Interestingly, most business owners and non-profit leaders I talk with don’t like social media. While they know it is essential for their brand to grow its awareness and generate sales, interest, signups, etc., there’s a growing allergy to social media. As a result, most will post randomly without any plan or strategy. However, they’re missing out on the best of what it means to be on social media. Here’s why a strategy is essential …


Confession, I struggle with this, too, at times. I own and operate a few different businesses. I have a social media/content strategy for each one. Unfortunately, my time is limited, so there’s a pecking order of priorities. For some of my brands, I post regularly and spend a good bit of time daily engaging on those accounts and being social. The result? There is healthy social media growth and, more importantly, sales growth. You see, there’s a direct correlation between strategy and growth.


This self-confession is actually a good starting place. Why? Because I can attest to the difference between not only having a social media and content strategy, but when executed, the results speak for themselves. Growth. The brands I run that get less time and attention see less growth and, yes, less sales.


EXPERIENCING THE BENEFITS OF A SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY


The brands I focus on most are Loam Coffee Roasters and Trail Builder Magazine. I created and grew both brands almost exclusively through social media. I have shared with you before about Loam Coffee Roasters. Less than two years ago, I reacquired this company I had sold three years prior. It had experienced a steady three-year decline in followers on social media. Momentum was gone. When posting, the algorithms didn’t seem to show our content to anyone. However, I created a social media strategy and an overall content strategy for our website, including articles, products, etc.


It’s not like there was an immediate turnaround. I had a lot of rebuilding to do in terms of the brand identity. Trust needed to be rebuilt. And so I executed the plan. The days, weeks, and months went by. Slowly but surely, things began to shift. We quickly stopped the decline and began growing month to month. As each month went by, we grew on social media, and our sales increased. While I’m the first to admit we’re lightyears away from where I want to be at the beginning of 2025, we’re at least moving forward and gaining momentum.

Being Social on Social Media


But here’s the most essential part … my strategy included being social. Shocker, right? Wait, you mean to to be social on social media? Yes. It is easy to forget why we all jumped on social media, whether when Facebook first became available to non-college students or when Instagram came on the scene. We did it to connect, engage, and be social. It was fun. Many feel social media is no longer enjoyable. However, when part of your strategy is to be social and engaging, whether that be likes, comments, shares, or responding to comments and DMs, more people and brands suddenly begin to be social with you.


By the way, algorithms LOVE engagement. When you engage, and other people and brands engage with you, it shows the algorithm that your content is engaging, which means more people will share and see your content. Do you see where this is going? While those are indeed benefits, the actual benefits are all of the connections, partnerships, friendships, and collaborations that come from being social on social media.

What is a Social Media Strategy?


In this article, I shared the benefits of having a social media strategy. A social media strategy is a core part of your branding and marketing efforts. All too often, companies post random content without a focus or strategy. What is your strategy? Conversions (sales)? Awareness (follower growth)? This is where having a strategy is essential. I will work with you to develop a comprehensive social media strategy that factors in business goals, KPIs, and creating a content calendar. Interested? Click the button below to schedule an appointment to chat more.