Is your social media strategy doing what you want it to?

Do you look at your Facebook page’s plummeting reach and wonder if you should move to another network?

Have you been struggling with justifying the humongous amount of time you spend on social media with the minuscule returns you’ve been seeing?

Maybe you’re just frustrated with how you need to keep flinging things at it in the hope that something may just stick?

I hear you.

You aren’t the only one in this seriously shaky social media boat.

Nearly everyone who approaches us for social media services expresses frustration, overwhelm, and even, disappointment with it.

And you know what the single-step solution to all of this is?

3 little words.

No, not those 3 little words, but yes, I do love you 😉

The 3 little words I’m talking about are Social Media Strategy.

That’s right.

Now, if you’d Google “social media strategy”, you’ll find at least a bajiilion results.

I did. I’m pretty sure that’s what bajillion looks like.

Any way, the point is that there is a LOT of information on social media strategies out there, so how do you know what to follow and what to believe?

Wouldn’t you just end up going in circles all over again?

If you go down the Google-hole, yes, yes you would.

There will be a post that’ll talk about creating a strategy in 7 steps while the very next one may give you 12 steps and then, there would be one that would probably tell you that you don’t even need a strategy.

What’s one to do?

Well, this post promised you relief from overwhelm and a strategy that’ll skyrocket your traffic and your sales in the simplest way possible… and that’s what it will do.

With… CAKE.

That’s right.

We don’t do boring, dry, “steps”… We do CAKE instead because everything is better with it, right?

On that note, here’s what you need to keep in mind when creating a social media strategy that not only sets you apart from the crowd but also, gives you your time back and your sanity too.

Plus, it’s tasty!

The CAKE Approach to Creating a Standout Social Media Strategy

I’m sure by now, you’ve guessed that the word CAKE actually stands for something considering that I’m using ALL CAPS for it.

So, this is what CAKE is all about.

While I’ve shared the 5 ingredients that go into making this CAKE in my eBook, Social Sizzle {you can get it FREE here!}, today we’ll understand the different layers that make up the social media strategy CAKE.

Dig in!

C is for Customers

Start with that in mind.

• Who are your customers?
• Where do they hang out online?
• What do they enjoy talking about?
• Why do they buy from you or visit your store?
• What are the things they’re struggling with?

Once you nail this, you’ll have knowledge of not only what networks to focus on but also, what content to share.

Like how Starbucks shrinks global boundaries while engaging with its coffee-loving community on Facebook. With 103K reactions and 3K+ shares, it’s obvious their content is on point.

A is for Aligning Your Brand

Next, think about your brand and the voice, look and feel it has. Since we are on Pamela’s site dedicated to helping businesses build their brands, this one is a no-brainer.

• What is your brand all about?
• What tone does it convey?
• What about visual elements like your fonts and colors?

Knowing all of this will give you the insight you need to get social media collateral, like photos designed, that are in complete sync with your brand’s look, feel and voice.

Plus, it will help you or your team to fine-tune your social content so that it’s stronger, tighter and totally on brand.

One look at the Krispy Kreme’s Instagram feed and you know that they’re serious about their donuts.

And just in case you’re thinking that this girl is only about cake, coffee and donuts, here’s something that’s super healthy.

Check out Simple Green Smoothies on Instagram. Can you see how fresh, colorful and brimming with health it is? Totally in sync with their brand.

K is for Knowledge

Because knowledge is power, right?
Actually no. Too much knowledge can lead to overwhelm.

So, when it comes to social media and content marketing, focus on 3 things only:

• Your niche so you know what’s going on in your industry.
• Your customers because like I said, that’s where it all starts.
• Social media and content marketing trends so you can be an early adopter if a network that aligns with your brand and your audience comes up.

E is for Engagement

That’s right. If there is ONE metric that you should be focusing on, it has to be engagement.

Not the number of fans you have.

Not the number of followers you’ve gained.

Not even the number of posts you do in a day.

But… engagement.

• How engaged is your audience with you?
• Do they click through and check out your content and products?
• Do they respond to your posts? If yes, which ones are more popular than the others?

Engagement measuring is what’ll tell you what to tweak and what to leave.

How can you measure engagement?

For Facebook, you can find it in Insights and then, in Reach.

For Twitter and Pinterest, you’ll find it in Analytics.

Here’s the thing about engagement.

An engaged community attracts traffic and sales almost effortlessly. At the end of the day, people buy from people they know, like, and trust, and when they engage with you on social, THAT is exactly what they’re doing.

Also, if you’re worried that this strategy doesn’t tell you how to grow your numbers, here’s the icing on the CAKE.

If your community is engaged, it WILL grow.

But if your community is unengaged, all the number-driven growth that businesses usually run after will lead to nothing. Period.

Checking your engagement is key to creating the right content, connecting with the right people, and more importantly, doing it all without getting overwhelmed.

There you go.

A seriously simple yet powerful way to create a social media strategy that gives you traffic and sales while helping you create content, connect with audiences, and create a community that loves what you do.

Have questions about creating your social media strategy? Ask me in the comments!