Planning is important in any business scenario, right? With social networks it is no different. We know that in the beginning, the objective of these media was entertainment, but, for some time now, the user has been able to consume much more than just this type of content.
Positioning yourself and using networks in a structured way is the first step to conquering a space in this digital marketing universe. And, of course, for that, a lot of strategic planning is needed.
It was with this in mind that we decided to create this article. Check out some tips on how to set up this plan right now and engage as many users as possible in your organization's social networks.
The time has come for you to make the most of everything that social networks have to offer and make your institution understand, apply and use digital marketing on a daily basis.
Why have a plan?
The keywords for planning social networks are: anticipation and projection. When you create a strategy, you put all stages of your process on paper. Starting with defining your target audience and getting to the analysis of your campaign results.
The great advantage of social media planning is precisely to predict what can happen, who can be reached (or who you want it to be), what the results of this can be (in the best scenario, a large number of conversions, for example).
Social media planning: a step by step to increase engagement
Social media planning helps organize strategy, content, and analysis to increase engagement and improve results. It starts by defining the audience and persona, continues with choosing KPIs and building schedules and editorials, and ends by reading data to readjust what is needed. The idea is to anticipate scenarios, project reach, and understand impacts before, during, and after campaigns, recording metrics and comparing cycles of posting frequency and formats across each network.
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Define audience and persona as a starting point and review them periodically as you learn more about who follows you.
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Define KPIs and record values before, during, and after a set period: reach, engagement, conversion rate, cost per lead (CPL), and click through rate (CTR).
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Build schedules and editorials (weekly or monthly), keeping a frequency you can sustain with consistency and quality.
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Adapt formats and messaging for each network, consider accessibility, and analyze results to readjust the strategy.
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In view of this, we decided to separate 04 tips, which will work as a step by step, for you to create your planning. They are:
- Strategy;
- Contents;
- Analyze;
- Readjustment.
What you will see in today’s content
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Why to have a social media plan and the role of anticipation and projection.
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The step by step with 4 tips: Strategy, Content, Analysis, and Readjustment.
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How to define audience and persona and adjust as you learn more about who follows you.
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How to handle personal data with necessity and governance criteria, aligned with ANPD guidance.
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How to define KPIs and which metrics to track: reach, engagement, conversion rate, CPL, and CTR.
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How to plan content with schedules and editorials, with an example of pillars for an endocrinology clinic.
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How to define frequency, test in cycles, and adapt content for each network, considering formats and accessibility.
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How to analyze results, standardize UTMs, track in GA4, and apply readjustments, including reporting tools.
Ready to face the challenge of increasing your engagement and improving your results using social media?
Read on!
Image: A solid social media plan helps organize content, posting frequency, and KPIs to improve results.
Step by step planning for perfect social networks
Learn how to set up a social media plan and get started today!
1. Strategy
Do you know who your networks connect with?
Who is the target of the posts?
All this begins to be elaborated in the organization stage of the strategy.
Think of your audience and persona as a starting point that you refine as you learn more about the people following you. Instead of aiming for a “perfect profile,” focus on real needs, common questions, and goals.
And when personal data is involved, use it only when necessary and with proper governance, aligned with ANPD guidance on data processing agents.
At the beginning, this information may not be so specific, so it is ideal to have a periodicity for analyzing the persona and adjusting or creating new ones so that the contents are always aligned with the ideal profile
Define your KPIs
Your Key Performance Indicator, Key performance indicator in Portuguese, are metrics used to measure the results and effectiveness of the planning carried out. He will be the north for possible changes.
Some of the top KPIs for social media are:
- Reach;
- Engagement;
- Conversion rate;
- Cost Per Lead (CPL);
- Click Through Rate (CTR).
Record each of the values before planning, during execution, and after a specified period. In this way, it will be possible to understand the impacts caused.
Read too:
- 4 tips for audiovisual production of digital content
- The 8 essential tips to improve your CRM. Check out now;
- What is a diagnostic evaluation in marketing strategy?
2. Content
Before starting to build your contents, you need to think and draw up schedules (weekly or monthly) with content that may be relevant to the page. An effective way is to think about editorials so that their contents can follow a line of reasoning without getting lost in subjects that do not enrich the reader.
For example, if you own an endocrinology clinic, you can do editorials like:
- Health tips;
- Main questions about endocrinology;
- Commemorative dates (that make sense for the brand);
- Explanation about exams, diagnoses.
From these pillars, it is possible to extract several rich contents.
Frequency
Instead of setting a one-size-fits-all “minimum,” choose a posting frequency you can maintain with consistency and quality.
Distribution relies on many signals, including interactions, relevance, and account history. That’s why cycle-based testing helps: keep one cadence for a few weeks and compare KPIs, aligned with how AI ranks content on Facebook and Instagram.
Thus, you can contemplate different subjects and keep yourself interesting for users.
Adaptation
Posts made on Instagram are different from those posted on Facebook, which are different from those posted on YouTube and so on.
It is necessary to understand the possible formats and adapt the message. In addition, you should explore what is trending on each of the networks so that the algorithm can deliver good content.
When adapting content, it’s worth considering accessibility too. Captions help people who watch without sound, alt text supports screen readers, and clear descriptions keep key information from being visual-only. This broadens reach and improves experience, aligned with Guidelines to Make Your Social Media Platform Accessible.
For example: an Instagram Reel can become a key-points carousel, a short video in another format, and a text post for X (formerly Twitter). What matters most is adjusting tone, length, and the call to action to how people actually consume content on each platform.
Don't just replicate everything!
New formats
The world of social media is in constant motion. Those who do not adapt to new trends and ways of communicating with the audience are left behind.
Always seek to understand the new movements in the digital universe and know when to invest in innovations whether in format or language.
The focus doesn’t have to be “what’s the next platform,” but which formats are growing through recommendation-based distribution, such as short videos, series, and lives.
When you understand that logic, it becomes easier to decide where to put time and budget, as described in how TikTok recommends videos on #ForYou.
3. Analysis
After starting to make the contents, it is necessary to analyze. Remember we talked about KPIs? So this is the time to step in!
With the records in hand, what has worked? What contents and/or formats were highlighted in the period? Were the KPI targets achieved?
If your goal is leads, key-page visits, or enrollments, it helps to connect social performance to what happens on your website. Standardize UTMs on every link and review results in GA4 by campaign, source, and creative. This makes analysis more trustworthy, supported by Google Analytics URL builders.
This analysis will guide you in your next social media planning. In addition, it will be the key point in deciding where to invest more and how to advertise more assertively. This exercise is constant and indispensable!
In addition to the page itself report platforms, some tools allow the creation of reports, such as:
- MLabs;
- Sprout Social;
- Hootsuite;
- Buffer;
- Iconosquare.
4. Readjustment
What can be done to improve performance? What was missing?
This is the time to improve and deepen your digital communication strategy. Remember the personas? Well, if necessary, rebuild your persona so that it is aligned with your consumer.
If you have the data, now all you have to do is put your expertise into practice so that the results are even better in the chosen marketing strategy!
Innovations in your networks!
Let's recap what needs to be done to be successful on your social networks?
- create your persona;
- define your KPIs;
- write editorials for the content;
- set the frequency to be followed;
- structure the weekly or monthly schedule;
- build and adapt content for different networks;
- analyze KPI results and targets;
- apply adjustments and additions as per the extracted results;
- do it all again!
Following these steps, you have a strong and efficient plan to replicate in any type of segment!
Do you want to continue to better understand how to use digital platforms in favor of your business? Then you will like our content: the importance of innovation in the competitive digital market!
Frequently asked questions about social media planning
Why have a social media plan?
A plan helps put every step of the process on paper, from defining the target audience to analyzing campaign results.
What do anticipation and projection mean in planning?
Anticipation and projection are key terms because the strategy aims to predict what may happen, who may be reached, and what results may come from it, including conversion scenarios.
What are the 4 tips in the step by step plan?
The 4 tips are: Strategy, Content, Analysis, and Readjustment.
How do you define audience and persona in the strategy stage?
Defining audience and persona is the starting point and should be adjusted as you learn more about who follows you, focusing on real needs, common questions, and goals.
How should personal data be handled when planning the strategy?
When personal data is involved, the guidance is to follow necessity and governance criteria, aligned with ANPD guidance on processing agents.
Which KPIs should be tracked on social media?
The main KPIs mentioned are: reach, engagement, conversion rate, cost per lead (CPL), and click through rate (CTR).
How do you organize content with schedules and editorials?
Build schedules (weekly or monthly) and think in editorials to keep a line of reasoning and avoid topics that do not add value to the reader.
How do you define frequency and avoid sporadic posting?
Choose a frequency you can sustain with consistency and quality, test in cycles for a few weeks, and compare KPIs to understand impact.
Why adapt content for each network and what should be considered?
Adapting is necessary because formats and consumption differ across networks, and it is also important to consider accessibility with captions, alt text, and clear descriptions to expand reach and improve experience.
How do you analyze and readjust based on results?
Analysis uses KPI records to identify what worked, what stood out, and whether goals were met, and readjustment applies improvements, including rebuilding the persona when needed.
How do you connect social media to what happens on the website?
When the goal involves leads, visits, or enrollments, the guidance is to standardize UTMs in all links and track in GA4 by campaign, medium, and creative.
Which tools can help create reports?
The tools mentioned are: MLabs, Sprout Social, Hootsuite, Buffer, and Iconosquare.
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