The Recipe for Success: Social Media Strategic Plans

One of the most important parts of being a public relations practitioner is being able to develop strategic plans and set them in motion, whether they be for social media, events or other initiatives. Because of the vast list of tasks and the long list of goals that brands would like to achieve, it’s of utmost importance to stay organized and have a detailed outline of the steps you need to take in order to be successful on social media.

A social media strategic plan is the perfect way to plan for and execute a social media campaign or conduct routine activities on different platforms. These types of strategic plans summarize everything that needs to be done on social media to produce meaningful content, keep up with the times and measure successes and failures. By creating a systematic plan that is aligned with your brand, you could be on the road to success. These plans are useful because of the rapidly changing nature of social media today.

Breaking Down the Social Media Strategic Plan

There is a widely used acronym for the sections of a social media strategic plan: G(h)OSTE. The parts of the plan include goals, objectives, strategy, tactic and evaluation. Below is a more detailed breakdown of each component:

A goal is general and big picture. It is the overarching theme of the plan. The acronym S.M.A.R.T (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timely) can be used as a guide throughout the strategic plan. The objectives are more detailed and in-depth. They can include specific percentages, dates and more.

The strategy portion encompasses the steps that will be taken to ensure that the goals and objectives are met. This can be an outline of the content that will be posted and the social media channels that will be used. The tactics detail the actions that you want your community of followers to take. These can include attending an Instagram live or a specific post by some followers. Finally, the evaluation portion of the plan looks at what worked and what didn’t. It gives you a chance to improve your strategic plan for next time.

Case Study: Boys & Girls Clubs of America

The Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) aims to “enable all young people, especially those who need them most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens. Their vision is to “provide a world class Club experience that assures success is within reach of every young person who enters our doors, with all members on track to graduate from high school with a plan for the future, demonstrating good character and citizenship, and living a healthy lifestyle.”

In 1806, four women in Hartford started the first Club in hopes of helping boys improve their behavior and increase their personal expectations and goals. Later, in 1906, several of these Clubs decided to affiliate and they became The Federated Boys Clubs in Boston. In 1931, they changed their name to Boys Clubs of America. Finally, in 1990, Congress amended and renewed their charter, making the organization the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. The organization now has 500 Clubs across the United States that provide a safe space for youth to have fun, learn and grow into their full potential.

The organization’s social media is designed for both youth and adults. It maintains a formal look while exhibiting signs of an organization meant to pique the interest of boys and girls across the nation. Below is a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis of the organization’s Instagram account. Additionally, you’ll see how it compares to the SWOT analysis of its competitors.

Strengths:

• BGCA: Colorful, vibrant and engaging social media posts.

• BGCA: Detailed and extensive collection of Instagram story archives.

• BGCA: Collection of reels and regular posts.

• Competitors: Content is posted daily

Weaknesses:

• BGCA: Content is not posted to social media on a daily basis.

• Competitors: Content is not colorful, vibrant or engaging.

Opportunities:

• BGCA: Even more Instagram reels and celebrity features/collaborations.

• Competitors: Post more content that you can swipe through and more Instagram reels.

Threats:

• BGCA: Not being at the top of people’s feeds because content is not posted throughout the day.

• Competitors: Their Instagram accounts can sometimes be dull and colorless in comparison to BGCA’s account, leading to a decline in engagement on their Instagram account.

In response to this SWOT analysis, I have brainstormed a way that Boys & Girls Clubs of America can make its social media even more engaging in a proposed social media strategic plan.

• Goal: BGCA’s goal should be to increase engagement on social media.

• Objectives: BGCA could begin to post at least once per business day or achieve a 10% increase in likes/comments by the end of 2023.

• Strategies: BGCA could involve celebrities and former Club kids in a post/reels series that focus on the impact of BGCA on their lives.

• Tactics: BGCA could post one reel and one post for the series every day. They could also promote a link in their bio to find local Clubs in case Instagram viewers were interested in joining a Club.

• Evaluation: Social media metrics (likes, comments, shares, etc.) could be monitored, as well as URL clicks for the link in the Instagram bio.