5.4Building a global social media strategy
The essentials in 30 seconds
- 5-part document: diagnosis, SMART objectives, audiences + messages, action plan, steering — 10 signed pages max.
- Real budgets: time (X h/week costed), paid, tools, services — time is the real cost.
- Annual K/S/T review: Keep (top formats), Stop (ghosts), Test (1 new thing/year) — frozen, it is outdated in 6 months.
Threaded mini-case — Nour writes the strategy in 8 pages
Nour runs the strategy: diagnosis (IG 2k at 3%, FB 5k at 1%, personas, competitors), objectives (100k views, 4%, 300 clicks at 12 months), plan (IG first Reels + carousels, local FB, test budget), steering (monthly 5.3, K/S/T review). 8 pages signed by the manager. Sequel of cases 5.1-5.3 — Nour assembles everything.
Sequel of cases 5.1-5.3 — Nour assembles measurement, listening and reporting into strategy.
1. The 5-part document
Diagnosis (audit: numbers + competition + personas), SMART objectives, audiences + messages (who, what to tell them), action plan (networks, line, calendar, budgets), steering (KPIs, reviews). 10 pages max: an unreadable strategy cannot be steered.
Nour gets it signed: commitment matters as much as paper — everyone knows where we go and with what.
2. Budgets: organic + paid + tools
Time (the real cost: X h/week costed), paid (tests then scaling), tools (scheduling, design), services (shoots, influence). Costing time avoids the illusory “free” of networks.
Without costing, you scatter: with it, you arbitrate (which network, which format, which budget).
3. Annual review: keep, stop, test
Keep (top formats), stop (ghost networks, dead formats), test (1 new thing/year: network, format, tool). Strategy lives: build → execute → measure → adjust.
The amateur → pro step: a loop that turns instead of scattered gut-feeling actions.
🔎 Concrete example — SME strategy doc
Nour's 8 signed pages.
1. Diagnosis: IG 2k (3%), FB 5k (1%), personas + competitors.
2. Objectives: 100k views/month, 4%, 300 clicks (12 months).
3. Plan: IG first (Reels + carousels), local FB, test budget.
4. Steering: monthly 5.3, annual K/S/T review.Takeaway: everyone knows where we go and with what.
Lesson: get it signed: commitment matters as much as paper.
Section vocabulary
- Social media strategy
- A coherent plan assembling all levers for objectives.
Simple example: Nour's 8 pages: diagnosis, objectives, plan, steering.
What it is not: posting hit-or-miss with no direction.
Reflex: does each action serve my written objectives?
- Coherence
- Networks, messages and formats aligned on the same objectives.
Simple example: IG first + local FB + same tone: Nour is readable everywhere.
What it is not: one discourse per network, no common identity.
Reflex: would they recognize my brand without the logo?
- Combining levers
- Organic, content, influence/UGC and ads articulated together.
Simple example: Organic Reels + UGC + ad tests to the site.
What it is not: ads only with no community.
Reflex: which lever serves which objective this quarter?
- Content plan
- Editorial line (pillars, tone, formats) in a calendar.
Simple example: 3 Reels + 2 carousels a week booked a month ahead.
What it is not: posting whenever you think of it.
Reflex: is my next month already booked?
- Improvement loop
- Execute, measure (KPIs, reporting), adjust continuously.
Simple example: Nour's annual K/S/T review + monthly 5.3.
What it is not: a strategy frozen for 3 years.
Reflex: what did I stop and test this year?
In practice — Build a global social media strategy
- Answer: why (SMART), for whom (personas), where (networks), what (line), how (levers), when (calendar), with what results (KPIs).
- Assemble organic, content, influence/UGC and ads for the same objectives.
- Build in conversion and a unified identity.
- Keep it alive: execute, measure, adjust.
Ready-to-say script — getting it signed (2 min)
“Here is our strategy in 8 pages: where we stand, where we go in 12 months, on which networks, with which content, which budgets — time included — and how we steer each month. We review Keep, Stop, Test each year. If we agree, we sign and stick to it.”
Say to the manager, printed doc, pens out.
Copy-paste template — 10-page strategy outline
1. DIAGNOSIS (numbers + competition + personas): _______________
2. SMART OBJECTIVES (12 months): _______________
3. AUDIENCES + MESSAGES: _______________
4. PLAN (networks, line, calendar, budgets incl. time): _______________
5. STEERING (KPIs 5.1, reporting 5.3, K/S/T review): _______________
SIGNATURE: _______________Small business / tight budget
Nour cuts to 3 pages: 1 objective, 1 priority network, 1 calendar — signed anyway.
SME Algiers
Nour prioritizes the network where the local target really is, not all at once.
Solo / creator
1 new thing tested per year maximum: the rest is regular execution.
Multi-network account
IG first + 1 secondary kept minimal; stop ghosts with no regret.
✓ Best practices
- Write 10 pages max, get it signed.
- Cost time, the real cost.
- Review Keep / Stop / Test each year.
✗ Common pitfalls
- The 50 unread pages.
- Free left uncosted.
- The strategy frozen for 3 years.
Key takeaways
- Strategy = all levers in one coherent, managed plan.
- Why, for whom, where, what, how, when, with what results.
- Organic + content + influence/UGC + ads, unified identity.
- Alive: build, execute, measure, adjust.
48h challenge — apply tomorrow
Write your 1-page outline (template above): 3-line diagnosis, 2 SMART objectives, priority network and costed time. Get it reviewed.
- I can name the 5 parts of the doc.
- I costed my time + budgets.
- My 1-page outline is ready to sign.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I start the strategy?
With why (SMART objectives) and for whom (personas), then where (1-3 networks), what (line), when (calendar), how (levers), with what results (KPIs). Starting with content or ads without foundations scatters.
Does a small business need a strategy?
Yes, even a light one: a few clear answers beat gut feeling. Without it: scattering, incoherence, irregularity, no measurement. Size changes scale, not need.
Nour proposes a 50-page strategy nobody reads. Redo?