Social Media Strategy vs. Content Plan: Allies or Rivals?

They say that every head is a world, and yes, I think it is a large complex universe that works at high speed, often more than we think and where we are the creators of algorithms, publications go viral and everything is perfect. Now, what does all this have to do with the article you are about to read? 

Well, just as in your universe everything is perfect, achieving the minimum of perfection ALWAYS involves planning and strategy. And yes, that’s how the dramatic behind the scenes of social media works. You need a strategy that will lead you to organize your brain to create a content plan that will eventually appear on social networks. 

That’s the moment of harsh reality, you cross your fingers, your palms sweat, you hit publish and look forward to virality. At that moment, you may feel like when you wake up from a peaceful dream or a nightmare where you only get one like, because the algorithm changed again. Relax, here we don’t want nightmares, we want to help you understand why you need a content planning and social media strategy to achieve your goals and make your life a little easier. 

They look the same but they are different, however, one needs the other… 

Social media strategy

This is the master plan that guides all your actions on social platforms, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, you name it. Think of it as the compass that guides your brand in the vast digital jungle; which is built from a deep analysis of the brand, the market, the competition and above all your audience. 

To build a social media strategy we usually answer certain basic questions that will mark a roadmap, necessary to meet the objectives of the brand: 

Who is your audience? 

Know the profile of your target audience, their interests, needs, how they behave in social networks and which are their favorites. 

What do you want to achieve?

You have to be smart when setting goals, that’s why we recommend the SMART methodology (bad joke to keep your attention). 

Set objectives:

• Specific.
• Measurable.
• Achievable.
• Realistic.

Time-bound.

This will allow you to set clear goals, that is, to see a cleaner and more realistic picture. 

Where and when to publish?

Select the most appropriate social platforms for your audience and define a posting frequency that maximizes reach without saturating your audience.

How to measure success?

Identify the KPIs, with these key performance indicators you will be able to evaluate if you are reaching your goals such as: follower growth, engagement rate, web traffic from social networks and others.

Content Plan

It helps you execute your social media strategy, that is, it keeps you grounded so you don’t get off track. This is where you capture your ideas and organize the creation, publication and management of the content you are going to share. It also ensures that every action is aligned with the overall strategy. 

If you have many ideas or none at all, you may find it helpful to answer these questions to create a content plan: 

What to post on Social Media?

Think about and detail the type of content that will be shared: social media posts, articles, infographics, videos, stories, polls, etc. Each piece should be aligned with the objectives of the overall strategy. 

When to publish on Social Networks?

This is your publishing calendar: what day, what time and on what platform each piece of content will be published. This includes planning specific campaigns, promotions and relevant events.

What will the content look like?

Here you define the tone and style of the publications, remember to be consistent with the brand identity. Also consider the publishing format: will it be short, visual posts or long, detailed articles? Create your content pillars so you know where to publish and what to publish accordingly.

Who will create and publish it?

Assign responsibilities within the team for content creation, editing and publishing. This ensures that everyone knows who does what, when and how.

If you’re still wondering how this article is like every head is a world, it’s because each brand has its own universe, objectives and different ways of showing itself to social networks, but they all need planning, organization and strategy to materialize and achieve their goals. 

So dare to create the universe of your brand in a creative and simple way, taking into account these guidelines. If you want to know more about creative universes, keep browsing our blog. 

You will surely be surprised…