Why is Social Media Strategy Important?

Creating an online presence for your business on social media with an effective social media strategy could be all it takes to increase potential revenue by at least ten-fold.

Nowadays, with nearly everyone on social media sharing everything from pop culture references and memes, to business reviews and experiences, shining a positive light on your business could lead to significant exposure and growth from the millions that surf social media throughout the day.

These days, 72% of all Americans are on at least one social media platform. We know that the unprecedented event of COVID-19 hindered businesses on a global scale. It’s important to unearth untapped potential by adapting to new strategies to a business afloat. Social media strategy can be the answer, at little to no expense.

In this article, we will discuss the definition of social media strategy. We will also discuss the advantages of the most popular social media platforms, and content worth creating and sharing. Hopefully, this will help your business thrive through this unpredictable time while making your job just a little bit easier.

What is Social Media Strategy?

According to Hootsuite.com, a social media strategy is a summary of everything you plan to do and hope to achieve on social media. It guides your actions and lets you know whether you’re succeeding or failing.

It has never been easier to create a social media strategy. Many social media platforms provide tools to help you with your strategy. You can use tools to monitor analytics like which content is working, the best time of day to post and share content, and a variety of other metrics to help you boost your traffic. A social media strategy may take time to implement, but it will be worth it in the end for your business.

There are several benefits to having a social media strategy, including that a social media strategy allows you to take control of your brand online.

History of Social Media Strategy

The term social media was first coined in 1997 with networks like Sixdegrees.com being one of the first platforms for people to interact with other users worldwide. Social media came about only six years after the internet was publicly made available. Leading to the birth of more prominent platforms and the creation of Instagram and Facebook in 2006 and 2004, respectively, the idea of social media strategy is still fairly new. However, it is incredibly effective nonetheless for reaching consumers far and wide.

Social Media Platforms

Each social media platform is designed for specific purposes. Each of these platforms are vastly different than the next. (Despite the common interface and structure that may appear similar across multiple platforms.) The most popular platforms to use for marketing your business are:

Facebook

Facebook is by far the largest social media platform worldwide with over 2.6 billion monthly users. That’s almost a third of the world’s population! Facebook has remained consistent with being the biggest and baddest network around, generally speaking. In addition to the incredibly useful analytic tools that Facebook offers for business-users, receptive posts, content creation, and interacting with your audience is incredibly fun, yet simplistically easy to monitor. If you need help with Facebook content creation, a digital agency can help you.

Twitter (X)

Twitter for “tweeting” news and updates. (Or really any message worth broadcasting!) Twitter has an active audience of over 321 million users. These users are ready to read or share your post of 260 characters or less. Popular among the entertainment and e-commerce industries, Twitter is fast and easy to provide information, share visuals, and spread hashtags, and is a solid resource for building your online presence as long as you know how to use Twitter for marketing.

Instagram

As effective as visual stimuli are with keeping your audience interested and focused, Instagram’s interface is reputable for sharing and editing videos and images to show the personality of your business. However, out of Instagram’s approximate user base of 1 billion people worldwide, only a small percentage browse for business relevance. Instead, most scroll for eye-opening and thought-provoking visuals in their spare time.

Fortunately, for coffee shops, artists, and others who can showcase their creative products in a personable way that also represents their business in a colorful manner, it can prove superior in comparison to the more competitive platforms for businesses.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a platform well-known for reaching professional and specific audiences, ranging from job-hungry applicants to titans of numerous industries. It has a global user network of more than 706 million. While similar to Facebook’s interface of posting content, responding to comments, and updating profiles, the differences are solely based on LinkedIn being the prominent source for job seekers and professional networking.

LinkedIn isn’t a platform to share funny memes or entertaining cat videos. It is for informative and business-related content and can reach relevant people in any industry. Generally, small businesses and B2B businesses succeed the most by using LinkedIn for marketing.

Social Media Content Sharing

There are several things to keep in mind when posting content you create and when sharing others’ content. There are many tips for sharing content across different social media channels. Some of these tips include: 

•  With each social media platform providing usefulness in each of their own ways, the content created to share from one platform to be copied and displayed on other platform(s) (also known as cross-posting) won’t always be effectively translated on a different platform. This is because of preferences that deem what’s favorable and aligned with the respective algorithms that the platform determines worthy of sharing. For social media content sharing across multiple networks, the actual content should be tweaked to cater towards the other platforms in a manner that’s user friendly and most similar to their content preferences.
• A useful strategy for increasing brand exposure is cross-promoting with other businesses and users. This can lead to increased traffic for your business by promoting not just to your audience, but also the entity’s audience that you’re sharing content with.
• Test out your content on the platform(s) of your choosing and change what’s necessary. Similar to designing content in a way that a specific platform favors in order to be broadcasted on a user’s newsfeed, another relevant variable is the time of posting. Both of these factors may take a bit of optimizing for the best results. Several social media planners such as Hootsuite are terrific for the tools that they provide for measured analytics on the times that your audience is most responsive.

Sharing Other People’s Content

It can be exhausting creating content that resonates with your audience on a regular basis. If you don’t possess the creativity to create the visuals or hardware to capture photos to help your messages come alive, don’t worry. Attaching and sharing other people’s content can give you the best of both worlds. However, there are a couple things to keep in mind when sharing other people’s content:

Give Credit

Perhaps the most important of the things to be aware of when sharing others’ content is to give credit. Everyone deserves credit for their work, even on social media. Just as you would never plagiarize or steal other people’s words, content and pictures operate under the same restrictions. Repercussions for copyright infringement come with harsh penalties, with fines ranging from $200 to $150,000 for each stolen work. If heavy fines weren’t enough to dissuade you from stealing, maybe the jail time often attached to these crimes will.

It’s your responsibility to obtain written permission from the owner, otherwise find another picture to use. There are many public domain websites that allow you to use their photos. You do have to make sure to give credit and attach a Creative Commons License. Other websites, like unplash.com or pexels.com, offer free photos that can be used for any reason, with or without credit. Either way, people deserve credit for their work.

Emphasize Your Message

When using or attaching another person’s content with your name or message, it’s important to use something equally compelling that makes your message and business’s personality blossom. The message you send is the important part. Whatever is used to attach to that message shouldn’t be the most eye-opening part.  Rather, it should emphasize your brand’s message. 

Time To Strategize

With a wide array of social media platforms, free tools to help with monitoring, scheduling, creating content, and some strategies to help keep your fan base interested while attracting new followers, it’s time to plan your own social media strategy. Hopefully, this article helped you or your business by giving insightful ideas and knowledge for your own social media strategy. If you still need help, you can leave the strategy planning to professional social media strategists.

Frequently Asked Questions About Social Media Strategy

How often should I post on each social media platform?

Optimal posting frequency varies by platform and audience. For Facebook, 3-5 times per week is typically sufficient, as the algorithm favors quality over quantity. On Twitter, where content moves quickly, posting 1-5 times daily keeps your brand visible without overwhelming followers. Instagram generally works best with 4-7 posts weekly, focusing on high-quality visuals and stories. LinkedIn’s professional audience responds well to 2-5 posts per week during business hours.

However, these are just starting guidelines—what works best for your specific business may differ. The key is consistency rather than volume. Monitor your analytics to identify when your audience is most engaged and adjust accordingly. For example, if your data shows your LinkedIn posts get the most engagement on Tuesday mornings, prioritize that timing. At SEO Design Chicago, we develop customized posting schedules based on platform-specific analytics and your unique audience behavior patterns.

How do I measure the success of my social media strategy?

Effective measurement of social media success requires tracking metrics that align with your specific business goals rather than focusing solely on vanity metrics like follower count. For brand awareness goals, monitor metrics like reach, impressions, and audience growth rate. For engagement objectives, track likes, comments, shares, and clicks, as well as engagement rate (total engagements divided by reach). For conversion-focused strategies, measure click-through rates, conversion rates, and cost per conversion.

Social media ROI can be calculated by comparing the value of conversions against your social media spending. Most platforms offer native analytics tools, but third-party tools like Hootsuite, Sprout Social, or Buffer provide more comprehensive cross-platform reporting. Establish baseline measurements before implementing new strategies, then track progress at regular intervals. Remember that social media impact often extends beyond direct conversions to include less tangible benefits like brand loyalty and customer satisfaction.

Which social media platforms should my business focus on?

Rather than trying to maintain a presence on every platform, focus your efforts where your target audience is most active and where your content format aligns with the platform’s strengths. B2B companies typically see better results on LinkedIn and Twitter, while visual products and services often perform well on Instagram and Pinterest. Facebook remains versatile for most businesses due to its broad demographic reach and sophisticated advertising capabilities.

Consider your resources—maintaining multiple platforms effectively requires significant time and content creation capabilities. Start with 2-3 platforms where you can consistently deliver quality content, then expand if resources allow. Research your competitors and industry benchmarks to identify which platforms drive the most engagement in your sector. At SEO Design Chicago, we conduct audience analysis to determine the optimal platform mix based on your specific business goals, target demographics, and content capabilities.

How can I create engaging social media content with limited resources?

Creating engaging content without a large team or budget is entirely possible with strategic planning. First, develop a content calendar to organize your efforts and maintain consistency. Repurpose existing content across platforms—for example, transform blog posts into multiple social media posts, or break longer videos into shorter clips. User-generated content (reviews, testimonials, customer photos) provides authentic material while reducing creation demands. Curate relevant industry content to share alongside your insights, positioning your brand as a valuable information source.

Use free or low-cost tools like Canva for graphics, smartphone cameras for photos and videos, and scheduling tools like Hootsuite or Buffer to plan content in advance. Consider content themes or series that can be repeated regularly (such as weekly tips or monthly highlights). Focus on quality over quantity—fewer well-crafted posts will outperform numerous hastily created ones. Finally, analyze performance data to identify which content types generate the most engagement, then create more of what works.

How do I handle negative comments or criticism on social media?

Addressing negative feedback professionally on social media can actually build trust with your audience when handled correctly. First, respond promptly—within 24 hours if possible—as delayed responses can escalate dissatisfaction. Always remain calm and professional, even when comments seem unfair. Acknowledge the person’s concern and express empathy before addressing the specific issue. When appropriate, move detailed discussions to private channels by offering to continue the conversation via direct message, email, or phone. This demonstrates responsiveness while preventing public escalation.

For factually incorrect comments, politely provide accurate information without being condescending. After resolving issues, follow up publicly to show the resolution. Develop response templates for common situations to ensure consistent messaging, but always personalize them. Use negative feedback as an opportunity to improve your products or services. Remember that transparent handling of criticism demonstrates confidence and commitment to customer satisfaction—qualities that build stronger relationships with your entire audience.

Should I use paid social media advertising or focus on organic reach?

The most effective social media strategies combine organic and paid approaches, as they serve complementary purposes. Organic content builds community, establishes brand voice, and nurtures existing relationships, while paid advertising extends reach to new audiences with precise targeting capabilities. With declining organic reach across most platforms (Facebook organic reach averages just 5.2% of followers), paid promotion has become increasingly necessary for visibility. Start with a strong organic foundation, then selectively boost high-performing content and create targeted ad campaigns to address specific business objectives.

Allocate at least 20% of your marketing budget to social media advertising for meaningful results, focusing on platforms where your audience is most active. Use advanced targeting options to reach specific demographics, interests, and behaviors. Continuously test ad creative, targeting parameters, and calls to action to optimize performance. At SEO Design Chicago, we help clients develop integrated strategies that leverage both organic community building and strategic paid promotion for maximum impact and ROI.

How can I use social media to generate leads and sales?

Converting social media engagement into tangible business results requires strategic alignment between your content and sales funnel.

Begin by creating valuable content that addresses your audience’s pain points, positioning your product or service as the solution. Implement strong calls-to-action that direct followers to landing pages optimized for conversion. Utilize platform-specific lead generation tools like Facebook Lead Ads or LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms that capture prospect information without requiring them to leave the platform. For e-commerce, implement shoppable posts on Instagram and Facebook that allow direct purchasing.

Retargeting campaigns can re-engage users who have visited your website but didn’t convert. Consider offering platform-exclusive promotions or discounts that create urgency and incentivize immediate action. Share customer testimonials and case studies that demonstrate real results.

Monitor the entire conversion path from social media interaction to sale using proper UTM parameters and conversion tracking to understand which content and platforms deliver the best ROI. Remember that the sales cycle varies—B2B companies may focus on nurturing leads over time, while B2C businesses might see more immediate conversions.

How can I stay current with changing social media algorithms and trends?

Navigating the constantly evolving social media landscape requires intentional effort to stay informed. Follow official company blogs and announcement channels from each platform where you maintain a presence—these are primary sources for algorithm updates and new features. Subscribe to reputable digital marketing publications like Social Media Examiner, Sprout Social’s blog, and HubSpot’s marketing resources that analyze changes and provide strategic guidance.

Join professional social media marketing communities and forums where practitioners share observations and tactics. Set up Google Alerts for key terms related to platform changes. Allocate time weekly to review your analytics with an eye for unexpected performance changes that might indicate algorithm shifts.

Test new features and content formats early when platforms introduce them, as algorithms often favor adoption of new tools. Consider working with a social media agency like SEO Design Chicago that monitors changes across platforms as part of their core business, ensuring your strategy remains aligned with current best practices. Most importantly, remember that while tactics may change with algorithms, the fundamentals of providing value to your audience remain constant.

The professional team of strategists at SEO Design Chicago can help you. The team of professional strategists live and breath everything that has to do with social media content creation and strategy, and can be the professional team that provides the missing component. If you need help with your social media strategy, contact SEO Design Chicago today.