It might sound counterintuitive to describe a digital marketing medium as “human”, but by its nature, social media is a very human marketing channel. It’s where brands can communicate with their target audience using one-to-one and one-to-many engagement strategies. It’s also a place where marketers can listen and learn to discern how individuals feel about their brands, products, or services and their competitors’ offers. The brands that succeed on social media understand this and deploy campaign strategies that are, for want of a better word, social. This human connection is what sets social media apart and makes it a powerful tool for marketers.
But just because social media is primarily about human engagement, it doesn’t mean that marketers can’t take a more data-driven approach to guide their social output. In fact, if you think about it, data is just the digital footprint left by people who engage with your brand.
10 Actionable Tips to Creating a More Informed Social Media Strategy
Successful social media marketers never rely on guesswork. Instead, they learn to leverage the available data across their various Martech platforms to make more informed decisions that resonate with their audience. So, what information do they need, and how do they use this data to create more engaging, relevant, and timely social media posts? In this post, we’ll share ten actionable tips to help you create a more informed social media strategy.
1. Set Clear Objectives
We can’t say this too many times. Every successful marketing campaign starts by setting clear objectives. If you don’t have a clear objective, you’ll never know if you’ve been successful or not. Before you create a single social media post, you’ll need to figure out whether you are aiming for greater brand awareness, engagement, lead generation, or conversions. You can define your objectives using SMART criteria: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound. For example, instead of vaguely aiming to “increase social media engagement,” set a tangible goal like “Boost Instagram engagement by 15% in the next 60 days.”
2. Understand Your Audience
Customer data is key to understanding your audience and tailoring your communication strategy effectively. Marketers can look at the data stored across their various MarTech systems to gather insights about:
- Demographics: Age, geographic location, gender distribution.
- Psychographics: Interests, values, behaviors.
- Engagement Trends: Posting times, content preferences.
Marketers can also incorporate social listening tools to track sentiment, identify trending topics, and understand the conversations their audience is engaging in. The better you know your audience, the more impactful your content will be.
3. Choose the Right Social Networks
Focus on where your audience spends their time—not just where you feel comfortable posting. A few considerations:
- B2B brands typically find the most value on business-focused social networks like LinkedIn.
- Visual-centric brands such as fashion, arts and crafts, and food businesses thrive on Instagram or Pinterest.
- Youth-focused brands may perform better on TikTok or Snapchat.
Be careful not to spread yourself too thin. Start with 1-3 platforms that align with your audience and business objectives, then expand once you’ve mastered them.
4. Audit Your Current Performance
Conduct a performance audit of your existing social media efforts to identify what’s working and where you can improve. You can start by reviewing metrics like reach, engagement, impressions, and conversions before breaking down performance by content type (videos, images, stories, reels). Benchmark your strategies against your competitors to uncover opportunities or gaps.
5. Leverage Data-Driven Content Creation
Use the insights you’ve collected from your audience and past performance to craft more engaging content. Analyze questions like:
- Which posts get the most engagement?
- What topics spark conversations?
- What content types (e.g., videos, infographics) perform best?
Double down on high-performing themes and formats. Tools like Google Analytics and the data stored in your marketing automation platform can guide your decisions.
6. Experiment, Analyze, and Optimize
Social media is a dynamic space, making experimentation essential. A few strategies to enhance your success will include:
- A/B Testing: Compare two versions of a post to see which performs better.
- Content Timing: Experiment with posting at different times to find optimal engagement windows.
- Format Variations: Test videos, carousels, and single-image posts to determine what resonates most.
Use analytics to measure results, refine your approach, and continually optimize your strategy. Remember, a test never fails if you learn from the experience
7. Use Predictive Analytics to Stay Ahead
Predictive analytics helps marketers to anticipate audience behavior and emerging trends. For example, you can analyze past campaigns to identify seasonal engagement spikes or track trending hashtags and topics to create timely, relevant content. Being proactive helps you stay ahead of competitors and keep your audience engaged.
8. Incorporate Real-Time Insights
Real-time data, such as live engagement metrics, helps you adjust your strategies on the fly. If a post is underperforming, tweak its promotion strategy or create a follow-up post that capitalizes on audience feedback.
9. Align Content with Business Goals
Every piece of content should serve a purpose aligned with your business objectives. For instance:
- Use promotional posts to drive traffic to a landing page.
- Share customer success stories to build trust and nurture leads.
- Post educational content to establish authority and grow your audience.
Track Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) such as conversion rates, website traffic, or revenue to assess how well your social media aligns with your broader goals.
10. Stay Agile and Evolve
Social media trends, algorithms, and user behaviors are constantly evolving. Take your time to analyze your strategy and make necessary adjustments regularly. Tips for staying agile include:
- Scheduling regular reviews to assess your performance metrics and objectives.
- Adapt quickly to algorithm updates to maintain reach.
- Shift focus to emerging platforms if your target audience migrates there.
By staying flexible and data-driven, your social media strategy will remain relevant and impactful.
Data is a Creative Tool
While many marketers typically fall into one of two camps, creative or analytic, it’s important to remember that your campaigns will only ever be fully optimized if you embrace both strategies. Working with a digital marketing agency that understands both the creative and analytic sides of the business will give you a competitive edge.
To learn more about how the marketing experts at emfluence can help you create a more informed, data-driven digital marketing strategy, contact us today at expert@emfluence.com.
