When it comes to social media, companies often take a spontaneous approach: they have a product or service and post things that are relevant to said product or service. Now, it could be worse, i.e not being present on social media at all, but it could most definitely be better. Social media is a powerful tool which, when harnessed properly, can be used to drive more potential clients to your brand. And more clients = more potential sales or a larger network.

A content strategy is a framework which outlines what you will post and where. It should be an amalgamation of the types of content that you would like your target market to know about your company and the things they are interested in. This content is usually a blend of owned and curated content.

There are two things to establish before you start your content strategy. First, you will need to be clear who your target market is. Large businesses? Charities? Individuals? Try to be as clear as possible to ensure you’re reaching your target audience.

Then, you need to establish what you would like your social media to do. Drive sales? Bring you potential new clients? Establish you as an ‘authority’ in your field?

Once that’s been decided, you should create or share content based on your target market’s interests and your business goals. This content should be scheduled and posted regularly, at a time when your target market is most likely to be online. Taking the time to think about your clients (and potential clients) and your aims and objectives allow you to:

1. Save time
Posting random bits and pieces online might not seem like the most laborious task, but if the content you’re posting is not meaningful or relevant, then you will probably end up wasting quite a bit of time in the long run. Having a document which tells you exactly where and when to post content will cut down the hours of trawling through the internet looking for something mildly interesting when you’re not inspired.

2. Ensure clear messaging across several social media platforms
Your company, team and clients should all be clear about who you are, what your values are, what you do and how you do it. Anyone looking/ interacting with your brand online should receive the same message which should reinforce who you are and what they can expect from you.

3. Know what’s working and what isn’t
Mapping out the types of content that you will create, as well as tracking what goes out and when, allows you find out what your audience is interested in, what they are interacting with, what they like and, most importantly, what they don’t. It’s simple. More good stuff = business growth.

This may require a few weeks of testing but, it’s worth it, to have a social media page that has people coming back for more.

4. Adjust, Adjust and Adjust some more
When your aims as a company change, your social media will change to reflect your new aims. You will also have a record of what you’ve posted and what proved to be popular. This will allow you to decide and alter what your strategy will be and avoid the pitfalls of being repetitive across your social channels.