7 Tips on Creating an Effective Social Media Plan

Most people have a social media account, whether it’s Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter (to name a few). These platforms allow people to communicate with their family and friends by sharing messages, photos, and even videos. Social media, however, is also being utilized as an effective marketing tool to promote products and services. That being said, businesses have to create an effective social media plan to maximize its benefits.

The big question is: how do you create a social media strategy template that can help boost your company’s online presence and performance? It’s all about understanding the basic principles of social media marketing, which can boost your business’s popularity among potential clients.

Before drafting your social media plan, make sure that you have familiarized yourself with these essential details. In this blog post, we cover the best tips on creating a successful social media strategy template.

1. Social Media Plan: The Psychology of Sharing

When planning your social media strategy template, you will need to think about what an ordinary user will do when interacting with online material. Ask yourself, “What types of content are likely to be interesting?” In a study published by the NY Times Insights Group, sharing content on social media is closely tied to our relationships with others.

For instance, social media users often hit the share button when they see a photo or video that relates to their personal experience. Frequently, they also do this to entertain their social media followers. With that in mind, your social media account should be focused on sharing with others and building community.

Another study found that creating and sharing emotional content can lead to increased sharing. Generally, images and videos that are humorous, emotional, inspiring, cute, or controversial are more likely to be shared.

2. Social Media Plan: Social Validation

We all have a strong desire for approval. The “Power of Likes” study found that social media users were more likely to up-vote a pre-liked comment. This also correlates to a study conducted by Robert Cialdini, which can help explain this attitude.

During door-to-door charity campaigns, researchers discovered that people were more likely to make a donation when the donor list is longer. People also prefer to donate when they see some that some of their friends or acquaintances have donated as well.

Best Social Media Strategy Template for Social Validation

Some websites contain sharing buttons, which shows the share count in a floating bar above each of their posts. For instance, Conversion Rate Experts has helped daFlores, a South American flower delivery company, to increase its revenue by twofold. How was the company able to achieve these great results?

Instead of using a rotating banner, they added a static image that greets daFlores’ over 600,000 Facebook fans. This has resulted in an almost 44% increase in sales, all thanks to this social media plan strategy.

3. Social Media Plan: Overall Aesthetics

While it’s true that most people prefer quality content, social media handlers should also pay attention to aesthetics. Websites or social media pages with visually appealing content often receive more attention from internet users.

Best Social Media Strategy Template for Aesthetics

When it comes to creating aesthetically engaging websites, Apple tends to be one of the best companies. They often share photos that not only capture one’s attention but also their creativity. In the photo below, Apple reposted a photo from Dimpy Bhalotia, who is an iPhone user. The caption says, “just a boy taking off with the birds”.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BqDAkg4F_qi/

A few of their guidelines include:

1. To highlight an area, use a headline with a large font. This allows the audience to identify which areas to focus on.
2. Before each paragraph, or after two to three paragraphs, create sub-headings. With this technique, you can keep your readers interested in your blog post.
3. Lastly, incorporate the principle of the inverted pyramid when writing your content. This writing strategy entails starting with the most important part of the topic, then gradually discussing less important details.

4. Social Media Plan: Reaction Time

Power out? No problem. pic.twitter.com/dnQ7pOgC

— OREO Cookie (@Oreo) February 4, 2013

One of the biggest advantages of social media is that it allows a real-time response to news and events. For instance, during the Super Bowl blackout, Oreo’s tweet and Facebook ads post garnered a huge amount of buzz. The tweet says, “Power out? No problem.” with a photo that states, “You can still dunk in the dark.”

5. Social Media Plan: Emotional Appeal

As mentioned earlier, emotional social media content is more shareable than ordinary posts. For example, you want your audience to feel excited about a particular event that your company will host, or a new product that’s soon to be released. You’ll then need to create social media posts to make these milestones sound interesting to your social media followers.

Best Social Media Strategy Template for Emotional Appeal

Antonio Damasio, the author of Descartes Error and a neuroscience professor, explains that emotion is one of the most essential ingredients when it comes to decision-making. The question is, how do you know if your posts will create a visceral response?

Start by doing a “gut check”. You can then figure out whether your post can make you laugh hard or burst into tears. If it doesn’t, it’s time to get back to the drawing board.

6. Social Media Plan: Great Stories

Nothing beats great stories when it comes to generating share-worthy content. Note, however, that there’s a big difference between an overly dramatic post and an emotional post that can tug your heartstrings.

For example, Dela, a Dutch funeral insurance company, created a deeply emotional story that showcases their product. They also asked people to share their heart-wrenching message that they may want to tell their loved ones before they die. This shifts from the typical features of Dela’s products, but it’s an effective marketing strategy that can turn social media shares into profit.

7. Social Media Plan: The Good News

After scanning over 7,000 New York Times articles, Jonah Berger, an author, found out that positive news outweighs bad news and is more likely to go viral. The most common reactions to this type of content were awe, laughter, and amusement. BuzzSumo, on the other hand, discovered that 61% of people shared interesting things while 43% of social media users shared unique content. The majority of users shared interesting topics, suggesting that these kinds of posts are popular among the general internet user.

With this new knowledge about the best social media strategy template, you can create content that’s worth sharing. Who knows, your website may soon become a goldmine full of viral social media content!