This document provides an overview of social media strategic planning and outlines best practices for setting goals, auditing current profiles, developing content strategies, and using analytics. It includes templates for conducting a social media audit and developing strategic plans for blogs, social networks like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, online video, photo sharing, and presentation sharing sites. The templates provide objectives, action items, and key metrics to track for each channel.

1. ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY
Social Media Strategic Planning
Social Media Bootcamp

2. 1
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Social Media Strategic Planning
Social Media Bootcamp
1. Set your social media goals/objectives.
a. What do you want to achieve with social media?
b. Do your social media objectives align with your overall
company vision, mission and marketing strategy
c. Are your objectives S.M.A.R.T: specific, measurable, attainable,
relevant, and time-bound?
2. Audit your current social media status.
a. What social profiles do you currently manage?
b. Is control over the passwords centralized? Should any accounts
be deleted?
c. What is the mission statement of each of your social profiles?
3. Create or improve your social media profiles.
a. Are your profiles filled out properly and thoroughly?
b. Are all of the accounts and profiles on brand?
c. Would a new visitor follow me after seeing this profile?
4. Develop your content strategy.
a. What types of content do you want to post to each social
network? Who is the target audience?
b. How often will you post content and how will you promote it
c. Do you have an editorial calendar and a social media content
calendar?
5. Use analytics to track progress and adjust your strategy as need.
a. Have you established the metrics by which you'll measure social
media success?
b. Do you have an analytics or measurement tool prepared to
track these metrics?
c. How often will you analyze your results?
d. Are you prepared to quickly change your strategy in response
to these results?

3. 2
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Social Media Audit Template
These steps is to help you conduct a social media audit for your
business.
Follow these steps to execute your next social media audit.
Step 1: Create a spreadsheet and write down all the social networks
you own and the owner for each.
Step 2: Go on Google and search up any other social media profiles
that is representing your company that you don’t own (imposters).
Create a separate spreadsheet.
Step 3: Evaluate the needs for all your social media profiles and create
a mission statement for each. For example: Instagram Profile—To share
company culture and company achievements.
Step 4: Make sure all your accounts are on brand. Proper profile photo,
cover photo, icons, bios and descriptions are proper, and URL is correct.
Step 5: Centralize the ownership of passwords. For example: have your
IT department own the key to all the passwords for the social media
profiles.
Step 6: Create a process for how new channels will be established
going forward and create criteria. Make sure to also take note of who is
going to approve the requests.
For example: Who is the target audience? What type of content will be
posted in this profile? Who is going to respond to content?
Step 7: Ensure your images are sized correctly
Facebook Image Sizes
Twitter Image Sizes

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BLOG
X hour per day/week/monthly
Objectives
 Increase brand awareness
 Increase thought leadership throughout your industry
 Encourage comments and engagement
 Lead generation through blog subscription
 External linking
Action Items
 Choose managing editor to own the blog
 Choose a blogging platform
 Create an internal blog evangelist program to get employees to
contribute
 Decide on a weekly cadence
 Recruit guest bloggers
 Add social sharing icons
 Add a Tweet This button
 Promote each blog on social channels
Key Metrics
• X number of posts
• X number of bloggers
• X number of social shares
• Audience growth—unique and return visitors
• Conversions
• Subscriber growth
• Inbound links
• Directory listings for infographics
• SEO improvement

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SOCIAL NETWORKS
X hour per day/week/monthly
Overarching Action Items
• Choose owner for all of social media
• Set up social media posting cadence
• Choose a social media management platform
• Determine social media voice
FACEBOOK
Objectives
• Brand awareness and engagement
• Lead generation or customer acquisition
• Share a mix of relevant links, blog posts, and engaging content
• Promote upcoming events
• Engage with influencers
Action Items
• √ Set up sponsored posts and ads
• Set up Facebook tabs that sync to your marketing automation
platform
Key Metrics
• X number of posts per day
• Page follows
• Likes
• Engagement and comments
• Referring traffic
• Shares
• Lead generation/new customers

6. 5
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SOCIAL NETWORKS (continued)
LINKEDIN
Objectives
• Brand awareness and engagement
• Lead generation or customer acquisition
• Share a mix of relevant links, blog posts, and engaging content
• Promote upcoming events
• Engage with influencers
Action Items
• Create and join relevant groups
• Encourage employee participation
• Monitor and participate in Q&A
• Set up sponsored posts and ads
Key Metrics
• X number of posts per day
• Page follows
• Comments, likes, and shares
• Group participation
• Referring traffic
• Lead generation/new customers

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SOCIAL NETWORKS (continued)
TWITTER
Objectives
• Brand awareness and engagement
• Lead generation or customer acquisition
• Share a mix of relevant links, blog posts, and engaging content
• Segment influencers and create lists
• Communicate issues from social media to support team and ensure
follow-up
• Listen and respond to relevant conversations
• Build reputation
Action Items
• Utilize promoted tweets and pinned tweets
• Set up Twitter Lead Generation cards
Key Metrics
• X number of posts
• Followers
• Mentions
• Retweets
• Number of lists
• Hashtag usage
• Influence of Twitter followers
• Lead generation or customer acquisition
• Referring traffic
• Favorited tweets

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SOCIAL NETWORKS (continued)
GOOGLE+
Objectives
• Brand awareness and engagement
• Lead generation or customer acquisition
• Share a mix of relevant links, blog posts, and engaging content
Action Items
• Optimize for SEO and set up Google rel=author tag
• Create and promote upcoming events
• Utilize Google+ hangouts
Key Metrics
• X number of posts
• Google+ circle adds/follows
• Google+ mentions
• Google +1
• Referring traffic

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SOCIAL NETWORKS (continued)
PINTEREST
Objectives
• Brand awareness and engagement
• Lead generation or customer acquisition
• Share a mix of relevant imagery—both brand-related and fun
Action Items
• Create boards leveraging both content and company culture
• Follow other businesses, thought leaders, customers, and partners
Key Metrics
• Pins
• Repins
• Followers
• Purchases from pin
• Referring traffic

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ONLINE VIDEO
X hour per day/week/monthly
YOU TUBE, VIMEO, VINE, INSTAGRAM VIDEO
Objectives
• Brand awareness and engagement
• Viral sharing
• Showcase company culture
• Post product videos and demos
• Create a video series to share
Action Items
• Determine ownership of video execution
• Choose a production agency
• Determine distribution channels
• Create social strategy for promotion
• Get customers, partners, and influencers involved in video creation
Key Metrics
• Views
• Shares
• Referral traffic
• Pages ranking on key terms from YouTube

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PHOTO SHARING SITES
X hour per day/week/monthly
INSTAGRAM, TUMBLR, FLICKR, SNAPCHAT
Objectives
• Brand awareness
• Engagement with visual assets
• Showcase products
• Showcase company culture
• Showcase marketing events
• Link back to website, blog, and other content assets
Action Items
• Determine ownership of photo sites
• Decide on general branding guidelines for photos
• Encourage employees to participate and share their own photos
Key Metrics
• Referral traffic
• Shares and comments
• View of photos
• Page rankings on key terms from photo sharing sites
• Product purchasing and lead generation

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PRESENTATION SHARING
X hour per day/week/monthly
SLIDESHARE
Objectives
• Brand awareness
• Engagement with visual content assets
• Lead generation and customer acquisition
• SEO optimization
• Generate additional content views
Action Items
• Determine ownership for visual content on SlideShare
• Work on regular SlideShare presentation creation
• Choose agency for stellar design
• Turn on the forms feature in SlideShare so you can sync leads to
your marketing automation platform
Key Metrics
• X number of presentations
• Followers
• Views
• Shares
• Lead generation and customer acquisition
• Downloads
• Favorites