There's a common misconception about social media marketing.All you have to do is set up a few social networks, and the results will start rolling in.But you're smarter than that. You know, it takes a social media strategy to make the magic work.So where do you begin?Let’s take a look at how easy it can be to put a social media strategy in place.

3-Part Social Media Strategy That Actually Works

Part 1: Align Daily/Weekly Content Strategy With Goals

Do you know how social media supports your business goals? If not, now is the time to take stock.Because running your business without clearly defined goals and objectives is like driving a toaster through a carwash. Scary, dangerous and ill-advised.I recommend introducing SMART goals into your planning. It's a simple way to create actionable and tactical social media goals.Not familiar with the term? SMART goals are:

• Specific Have you been specific in what you want to achieve?
• Measurable How will you know if you’ve achieved your goal?
• Achievable Is this a goal that you can achieve?
• Relevant Is this goal aligned with your mission, vision and values?
• Time Specific When do you want to achieve this goal by?

Here's a great breakdown from Nancy O'Sullivan that shows what SMART goals can do to help you focus within your business and life.

So where do you begin? Here are a few examples of what your initial goals and objectives might look like. Let's start with your mission.

Your mission:

"To become the industry destination for all business owners seeking social media tips, tools and strategies that support and encourage growth within their business."

Your goals:

• Increase Sales
• Drive Traffic
• Improve Customer Experience
• Heighten Brand Awareness

According to a recent survey by Simply Measured, 71% of marketers surveyed cited “Brand Awareness” as their #1 social media objective. If it's yours too, build your objectives around a creative content schedule that maximizes every network you're actively using.

Your objectives:

• Increase Sales
• Create 5 specific pieces of content for Facebook and Twitter each week
• Design a Pinterest image for each new blog post
• Drive Traffic
• Tweet 1-2 evergreen blog posts to Twitter every day
• Use a CTA (call to action) for blog
• Improve Customer Experience
• Shorten normal response time
• Allow for easier access to support
• Heighten Brand Visibility
• Use live streaming to build a stockpile of brand content ready to repurpose
• Create new interview series

Your daily content strategy:

Once you've defined your mission, goals and objectives, now it's time to get into daily tactics.What type of content will you share and how can you easily post that content without feeling overwhelmed?One easy way is to create a daily theme across your social networks. For example,

• MONDAY: This will be your BIG content day. A special piece of content you've created that makes it your pillar post of the week. This could be an:
• Ebook
• Chart/Graph
• Study / Analytics
• Case Study
• Slideshare
• Template (Download)
• Guide
• Original Research
• Opinion Post
• TUESDAY: Q&A that takes client or customer questions and provides a solution. You could use graphics, video or text to get your point across.
• WEDNESDAY:
• Fun/Entertaining
• Quotes
• Polls
• Quizzes
• Infographics
• THURSDAY: Social Media Best Practices
• FRIDAY: Roundup of the week that will set your fans/followers up for a productive week. Share:
• Social media skills
• Best practices
• Productivity tips
• Strategy ideas
• Success stories
• How-to’s

Part 2: Create Your Daily Social Media Workflow

Now that you know what you're going to post, it's time to figure out the steps you'll take to increase engagement, traffic and sales.This is your daily social media checklist. An easy to follow list of steps to take each day.IMPORTANT: The steps below shouldn't take you more than 30 minutes at the beginning and end of your day. If you don't have that kind of time, then plan on giving it away.They are that critical to building your social media presence.

Social Media Checklist

Twitter

1. Monitor mentions via keywords and respond to any questions, needs, concerns
2. Respond to influencers, make new connections and schedule posts to share
3. Thank RT’s
4. Thank a few new followers
5. Go through contributors list and schedule retweets and interact with at least 5
6. Schedule new blog post 3 times throughout the day with a unique CTA

Facebook

• Respond to any support questions
• Reply to all comments
• Thank anyone that’s shared your content
• Like where appropriate
• Comment on five relevant Page posts

Google+

• Reply to all comments
• Thank anyone that’s shared your content
• +1 where appropriate
• Share relevant content in specific groups
• Interact within groups
• +1 anyone that has shared your content

LinkedIn (personal and groups)

• Approve new contacts and group members
• Approve group submitted content
• Drop into other groups and see if you can volunteer answers
• Update group status at least once a day - this should be a mix of questions, links and how-to’s
• Manage spam

Instagram

• Post 1-2 times per day - a mix of blog posts, roundup tips, top tips, funny/inspirational posts
• Like one post from everyone that’s liked your content
• Search popular hashtags to find new people to follow
• Comment on other people’s posts
• Thank those that have shared our content
• Send direct messages to new followers with a video and CTA

Pinterest

• Pin 5 images per day - a mix of your content and others
• Like 5 posts per day
• Repin 5 images per day
• Check notifications and thank anyone who’s repinned
• Choose evergreen posts to repin to new boards
• Pin to group boards for added exposure
• Update and boards or titles that need optimized

Now put this into play for your business. Create an easy checklist that will breakdown each step you'll take on a daily basis.I love to do this with mind-mapping software. It makes visualization so much easier and all of a sudden the task now becomes manageable.Here's an example of what this might look like.

Part 3: Track, Measure and Adjust

Ever wish you knew exactly what type of content your target market is looking for?Wouldn’t it be great if you had a crystal ball that let you know what they wanted, when they wanted it and where they wanted to receive it?You can, or at least you can come close by paying attention to your analytics and goals.Numbers don’t lie and will always give you the guidance and direction you need.Measure your conversations, interaction, engagement, and shares through tools like:

• Google Analytics
• Post Planner
• Buffer
• Stats for Twitter and Instagram
• Iconosquare
• Sprout Social

Whether you're looking at Twitter engagement or Facebook growth, tracking and measuring your efforts should be the backbone of your social media strategy.Social media is fluid, making analytics all that more important. Your strategy must remain flexible and agile.Take a dive into your analytics and see what's working and what's not.When was the last time you researched what's happening across each social network?The beauty in social media is this. If you stay alert, there’s always an opportunity to adjust your sails.

Final Thoughts

A big part of your social media presence is actually being “present.”But it's not enough to be present. You also must ensure your efforts are consistent and effective.No matter what you decide to implement, make it manageable and realistic. Stretch goals are great, but they'll never get met if you're not 100% onboard.Know what you're willing to give, how much time it will take, and then work like crazy to make your social media strategy work.