Crafting a Business Social Media Strategy Guide
Roseline Oyedeji
How to Craft a Business Social Media Strategy (8 Easy Steps)
It’s not as difficult as it seems.
If you’re just launching a business or you’ve been running one for years, having an effective social media strategy is a must to meet your business goals.
Luckily, this guide offers a simple approach to creating a social media strategy for your business.
By following this guide, you’ll have everything you need to put together a social media strategy.
Let’s get started.
What is Social Media Strategy?
A social media strategy lays out a clear plan to show how your business will use platforms like Instagram, YouTube, or other platforms to meet set goals.
Here’s how you can break down a social media strategy:
Identify the people you aim to serve as your audience.
Define the goals you want to achieve
Outline the plan to meet those goals.
List the steps needed to carry out those plans.
These all together make your social media strategy or plan, as you’d like to call it.
A Mock Business Example…
Let’s say we opened a tang flower business called “Reen Flowers.” Here’s an example of how our plan might look.
“We’re aiming our social media strategy at people aged 20 to 45. The goal is to boost followers and increase sales. To achieve this, we plan to post three types of content on Instagram each week.
But posting alone isn’t enough to make a strong strategy. Sometimes, it helps to break the process into smaller steps for things to work better.
In short, a solid social media strategy should match your business goal, reach the right people, and rely on data to guide decisions.
Why a Social Media Strategy Matters
Think of being stuck in a dense forest on a foggy day without a clear trail to follow. You don’t have a map or even a compass to find your way.
Chances are, you’d be lost if you’re not already.
To avoid losing your way in the overwhelming noise and endless content online, you need to create a focused social media strategy for your business.
A social media strategy:
Keeps your efforts aligned with business goals.
Makes it easier for others to connect with your brand.
Stops you from feeling lost in the crowded digital world.
Also, you’ll always be one step ahead if you break your business goals into smaller clear steps to act on.
Benefits of a Social Media Strategy
Figuring out a solid strategy plan might seem overwhelming, but it can bring plenty of perks to your business, such as:
Bringing in more customers
Showing more people what you offer
Turning your business goals into reality
Using numbers to see how well your plan performs
Building trust and strong connections with your customers
According to Sprout Social’s report, forty-eight percent of consumers interact more with brands than they did six months ago. This shows that a social media strategy is now more important than ever to thrive online.
What Are The Steps to Crafting a Social Media Strategy for Your Business?
Here are the eight steps to crafting an effective business social media strategy.
Understand What You Need and Want to Achieve
Identify Your Target Audience
Observe Different Social Platforms
Set Up and Outline Your Plan
Pick Your Go-To Platform
Develop Your Content
Engage Your Audience
Track Progress & Adjust Your Strategy
Let’s break each step down further.
1. Understand What You Need and Want to Achieve
Ask yourself: What are my business needs and goals?
This is a key question to figure out. Look at how your business uses social media and identify what is missing or can be improved to benefit your business goals.
When you match your needs to your bigger goals, you can get real results in both social and business areas.
To understand your business needs well, you have to measure your goals. You’ve heard this before: your goals should be:
S: Specific
M: Measurable
A: Actionable
R: Relevant
T: Time-bound
Do you remember Reen Flowers, the example we used?
Rather than saying something unclear like “Get more followers and boost sales,” let’s go with a clear goal like “increase Instagram followers by 20% and sell 10 flowers” during Q3.
2. Identify Your Target Audience
If you don’t understand who you’re talking to, your message won’t connect with anyone. Trying to talk to everyone ends up being talking to no one.
Instead of spreading content randomly and hoping for the best, get a clear sense of your audience. Picture them in detail:
Their name
What they care about
How old they are
The struggles they face
What they want
Not sure where to start?
This helpful guide from Zendesk can help you figure out how to build a strong audience persona.
3. Observe Different Social Platforms
You don’t need to be active on every social media platform. Test them out and find out which ones perform well for your specific needs.
For instance, Reen Flowers chose Instagram as a focus, but we could see better outcomes by including TikTok — because some of our audience spend most of their free time on TikTok, while others prefer Instagram.
Learning about platforms will help you decide which one suits your business.
4. Set Up & Assign Your Plan
Now that you know your needs, audience, and have studied the platforms, put together a solid plan:
What tasks do we need to complete?
What tools are required?
When do we begin?
Who will handle each part of the plan?
What budget is necessary to kick things off?
At this point, assign resources and roles to meet your objectives. This boosts your chances of growing your business more.
5. Pick Your Go-To Platform
Find the platform that fits your business needs. Base your choice on things like:
Who is your audience?
What’s the standard in your industry?
How active are people on the platform?
Every platform serves its own purpose. For example, LinkedIn works well to connect B2B professionals, while Instagram is better to showcase visuals and grow a brand image.
Stick to the platforms that matter most so you can increase your reach and engagement without spreading yourself too thin.
6. Develop Your Content
Once you know your audience, craft content that clicks with their interests and matches what you want to achieve.
Even better if you develop a content calendar. HubSpot’s 70–20–10 rule is a great example:
70% educational content (tips, guides)
20% engagement-focused posts (polls, user-generated content)
10% promotional content (sales announcements)
What matters?
Your content must teach, entertain, or motivate in some way.
7. Engage Your Audience
Social media isn’t just about sharing posts or selling things. It’s more about forming real connections.
Try these ideas to get your audience engaged:
Post a question to spark talks
Reply to early comments
Run live Q&A events
Show off your product in an online demo session
Talking to your audience and seeking feedback helps refine strategies and boost satisfaction levels.
8. Track Progress & Adjust Your Strategy
Algorithms evolve. Trends rise and fade away.
Use analytics tools to track factors like engagement rate, click-through rates, and follower growth on social media.
Most platforms have built-in tools to analyze data in real time. These tools help improve decisions to boost engagement, expand reach, and increase Return on Investment (ROI).
Examples of a Good Business Social Media Strategy
Many businesses showcase a strong social media strategy, but here we’ll only focus on five.
I picked these examples on purpose because they highlight some of the best strategies. Each one ties its efforts to its brand’s goals, audience interests, and what makes each platform unique.
Let’s break down why these approaches work so well.
Mailchimp
The way you tell your story matters more than the details of the message itself. Mailchimp shows how to do this the right way.
Mailchimp explained its technical tools using creative storytelling that made things clear and relatable for its audience.
They focused on reaching marketers interested in appealing content through platforms like TikTok and Instagram.
Mailchimp blends creativity with practicality. They make sure their audience not only enjoys their content but also understands the value of their tools.
HubSpot
HubSpot keeps things consistent and relevant with a planned method of creating content.
By using the 70–20–10 rule, they mix educational posts, engaging material, and promotional content in a balanced way.
HubSpot also adjusts its approach to match what each platform works best for.
For instance, they use LinkedIn to gain professional knowledge and Instagram to share eye-catching photos.
Their automation tools help them post and save time to engage with followers live.
They stick to a clear plan to share useful posts that match what their audience wants.
Crocs
Crocs shifted how people see their brand by teaming up with celebrities like Post Malone and Justin Bieber.
They launched special-edition drops that got fans hyped and made them feel a need to act fast.
Their unboxing videos spread like wildfire on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, helping Crocs turn into a stylish trend instead of just comfy shoes.
This plan used big celebrity collaborations and fun easy-to-share content to spark interest, especially among younger people.
LCSigns
LCSigns leaned into the saying “let your personality show in content” and made it their mantra.
LCSigns shares viral videos on Instagram to build a community by showing how their signage works in everyday life.
Their social media approach blends humor with relatable content and product showcases while inviting followers to take part.
This mix boosts interaction and creates trust and emotional bonds with their customers.
Fun fact: I ended up watching their hilarious videos for over an hour. By the end, I wanted to buy a sign. Guess they knew how to hook me.
SweetGreen
SweetGreen creates a stand-out approach by using games in its loyalty program to connect with its customers.
One example is their weekly app challenges. These tasks, like ordering certain menu items, let people earn rewards and get more involved.
They focus on being eco-friendly and go beyond just selling food. Their messaging appeals to conscious folks, and they share it across platforms like TikTok and Instagram.
Bottom line?
No matter the kind of business you run, creating a plan for social media is crucial.
With businesses growing and an estimated six billion social media users expected by 2028 — social media isn’t optional anymore. It has become a must to raise awareness, connect with communities, boost website traffic, and sell what you’re offering.
Now, It’s Time to Take Action
There you have it, the steps to building a social media plan for your business.
This might feel like a lot to take in, but breaking it down step by step makes it manageable.
By looking at what your business needs, learning about your audience, picking the best platform, and making interesting content, you can create a strong starting point for your social media journey.
Did you find this guide useful? Please let me know in the comments.
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Posted Jun 28, 2025
Created a guide on crafting a business social media strategy in 8 steps.
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Apr 5, 2025 - Jun 10, 2025
