Launch social channels that build your brand

Purpose: Figure out which social platforms your target customers actually use before you spend time and resources setting things up.

Platform Selection Criteria

• B2B companies: LinkedIn, X/Twitter for thought leadership
• B2C retail/lifestyle: Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest
• Local services: Facebook, Google Business Profile
• Tech/developer audience: X/Twitter, Reddit, YouTube

Research Actions

1. Survey existing customers about their social media habits
2. Analyze where competitors are most active and getting traction
3. Check industry benchmarks for platform engagement rates
4. Start with 2-3 platforms maximum - quality beats quantity

Tip: Spreading too thin across many platforms dilutes your impact. Focus where your audience actually spends time.

Purpose: Create professional, consistent, and secure social media accounts that represent your brand well from day one.

Account Setup Checklist

• Profile photo: Use your logo or brand mark (square format, minimum 400x400px)
• Cover/banner image: Keep it consistent across platforms and highlight your value proposition
• Bio/About: A clear description of what you do and who you help
• Website link: Link to your main site or a dedicated landing page
• Contact info: Business email or a contact form link

Security Requirements

1. Use a password manager for all social credentials
2. Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) on every account
3. Create a shared document listing all accounts and access levels
4. Set up backup admin accounts in case primary access is lost
5. Review connected apps quarterly and remove unused integrations

Warning: Don't share login credentials via email or chat. Use your password manager's sharing features instead.

Purpose: Build a sustainable content plan that keeps your social presence active and engaging without burning out your team.

Content Mix Framework

Follow the 70-20-10 rule:

• 70% Value content: Educational, helpful, entertaining - things your audience actually wants
• 20% Shared content: Industry news, partner content, user-generated content
• 10% Promotional: Direct product/service promotion, offers, CTAs

Content Calendar Setup

1. Pick a scheduling tool (Buffer, Hootsuite, Later, or native platform schedulers)
2. Set a realistic posting frequency you can actually maintain - consistency beats frequency
3. Plan content themes for each day or week
4. Build a content bank of evergreen posts you can reuse
5. Schedule posts at least one week in advance

Platform-Specific Tips

• LinkedIn: 2-5 posts/week, business hours
• Instagram: 3-7 posts/week, plus daily stories
• X/Twitter: 1-5 posts/day, real-time engagement matters
• Facebook: 3-5 posts/week, video performs well

Purpose: Define clear ownership so nothing falls through the cracks and response times stay fast.

Key Social Media Roles

Response Time Standards

• Comments: Within 4 hours during business hours
• Direct messages: Within 2 hours during business hours
• Customer complaints: Within 1 hour, escalate immediately if it's serious
• Crisis situations: Immediate response, coordinate with leadership

Important: Document who has access to each account and set a backup person for each role to cover vacations and absences.

Purpose: Set up metrics tracking and a regular review cadence so you can keep improving your social media performance over time.

Key Metrics to Track

• Reach: How many people see your content
• Engagement rate: Likes, comments, shares divided by reach
• Click-through rate: Clicks to your website from social
• Follower growth: Net new followers per month
• Response time: Average time to respond to messages/comments
• Conversions: Leads or sales attributed to social (use UTM parameters)

Monthly Review Process

1. Export analytics from each platform
2. Compare to the previous month and the same month last year
3. Identify top-performing content - what worked and why
4. Identify underperforming content - what to stop or improve
5. Update content strategy based on what you learn
6. Set goals for the next month

Tools for Analytics

• Native platform analytics (free)
• Google Analytics (website traffic from social)
• Sprout Social, Hootsuite, or Buffer (consolidated reporting)

Purpose: Create a reference document that keeps your brand representation consistent across all social platforms.

Brand Voice Guidelines

• Tone: Professional but approachable? Casual and fun? Educational?
• Personality traits: 3-5 adjectives that describe your brand voice
• Words to use: Industry terms, power words, brand-specific language
• Words to avoid: Competitor names, controversial topics, dated slang

Visual Guidelines

• Logo usage rules and minimum sizes
• Brand colors with hex codes
• Approved fonts for graphics
• Image style preferences
• Template files for common posts

Purpose: Get your team ready to handle negative situations before they turn into PR disasters.

Crisis Types to Plan For

• Customer complaints: Public criticism of products or service
• Employee issues: Posts by employees that reflect poorly on the company
• Security breaches: Hacked accounts or data exposure
• PR disasters: Viral negative content, cancel culture, boycotts
• Misinformation: False claims spreading about your company

Crisis Response Protocol

1. Pause scheduled posts - Stop automated content immediately
2. Assess the situation - Is it a real crisis or an isolated complaint?
3. Escalate appropriately - Who needs to know? Legal, PR, executives?
4. Draft a response - Get approval before posting anything
5. Monitor the conversation - Track sentiment and adjust your response
6. Document and learn - Do a post-crisis review to improve

Emergency Contacts

Document phone numbers (not just emails) for: CEO/Leadership, Legal counsel, PR/Communications lead, IT security, and an external PR agency if you have one.

Purpose: Get leadership sign-off on the complete social media strategy before you launch.

Review Checklist

• Platform selection aligns with business goals
• Content strategy reflects brand values
• Roles and responsibilities are clear
• Budget allocation is approved (tools, ads, content creation)
• Crisis procedures are documented
• Success metrics are defined

Approve if the strategy is ready to go.

Reject with specific feedback if changes are needed.

Purpose: Start posting and build your social presence with a strong first week.

Launch Week Checklist

1. Publish your first 3-5 posts on each platform
2. Respond to any comments or engagement within your response time standards
3. Monitor for any issues or negative feedback
4. Test all links in posts to make sure they work
5. Verify analytics tracking is working

First Week Goals

• Establish a posting rhythm
• Test what content resonates
• Build initial engagement
• Identify any process gaps

Tip: Pay extra attention during launch week. Early engagement signals help algorithms show your content to more people.

Purpose: Review your first month of social media activity and make data-driven adjustments.

30-Day Review Questions

• Which content types got the most engagement?
• What time of day performs best for each platform?
• Are you hitting your posting frequency targets?
• What questions or topics keep coming up in comments?
• Have you had any issues or crises to learn from?
• Is the workload sustainable for the team?

Metrics to Document

• Follower count (baseline and growth)
• Average engagement rate per post
• Click-through rate to website
• Response time average
• Top 3 performing posts (save as templates)
• Bottom 3 performing posts (identify why they underperformed)

Actions to Take

1. Update your content calendar based on what you learned
2. Refine the posting schedule based on engagement data
3. Document any process improvements needed
4. Share key wins with stakeholders