Developing a social media strategy

10’ Starter (Teacher):

After participants will get settled on their seats, before the commencement of any other activity, the trainer will ask participants to share one by one with what mood they are in today. This step is to increase the ease and friendliness in the environment.
Trainer also presents what is going to happen today: we are going to create a social media strategy for each participant or in a small group if it is more relevant for the group.

60’ Developing their social media strategy

This will help to stay consistent and boost your green ideas in the long term. How to start?

We offer the following steps:
1. Specify your target audience
2. Set your objectives (via SMART method)
3. Pick communication channels (social media platforms)
4. Decide what content you want to communicate for your target audiences
5. Make tasks for your team and content calendar

Participants will work on making their social media strategy. Each of them will have 60 minutes to work on each step. Here you can find more detailed plan how to work on it:

1. Specify your target audience (age, gender, occupation, income, hobbies and interests, etc.)

2. Set your objectives (via SMART method)

Smart goals will allow you to create well-structured campaigns. How to distinguish a proper objective, as opposed to a vague one?

Here is the example of vague and smart objective:

VAGUE GOAL: I will increase my number of fans on social media platforms.

SMART GOAL: By the end of the year, I will increase fans on Facebook page by 10%. 

To make sure that the goals and objectives are clear and reachable, each one should be:

- Specific (simple, sensible, significant).

- Measurable (meaningful, motivating).

- Achievable (agreed, attainable).

- Relevant (reasonable, realistic and resourced, results-based).

- Time bound (time-based, time limited, time/cost limited, timely, time-sensitive).

SMART goals are established using a specific set of criteria that ensures your objectives are attainable within a certain time frame. As you can see, the acronym, SMART is a play on words.  

Facilitator can prepare flipchart using graphic facilitation skills on how to use the SMART method while writing the acronym with the meaning behind. There are also helpful questions that can increase understanding of the method.

Please find more information about the method here: MindTools  or here: SMART Goals - Complete Guide for Coaches

3. Pick communication channels (social media platforms). Here participants can be reminded about previous work where we already discussed different social media platforms. Here they have a chance to choose at least one and work on the strategy of this exact platform. If they see that it is relevant, they can also choose more platforms. The aim is to choose the social networks that are used by your target audience the most and suit your brand’s image at the same time.

This video might help: Popular Social Media Channels for your Business (Explained)

4. Decide what content you want to communicate for your target audiences. After knowing your target audience, goals and the channel participant want to use, now it is the time to choose the content and lines to be put for the wider world. Decide:

- what you want to communicate.
- how often you want to communicate

5. Make tasks for your team and content calendar
- make a calendar about your communication
- dedicate tasks for the team

‘20 Debriefing

Each participant or group of participants (check what is more relevant for your group) is going to work on the strategy talking about each 5 points. After the process is done, there will be a brief presentation by each participant or group of what was achieved during this session.

To wrap up the session, the trainer will facilitate a debriefing moment where participants are encouraged to express their questions, doubts, ideas and feelings toward the topics discussed.

Today we encourage to use the method for the reflection called “Rose”. Facilitator invites to openly speak (not going around in a circle, sporadically) about what was a highlight (rose’s top) and what was challenging (rose’s thorn) and what new ideas came (rose’s bottom). Draw such a rose on the poster to visualise what is wanted from participants.

Top: A highlight, success, small win, or something positive that happened. What did you like about the process? 

Middle (Thorn): what was challenging or disliked?

Bottom (Bud): new ideas that have bloomed or something to look forward to.