All social media strategies begin with the goals you set out. Jumpstart your social media planning and strategy by asking yourself:

"What do we want to achieve with our social media presence?" and " Is it aligned to the college's mission and values?

Let's take a look at some of the most common social media goals or objectives:

Increase awareness: In simple terms, this could mean having more members of the George Brown College community discover your service, support, division or department.

Build a community: If the primary purpose of your social media presence is to bring together like-minded members, this is the goal for you! 

Boost engagement: Already have an active social media presence, and looking to increase interactions or engagements on your platform(s)?

Setting one or two objectives will help you lay the foundation for a successful presence and will guide you later in the process when you begin developing your content strategy.

Before you begin posting content to your social media accounts, it's important to identify who our content is speaking to, their values and how what you have to offer aligns to those values.  

These core groups are known as your social media target audiences and simply put - they are  specific group or groups of people you want to reach with your social content.

To help identify your core target audiences, work your way through the below questions:

1. What are the demographics of those who we’re trying to connect with? (Think of age, income level, education, location)
2. What are their interests or other psychographics such as their lifestyle/behaviours?
3. How do these individuals spend their free time?  
4. What challenges do these individuals face? 
5. What types of content do they interact with? (For example younger demos may relate to short form videos and meme style content vs. longer form videos or text based posts)

Building a comprehensive content strategy that includes a social media content calendar and scheduling plan is essential for effectively managing your online presence and engaging with your audience. Here's a step-by-step guide to help you create such a strategy, with your previously set objectives and target audiences in mind.

Step 1: Content audit

What is it?

Essentially you are taking stock of all pre-existing content. If you're not launching your account from the ground up, revisit what has worked well for you in the past and what needs improvement. Utilize this information to inform future content decisions.

Why should I do it?

A deep dive into the content that already exists provides you the opportunity to repurpose and optimize your existing content. It will also identify any gaps in content, which need to be filled for future social media posts!

Step 2: Create content pillars

What is it?

Content pillars are the reoccurring topics that your brand will speak about, discuss or amplify on social media. Think about what makes your brand unique and what you want people to know. These pillars (or themes) will serve as the foundation of your content strategy and should be relevant to your target audiences.

Why should I do it?

Utilizing three to five content pillars will provide a consistent framework for your content, helping you build a cohesive and recognizable brand identity. In addition to identifying content pillars, you're able to tailor your content to the interests and needs of your target audience, delivering content that resonates and is more likely to capture their attention and engagement!

Step 3: Content ideation/brainstorming!

What is it?

With your team, set aside time quarterly to brainstorm content ideas that align with your channels, goals and content pillars. Consider different content types including photos, videos, infographics, contests and podcasts.

Why should I do it?

Quarterly content brainstorms with the team are a great way to identify fresh and innovative concepts, while also benefiting from diverse perspectives, backgrounds and experiences. Additionally, if you run into any challenges or gaps, there are more members to provide actionable solutions.

Step 4: Populate & schedule your content calendar

What is it?

A content calendar is a centralized schedule that will outline all the content you plan to publish and on what date. We recommend planning out your content either monthly or quarterly to ensure enough time from conceptualization to execution.

Why should I do it?

With the fast pace of social media, having a centralized content calendar ensures that you are sticking to a consistent posting cadence while also clearly mapping out the variety of your content. Having a content calendar that details what you will post for a monthly or quarterly basis helps you plan, saving time and resources where possible.

For example, the GBC corporate social media team uses a shared Excel spreadsheet to help us detail out the various pieces of content for our pillars, but you can use anything that your team finds best including a project management tool, such as Asana, or even a Word document!

Crisis communications is a strategic communication process that organizations use to address and manage a crisis or unexpected event that threatens their reputation, operations or stakeholder trust. It involves timely, honest and transparent communication to mitigate the impact of the crisis and ensure stakeholders are informed and reassured. Crisis communication is particularly significant in the context of social media platforms due to the following reasons:

The speed at which information spreads. Due to the nature of platform algorithms, social media content can go viral within minutes of being posted. In that case, there’s no way to fully erase what sparked the crisis.

Direct engagement with stakeholders. Social media enables direct engagement with stakeholders, including customers, employees, shareholders and the public. During a crisis, organizations can use social media platforms to address concerns, answer questions and provide updates in real-time, fostering transparency and trust.

There is no "off" button for social media; it's 24/7. Social media operates around the clock and a crisis can occur at any time. Having a well-planned crisis communication strategy ensures that brands can respond promptly.

In today's digital age, social media has revolutionized the way we connect and communicate globally. Within this virtual world that operates around the clock, there is the potential for a social media crisis. From negative comments to brand reputation issues, these crises can strike suddenly, causing disruptions for individuals, businesses and organizations. In social media, we can see a variety of crises. The top three include:

Negative comments

Negative comments are critical or unfavourable remarks made by social media users about a brand, product, service or individual. These comments can range from constructive criticism to outright hostility, and they are publicly visible on the platform. They can harm a brand's reputation, affect customer perception, and discourage potential customers from engaging with the brand. They can also lead to online disputes and escalate into more significant issues if not addressed promptly.

Viral misinformation

Viral misinformation refers to false or misleading information that rapidly spreads across social media platforms and often gains traction due to its emotional appeal or confirmation bias. Misinformation can be extremely damaging to a brand's reputation and potentially even lead to backlash. When possible, the college’s corporate and affiliate teams need to be proactive in monitoring their social media for potential misinformation related to their industry.

Brand reputation issues

Brand reputation issues encompass a wide range of challenges that can tarnish a brand's image. These issues may include misconduct involving employees or students, ethical controversies or public relations mishaps. They can generate mass reach and an influx of negative conversations as well as affect consumer trust and sentiment towards the college's brand.

Effective crisis communication on social media helps organizations protect their reputation, maintain stakeholder trust and navigate challenging situations with transparency and agility.

For advice on what to do if you find yourself in a crisis, please refer to module 4.