SMM Strategy: What It Includes and How to Create One / ITech content

Contents:

• What is an SMM strategy
• What makes a good strategy
• How to write a brief
• How strategy depends on business size
• How to choose channels and tools

Chief Product Officer at Possible, editor-in-chief of Hot Digital and teacher of the course "Communication in Digital. New Channels" at the Higher School of Economics. Has extensive experience in product management and strategy development in the field of digital technologies. Specializes in the integration of new communication channels into business processes, which allows for effective interaction with the audience and increases the competitiveness of companies in the digital environment.

Photo: personal archive of Alisa Zadorozhnaya.

Head of Marketing Strategy and Research at MGCom, a digital agency that is among the top three local digital agencies in Russia. In his role, he is responsible for developing and implementing effective marketing strategies aimed at increasing brand awareness and attracting customers. MGCom offers a wide range of digital marketing services, including SEO, content marketing, and data analysis. The agency's team constantly analyzes market trends and adapts strategies to achieve maximum results for clients.

Photo courtesy of Andrey Minaev's personal archive.

MGCom is a modern digital agency specializing in a wide range of services in internet marketing and digital technologies. Our team of professionals develops effective strategies for promoting businesses online, including SEO, content marketing, SMM, and website development. We are results-oriented and strive to help each client achieve maximum visibility and profitability in the digital world. MGCom is your reliable partner in the world of digital solutions.

Developing an SMM strategy is one of the most common requests from companies to SMM specialists and agencies. What does this document include, and how do you create it correctly? In this article for Skillbox Media, "SMM Strategy" course experts Alisa Zadorozhnaya and Andrey Minaev share important recommendations. A well-designed SMM strategy helps define the target audience, select appropriate promotion channels, and set clear goals. This is a key element for effective brand promotion on social media and achieving business results.

In this article, we'll examine the topic in detail, focusing on key aspects and important details. We'll analyze the key concepts and provide relevant information to help you better understand the subject matter. You'll learn about the latest trends, practical examples, and expert recommendations. Read on to delve deeper and gain valuable insights.

• What is an SMM strategy?
• What does this document include?
• How to work with a brief?
• How to choose channels and tools?
• How strategy goals depend on business size.

What is an SMM strategy?

There are several approaches to defining the term "SMM strategy." In one sense, an SMM strategy is a clear plan that serves as the basis for content creation, posting, and developing special projects on social networks. In a broader sense, this term covers all aspects of work in social media, including various logical directions and all elements related to promotion in SMM. In this context, any proposal related to social media can be characterized as a strategy.

An SMM strategy is a key document that details the strategic and tactical decisions that guide a brand's actions on social media. It is essential for achieving marketing and business goals. An effective SMM strategy helps brands optimize their social media efforts, attract the target audience, and increase engagement. Including clear goals, analyzing competitors, and choosing appropriate platforms are important aspects of a successful social media strategy.

To develop an effective SMM strategy, it is necessary to address six key objectives. This will not only attract the target audience but also increase engagement, build brand trust, and ultimately achieve commercial success. Key aspects to consider when developing a strategy include: defining the target audience, choosing appropriate social platforms, creating quality content, setting goals and KPIs, analyzing competitors, and regularly monitoring results. This approach will help maximize the effectiveness of resources and improve the effectiveness of social media marketing efforts.

• Analyze the current position of the brand and its competitors on social media.
• Research the brand's audience: which social networks they are present in, how they behave there, how they consume content and what actions they take.
• Choose areas of work. What does the brand want to convey to the audience to solve its business problems? What, on the contrary, should not be discussed? How to work on different brand attributes? How to drive sales?
• Choose tactics for communicating with the audience: what the Tone of Voice should be, what is the need to respond to messages and how quickly.
• Determine what content to publish, how to promote it and what resources will be required for this.
• Track the effectiveness of the strategy as it is implemented. This way we can adjust it if necessary.

When developing an SMM strategy, it is important to understand that it differs from a communications strategy. An SMM strategy is directly related to the technical tools of social networks, and for its successful creation, a deep knowledge of these tools is necessary. While there are many examples and frameworks for communication and brand strategies, they do not take into account the specifics of social media, making them unsuitable for SMM. Therefore, to effectively build an SMM strategy, it is important to focus on the specifics of the platforms and their functionality.

What makes a good strategy

We recommend adding eight key blocks to your content. These blocks will help improve the structure and efficiency of your website, as well as facilitate better indexing in search engines. Each block should be clearly structured and contain relevant information, which will make your resource more attractive to users and search engines.

The client's brief describes the tasks that need to be addressed within the SMM framework, as well as other important input data. We will further analyze the brief in a separate section.

Social media analytics is a key stage in our work. We perform both quantitative and qualitative analysis of the client's accounts, their competitors, and the benchmark brands we will use as a reference. This allows us to identify the strengths and weaknesses of existing strategies and determine best practices for achieving the set goals. This way, we create well-founded recommendations for improving the effectiveness of your social media presence.

• Quantitative analysis is what can be analyzed using numbers: engagement, number of subscribers, volume of content produced, likes, comments.
• Qualitative analysis - here we look at what content the brand and its competitors publish. We highlight best practices: what works and what doesn't, we look at trends in the category and the international market.

The analytical report will serve as the basis for formulating proposals and selecting the most effective tools. This document will allow you to better understand the current situation, identify key aspects, and define strategies for achieving your goals.

The strategic block includes two key components. The first part is dedicated to the brand description, its DNA, and archetype. Here, we define acceptable standards for brand communication with the audience and develop its unique voice. The second part is an analysis of the target audience: we study which social networks they are active on, how they behave on these platforms, what interests they show, and what content attracts their interest. It is also important to consider which bloggers users follow in order to effectively build communication and offer relevant content.

When choosing communication channels, it is important to determine which platforms will be most effective for interacting with our audience. Some channels should be prioritized, as they ensure maximum returns and engagement. Other channels may receive less attention, but still play a role in the overall strategy.

Now we have the necessary data based on analytics, as well as research on audience behavior and brand characteristics. This allows us to make informed decisions about how and where to communicate with our target audience. Effective channel selection will help strengthen our brand presence and increase customer engagement.

Content decisions and content strategy are key elements of successful social media promotion. In this section, we will determine what content will be posted on various platforms and in which social networks. We will consider the variety of content types that will be presented, as well as the structure of the category listings to help organize posts. In addition, it is necessary to clarify the presence of special projects that can attract additional attention to our content. It is also important to describe our strategy for interacting with bloggers, including the frequency of collaboration and the formats of joint publications. This approach will allow us to effectively manage our content and strengthen our digital presence.

An effective paid promotion strategy requires careful evaluation and planning. It is important to determine the tools we will use to achieve maximum results. Distribution of the paid promotion budget between different platforms also plays a key role in the success of the campaign. We must pay attention to targeting settings to reach the target audience with a high probability of conversion. In this context, it's essential to define key performance indicators (KPIs) and methods for monitoring them. This will allow not only to evaluate the effectiveness of current campaigns but also to make timely adjustments to the strategy to improve its effectiveness.

Tone of Voice defines our approach to communicating with our audience. We maintain a professional and friendly tone, avoiding aggressive language and jargon. Clear and understandable language is preferred in our content. Emojis will be used sparingly to emphasize messages without distracting from the main content. We will respond to competitor trolling with restraint, focusing on constructive dialogue and avoiding conflict. Within the community, we encourage open and respectful interactions, and externally, we strive to maintain a positive brand image by acting in the interests of our audience.

The technical block is the final section, detailing key aspects of the project: budget, team composition, deadlines, and processes. It is important to clearly define the financial framework in this section to ensure transparency and understanding among all participants. The team implementing the project should be introduced, taking into account their roles and responsibilities, which will allow us to assess the level of expertise and cooperation. Timelines also require a detailed description to establish clear benchmarks and expectations. The processes used in the project should be described to understand the methods and approaches applied to achieve the set goals. This approach will create a structured and understandable description that will be useful for all stakeholders.

In this text, we will offer recommendations on key aspects, including the brief, the choice of channels and tools, and the influence of business size on goal setting.

How to write a brief

A client brief is the basis of any strategy, and this statement is relevant not only for SMM, but also for various areas of marketing. We do not provide a universal document template, as each brief has its own characteristics. The content of the brief depends on the specifics of the business, the target audience, and the goals the company sets for itself. A properly composed client brief allows for a deeper understanding of client needs and the development of effective marketing strategies.

Instead, we will highlight the key questions that the brief should provide answers to.

• What problems should social networks solve? For example, a financial company may be interested in applications, while a food brand will work on recognition.
• What is known about the brand and product, tone of voice, key advantages, differences from competitors?
• What is known about the company's audience, does the client have their research?
• What is known about competitors?
• Which social networks is the brand already present on?
• Will there be mandatory content from the client?

The brief should include all the key information that will be useful for developing the strategy. It is important to clarify with the client whether cooperation with bloggers is planned, and also determine who will be responsible for moderating comments. This approach will ensure the effective implementation of the strategy and take into account all aspects of interaction with the audience.

The brief is usually developed by the client, and this task is performed by their marketing team. It is important that the team collects all the necessary information and presents it in a single document. The brief can be prepared by a brand manager, digital director, marketer, or other responsible specialist. In small and medium businesses, company owners often take on this work, creating a brief for the further promotion and development of their products or services. A well-written brief is a key element of a successful marketing strategy, as it helps clearly define the company's goals, target audience, and key messages.

How Strategy Depends on Business Size

An SMM strategy for small businesses is often sales-focused. This is especially true for companies that generate their primary income through their website. For example, local brands such as flower shops with delivery or jewelry ateliers target their audience in a specific city. An effective SMM strategy will help attract customers, increase brand awareness, and stimulate sales through social media, which is especially important for small businesses striving for growth and development in a highly competitive environment.

Large brands and corporations often have more complex tasks. Their target audience is significantly wider than that of small businesses. A comprehensive approach requires significant investment, which allows not only to achieve direct sales but also to develop brand attributes. This contributes to improved brand health, effective promotion throughout the sales funnel, and enhanced brand image. Using strategies focused on long-term growth helps build a strong reputation and strengthen market positions.

Large companies are increasing investments in large-scale projects and paid promotion. At the same time, there are corporations with limited social media budgets. These companies strive to use effective SMM strategies to maximize results with minimal costs. They can focus on organic promotion, creating high-quality content, and engaging with the audience, which allows them to remain competitive in the market.

It is important to remember that the primary goal of any marketing activity is sales. This goal remains constant and unchanging. Other marketing goals represent various strategies and approaches that are aimed at achieving this primary objective. Effective marketing focuses on creating value for the customer, which ultimately contributes to increased sales and business development.

Brand Health Tracking is a methodology for assessing the health of a brand, allowing you to identify its strengths and weaknesses. The collected statistics help identify challenges a brand faces and identify potential growth opportunities. Data analysis allows us to understand at what stage of the sales funnel difficulties are encountered, which is key to developing strategies for improving performance.

Let's imagine a situation where a brand is well-known to 95% of its audience, but only 20% of them become customers. In this case, the focus should be on converting those already familiar with the brand into customers. This can be achieved by creating attractive offers and improving customer service. It's also important to work on encouraging repeat purchases, which will build customer loyalty and increase their return to the store after the first order. Therefore, the strategy should be aimed at building strong relationships with customers and increasing their engagement with the brand.

How to Choose Channels and Tools

The main platforms on which brand ecosystems are developing on social media include VKontakte, Facebook, Odnoklassniki, and Instagram. In recent years, brands have seen growing interest in TikTok, requiring the development of a unique strategy for successfully engaging with their audience. It's important to consider that each of these networks has its own characteristics and target audience, which influences the approach to content and marketing campaigns. The choice of channels for an SMM strategy depends on the target audience and the availability of platforms. It's important to consider where you can effectively engage with users, as well as your budget. While the target audience may be active on social media, content production can be costly, especially for platforms with a focus on video content. However, TikTok, for example, can be a cost-effective option if you engage local content creators. A striking example of a successful approach is the case of Tinkoff, which effectively uses TikTok to interact with its audience.

Messaging apps such as Viber, WhatsApp, and Telegram are often included in SMM strategies, offering effective marketing tools. Social media also plays an important role, including platforms like Yandex.Zen and Twitter, where formal communication is absent, but visual and textual content is actively exchanged. These channels allow brands to interact with audiences, increase awareness, and draw attention to products and services. Using messaging apps and social media in a marketing strategy helps create deeper connections with customers and increases the likelihood of conversions.

There are a limited number of specialized tools for developing an effective SMM strategy. Important resources include analytical services and tools that provide information about target audiences. There are many different platforms on the market that allow for automated data collection and downloading. However, a full analysis of the information obtained requires an experienced specialist capable of interpreting the data and drawing informed conclusions.

When implementing a social media strategy, it is important to understand that each platform offers a unique set of tools. Although functions may have similar names and purposes, there are still significant differences between them. The main elements of the toolkit are content, images, video, audio files, and text. Each social network regularly updates its formats and methods of use, which requires close monitoring. Keeping track of changes in platform functionality is essential for effective promotion and achieving goals.

Creating an effective SMM strategy requires experience, in-depth knowledge of channels, and a keen eye. An SMM specialist must be aware of current trends and changes in the social environment. Social networks are dynamic and rapidly evolving platforms. Therefore, it may be necessary to update elements of the SMM strategy within a quarter to stay relevant and successfully engage with the audience.

At Skillbox Media, you will find a wealth of interesting materials about SMM. We offer articles, case studies, and research to help you gain a deeper understanding of social media and its impact on marketing. Explore our recommendations on promotion strategies, content creation, and analytics to help you effectively grow your business on social media. Don't miss the opportunity to improve your skills and deepen your knowledge in the field of SMM.

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