy.

Ongoing performance analysis

The Ongoing Performance Analysis is a simple set of questions to help improve your social media strategy.

The social media lead should answer them every month or quarter. Address them with the Business Goals and Sub-Goals sections in mind.

Here are the questions:

1. What’s working and in what sense?

Describe each tactic that’s yielding desirable results. Then, explain why it’s working. Is it due to frequency? Because it hits an audience pain- or emotional point?

By understanding why a certain tactic works, you should be able to craft approaches that deliver similar benefits.

2. What’s not working and why isn’t it?

Describe each tactic that has fallen flat. Then, explain why you think it didn’t succeed.

By doing so, you should be able to determine if you can fix something. For example, you may not be sharing a content piece during optimal times.

Keep in mind, you may want to test a tactic for more than a month before declaring it a failure.

5 Examples of social media strategies to consider

To gain ideas about how to complete the downloadable social media strategy template, read about the five examples below.

Keep in mind, they don’t describe ongoing plans. Instead, they focus on campaign strategies.

1. Domino’s Pizza

Some digital marketers don’t see the value in emojis, but Domino’s used them to simplify ordering.

Once customers register their Twitter handles with the restaurant chain, they can tweet a pizza emoji at the Domino’s account. Domino’s sends a direct message to confirm the order before sending a delivery person to the customer’s home.

For Twitter users, ordering a pizza has never been so easy. For Domino’s, making a sale has never been so simple.

2. WATERisLIFE

Charity WATERisLIFE demonstrated how to do nonprofit marketing capitalizing on a trending hashtag, quickly growing its Twitter following.

#FirstWorldProblems frequently trend, as people complain about issues such as laggy Internet. The charity used this opportunity to share an original video called First World Problems Anthem, comparing problems in the developed world to those faced by people who lack clean water.

The video went viral on Twitter and Facebook, drawing attention to the charity and its cause.

3. Estonia

Estonia’s tourism ministry not only drove engagement by creating unique content but successfully encouraged consumers to do the same.

4. TOMS

This shoe brand demonstrates its philanthropic side through Instagram, boosting engagements and impressions along the way.

Each May, TOMS donates a pair of shoes to children in need on behalf of each person who posts their bare feet. They just have to tag the image #WithoutShoes.

The campaign ties TOMS to kids’ health and education, earning the support of Instagrammers across the globe.

5. Squatty Potty

Squatty Potty mixed comedy and education by publishing a video about a unicorn showing proper toilet posture.

The product is a stool you can use to lift your knees while on the toilet, relaxing your colon. This prevents issues such as bloating and constipation. To date, the video has almost 25 million views on YouTube.

The approach allowed Squatty Potty to address an uncomfortable issue to connect with this target audience, generating sales and social buzz.

Final thoughts about using this social media strategy template

Use this template and the five strategy examples as a starting point. Combined with the explanations of different sections, they’ll help you develop a comprehensive and effective social media marketing plan.

If you use the template for an ongoing strategy, be sure to regularly update it as you refine content and posting tactics.

Plus, once you surpass your goals, you’ll have to alter approaches to reach new social media heights.

Keyhole is a real-time conversation tracker that provides keyword and hashtag analytics for Twitter and Instagram.

Related Articles:

The post Free Social Media Strategy Template For 2024 [+ 5 Brand Examples] appeared first on Keyhole.

Using proposal templates is common for agencies and freelancers, but many are designed solely with a fast turnaround in mind.

Download our free social media proposal template to help develop a thorough, goal-oriented plan with more ease and speed.

Edit it according to your strengths and prospect’s business, as well as the explanations and examples below:

Social Media Proposal Template Breakdown

1. Cover Letter

Similar to a job application, the proposal’s cover letter acts a brief pitch and one-way exchange of pleasantries.

Open by saying you were happy to connect, as it helped you determine the prospective client’s social media marketing needs and goals.

Then, summarize some successes you’ve delivered to related clients. State you’ll work to reach similar goals when expanding the prospect’s social presence and executing future campaigns.

Conclude the cover letter with your signature. You should also provide your contact information, making it easy to access.

Following this format adds a sense of personalization to the proposal, differentiating you from competing agencies and consultants.

2. Executive Summary

The executive summary gives an overview of your proposal, focusing on social media marketing goals and the activities you’ll run to reach them.

When possible, clearly link the goals to business benefits. So, if you want to earn 5,000 Snapchat followers, explain that this platform may be the best way to reach teens and young adults because it’s the most popular platform among this demographic.

You should then list the tactics you’ll use to meet these goals, possibly referencing a competitor whose strategies have yielded desirable results.

By crafting the executive summary this way, you’ll succinctly demonstrate your knowledge of opposing businesses and how to potentially reach greater social media heights than them.

3. Goals

As implied in the previous section, the goals are the most important part of the proposal template, as they’ll indicate the benefits of running a social media strategy.

Once again, be sure to clearly link them to business benefits.

For example, running X ads over a set period of time will lead to Y landing page visits. In turn, this should generate Z conversions through the page’s opt-in form.

Demonstrating this link is especially important for clients who struggle to see the financial purpose of social marketing.

By doing so, the prospective client will understand why you’ve set your specific goals and should see that you’re capable of driving growth.

4. Activities

As goals generally seem meaningless without a plan to reach them, this section of the template explores the activities that drive your proposed social media plan.

Introduce a given group of activities by following this simple formula:

To reach [goal], we’ll perform the activities described below [for/during]

[number/duration/time period]

The activities themselves will vary by client, but typically include:

• Running Ads
• Executing Contests
• Posting X Times per Day
• Participating in Twitter Chats
• Creating Original Content X Times per Month
• Joining and Posting in Groups and Communities
• Running a Social Media Monitoring Strategy, Answering Questions and Addressing Opportunities it Uncovers

Listing tactics not only illustrates how you’ll meet the prospect’s goals, but paints a clear picture of where their budgets will go.

5. Competitor Analysis

Analyzing competitors in your proposal demonstrates you understand the nuances of a prospect’s industry.

Plus, it helps uncover tactics that resonate with target audiences, helping you set your goals and approaches.

Start by identifying two to five competitors. Analyze their social profiles or campaigns on different platforms, paying attention to:

• Top Posts
• Types of Content Shared
• Average Engagement Rate
• Posting Time and Frequency
• Follower Growth (if you can access a tool that measures it)
• Post Reach and Impressions (if you can access a tool that measures them)

Use the data you find to set benchmarks and adopt strategies that generate engagement. You can use this tool to help:

This should hasten your development of a dedicated audience.

6. Reporting Schedule

In this section, lay out the benefits of social media reporting, such as reviewing:

• Results
• How You’re Progressing in Terms of Reaching Goals
• New Directions

Preview what a typical reporting meeting will cover before suggesting dates, such as the first Monday of each month.

When running the meeting, Lee Odden – CEO of TopRank Marketing and author of Optimize – suggests reporting trends instead of reading number after number:

Anybody – and I mean anybody – can report tabular data and read ranking and traffic reports. It’s just reading numbers.

What differentiates and delivers value over saying “you’ve got more leads and you’ve got more traffic” is actually explaining why. Tell the story and provide insight.

I need to know what the trend is. Are we moving in the right direction? I think most executives who aren’t wearing their geek hats at the moment are interested in trend data.

If there’s a particularly-dramatic spike up or down, they want to understand why that happened and what we’re doing about it. At the same time, they want insights about trends that are going one way or another as well as insights about what we should do about them. Especially when it comes to any problems or opportunities.

That’s communication that delivers value when it comes to analytics.

>> CLICK TO READ LEE ODDEN’S FULL SOCIAL MEDIA ANALYTICS INTERVIEW <<

7. Roles and Workflow

On top of covering who will handle which tasks, explaining roles and workflow acts as a “why us” or “why me” section to help convince the prospect to work with you.

For agencies, start by filling in a chart that illustrates team hierarchy and team member functions.

The person at the top should be the future client’s primary contact – the account manager. Below, include the analyst, copywriter, community manager and anyone else who will contribute to the aforementioned activities.

Here’s where persuasion comes in: Lead into a team member’s duties by touching on his or her qualifications.

For example, “Backed by seven years experience and three marketing campaign awards, our copywriter will handle …”

This structure allows you to explain team member functions while showing off their unique credentials and accomplishments.

8. Billing

Keep this section straightforward.

Include individual costs for ads, labour and everything else depending on how frequently the prospect must pay – usually monthly or yearly.

Present the total in a separate line for clarity’s sake. Additionally, make sure nothing important is missing from your invoice.

9. Terms and Agreement

The final section contains an area for signatures after describing the conditions of accepting your social media proposal.

These conditions may include:

• Stopping or withholding services if the client does not pay on time
• Renegotiating prices should the client request an amplification of activities
• Suspending social media services due to specific constraints

This section should also have a timeline of next steps that will occur once the client signs. For example, you may list content creation deadlines and contest dates.

Should the client sign, complete these steps on time and reach your goals to ensure a happy business relationship.

Final Thoughts About Using this Social Media Proposal Template

Think of this template as a starting point, which you should edit and supplement according to:

• The explanations in this post
• Your capabilities and constraints
• The client’s needs and budget

Each potential client will have different needs, but they should all appreciate a detailed proposal that demonstrates your commitment to meeting them.

Keyhole is a real-time conversation tracker that provides keyword and hashtag analytics for Twitter and Instagram.

The post The Social Media Proposal Template [Free Download] appeared first on Keyhole.

Worse still, people — regardless of social savvy — can make mistakes that potentially hurt company reputation. Take Domino’s Pizza as an example. Cooks filmed themselves tampering with ingredients and shared the video.

These issues highlight the need to have a social media policy, especially if you represent a large organization filled with workers who have social accounts.

Following a brief explanation of what one should cover, read our downloadable social media policy template.

Feel free to edit it according to existing policies, regional laws, consultations with legal professionals and the five examples at the end of this post.  

What a Social Media Policy Must Cover

At minimum, a corporate social media policy should include sections about:

• How the company uses social media. This part of the policy should cover different social media tactics and the reasons for executing them. It can also explain which employees have access to company accounts, as well as how to propose changes to strategies.

• How employees should use their own accounts. This area of the policy should clearly define approved and disapproved social media activities when employees use company resources. For their own benefit, it should list practices to avoid even when using personal social accounts during free time.

• How the company enforces the social media policy. This part of the policy should explain disciplinary measures employees risk facing by violating the rules. It can also go over how the company collects Internet activity data on business devices.

The Social Media Policy Template

Introduction

Why This Policy Exists

Although social media can benefit the company — especially in terms of marketing, relationship building and prospect communication — poorly-judged or -timed activity can hurt the company’s reputation.

Policy Scope

[Company name]’s social media policy pertains to all staff members, as well as contractors and volunteers, who log onto social media platforms during work hours or to complete work-related activities outside of standard times.

Therefore, it applies to social media activity that relies on company Internet, occurs on company premises, happens while travelling and happens while working from home.

For the purposes of this policy, social media may refer to:

• Popular social networks such as Twitter and Facebook

• Photo-sharing websites such as Pinterest and Instagram

• Professional social networks such as LinkedIn

• Discussion forums such as the ones found on 4chan and Reddit

• Question and answer-based networks such as Quora and Yahoo Answers

• Review systems such as Yelp and Google Reviews on website

Basic Advice and General Guidelines

Whether [company name] employees are posting from company or personal accounts, we encourage them to follow basic best practice rules.

Adhere to these standards to avoid common social media mistakes:

• Understand the social network. Different social media platforms have different purposes. For example, it’s common to see more personal status updates on Facebook than LinkedIn. Before posting, become familiar with the network by reading FAQs and quickly researching what is and is not acceptable.

• Correct your own mistakes. When you make a factual error in a post, create an update to correct it. Deleting or editing the original post should come at your own discretion, depending on the situation.

• Beware potential security threats. Hackers can use social networks to distribute spam and malware. They can also launch phishing attempts. You should report suspicious activity, including questionable comments and friend requests.  

• Be careful when sharing information about yourself or others. Hackers can also use personal information to their advantage.

• Don’t escalate issues. Responding to other social media users, especially concerning a contentious subject, can result in a heated argument. To avoid such arguments, it may be best to avoid commenting if you feel you may spark conflict.

• Think before posting. This is the golden social media rule. Not only should you check grammar and spelling, but ensure there won’t be any negative effects of posting a status update. These include creating arguments and divulging sensitive information.

Use of Company Social Accounts

[Company name] social media accounts must only be used and created by authorized individuals for the purpose of meeting defined company goals.

Goals and Purposes of Company Social Media Accounts

As the social media landscape quickly changes and evolves, we encourage employees to think about new ways to use company accounts.

However, account activity should not stray from the company’s goals of engaging consumers and promoting products. Doing so builds stronger relationships with customers and prospects while driving traffic to other digital properties.

Employees can typically meet these goals by:

• Distributing original content pieces such as blog posts, infographics and product photos

• Sharing third-party content pieces relevant to company target audiences

• Promoting special offers, including contests and discount events

• Announcing and previewing new products and initiatives

• Interacting with consumers, including responding to customer and prospect questions

• Monitoring the social web for brand mentions and responding accordingly

Approved Users

Only approved users may access [company name] social media accounts to perform the aforementioned tasks.

The [marketing director OR social media lead] will grant authorization. He or she will do so when an employee’s role involves creating and executing social media strategies, or researching new and existing target audiences.

The company only approves certain employees to ensure its social media voice and approach stay consistent, aligning with marketing and customer service objectives.

Creating Social Media Accounts Under the Company’s Name

As [company name] must explore the advantages and disadvantages of expanding its social media presence into new networks, the [marketing director OR social media lead] must approve the creation of company social media accounts.

If employees see the opportunity to create a social media account that supports company goals, they should pitch their ideas to the [marketing director OR social media lead].

Use of Personal Social Media Accounts at Work

As personal social media use can yield clear professional benefits, such as expanding industry knowledge and connections, [company name] understands it is advantageous for employees to use personal accounts.

Below are acceptable uses for accessing personal social media accounts during work hours:

• Competitor research

• Monitoring company accounts

• Connecting and interacting with users who may benefit professional development

• Emergency purposes, such as contacting friends and family members who cannot be reached otherwise

Below are unacceptable uses for accessing personal social media accounts during work hours:

• Browsing friend photos and accounts

• Adding contacts to your networks for non-professional reasons

• Participating in conversations not pertaining to work-related topics

Note that during breaks and lunches, employees may use their personal social media accounts freely.

However, activity should not conflict with the following section.

Inappropriate Uses

Regardless of whether the social media account is personal or under company name, employees should not:

• Conduct illegal or criminal activities, as defined by [online communication bill/legislative document]

• Distribute material that could be interpreted as libelous or defamatory

• Share updates, images and messages that may tarnish the company’s public image

• Discuss colleagues, customers and suppliers without their expressed consent

• Harass others by sending them offensive content and messages

• Communicate with company competitors in disrespectful fashions

• Distribute spam and chain messages

Policy Enforcement

Employees who violate this social media policy could face disciplinary action. Depending on the nature and severity of the violation, this could include termination of employment.

[Company name] reserves the right to monitor how social networks are used and accessed through company Internet resources. These include, but are not limited to, computers and mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones that are provided for business use.

Moreover, the company maintains official records that contain certain data related to social media activity. These include, but are not limited to, messages sent and received through the company’s computer systems.

When appropriate, [company name] may involve law enforcement officials and agencies. In doing so, the company may be compelled to share stored data.

5 Social Media Policies to Consider

To gain a better understanding of how to adjust our social media policy template, read about these fives examples:

1. Associated Press (AP)

AP bases its social media guidelines on its news values and principles, which define the wire’s approach to reporting.

Above all, AP encourages journalists to be active on the major social media platforms while refraining from expressing personal opinions on controversial issues.

Here are some take-away points from the policy:

• “Employees may not include political affiliations in their profiles and should not make any postings that express political views.”

• “We should avoid interacting with newsmakers on their public pages — for instance, commenting on their posts.”

• “AP is strongly in favor of engaging with those who consume our content. Most feedback we receive is constructive, and any substantive criticism of our content should be taken seriously, however it may be phrased.”

2. Best Buy

Employees should strive to provide proper customer service at all times, which is why Best Buy states that its social media policy applies to both company and personal accounts.

Here are some highlights:

• “State That It’s YOUR Opinion: When commenting on the business. Unless authorized to speak on behalf of Best Buy, you must state that the views expressed are your own. Hourly employees should not speak on behalf of Best Buy when they are off the clock.”

• “Act responsibly and ethically: When participating in online communities, do not misrepresent yourself. If you are not a vice president, don’t say you are.”

• “(Don’t disclose) The Numbers: Non-public financial or operational information. This includes strategies, forecasts and (al)most anything with a dollar-figure attached to it. If it’s not already public information, it’s not your job to make it so.”

3. Coca-Cola

The Coca-Cola Company’s social media policy enforces five values on itself and employees. These include protecting consumer privacy, ensuring all social activity is transparent and adhering to a set of best practices.

Below are important quotes from the guidelines:

• “The Company does not condone manipulating the social media flow by creating ‘fake’ destinations and posts designed to mislead followers and control a conversation.”

• “Be a ‘scout’ for compliments and criticism. Even if you are not an official online spokesperson for the Company, you are one of our most vital assets for monitoring the social media landscape.”

• “Online, your personal and business personas are likely to intersect. The Company respects the free speech rights of all of its associates, but you must remember that customers, colleagues and supervisors often have access to the online content you post. Keep this in mind when publishing information online that can be seen by more than friends and family, and know that information originally intended just for friends and family can be forwarded on.”

4. Ford

The Ford Motor Company also lists five core values in its social media policy, one of which is understanding that online communications can be permanent.  

Here are guideline highlights:

• “Include the following notice somewhere in every social media profile you maintain: ‘I work at Ford, but this is my own opinion and is not the opinion of Ford Motor Company.’”

• “It’s good business practice for companies (and individuals) to keep certain topics confidential. Respect confidentiality. Refrain from speculation on the future of the Company and its products.”

• “Consider everything you post to the Internet the same as anything you would post to a physical bulletin board or submit to a newspaper. Many eyes fall upon your words, including those of reporters, consumers, your manager and the competition.”

5. Government of Ontario

Canada’s most populous province puts a spin on its social media policy — it applies to when users who aren’t employed by the government communicate with government-run social accounts.

Below are some take-away points from the unique, public terms-of-use:

• “You must not … mislead us or anyone else as to your identity or the origin of the posted content, or falsely claim to represent a person, organization or entity.”

• “You must not … post or transmit any message, content or link to content that … is abusive, hateful, homophobic, discriminatory, malicious, aggressive, threatening, violent, sexist, harassing, inflammatory, indecent, tortious, defamatory, knowingly false, misleading, deceptive, vulgar, obscene, offensive, scandalous, sexually explicit, profane, offensive or otherwise objectionable.”

• “If we suffer costs or damages as a result of your violating these rules, we expect you to cover our costs and damages.”

Final Thoughts about Using this Social Media Policy Template

Use these guidelines as a starting point and create your policy according to regional laws, company standards and advice from legal professionals.

We also recommend using the five examples for more ideas.

But remember — since the social media landscape constantly changes with new releases and alterations to popular platforms, your policy must continuously evolve.

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The post The Social Media Policy Template [+ Download & 5 Examples] appeared first on Keyhole.