LinkedIn is so 2022… or not? A step-by-step plan for a successful social media strategy

Do you know the videos of LC SignTony, the Korean owner, started making short videos impersonating Donald Trump to promote his brand. He did it at just the right time, right before the election, when people were running on edge. His videos quickly went viral. A goal we all want to achieve with our posts… And with a good social media strategy, perhaps we can. 

Social media trends are evolving rapidly. The number of platforms is growing, as are user expectations. And so is the volume of creative posts from competitors. How are you going to stand out in this world? LC Sign's example shows that it is possible, even for a small organization with a limited budget. But it's certainly not easy. It all starts with taking the time to develop a social media strategy. A good strategy brings you closer to your customers, fosters more interaction, and ultimately increases their loyalty and your brand awareness. This blog post provides a step-by-step plan to help you create your social media strategy. 

A step-by-step plan for a successful social media strategy

Step 1: make a baseline measurement

You first want to know where you stand now, so you can later measure whether your social media strategy was truly successful. To do this, consider three things:  

• Comments: How many likes, comments, shares, clicks, and saves do your posts get?
• Reach: How many people click on your content and how long do they watch?
• Conversion: How many of those viewers are actually buyers?

Step 2: Set realistic goals

Many brands readily come up with new social media marketing goals every year. In practice, achieving them often proves difficult. A whopping 42% of marketing professionals surveyed in this research from SurveyMonkey Achieving their 2025 goals seemed quite difficult. Sure, it's great to dream big. But then also set realistic goals that help you maintain focus, motivation, time management, and chances of success, thus keeping stress levels low.

In other words: think before you leap. Take the time to lay a solid foundation before you get started. Conduct thorough market research and determine your goals for the year in your social media strategy. Do you want more visitors to your website? Do you want to increase your brand awareness? Or are you primarily focused on increasing sales? Whatever your goal, write it down as SMART as possible. Remember? Specific, measurable, realistic, and time-bound. "I want more engagement" then becomes "I want our followers and likes to increase by 5 percent this year." This makes it easier to check later whether you've actually achieved it.

Step 3: Know your audience

This step is more important than ever. The algorithms of platforms like Instagram and TikTok are developing rapidly. They're getting better and better at identifying users' interests and delivering the right content. This means those users are staying in their comfortable, hyper-personalized content bubble for longer. If your content doesn't seamlessly connect with your target audience, chances are they'll never see it.

So decide for yourself: who is my ideal customer? Which platforms do they use? And when? What kind of content resonates with them? And what issues do they find important? Besides market research, you can also gather information in other ways. For example, through tools like Instagram Analytics and Facebook Insights. Or try running a poll yourself to gather data.

Step 4: Choose your platform

To answer the question in the title of this blog: no, LinkedIn is not so 2022. In fact, the number of users continues to grow. Just like with YouTube and Instagram, it appears the National Social Media Survey 2025 from Newcom. Along with Facebook, TikTok, and Snapchat, these are still the biggest players. But every year, something new seems to emerge: Pinterest, Bluesky, Threads, Substack. How do you, as a communications professional, handle this?

The best advice remains: go for quality, not quantity. Many organizations distribute the same post simultaneously across all their social media channels. It's a great way to save time and money, but not in the long run. It's not only ineffective, it can even be detrimental to your organization. Instead, focus on the two (maximum three) platforms where your target audience is truly active and tailor your content accordingly:

• Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest: top for visual content/brands
• Facebook: Ideal for local organizations looking to build a community
• LinkedIn: perfect for B2B services and professional expertise
• X (formerly Twitter): useful for quick updates and customer service

Consider other social media channels as well. Online, it's increasingly about small, close-knit communities. With an Instagram channel, a Facebook group, or an exclusive WhatsApp community, you have the opportunity to communicate directly with your users. This way, you can easily share unique updates, tips, or sneak peeks. This goes beyond just raking in likes and followers. You're truly building a community.

Step 5: Create creative content

When we look at social media trends, there are a few things we can do in this area:

• Very authentic:
  Perfection is so 2022. Users no longer want polished campaigns or perfect posts and images completely in-house. They want "raw" content. They want something they can identify with. They want spontaneity. This is why platforms like BeReal, Snapchat, and TikTok have become so popular. For example, show a behind-the-scenes video. This way, you showcase the human side of your organization. Or make room for influencer marketing in your social media strategy.
  
• Focus on user-generated content
  In other words: content that your users create themselves. This also helps you create more authentic content. Ask your customers or followers to share their experiences with your brand. For example, through challenges, contests, or branded hashtags. A good example comes from Landal Greenpark. Using the hashtag #ontdeklandal, they encourage visitors to share their best photos of their stay. You can then reward these contributions. For example, with a repost, a discount code, or simply a like. This makes creating content for your organization both fun and rewarding.
  
• Be brief
  It's been known for a while that our attention spans are declining massively. If you don't grab attention in the first few seconds, users will scroll on. This increases the need for "snackable content." Include in your social media strategy how you can short-form videoYou can use them. For example, on TikTok and Instagram Reels. And definitely also via LinkedIn and YouTube shorts.
• Be ethical and substantive
  As mentioned: the era of online perfection is over. Users want less superficial content. They want to know what you're doing and, more importantly, why you're doing it. You can read more about that in this blog about ethical marketingTherefore, ensure honesty and transparency in your social media strategy. Sustainability, diversity, social impact; this is the time to showcase your brand values. And demonstrate that they align with the issues your target audience is grappling with. Fortunately, you already had a clear understanding of these issues thanks to your market research.
  
• Use AI-powered tools to streamline content creation
  Oddly enough, artificial intelligence is actually a way to personalize content. And it saves you time, too. AI tools like ChatGPT or Canva allow you to automate and personalize content. Midjourney helps you create unique visuals. And Runway AI or Pictory help you quickly produce professional videos. And don't forget the built-in AI tools of social platforms, such as automatic captions and advanced targeting options.

Step 6: Plan your content consistently

About three times a week. A content calendar helps you keep track. Always choose a balance between:

• promotion (your products, services and offers)
• inform (tips, tricks and other insights)
• entertain (fun stories, trends, funny videos)

If you have a large organization, be sure to coordinate closely with other departments when planning specific campaigns. You don't want your target audience to become content-fatigued.

Finally, consider the "consumption window." This is when users are viewing your content. Generally, it's best to post on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. You can read more about this here. the best consumption moment per platform.  

Step 7: Engage your users

Want to build a connection with your target audience? And cultivate an active community? Then you don't just want to broadcast. Online relationships are also two-way. Do this, for example, through polls, quizzes, and Q&A sessions.

In your social media strategy, consider how you'll respond to comments quickly and appropriately. How will you like and share content users post? How much space will you leave to engage with relevant, trending topics? More interaction isn't just good for building a loyal following. It also shows the algorithm that your content is suitable for wider sharing.

Step 8: Work data-driven

Keep measuring. And compare the results with your baseline. Where have we grown? Where are the opportunities? Which posts are performing well? Why are these performing well? The key question is: why does one thing work and another doesn't? This is where the power lies. the new communications professional.

Tools like Coosto or Hootsuite help you easily monitor what's being said on social media. For example, about your brand or organization, specific topics, or even the competition. This allows you to quickly respond to what's happening. David den Besten advises you to first define your objective: "Otherwise, you'll get lost in completely irrelevant data." COMPOD episode Data & Communication he explains how to approach data-driven work correctly.

One last tip?

Nothing is as changeable as the weather. Or in this case, as social media trends. So stay flexible. Make sure your social media strategy for this year has a solid foundation. But keep experimenting with new formats, platforms, features, and strategies. This way, you'll prevent your social media strategy from becoming so 2022-y.