Social Media Strategies: How to Get Your Company off to a Flying Start on Social Networks

In some companies, social media marketing makes a decisive contribution to the company’s success. In others, it mainly costs time and money.

The key difference? A good strategy.

To be more precise, you need several strategies to successfully use social networks to achieve your goals:

• an overarching strategy and
• changing strategies that are tailored to specific networks, goals and target groups, for example.

Only the two together make social media marketing effective.

In this article, we outline the key points of an overarching social media strategy and provide tips on how to achieve greater reach, improve interaction with your community and gain new followers and customers.

Developing an overarching social media strategy: the most important steps

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You should complete the following tasks before you publish your first post:

1. Clarify the status quo

First define the initial situation.

These questions will help:

• Do you know who you want to reach with social media? Do you have a target group analysis and buyer personas?
• Which social media channels does your company currently use?
• How intensively do you use them? Are there any platforms that are lying fallow?
• Have you ever set goals for social media and defined key figures? If so, which of these have you successfully implemented and where did you fail?

2. Set goals and define key figures

Companies often pursue several goals with social media, for example

• increase their own brand awareness
• Improve customer service
• Promote interaction with their own target group or followers

Which goals are relevant for your company? Break them down into SMART goals and define key figures for each of them. Both are essential for measuring progress and analyzing the success of strategies.

3. Define your target group

Who do you want to reach?

The more precisely target groups are defined, the better. Buyer personas have the advantage that they give contour to an anonymous mass of users. It is easier to address people than a “target group”, even if they are fictitious persons.

4. Select platforms

You can reach different target groups on different social media platforms. While Facebook now primarily serves people over 30 or 40, you can reach younger generations on Instagram and target Generation Z on TikTok.

Of course, this is somewhat abbreviated, depends on the location and is not timeless. On the contrary: the social media world is constantly changing and extremely fast-moving.

For Germany, the ARD/ZDF Media Study 2024 (formerly Online Study) shows how popular which platform is.

Important:

When choosing your channels, don’t just focus on the composition of users. Also consider how suitable a platform is for your products or services and what effort is involved. Remember that less is often more. Before your company is present everywhere but nowhere really, limit yourself to the most important platforms.

5. Develop a content strategy

The competition on social media platforms is fierce. You won’t win a digital bouquet of flowers with listless posting.

That’s why it’s important to determine what you post when and where. Pay attention to a consistent brand image and varied content. Analyze the performance of your content marketing regularly and make targeted optimizations.

An editorial plan is a must-have for content planning. Ideally, this should not be a piece of paper on the wall, but integrated into a social media management tool.

In Swat.io, you can plan content for all your channels in a clear editorial calendar and have it published automatically. Your team can use the tool to share content, edit images and post to multiple channels simultaneously with a single click.

Current social media strategies and tips for various networks

Once you have laid a strong foundation, you can build a community. The following strategies are particularly effective in 2025.

Social media strategy #1: short videos

TikTok led the way, and now almost all social media platforms have jumped on the bandwagon: Short videos are trending. They open up new opportunities for brands to reach younger users who have long since turned their backs on the Facebook feed.

But don’t worry, successful short videos are not limited to dance clips and challenges.

On the contrary:

Whether TikTok or Instagram Reels, short videos are suitable, for example, for

• Behind-the-scene videos
• Mini-tutorials
• Teasers
• Product demonstrations
• Impressions of events

In 2024, 83-year-old antiquarian bookseller Klaus Willbrand and 32-year-old Germanist, accountant and social media manager Daria Razumovych proved that antiquarian books can also be marketed on TikTok.

@antiquariat.willbrand Ziemlich viele also…📚💬 #b#bookb#booksb#booktokb#booktokerb#bücherb#büchertokb#büchertalkb#buchempfehlungl#literaturb#bookrecommendationsb#bookwormb#bookloverb#booknerdb#bookclubb#bookaddictb#booksbooksbooksb#bookbloggerb#bookblogb#buchladenb#buchladenkölna#antiquariatvintagebooks #dostojewski ♬ Originalton – Klaus Willbrand Antiquariat

Important: Make sure that your content can be consumed quickly and can be played in a loop. Trend awareness and humor are further characteristics of successful short videos. You can go into more depth on YouTube.

Social media strategy #2: live streaming

Another video trend: live streaming focuses on the here and now. In contrast to other digital formats, being there live is a unique experience that cannot simply be recreated. Live streaming statistics show just how popular this is.

Livestreaming is particularly suitable for:

• Events,
• storytelling and
• extraordinary funny and/or exciting moments.

However, live videos are only successful if their content interests your target group. You can increase the impact by interacting with the viewers live. For example, ask them to ask questions that you answer live in the video. This way, you involve users in the action.

You can find live streaming functions on almost all major social media platforms, from Facebook to Instagram and Twitter. LinkedIn Live is very suitable for B2B marketing. However, make sure that you announce your events sufficiently in advance.

Social media strategy #3: Be authentic

Authenticity is more than just a buzzword in social networks. It plays a crucial role in building trust and retaining followers for a brand in the long term.

Why authentic content is so important

• Strengthening trust and credibility

In times of information overload and fake news, users are looking for reliable content. Brands that communicate their values credibly and present themselves with real faces, real stories and real commitment stand out from the crowd.

• Differentiation from the competition

Social media is more competitive than ever. Authentic content shows personality and establishes a genuine connection with the target group.

• Long-term customer relationships

Those who communicate more openly and involve their own community in processes gain trust and loyalty in return. This has a positive effect on recommendation rates, interactions and repeat purchases.

How to develop authentic content

• Show “behind the scenes”

Take your followers behind the scenes. Show them how your products are created, how your team works together or what a typical day in your company looks like. Tell them about real events in your day-to-day work. Such insights come across as likeable and realistic.

• Use real voices

Stock photos or run-of-the-mill slogans quickly come across as arbitrary. Instead, use voices from the company: Interviews, short statements or testimonials from employees give your social media presence a personal touch. Corporate influencers open up new opportunities for employer branding.

• Strike a chord with your target group

If you know your buyer personas well, you know how they communicate and what they are interested in. Adapt your content and language accordingly. But make sure you stay true to your brand identity.

• Integrate user-generated content (UGC)

Reposts, testimonials or creative implementations from your community are not only authentic, but also promote identification with your brand. Show that your followers are important to you by sharing and appreciating their content.

Social media strategy #4: Collaborate with micro-influencers

The days when influencer marketing was dismissed as a flash in the pan are long gone. Today, even medium-sized and smaller companies are working with brand ambassadors to gain more awareness and improve their connection to their target group.

Micro-influencers are particularly popular. In contrast to macro-influencers, their community usually comprises fewer than 100,000 followers and, depending on the definition, even fewer than 10,000.

This is not, as it might seem at first glance, a disadvantage. In contrast to the celebrities of this world, micro-influencers score points on the following levels:

• Micro-influencers are usually close to their community.
• They enjoy a high level of trust and achieve high engagement rates. They are often considered experts on a topic by their followers.
• A smaller budget is sufficient to make use of their services.

With around 60,000 followers on Instagram, Sierra Holmes is one of the biggest micro-influencers. As an influencer for plus size fashion, she serves a very specific target group and is highly respected there.

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Ein Beitrag geteilt von Sierra Holmes✨JOY CREATOR✨ (@eclectickurves)

Bolle & Marco are a good example of travel influencers who take their community on a trip around the world.

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Ein Beitrag geteilt von 𝐁𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞 & 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐨 (@kommwirmachendaseinfach)

To benefit from the advantages of influencers, you need to find the right brand ambassador. It is crucial that the person matches your products or services and that their community has a large overlap with your target group. Influencer marketing platforms can help you find the right person.

Social media strategy #5: Social proofs

Advertising is everywhere, offline and especially online. As a result, users are becoming increasingly skeptical of companies and their promises of quality. One way to counter this development is to use social proofs for more credibility. This strategy is not new, but it is becoming increasingly important.

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Social proof can take different forms:

• Post mentions of your company or brand in the press, from influencers or important organizations and thank them.
• Present milestones. This could be, for example, reaching a certain number of users, customers or app downloads.
• Use brand ambassadors. A well-known example of this is sportswear companies that sponsor famous athletes and are regularly mentioned by them on social media, among other things.
• Publish customer reviews and/or positive reviews.
• Encourage followers to publish posts with a hashtag for your company or brand. Instagram photos are great for this purpose.

Social proof also plays an important role on websites, for example in the form of well-known testimonials. But be careful: social proofs only work if they are credible. A 70-year-old pensioner praising your new skateboard collection to the skies will at best be seen as a successful gag. Caution is also required when publishing facts and figures. In the case of an “exclusive” summer dress, it is off-putting if customers get the feeling that every second woman has this dress in her wardrobe.

Social media strategy #6: Storytelling

Whether online or offline, people love stories. Cater to this preference through storytelling.

One brand that has mastered the art of virtual storytelling is Airbnb.

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Ein Beitrag geteilt von Airbnb (@airbnb)

Brands such as Airbnb and Nike demonstrate how their own brand story can be told in different ways and in many different versions across different platforms.

Social media strategy #7: CSR – convincing through values

Consumers increasingly expect brands to represent clear values and be authentic.

This means for your social media marketing:

• Communicate your company values. Show that your company is committed to them.
• Document progress, for example in the areas of environmental protection or equal rights.
• Show that your brand is also interested in topics beyond its own backyard.
• Strive for authenticity and honesty.

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Ein Beitrag geteilt von Adobe Deutschland (@adobe_de)

Important: Social media is very well suited for CSR communication due to the close proximity to your own target group and because communication is not a one-way street. But there are risks involved. Refrain from making untrue claims or portraying your company or products as more sustainable than they actually are. Otherwise, you risk a full-blown shitstorm. Credibility plays a fundamental role in this context.

Social media strategy #8: Sell through social shopping

Social shopping combines shopping with a social media experience, for example via Instagram stores, TikTok stores or Pinterest pins.

Because many users search for new things on social media, this creates great opportunities for young companies to sell their products. But established companies also benefit from an uninterrupted customer journey and many opportunities to interact with consumers.

Native checkouts are not yet available in all countries. But TikTok Shop, for example, is already in the starting blocks in Germany.

To use social shopping on Instagram and/or Facebook, for example, you need to upload a product catalog and link it to your business profile. You can then tag products in images, videos and stories.

Important:

• Make sure you have meaningful images and descriptions of your products.
• Tell stories about your products. In addition to videos, carousels are great for this.
• Include influencers in your strategy.
• Use incentives such as discount codes to create additional incentives to buy.

Social media strategy #9: Try out new features and channels

Major social media services such as Instagram, WhatsApp and LinkedIn regularly introduce new features. In the recent past, these have included LinkedIn Document Posts and Instagram Broadcast Channels, for example. Bluesky and Threads, on the other hand, are still relatively new platforms.

Of course, not every new feature and every new platform is suitable for your goals, your target group and your budget. But sometimes, as a first mover, you benefit from attractive opportunities to achieve reach and engagement. Therefore, regularly research what’s new in the social media world.

Social media strategy #10: Use AI tools

via GIPHY

AI tools are not yet an integral part of your daily work? Then it’s time to change that.

Artificial intelligence can make your social media marketing more efficient in many areas:

• Content creation
  With the help of AI-supported writing and design tools, you can quickly create good-looking, motivating posts for different channels.
• Personalized ads and recommendations
  AI systems analyze user data in order to play out tailored advertising campaigns. This increases conversion rates.
• Social listening and sentiment analysis
  Social monitoring and listening tools identify relevant mentions of your brand, your company or other important topics in real time and evaluate sentiment. You stay up to date on the needs of your target group, recognize trends and prevent crises in good time.
• Community management
  Artificial intelligence can also be used in community management, for example to automatically hide potentially offensive comments or answer simple questions more quickly.
• Extended target group insights
  With the help of machine learning, user segments can be formed more precisely, for example based on interests or behavior. This allows you to plan your content strategy in an even more targeted way.

To reap the full benefits of AI, follow these tips:

• Systematically integrate AI tools into your social media strategy.
• Link them to other tools in your toolbox and define clear processes.
• Remember to check and refine content created with AI. Otherwise, there is a risk that your content will be incorrect and/or replaceable.

Successful strategies are constantly being adapted

Hardly any successful strategy stays the same forever. Especially in a fast-moving field like social media, it is crucial to regularly put strategies to the test and adapt them to new conditions. Clear key figures and constant monitoring help you to do this.

This also applies to an overarching strategy. After all, target groups and goals also change. It is therefore worth adapting your social media foundation again and again.