Five questions to ask before you write a social media plan

The most common word I hear in the context of social media is “overwhelm”. I hear it from friends grappling with their own personal social media accounts. I hear it from managers in my arts and culture world, who are juggling many tasks. I hear it from seasoned social media professionals.

Social media provides us a kit of valuable tools to reach, attract and engage our audiences. But it also presents so many possibilities that it can be difficult to prioritise.

Whether you are writing your first social media plan or reviewing an existing one, here are five key questions you should ask yourself before you begin.

Question 1: Who are our audiences?

Our audiences are at the centre of all that we do. We need to understand who they are, where they are and what motivates them. Only then can we deliver them social media content of value that engages them with our company and our work.

Think expansively about the audiences social media can help you to reach. Audiences are more than the people who sit in seats and attend a show. Audiences may visit our exhibitions or studios, hire us or donate to us. They may take part in workshops or view our content online.

You can use the data available to you to build a picture of your audiences. You could source this from your customer database, social media insights, audience surveys or external agencies.

Create personas or profiles of your audience segments. Taking the time to do this is well worth it. You can visualise these people as you write and publish posts.

Question 2: What are our goals?

Social media is not an end in itself. It has a role to play in supporting your organisation’s vision, mission or wider aims. The goals you set for social media should align with these and contribute to the bigger picture. Social media is a long game.

Define and document three to five social media goals. These are ways social media can support your company, event, production or art practice.

Examples of social media goals for an organisation include: “increase awareness and visibility of our brand” or “drive traffic to our blog”.

Examples of social media goals for an event include: “support ticket sales for the festival”, “provide a platform for real-time information sharing” or “deepen engagement with our programme”.

Aim to make your goals specific, measurable and time bound where you can. For example “Grow visits to blog content from social media by 15% in 2022”.

You might define some wider social media goals and specific individual channel targets.

Question 3. Where should we be?

There are many social media platforms to choose from. You can't (and shouldn't) attempt to use them all. Identify the platforms your current and potential audiences use, or are likely to use. Consider which of these platforms align with your brand.

Each has its own particular strengths. You can cross-check these against your brand, audiences and goals. It is better to focus your efforts on one or more social media platforms that align with these, and that you can manage well.

For example, on Facebook you can reach a big audience, try a variety of post formats and utilise the event features. On LinkedIn you can provide expert advice and engage with professionals. With TikTok you can reach a diverse audience and create content that is re-usable on many platforms.

You don't have to be everywhere.

Question 4: What do we want to say?

Knowing what you are saying on social media, to whom and why removes that "what do I post today?" paralysis. The first step is to return to the audiences you defined. What are the most important messages to communicate to them? How can your organisation or event be the answer to what they need?

Between seasonal events or announcements it can feel like we have nothing to say. But we always do. We can all find information to share that is of value to our audiences. Content that keeps them engaged with us in an ongoing way.

Content ‘themes’ can guide you in what to say that is important to your audience and your brand. Three or four of these will provide you a focus and framework. Each of these themes should connect back to your brand message and goals. They might include: “Behind the Scenes”, “About our Product”, “Team Profiles”, or “Expert Advice”.

Defined themes will help you and your team understand what to post each day or week, and why.

Question 5: Where are the opportunities?

Which key media, digital or social trends could you tap into? Storytelling? The growth of video? The desire for community or authenticity? Understand how people are using social media and how this aligns with your goals.

You may wish to extend your reach. Can your content provide value to customers of your sponsors, funders and suppliers? How might you collaborate with them to reach their own followers? Where are partnerships possible with complementary brands or local businesses?

Clearly defined answers to these five questions will set you on the right track to a focused social media approach. This will enable you eliminate the overwhelm and put into place the processes to reach the right audiences with the right message in the right places.

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I'm Vicki Allpress Hill, and I'm passionate about using digital tools to reach and engage with audiences for the arts. I get to live this every day in my role as Digital Communications & Insights Manager for Tessitura, a nonprofit tech company dedicated to helping arts and cultural organisations thrive. I'd love to hear your ideas and questions about making social media manageable for busy arts managers.