How to Create a Social

Media Strategy
The relationship between research, insights, strategies
and tactics

Hastie Afkhami
West Coast Training Series August 2015
Social Media Strategy

What it is  A social media strategy explains HOW you’re going to

accomplish your business goals using social media.
 A well developed strategy is a filter for all tactical ideas.

When to use it  Before you brainstorm tactics you need a Strategy.

 Strategies are borne from research and insights.

Why does it matter? • The strategy is the rule book. It will tell you what tactics are in
bounds and what are out of bounds; what is allowed and what
is not.
• Once you have developed a sound strategy, the tactical
execution is easy because the path has been set; the “How”
has been answered.
• Once the strategy has been set each tactic is either “on
strategy” or not. No grey areas. No “spaghetti against the
wall”.

2
Social Media Strategy Creation Process

1 Confirm Business Objectives.

2 Identify hypothesis that data will prove or disprove.

.
3 Conduct research: traditional and social media listening.

4 Review data and identify/develop insights.

5 Create your strategy and write your strategic deceleration.

6 Identify KPIs and diagnostic metrics for your strategy.

3
 1 Confirm Business Objectives

Before we begin any social media project, we first identify and confirm
our client’s business objectives.

We can use the following questions to help us define the objective(s):

 How does the business make money/achieve its goal?

 What do I need to know about competition, channel, category,

company?

 What is our Business Ambition?

 What are the measureable marketing and communications goals?

4
 2 Identify hypothesis that data will prove or disprove.

After confirming your business objectives, it is time to begin research.

However, before diving in, you must structure and focus your research.

Do this by identifying hypothesis that your research data will prove or

disprove.

5
 2 Identify hypothesis that data may answer/prove/disprove.

Sample hypothesis to prove or disprove include:

• The moment when interest is triggered in the brand is pregnancy.
• People will buy the product after trying it once.
• Social media content drives consumers to google the brand.
• Influencer reviews drive purchase and loyalty around the product.

Questions your research should answer include:

• How does the consumer behave in digital and social media?
• What are customers & stakeholders saying in social?
• What are they searching for?
• What are the digital paths users take to goals?
• How well is the brand using social currently?

6
3 Conduct research: traditional and social media listening.

• Primary • Secondary
– Social Listening – 3rd Party Research
– Manual Searches – Forrester
– Consumer Intent Modeling – eMarketer
– Focus Groups
– Polling/Surveys – Literature Reviews
– Ethnographies – Published Studies
– Interviews – Media Summaries
– Any new investigation

7
 3 Conduct research: traditional and social media listening.

Radian6 Crimson Hexagon

Visible Technologies

35 36

8
37
4 Review data and identify/develop insights.

Research = What it is

Insight = What it means

Research + Judgment + Experience + Intuition

9
 4 Review data and identify/develop insights.

• Insight – When we put 2 or more pieces of data or information

together to reveal something new and usable about the user, culture
or the business, we generally have an insight
– Research findings tell us what is being said; insights tell us what it means

• Practical knowledge – Lots of information that doesn’t add up to a full

insight can be applied to strengthen a program. We can distill data into
practical knowledge that will help define how and where we engage
people

• ‘Data junk’ – Simple data with no interpretation about its relevance is

often ‘data junk.’ It may be true but it can also be useless or irrelevant

10
 4 Review data and identify/develop insights.

The key to the social insight is to look at what people are already doing
and to figure out how the brand can enhance or facilitate that. We
examine how we can make something easier or more fun for people.

Social insights may come from asking these questions:

1. Are there any cultural tensions around which we can build

meaningful social experiences?

2. How is our audience using social to curate their identity and express
themselves, and how can our brand enable this?

3. Are there any pre-existing social needs or behaviors that our brand
can meet or enhance through social?
11
 4 Review data and identify/develop insights.

To quote John Bell, an insight is the “Ah Ha!” moment.

All insights must:

 Combine one or more piece of research to reveal something
previously unknown
 Are new to the client
 Cannot be found via Google or Radian6
 Can lead to a strategy and engagement plan via stated opportunities
to the client

After developing an insight, you can:

 Testify in a court of law that your insight is not a research finding

12
Sample Insights

Amazon Fashion: Women constantly

window shop, ready to “buy” when and
where they want. This constant
discovery through purchase through
experience through advocacy cycle is
fueled not just by their strong ties but
their weak ties as well.
Sample Insights

Huggies HK: Parents in Hong

Kong love to share pictures of
their babies and they are very
competitive about the winning
qualities of their children.
QUIZ: Insight, practical knowledge or data junk?

Goal: Harrah’s Casino and Hotel wants to generate more and positive word of mouth
to drive qualified guests to its Atlantic City property

When people talk about entertainment, pools and spas about Atlantic City
properties they often mention brand names citing exceptional shows or
experiences they enjoy – Harrah’s pool experience among them.
Conversely, when they talk about dining, shopping or even the journey to
Atlantic City they rarely mention specific properties.

15
QUIZ: Insight, practical knowledge or data junk?

Goal: Dove wants to grow preference (and sales) for its skincare products in China

The skin product that attracts the most amount of online discussion in China is face
wash. Dry skin and the foaming affect of face wash results in the highest traction on
both BBS forums and blogs. Due to the importance of face wash this is the area
where people seek out the opinions of others and appear less likely to trust in brand
claims.

27% 26%
爽肤水（Lotions）
保湿乳液(Moisturizer)
美白乳液(Whitening)
Volume of Discussion 2% 沐浴露(Body wash)
护手霜(Hand lotion)
Related to Skin Products 9%
洗面奶(Face wash)
(Last 30 Days) 18%
18%

16
QUIZ: Insight, practical knowledge or data junk?

Goal: WalMart wants to strengthen its online relationship with customers and the
customer journey online

While there are “F*ck you Walmart”

videos, there are a growing number of
videos from associates, relatives and,
even, customers defending the company.
They seem to actively link to their own
positive testimonials to the negative
videos as a clear defense.

17
QUIZ: Insight, practical knowledge or data junk?

Goal: Brands in Mexico want to understand how to engage teens via social media

How Mexican teens Tablet 5% 5%

access the Internet
PDA/Palm 5% 5%

Smartphones 10% 21%

MP3 53% 42%

Consola de videojuegos 49% 48% 2010

2011
Laptop 47% 52%

Computadora de escritorio 56% 54%

Celular 75% 64%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

18
 5 Create your strategy and write your strategic deceleration.

• Using your insight as a foundation, you will create your social media
strategy.

• Your strategy will answer, “What is the role for social?”

– If the answer you get back is “to post my promotion” or “to upload my
TVC,” then you don’t have a strategy, and you certainly don’t have a
strategy that maximizes the potential for social.

• Your Strategy must be based on…

– Insights from:
• Situation analysis
• Audience analysis
• Formative research
• Experience and judgment
– Knowing your client
– Understanding the challenge
– Having true objectives
19
 5 Create your strategy and write your strategic deceleration.

The Strategic Declaration

We will ___business objective_______

By ______strategy____________ ___
Through ____tactics______________

20
6 Identify KPIs and diagnostic metrics for your strategy.

Diagnostic • Identify what changes need to be made to

Metrics engagement strategy in order to improve KPI
Which levers do performance
we need to pull?

KPIs • Provide a top-line view of the success of its social

Are we winning or media efforts
losing? • KPIs should align to the brand’s business objectives

21
Social Strategy
Examples
Slimming World

Insight: I want a diet that gives—not takes—control of my life.

Strategy: We will inspire and activate passionate fans and inspiring

successes by giving women back control over their life through Slimming
World experiences across social media, the web, and beyond that
showcase how influencers use the Slimming World program to take
control over their choices.

23
NCAA

Insight: Our target audiences know that it takes a team to support an

athlete in their journey to success in life, and our audiences see
everyone on this team as a positive force to be celebrated. However,
they do not know that the NCAA is a member of this team and therefore
the NCAA should also be seen as a positive force to be celebrated.
 
Strategy: We will create advocates for the NCAA in our target audiences
by telling untold stories that highlight how the NCAA is a team member of
an athlete’s support system along with parents, coaches, teachers,
teammates, and schools through a PSA campaign that is activated
through digital and traditional channels with tools that our audiences can
easily use to become vocal advocates.

24
NEA

Insight: Educators are equal to friends and family as most trusted

resources for Millennial Moms, who see education issues as a priority
but find information resources to be limited.

Strategy: We will create a strong base of Millennial Mom advocates by

positioning NEA as a trusted ally and resource in the promise of a quality
public education through leveraging the favorable relationship between
moms and educators to establish an emotional and credible connection.

25
Questions?
Let’s Keep in Touch

Hastie Afkhami
Global Training Director | Social@Ogilvy

Email. hastie.afkhami@ogilvy.com
Twitter. @hastie_hast 27