Social Media Strategy Skill
This skill produces a complete social media strategy covering audience definition, platform rationale, content pillars, posting cadence, tone of voice guidelines, measurement framework, and a 4-week starter content calendar. Output is ready for a marketing team, founder, or agency to execute immediately.
Required Inputs
Ask the user for these if not provided:
- Brand / product / creator name
- What you're promoting — product, service, personal brand, community, or event
- Target audience — who are you trying to reach? (job title, age, interests, platforms they use)
- Business goal — what does social need to achieve? (brand awareness / lead generation / community building / sales / recruitment)
- Current social presence — which platforms are you on? What's working, what isn't?
- Competitors or aspirational accounts — who does social well in your space?
- Resources — how many people and how much time per week can you dedicate to social?
Output Structure
Social Media Strategy: [Brand / Product / Creator]
Goal: [Primary business goal] Audience: [1-sentence description of primary audience] Timeframe: [e.g. Q3 2026 — 3-month strategy] Owner: [Marketing lead / founder / social team] Date: [Date]
1. Audience Profile
Primary audience:
| Dimension | Detail | |---|---| | Who they are | [Job title, age range, life stage, geography] | | What they care about | [Professional or personal priorities, pain points] | | Where they spend time online | [Platforms, communities, influencers they follow] | | What they consume | [Content formats they engage with — video, threads, newsletters, podcasts] | | What would make them follow you | [The specific value proposition of your social presence] |
Secondary audience: [Any secondary segment — e.g. job seekers if you're a brand, investors if you're a startup]
2. Platform Strategy
Not every platform is right for every brand. Justify each platform choice:
| Platform | Audience fit | Content format | Priority | Why (or why not) | |---|---|---|---|---| | LinkedIn | [B2B / professional] | [Text posts, carousels, articles] | [Primary / Secondary / Skip] | [e.g. Primary platform for B2B SaaS — where buyers and influencers are] | | X / Twitter | [Tech, media, founders] | [Short text, threads, replies] | [...] | [...] | | Instagram | [Consumer, visual brands, creators] | [Reels, Stories, carousels] | [...] | [...] | | TikTok | [B2C, Gen Z, consumer] | [Short-form video] | [...] | [...] | | YouTube | [All audiences — discovery + long-form] | [Long-form video, Shorts] | [...] | [...] | | Threads | [Text-first, creator, early adopter] | [Short text, conversations] | [...] | [...] |
Lead platform: [One platform to invest most heavily in — where your audience is most active and where you have the best chance to stand out]
Supporting platforms: [1–2 secondary platforms where you'll repurpose or adapt content]
3. Content Pillars
Define 3–5 content themes that anchor your social presence. Each pillar must serve the audience, not just the brand.
Pillar 1: [Name — e.g. "Behind the build"]
What it is: [1-sentence description] Why the audience cares: [What value does this deliver to them?] Content examples:
- [e.g. Engineering decisions we made and why]
- [e.g. Week-in-the-life of the founding team]
- [e.g. What we shipped this week and what we learned]
Format mix: [Carousel / video / thread / short-form text] Posting cadence: [X times per week]
Pillar 2: [Name — e.g. "Practical education"]
What it is: [...] Why the audience cares: [...] Content examples:
- [...]
- [...]
Format mix: [...] Posting cadence: [...]
Pillar 3: [Name — e.g. "Social proof and community"]
What it is: [Customer stories, testimonials, user-generated content, community spotlights] Why the audience cares: [Validation from peers carries more weight than brand claims] Content examples:
- [Customer outcome stories — 1 metric + 1 quote format]
- [Repost community member wins]
- [Case study carousels]
Format mix: [...] Posting cadence: [...]
Pillar 4: [Name — e.g. "Point of view"]
What it is: [Opinions on industry trends, hot takes, commentary on news in your space] Why the audience cares: [People follow accounts that say something, not just share information] Content examples:
- [Contrarian takes on common advice]
- [Reaction to industry news — what it means for your audience]
- [Founder's personal perspective on a topic]
Format mix: [...] Posting cadence: [...]
4. Tone of Voice
Define how your brand sounds on social — before you write a single post:
| Dimension | [Your brand] sounds like... | [Your brand] does NOT sound like... | |---|---|---| | Formality | [e.g. Conversational, plain English] | [Corporate speak, jargon] | | Energy | [e.g. Curious, enthusiastic] | [Aggressive, hypey] | | Personality | [e.g. Smart friend who happens to be an expert] | [Faceless institution] | | Humour | [e.g. Dry wit, occasional] | [Try-hard memes, sarcasm] | | Self-promotion | [e.g. Earns the right to mention the product] | [Every post is an ad] |
Reference accounts that nail the tone you're aiming for: [Name 2–3 accounts — and why]
5. Posting Cadence & Workflow
| Platform | Posts per week | Best days | Best times | Format split | |---|---|---|---|---| | [LinkedIn] | [3–5] | [Tue–Thu] | [07:30–09:00 or 12:00–13:00] | [60% educational, 30% POV, 10% product] | | [X / Twitter] | [5–7] | [Any] | [Morning and lunchtime] | [50% replies/engagement, 30% original, 20% reposts] | | [Instagram] | [3–4] | [Mon, Wed, Fri] | [18:00–20:00] | [50% Reels, 30% carousels, 20% Stories] |
Content production workflow:
| Day | Activity | Owner | Time required | |---|---|---|---| | Monday | Plan the week's content — review pillars, select topics | [Social manager] | 30 min | | Tuesday | Write long-form posts for LinkedIn and threads | [Writer / founder] | 60 min | | Wednesday | Design carousels or graphics | [Designer / Canva] | 45 min | | Thursday | Schedule the week's content in [Buffer / Hootsuite / Later] | [Social manager] | 20 min | | Daily | Engage with comments, reply to mentions, interact with community | [Social manager] | 15 min |
6. Growth Tactics
Beyond posting, how will you grow your following and reach?
| Tactic | Description | Platform | Frequency | |---|---|---|---| | Engage before you post | Spend 15 min commenting on posts from target accounts before posting your own | All | Daily | | Collaboration posts | Co-create content with a complementary brand or creator | LinkedIn / IG | Monthly | | Community participation | Answer questions in relevant groups, subreddits, or Discord servers | LinkedIn / Reddit / Discord | Weekly | | Tag relevant accounts | When mentioning companies, tools, or people — tag them (earns reshares) | All | As relevant | | Cross-promote | Mention your social in newsletters, emails, events, and podcast appearances | All | Ongoing | | Use trending formats early | When a new format (e.g. LinkedIn carousels, IG Reels) emerges, adopt early | Platform-specific | When relevant |
7. Measurement Framework
Primary KPIs (tied to business goal):
| KPI | Platform | Current baseline | Target (90 days) | Why it matters | |---|---|---|---|---| | [Follower growth rate] | [LinkedIn] | [X%/month] | [≥ Y%/month] | [Audience reach] | | [Engagement rate] | [LinkedIn] | [X%] | [≥ Y%] | [Content resonance] | | [Link clicks / traffic from social] | [All] | [X visits/month] | [≥ Y visits/month] | [Direct business impact] | | [Inbound leads attributed to social] | [LinkedIn] | [X/month] | [≥ Y/month] | [Revenue impact] |
Secondary metrics (health indicators):
- Reach per post
- Saves and share