One of the definitions of  ‘strategic’ in the Merriam-Webster dictionary is 

“of great importance within an integrated whole or to a planned effect.”

When you think about a social media strategy, what comes to mind? Do you think there’s little ROI? Do you wonder how your business can go viral on TikTok? What’s the most impactful way to tell your story? Do you wonder how it fits into your business goals? A winning campaign and an online presence that makes users want to convert and advocate for your brand are only possible with a plan.

In short, a social media strategy is a piece of the puzzle in bringing your business goals and objectives to fruition. In today’s digital world, the question isn’t about if your business should be on social media — the question you should ask yourself is 

Social media may not be your primary driver of conversions, but it should be a part of your overall business strategy as social media poses unique opportunities that other forms of marketing don’t. It allows your business more visibility, networking opportunities, and can allow you to direct visitors to your website. Beyond that, the use of social media is growing and changing, and in such a competitive and oversaturated space, marketers and business owners have to consistently show the value of their offerings in relevant ways.

In January 2023, 

 released the following social media statistics:

4 billion people across the world use social media

Over 75% of the world’s population 13+ use social media

93% of internet users are social media users

Social media has become an integral part of most of our lives — people of all ages, from all walks of life, and parts of the world. Consumer behavior is changing more rapidly than ever, and

 many never interact with brands, products, and employees face-to-face, and instead rely solely on social media and websites 

for information, to build rapport, decide if they want to purchase a product or service.

Influencers and everyday people are sweeping the internet with brand and product reviews, and consumers no longer have to churn through four pages of Google reviews to get the scoop. Folks create and share

) interactions with a brand or product on TikTok, Instagram reels, Facebook and Instagram Stories, Reddit, and many other platforms. 

Not having negative reviews isn't enough when your competitors have built a network of loyal customers. 

The time to re-evaluate and build a meaningful social media presence is now, and our 

Social media strategy entails many moving parts, all of which are always evolving and changing over time. Before we get into those, remember that a strong social media strategy is consistent, integrated, and thoughtfully planned.

Use the following to guide the creation of your social media strategy.

Let’s start here because without clear goals or an objective in mind, you’re left without the key piece: strategy. The first step is outlining the result you want to achieve. Are you looking to build awareness of your brand? Do you want to establish yourself as a thought leader? Clearly define your objectives before anything else.

A tip to keep in mind when outlining your objective(s) is to keep them aspirational but achievable. You might consider starting with an objective for the first 3-6 months of your new or revised social media strategy, allowing you to measure your performance and make adjustments later.

The marketing funnel is a promising place to start.

This is a big one and a key piece to a larger conversation. You must figure out how your 

 and brand story will be expressed on social media.

. Social media KPIs might include impressions, click-through rate (CTR), video views, website traffic, and conversions.

This step requires you to analyze your current customers and conduct industry and market research. Tools like Google Analytics can help you uncover audience demographics, website entrances, most-viewed content, and more, to help you define your audience.

Your business probably has several audiences, but are all of them on social media?

You should assume that almost every step in developing a social media strategy warrants research. By 

conducting an industry and competitive analysis

, you can get a deeper understanding of what your competitors are doing and what your audience needs. Stay up-to-date on the latest social media trends (subscribe to free resources like 

), discover helpful existing or emerging tools, and more.

Depending on what product or service your business offers, it might not be lucrative to be on every social media platform.

LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional networking platform, probably isn’t fitting for a local clothing boutique, but TikTok or Instagram might be where their ideal customers and competitors are.

Content types go beyond images, blogs, and videos. They also come in the form of reviews, emails, user-generated content, case studies, PR, podcasts, webinars, and more. Consider which content types support your objective, product/tool, and audience needs.

Also, stay tuned into trending content and popular content types when planning and creating.

Money definitely talks when it comes to social media.

If you’re ready to pay to play, even if you don’t have a big budget, but you’re unsure of how to get the most out of it, consider partnering with marketers who do. Our strategy team is no strangers to planning and executing successful social media campaigns.

At VIA, we believe you must foster connections with clients and followers, and that looks like being personable and proactive.

If followers aren’t chatting with a bot, then be human. Be solution-oriented and engage with people in your business via DMs, a post, etc. Suggest quicker ways they can contact your business in the future, offer your business email, and more. Consumers and customers don’t want to feel like a transaction, but at the same time, they’re looking for an easy and intuitive shopping experience.

Refer back to your KPIs, get ready to roll your sleeves up, and dig into the world of Google Analytics, Data Studio Dashboard, Google Trends, and any other tools you’re using to measure performance.

Revisit your strategy to make adjustments that align with your goals.

There’s a lot that goes into social media marketing. If you or your business needs help creating a social media strategy, building one from scratch, or if you’re having difficulty getting your team started with the foundational pieces to build an impactful social media presence — your friends at VIA are around to help you reach your goals.

If you’ve been upping your strategy with our 

Social Media & Audience Development

Content Strategy

11 Tips to Build an Impactful Social Media Strategy for Any Business

Artificial intelligence (AI) is proving to be valuable in the digital world, and is only expected to grow in its capabilities, usage, and need. And whether we like it or not, most of us use or encounter AI daily, be it through facial recognition, smart home devices, voice assistants, and more. Knowing it’s a part of our everyday lives doesn’t make it surprising that the use of AI in content creation is rising, thus sparking questions for many brands, business owners, and copywriters around the globe.

Is AI effective in creating content? Do I miss out on the human element when using AI writing tools? What is ChatGPT? How can I best use AI in writing for my company or clients? Will AI replace my job?

If you’re staying in the know, you might have seen many content and marketing thought leaders saying something like, 

“AI won’t replace writers, but writers who use AI will replace writers who don’t.” 

This statement is eliciting various reactions and opinions, but one thing is certain, the use of AI in content creation is growing and creators of AI tools will continue finding ways to make them more effective.

The reality is, the brands that aren’t producing relevant, high-value content frequently are falling behind — and AI helps mitigate this issue as it allows writers to produce more content and to do it faster.

Good human writing doesn’t just happen, it requires time, thought, and practice. Writing is an involved process, and writers who generate blog content likely follow or consider the following factors: research (topic/SEO), topic selection, content outline, content creation/writing, review/edits. Today, AI writing tools can help writers streamline some steps in their writing process and make the writing better — and in some cases, these tools can even generate an entire piece. The question is, how quality and accurate of a piece can AI generate? Some writers utilize AI writing tools exclusively for content outlines, while others add inputs that generate entire blog articles. In either case, 

the more the writer knows, or the better the writer, the better the output.

 And still, we must not forget about the limitations of AI (hang tight, we're almost there).

What are the Pros and Cons of AI Writing Tools?

While AI is intelligent, it’s not perfect. It has its own unique advantages and disadvantages, and just like any other tool, the strategy team at VIA encourages brands to consider how AI affects their writing approach. Let’s explore some of the pros and cons of AI for writers, content creators, and the advertising industry overall.

 Regardless of how it's used, it will save time. What previously took hours, can take minutes with AI-assisted writing.

 It’s probably more expensive to hire a human than to use AI writing tools. Start ups, businesses with a tight budget, or those that lack resources to hire/support writers might consider AI tools.

 Every AI writing tool varies, but some can generate blog topics, assist with SEO, generate location-based messaging, and more.

 AI is still fairly new, and it’s bound to improve with time to make writing easier, faster, and better. Right now, it’s the worst it’ll ever be.

Using AI tools frees up time which allows writers to focus on other aspects of their work.

AI can’t replace storytelling. Most AI writing tools can’t accurately capture brand voice or write compelling copy that resonates with users the way a skilled writer can.

 AI can only execute what it’s trained to do, therefore there are limitations in its outputs.

 In addition to grammar, syntax, and punctuation errors, AI generated content can include inaccurate information and even risk plagiarism as it scrapes the internet for existing information on topics.

AI tools attempt to replicate humans/the real world, but they aren’t effective in generating content with human emotion, nuance, conviction, and experiences of a specific person/brand.

AI writing tools shouldn’t be seen as technology that will replace humans, but rather as a supplemental tool for writers. Ultimately, AI writing tools pose a variety of benefits and writers should 

leverage AI to produce better content in less time.

Popular AI Writing Tools and Technologies

If you’re new to the world of AI, or just want to learn more about the various writing tools and technologies in the market, this is a good place to start. AI is piquing the interest of not only our strategy and creative departments, but our clients and friends of VIA, and as we gain more experience using AI tools and technologies, we will update this blog.

 - Developed by OpenAI, the same company that created 

, the AI art generator, ChatGPT has gained a lot of hype in the last few months. With its language model, humans can ask questions and receive outputs, feed ChatGPT a prompt and have short and long-form copy in seconds, and more. Since ChatGPT is fairly new, it’s still developing, meaning there’s room for improvements. OpenAI’s website includes a section on ChatGPT limitations and states the following, 

“ChatGPT sometimes writes plausible-sounding but incorrect or nonsensical answers.”

Learn more about ChatGPT, GPT-4, OpenAI, and more

 - This generative AI platform allows people and businesses to create content in various forms, including but not limited to, social media copy and video script copy. Jasper’s website includes eight ways the tool can help its users unlock their creative potential 

 - This AI platform is another popular tool used to generate content. Writer leans into its capabilities to learn a brand, including voice, style guide, and more, to generate content. Explore more about the product 

I’ve attended two conferences/events since October 2022 that co-founder and CEO of Writer, May Habib, has been a guest speaker. I’ve been able to learn about Writer, its capabilities, and how to most effectively use the tool.

Though AI tools and technologies are generating mixed opinions, reviews, and even uses, the reality is that AI technologies will continue to grow and be used in society.

It’s important to know how your industry will be affected by AI, and how you can use AI as an opportunity to reach your business goals, save money, and be more efficient in your approach.

 and how our strategy and design departments can help you reach your content strategy, copywriting, and branding goals. 

 AI Writing: Pros, Cons, Insights, and Powerful Tools

Web Design

Custom Dev

Frontend Development

User Experience

Ecommerce

Stave & Thief Society

Photography

Art Direction

Mr. Boston

Content strategy is the delicate art of deciding what to say, when to say it and where to say it. Contemporary audiences interact with your brand on many different platforms at different points in their journey to becoming a customer. Through our user-focused content processes, we can help you make informed decisions on what to say, when to say it and where to say it.

Content Strategy

Content Strategy: Case Studies

01

Stave & Thief Society

02

Mr. Boston

Content Strategy: Blog Posts

11 Tips to Build an Impactful Social Media Strategy for Any Business

AI Writing: Pros, Cons, Insights, and Powerful Tools