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 shares (not just likes)
• Comment sentiment and quality
• DMs initiated from content

Reporting cadence: Weekly check on engagement / Monthly review of follower and traffic / Quarterly strategy review]

8. 4-Week Starter Content Calendar

A concrete first month of content — ready to adapt and post:

| Week | Day | Platform | Pillar | Format | Topic idea | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | 1 | Mon | LinkedIn | Education | Carousel | e.g. "5 things we wished we knew before building X]"] | | 1 | Wed | LinkedIn | Behind the build | Text post | e.g. "We almost gave up in month 3. Here's what changed."] | | 1 | Fri | Instagram | Social proof | Reel | e.g. Customer story — problem → solution → result] | | 2 | Tue | LinkedIn | POV | Thread | e.g. "Hot take: common advice in your space] is wrong. Here's why."] | | 2 | Thu | X/Twitter | Education | Thread | e.g. "The X] framework we use every week — and how you can steal it"] | | 2 | Sat | Instagram | Behind the build | Story | e.g. "Week 2 update — what we shipped and one thing that didn't go to plan"] | | 3 | Mon | LinkedIn | Education | Carousel | e.g. "How to achieve outcome] in timeframe] — step by step"] | | 3 | Wed | LinkedIn | Community | Text post | e.g. Reshare a customer win with commentary] | | 3 | Fri | Instagram | POV | Reel | e.g. "Industry myth] — why we disagree and what we do instead"] | | 4 | Tue | LinkedIn | Behind the build | Video | e.g. Founder talking to camera — "One thing I learned building X] this month"] | | 4 | Thu | X/Twitter | POV | Thread | e.g. "Trend in your space] — here's what's actually happening"] | | 4 | Sat | All | Milestone | Text + image | e.g. "X followers / X users / X months] — thank you + what's next"] |

Quality Checks

• ] Every content pillar delivers value to the audience — not just the brand
• ] Platform selection is justified by where the target audience actually spends time
• ] Tone of voice examples are specific enough to use as a writing guide
• ] KPIs are tied to the business goal, not just vanity metrics (likes, followers in isolation)
• ] Posting cadence is realistic for the available resources — sustainable beats ambitious
• ] The 4-week calendar has specific topic ideas, not just "write an educational post"

Example Trigger Phrases

• "Build a social media strategy for brand/product]"
• "Create a LinkedIn content strategy for our B2B SaaS"
• "Help me define content pillars and posting cadence for our startup"
• "Design a 90-day social media plan for company]"
• "What should our social media strategy be for a product launch?"

Anti-Patterns

• ] Do not recommend every platform — justify each choice with where the target audience actually spends time
• ] Do not define content pillars that serve only the brand — each pillar must deliver specific value to the audience or it will not earn attention
• ] Do not set a posting cadence that exceeds the team's realistic capacity — an unsustainable strategy fails faster than a modest one
• ] Do not use vanity metrics (likes, followers in isolation) as primary KPIs — tie KPIs to the stated business goal
• ] Do not skip the tone of voice section — without it, multiple contributors produce inconsistent content that erodes brand identity