A step-by-step guide to planning your 2022 social media strategy.

Have you started planning your marketing strategy?

Not yet? Don’t know how to do it? or where to even start?

I’m here to help you.

In this post, I’m sharing all the steps (and tools) I’ve used to craft strategies for various brands over the past 4 years.

Let’s get started!

Social Media Strategy: Where to start planning your 2022 content

The best time to start planning your social media strategy is NOW!

Starting early means you have time to prepare your campaigns and materials ahead of time so you don’t feel you’re rushing things.

Trust me – social media can feel like a marathon at times.

That’s why I like to take things one step at a time.

Step 1: Start with a social media audit

The first step is to look back at your 2021 performance and think:

• What did you do well?
• Which campaigns helped you gain the most ROI?
• What didn’t work so well?
• Did you meet your goals?

An audit will help you understand where your marketing currently stands compared to your competitors.

Next, you can use analytics software like Iconosquare, Pallyy or NotJustAnalytics to do a technical analysis of your past content.

However, if you’re starting a new social media account from 0 you should do a competitor audit instead.

Here are some key Instagram metrics you can look at:

• Profile visits (vs competitors)
• Followers (vs competitors)
• Engagement rate (vs competitors)
• Best 6 posts (by engagement, reach)
• Top post formats (for engagement, reach)
• Popular hashtags (by likes, comments, reach)
• Optimum posting times
• Reach and impressions
• Website link traffic

Read this guide: How to do a quick Instagram audit in just 30 minutes (+ Free Template)

Step 2: Define your marketing targets and goals

Now that you have done the audit, you should start thinking of your goals and targets.

• Do you have a defined target audience?
• What is your goal for marketing on Social Media?
• What kind of metrics are you going to track?

It’s normal to feel overwhelmed at this point.

There are so many ways that you can use social media marketing.

And with your business being unique, you don’t have to follow a standard route, but think of what will work best for you.

Here’s how most marketers plan to use social media in 2022:

1. Improve customer experience
2. Focus on educating instead of selling
3. Increase customer loyalty
4. Spread word about their brand
5. Generate more leads

I can’t tell you which goal you should choose.

Pick one or a few that align with your long-term vision for your business.

Step 3: Pick the right social channels

Choosing the right channel is as important as defining your goals.

You should select a channel (or more) depending on the audience you’re trying to attract and not based on where your friends are.

For instance, let’s say you are leasing laptops to small businesses.

You will find it more effective to focus your time on LinkedIn where most CEOs and IT managers are.

On the other hand, if you’re selling jewellery and accessories you would find a better audience on Instagram.

Which platforms will help you reach your audience best and most cost-effective?

In my case, I will continue to build relationships on Instagram, and start growing my followers on Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Step 4: Define 3-4 content pillars

Content pillars are the main topics you will use to create content.

As a result, this will help you stay organized and focused on just a few things rather than having a general account posting random stuff.

Here is an example of 3 content pillars for marketing agencies:

• Pillar 1: Marketing
• Pillar 2: Entrepreneurship
• Pillar 3: Technology

When you choose your content pillar try to think with an audience in mind. What topics are they interested to learn about?

Tip: Marketing gurus recommend you post 80% educational content, 20% promotions.

Step 5: Think of a budget for marketing

I know you are probably dreaming and having super high goals with your marketing.

Now let’s think realistically:

• Can you achieve all that with a tight budget?
• How much can you afford to spend each month on marketing activities?
• Is that enough to attain your goals?
• or should you focus on smaller goals first?

After all, decisions need to be made.

Here are some marketing costs to budget for:

1. Social media management (Hire a freelancer from $200/mo or do it yourself?)
2. Monthly buget for paid ads (Ex: $1000 for Facebook ads, $2000 for Google ads)
3. Social Media scheduler subscription (Pallyy: $15/account/mo.)
4. Email marketing subscription (Mailchimp: $20.99/mo.)
5. Content creation software (Canva $12.99/mo, others)

Step 6: Come out with an action plan: Who does what?

If you’re part of a team you can delegate tasks to individual members.

You’ll typically want to allocate these tasks:

• Monthly content planning
• Content creation & scheduling
• Community management (engagement)
• Analytics & reporting
• Paid ads management
• Email marketing
• Influencer outreach

Each small business is different. So you may have your unique challenges and goals in planning your marketing content.

Feel free to adapt your action plan to include tasks that are a priority for your business.

Step 7: Choose the right social media management tools

Social media management tools are a must for anyone who is serious about marketing.

With more and more competition and the need to jump on the latest trends, you’ll find it very hard to maintain a consistent posting schedule.

That’s why tools like Pallyy and Buffer are here to help you manage your content across multiple social platforms.

Most tools offer content scheduling, analytics, and reporting features. In addition, community management, social listening, and chatbots are also available at a higher cost.

The most important thing?

Sign up for a FREE trial before you commit to any social media scheduling tool.

This will give you a chance to test the features and discover which app works best for your needs.

I have been using Content Creator Studio, Planoly, Buffer and they’re all good tools. Most recently (2 years ago) I switched my clients to Pallyy.

At the moment of writing this post, I am very happy with the features offered by Pallyy – and excited that they’re adding TikTok scheduling, Instagram Stories and Carousel posts soon!

More recommended tools:

• Social Media Schedulers for Bloggers/Influencers/Small Brands
• Social Media Schedulers for Agencies and Teams

Start Planning Your Social Media Strategy