Creating A Social Media Plan That Works

Strategy will only ever take you so far. To really get results, you need a plan and you need to work that plan.

Recently this has been top of mind because I've been helping a client make a plan to help her start posting consistently. Her big question was What do I even post about?

I realized this question is probably at the heart of everyone who is worried about building their own social media presence. They're worried about if they have enough content to post, how to come up with new content, if they are truly an expert in their field, and if they can truly make people like them enough to go from passive consumers to active subscribers.

So let's talk about how a plan can help you overcome those fears and start producing the kind of content that will get you noticed.

Your Social Media Plan Should Start With Who

The first part of your plan is figuring out who exactly you're talking to. Who is your audience?

You want the answer to this question to be as specific as possible. Don't just say "Moms" or "People who like Disney" — I want to see "Moms who are designing the perfect Disney vacation for their large families".

And if you're not sure how to even begin answering this question, here's a few places you could start:

• What's their gender identity?
• Are they employed or students; what do they do or study?
• What age demographic do they fall into?
• What problems are they facing that you can solve?

Or, to put it a different way, attempt to complete this sentence: I help ______________. 

For those of you who like examples, here's my own answer to this: I help busy small business owners.

What Problems Is Your Ideal Client Facing?

Now that you know who you're talking to, you want to figure out what's bothering them. This is going to help you design a content plan around what your audience wants.

We know that people don't buy products or services. They buy fixes. Every client or customer has a problem that we have to solve if we want their business. And that problem is never as simple as you think it is.

For example, people might come to an insurance salesperson, but they don't really want insurance. They want the peace of mind that comes with knowing their valuables are secured. Likewise, women may go to Sephora, but they don't need that new lip gloss. They need the confidence they feel when they wear it.

So think about their problems, but also think about the underlying problems that you can help solve.

The vacation planning mom in the example above has a lot of concerns:

• Her family is large, so budget is probably weighing heavily on her mind. How can she get the most bang for the fewest dollars?
• She wants to do Disney, so she's also concerned about making it a magical experience for her family. What's the best way to do that with minimal stress to her?
• With a family that size, how they will travel is also a big question. How will they stay together, keep the kids calm and happy, and prevent as many meltdowns as possible?

If you're a travel agent who specializes in booking Disney vacations, these are all great problems you can help that mom solve. Which means you have TONS of content you can produce that will be valuable, prove you to be an expert, and help create trust with your ideal client.

If you want to hear more about this, check out my blog on content pillars!

Make A Comprehensive Content Calendar

In step one, you clarified exactly who you are speaking to.
In step two, you made a list of problems your ideal client needs fixes to.
Now, in step three, we're going to combine those two things into a workable plan.

This is what my client came up with. She mapped out every week from now through the end of the year (Column A), and made a column for each of the things she needed to post about (Row 1). From there, she was able to start filling in her plan. You can see it's not complete, but already she has tons of content filled in and she's still going!

By the end of the week, she should have a completely comprehensive plan that will help her quiet the panic of what do I post and increase her ability to follow through.

And if you're wondering, but HOW? check out this blog post outline what types of content are available to you.

Your Turn

• How much do you know about your ideal client? Have you gotten as specific as possible?
• What problems are they facing? Have you made an exhaustive list of problems they might encounter that you can help them solve with your content?
• Make a plan! If you prefer analog like my client above, don't be afraid to crack a new notebook and make lists. Or if you're a digital girlie like me, you can use this handy-dandy content calendar spreadsheet I made.

XO,
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