• Get a feel for platforms first and how your content is performing
• Consider a brand awareness campaign first to help build your followers
• Consider working with a brand ambassador or a nano- or micro influencers (2k-50k followers) who will be more affordable and/or may be willing to work for merchandise 

• BE consistent when posting from week to week 

• Plan and schedule posts - Stick to your schedule but experiment 

• Check out what's working for your competitors

• Learn best practices for content creation 

• Plan a mix of content - The Rule of Thirds: 1/3 Promotional, 1/3 Engaging, 1/3 Educational & Informative OR 80/20 Rule - 20% Promotional and 80% edutainment and inspiration

• Create a content calendar 

• Stay current with platform stats and demographics

• Choose platform demographics that align with your customers' demographics

• Optimize Your About/Bio on each platform

• Audit your own social media channels 

• Analyze and audit your competitor's social channels

• For new brands and start ups, know it's okay to start with one or two channels

• Be sure to look at lesser-known/smaller platforms too as listed in The Influencer Hub post below. Smaller emerging platforms are messaging apps and niche communities

• Stay on top of trends and shifts in best practices

Key Stats to Know:

• Most popular platforms - Facebook & YouTube

• Why people use social media 

• Which channels are your target audiences, customers or donors using

  
  

Strategic social media communication means going beyond simply posting or sharing content—it involves planning, targeting, and measuring efforts to ensure that social media activities support broader business or communication goals.

The global total increasing by 4.8 percent over the past year, thanks to the addition of 259 million new identities.