If you’re used to creating strategies in-house or for yourself, you’ll find creating a social media strategy for your client (or clients) an entirely different challenge. Here's everything you need to watch out for to help make things a success!
If you’re used to creating social media success strategies in-house or for yourself, you’ll find creating a social media roadmap for someone else a new challenge. You have to become familiar with their target audience, business objectives and sometimes entirely new kinds of content. On top of that, it’s your job to deliver results. That means hitting clear targets like a follower count, better engagement, or higher website traffic. But it also means helping the client feel more confident and saving them time. Luckily, all strategies you create for a client will follow the same principles:
- Addressing the client's challenges (weak reach, stalled follower growth, low community engagement)
- Making their goals seem inevitable (e.g. “Here’s how we’ll hit 10K followers in six months,” or "This content plan will outperform competitors steady")
- Demonstrating why you’re the right social media marketing to bring it all together
To hit these three key metrics and to make sure you have the best chance of getting hired for project after project, here’s how you can create a winning social media strategy for your client.
Steps for creating a winning client social media strategy
Here are the key components of any social media strategy:
- Client interview and goal defining
- Research and analysis
- Choose the client’s social media platforms and content formats
- Create KPIs and set goals
- Define the client’s content pillars
- Create a solid posting schedule
- Workflows, collaboration, and sign-off process
- Customer service and crisis management
Client interview and goal defining
Good strategies begin with understanding what the client truly needs. That means asking questions like:
- What are your marketing goals in the next month, quarter, year?
- How do you want your social media presence to fit into your bigger marketing plan?
- Where do you feel stuck in your existing strategy: what’s working, what’s not?
- What kind of content suits your brand? Influencer marketing, short-form video like Reels, or more traditional channels?
- Who is your target audience? What are their typical demographics?
- Who are your competitors, and what other brands do you admire?
It also means interviewing team members like the marketing lead, social media manager, or even sales and support so you can get multiple perspectives. Often, insights emerge when you connect one department’s observations with another’s challenges.
These interviews will help you define business objectives and social media goals that are not only realistic, but also integrated with the client’s broader KPIs - like website traffic, lead generation, click-through conversions, or brand awareness.
You’re not always going to get all these people on a call or in a meeting. What’s important is that you get the best possible understanding of what needs to happen from a range of viewpoints. Even better, by acting as the central point of connection between teams, you’ll often uncover insights that others hadn’t considered. And that kind of insight makes you invaluable.
Research and analysis
Research is the foundation of any great social media strategy. Having data to back up your recommendations adds a layer of legitimacy to your plan and makes it more certain that the client will reach their goals. It’s also a good idea to perform an audit on the client’s existing social media accounts before developing your digital marketing strategy. This will give you an idea of their strengths and weaknesses, and how their existing content performs across different platforms. You can apply the findings from your audit to pinpoint the best ways to optimize the client’s results.
Your research and analysis should cover three areas: Audience discovery, Competitive analysis and Industry standards.
Audience discovery
First and foremost, you need to know who your client’s customers are. What are their interests and behaviors? When are they most active on social platforms? The client can’t reach their audience if they don’t know where they are. Ultimately, knowing the makeup of your client’s community will directly inform your content strategy: what kind of content to post, when to post it, and which formats (whether it’s short-form video, carousels, or static images) resonate most. Social listening is also a powerful tool for identifying gaps, such as under-served segments or inactive time slots, that your client could capitalize on.
It’s important to regularly check the client’s social media analytics to see which channels most of their engagement is happening and when. Sked Social uses data-driven and statistics-backed analytics for Instagram. Find the best time to post, analyze your post and story performance, compare your activity against your competitors, and more with our free 7 day trial. You can also use built-in platform insights to learn more about your client’s audience. On Instagram for example, if your client has a business account, you can go into Insights at the top of the page and see a breakdown of their audience’s age ranges, locations, and the days of the week and times of day that they are most active. This should then inform your posting schedule, content ideas and a roadmap for social media success that you’ll set out for the client.
Competitor analysis
Next, you need to take a comprehensive look at your client’s competitors and what they’re doing on social media. A solid social media strategy should always be informed by what your client’s competitors are doing effectively and where they’re falling short. Performing a competitive analysis allows you to identify whitespace in the market and gain a clearer picture of what’s required to stand out. Start by identifying 3–5 key competitors within your client’s niche. These could be direct competitors or aspirational brands with a strong social media presence. Review their content across social platforms like Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, and Facebook.
Ask:
- What kind of engaging content are they posting?
- Are they using specific hashtags, video content, or influencers to boost reach?
- What’s their average engagement rate per post?
- How do they interact with followers in comments or DMs?
Pay attention to recurring pattern, like high-performing carousel posts or frequent use of user-generated content, and flag any gaps that your client could fill. For example, if competitors are active on Instagram but missing from TikTok, this could be a strategic opportunity for your client to tap into a different social media platform and expand their reach.
Industry standards
Looking at industry benchmarks is critical when defining realistic expectations for your client’s social media performance. These standards provide context for metrics like post frequency, engagement rates, and follower growth, helping you understand what success looks like in your client’s specific industry.
Start by researching how businesses in your client’s industry are leveraging social media marketing. What are the average post frequencies? Which platforms yield the most website traffic? What is considered a strong click-through or conversion rate?
Industry standard reports are an invaluable tool to help you understand how people are using social media. Dig into the data to identify which platforms different age groups are using. Compare this to your client’s target demographic to ensure they are putting their efforts into the right platforms. Take note of the average engagement rates per industry, key metrics like how many posts per day, and how many posts per week are the standard. You can also browse trending hashtags within the client’s niche to see who the notable accounts and influencers are. These are the people who you want to build brand awareness with to help get more eyes on the client’s brand. These insights will help guide brand partnerships, outreach efforts, or even the types of content to prioritize in your calendar.
Decide which social media channels your client should be on
It’s tempting to be everywhere. Before jumping into every channel, consider your client’s resources, team, what kinds of content they have and what their industry or niche is. It’s better to do a couple of platforms really well than to do a poor job at everything. Is your client new to social media? If so, start out with two to four major channels. These should be tailored to your client’s business and target market. For example, if they’re a clothing brand, they might have more success on Instagram or TikTok. If your client sells accounting software to other businesses, they might have better luck on LinkedIn. If your client already has an established social media presence and is looking to reach a new audience, refer to your audit to see which platforms they aren’t on yet. Cross-reference this with the data from your audience discovery and industry reports to see where else their audience might be active. These are prime opportunities for the client to break new ground and expand their social reach.
Also consider the formats and features each platform supports. Instagram excels at visuals and stories; you might try Threads or X for real-time updates; Pinterest drives evergreen traffic; TikTok is ideal for rapid growth through social media trends. Not every platform is suited for every small business, and ultimately your goal is to optimize your client’s social media presence across the platforms where their audience spends time and where their content can shine. Doing fewer things well will always outperform doing everything poorly.
Set SMART goals and create social media KPIs
Every strong social media strategy needs clearly defined goals, and specifically SMART ones: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timely. Setting clear goals also helps you keep track of what’s working. By using simple metrics and KPIs, you can see where things are going well and where the strategy needs improvement.
Each SMART goal should be matched with relevant Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)—the basic metrics that prove whether your efforts are working. For example:
- SMART Goal: Increase brand awareness by 25% month over month
KPIs: Reach, impressions, hashtag mentions, follower growth - SMART Goal: Boost website traffic by 50% over three months
KPIs: Link clicks, referral traffic from social platforms, bounce rate - SMART Goal: Improve conversion rate from Instagram posts by 15%
KPIs: Click-through rate (CTR), profile visits, completed actions - SMART Goal: Grow TikTok engagement by 30% in Q2
KPIs: Likes, comments, shares, average watch time
Your goals should showcase the value of social media. Each social media goal should connect back to the client’s business goals that you laid out in the beginning. Ultimately, the client is investing in social media to help grow their business, and each goal should align with that. Goal setting also helps you prove and improve the value of your social media work. If you can show the client that you’re hitting the targets you set for them, it’s likely they’ll see your value and continue working with you.
Additionally, clear goal setting helps you track progress using relevant metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs). This not only ensures accountability but also allows you to optimize the client’s strategy over time. When you can consistently connect social media content and campaigns to tangible results like increased website traffic, better engagement rates, or higher follower count, you’ll solidify your position as a valuable strategic partner. Clients want to see evidence that your efforts are helping them meet their marketing objectives, and your ability to deliver on that makes all the difference.
Define the brand’s content pillars and guidelines
Quick recap: Content pillars are the 3 to 5 key themes that all your client’s social media content should align with. These pillars should inform your client’s overall content strategy, guiding every post, caption, and campaign. Think of them as broad categories that help structure consistent, purposeful content creation across multiple social media platforms.
By defining clear content pillars, your client can clarify their niche, establish their brand voice, and build stronger audience engagement. When a brand is seen as an expert in a few focused areas, it becomes easier to grow credibility and connect with their target audience. For example, a fitness clothing brand might focus on body positivity, workouts, community stories, and sustainability, each one reinforcing their mission and messaging. These pillars also make it easier to brainstorm content ideas, organize a content calendar, and repurpose posts for different formats such as Instagram Stories, Reels, or LinkedIn posts.
To develop effective pillars, start with your audience discovery research and explore what problems or goals your client’s audience cares about. A hiking shoe brand, for instance, might focus on durability, materials, terrain recommendations, and user testimonials. Look at metrics and performance data from your client’s existing social media accounts to identify which types of content resonate best.
Finally, be sure to create clear content guidelines alongside your pillars. This includes tone of voice, design standards, preferred formats, and platform-specific sizes. Whether you're designing for TikTok, Instagram Stories, or LinkedIn, consistency is key. Encourage your client to use tools like Lightroom, VSCO, or Canva templates to maintain a polished aesthetic. The result? A well-structured, on-brand social media marketing approach that looks professional and performs with purpose.
Collaborate effortlessly, save time and spend less
Why settle for a lackluster social media management tool when you could be using Sked Social? With unlimited collaborator access, streamlined approvals and advanced auto-post technology that lets you schedule to all major platforms, Sked Social offers everything you need.
Get Started for FREECreate a posting schedule
A social media posting schedule is essential for making sure your client’s content reaches their target audience when they’re most active. Posting at optimal times not only improves visibility but also boosts the likelihood of higher engagement rates, better click-through, and increased brand awareness. Inconsistent or mistimed posting can lead to content being buried in algorithms, which can hurt performance across all social media platforms. Don’t forget to factor in automation tools like Sked Social that allow you to schedule posts in advance, so you can consistently publish content - even on weekends or holidays.
Here are some basic guidelines on the best times to post:
- The best times to post on Facebook are Wednesdays at 12pm and 2pm, and on Thursdays at 1pm and 2pm
- The best time to post on Twitter is between 9am and 10am on a Friday
- The best times to post on Instagram are Wednesdays at 3pm, Thursdays at 5am and 11am and between 3-4pm, and Fridays at 5am
- The best time to post on LinkedIn is between 3-5pm on a Wednesday
Along with optimal posting times, it’s also important to look at posting frequency. Here are some general recommendations by platform:
- Facebook - at least 3 times per week
- Twitter/X – 3 to 30 times a day (it sounds like a lot, but Tweets have a short lifespan, meaning it’s important to spread out your tweets throughout the day)
- TikTok – 3 times per day
- Pinterest – 3 to 30 pins per day
- Instagram – 1 to 3 times per day
- LinkedIn – at least 2 times per week
- YouTube – 1 time per week
With social media, consistency is key. Posting consistently is the best way to build your client’s following and establish authority within their niche. It also comes down to trust: people don’t want to purchase from a business they can’t reach or depend on. For instance, if you aren’t able to pin 30 times per day, scale it back to a number that’s realistic to maintain. It can help to plan and automate posts using a social media scheduling tool so that you can make sure your client is posting enough content and that posts are going out at optimal times of day. In addition to posting content, decide how much time per week you will spend engaging through the client’s account. Social media is all about social interactions. Businesses that focus on building their engagement create better reach and greater brand awareness, which makes it easier to attract new customers. Allocate about an hour a day to spend on social engagement. This includes liking and commenting on other accounts or relevant influencers’ content and following new accounts to build the client’s following.
Map out workflows and approval processes
Now that you’ve determined what kinds of content you’ll be posting for your client, how often, and when you’ll be posting, the next step is to map out the workflow that brings that content to life. A well-defined approval process will streamline your efforts, helping build trust with your client by keeping everything transparent and accountable.
Start by clarifying roles: who is responsible for content creation, who handles scheduling, and who signs off on the final social media posts? Miscommunication can quickly derail timelines, so documenting responsibilities is essential. One of the best ways to prevent bottlenecks is to streamline your workflow with visual content planning tools, collaboration, and content approvals platform like Sked Social, or a simple Excel spreadsheet, the goal is to give your client visibility and time to review upcoming content.
Set clear checkpoints for each stage of your content strategy, including when visuals are due, when captions are drafted, and when posts are slotted into the posting schedule. Specify timelines for revision rounds, feedback loops, and publishing deadlines. This structure ensures no detail gets missed and every post aligns with your client’s brand voice and marketing goals.
These checkpoints could include things like:
- When the client’s photo or video content for the month are due
- When the creation of your grid layout (on Instagram) or caption copywriting is due
- When the first round of revisions or client feedback is due
- When your revised posts are due
- When final versions of the posts will be scheduled
- When reporting and feedback will happen
Adding automation into your social media management process using a tool like Sked Social can take the stress out of the process. You can create a clear shared content calendar, and schedule approved posts in advance across multiple social media platforms, saving hours of manual work.
A strong workflow turns your strategy into action. With a documented plan and reliable systems in place, your client will feel confident, your content will stay consistent, and your results will speak for themselves.
Create a plan for customer service and crisis management
Social media in 2025 is about more than just curating engaging content. It’s one of the main ways that businesses can offer their customers support in the digital age, and plays a major role in the overall customer experience. In today’s digital landscape, platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook have become primary channels for customers to directly ask questions, share feedback, or raise complaints. Brands that respond quickly and thoughtfully often win long-term loyalty, while those that ignore or mishandle these moments risk losing support and customers.
Creating a strong customer service strategy should be a non-negotiable part of your client’s overall social media strategy. Start by outlining how the brand will respond to customer inquiries across different social media platforms. Define what types of questions can be answered directly via social, and when issues should be escalated to email or phone support. Setting expectations for response times (ideally within a1-2 hours during business hours) can make a huge difference in customer satisfaction.
Don’t overlook the importance of social listening either. Monitor brand mentions across all social media platforms to catch both positive and negative feedback, even when the account isn’t tagged. This proactive approach helps clients manage their brand awareness and gives them real-time insights into how their audience feels.
When it comes to crisis management, preparation is everything. Every client, no matter the size, should have a basic crisis communication plan in place. Whether it’s a product recall or an unexpected wave of negative reviews, having a plan makes it easier to respond quickly and professionally.
Customer service
When inquiries or complaints come in via the client’s social media inboxes, you need to have clear guidelines about who the point of contact is within the organization to answer them. That starts with identifying the point of contact: who from the client’s team is responsible for monitoring, responding to, and escalating messages? Are they trained in the brand’s tone and brand voice?
Timely responses are also critical to a successful social media marketing approach. Whether someone’s asking about delivery times, refund policies, or just giving a shout-out, these real-time interactions directly impact customer satisfaction and ultimately influence the engagement rate and conversion rate.
It also helps to set a standard of how quickly the customer should receive a response. If your client receives a high volume of customer inquiries, it can help to automate responses through chatbots or pre-saved replies on platforms like Facebook and Instagram to acknowledge their message and assure the customer that someone from the team will be with them shortly. This assures customers that they can reach you when they need to, making it more likely that they will purchase from you again in the future. Customers will remember which brands were easy to talk to, and those are the brands they recommend and return to.
Crisis management
When disaster strikes, you need to be prepared. As the global COVID-19 pandemic taught us, crises can emerge at any time and are beyond your control. It’s becoming ever more important to have a crisis response plan in place for social media, should you need it.
Start by identifying common scenarios that could arise for your client’s industry. What if a shipment delay triggers customer complaints? What if a post is misinterpreted? Each scenario should have a predefined response path, including who gets notified internally, how the situation is assessed, and what kind of messaging is appropriate for the public. This plan should align with the brand’s tone and content strategy so that any crisis communication still feels authentic.
This crisis communication plan can outline common concerns or issues that might arise and help you identify the correct person on the team to contact if things are getting out of control. This allows you to act quickly before the issue escalates. Here are some good rules of thumb to add to your crisis strategy:
- Report the incident to the client or the appropriate team member as soon as possible
- Pause all scheduled posts to avoid any awkward moments
- Engage with the complainant, but don’t argue or become defensive
- Learn from the experience and show your followers how you plan to move forward
How to get the client on board with your social media strategy
Now that you’ve created a killer client social media strategy, there’s one obstacle left to face: getting the client on board. If you have done a thorough job and used research and data to back up your strategy, this shouldn’t be overly difficult. Here are some quick tips to get the client excited about your strategy and win their approval:
- Invite your client to jump in on exciting trends and content opportunities as they arise
- Create a shared asset library of client-approved content
- Create a sample content calendar to show your strategy in action
- Set up a system to showcase value with scheduled reports
Landing a client is where the real work finally begins. As your agency grows and you’re juggling multiple social media accounts, staying organized becomes a make-or-break moment for your reputation.
That's where social media management platforms built for agency/client collaboration like Sked Social is essential. Start your free Sked Social trial today and get unlimited user seats, tools that keep everyone on the same page, and streamlined approval workflows that cut through client friction like butter, you can scale without the chaos.
If you’re ready to find out how Sked can help you deliver on those big promises and grow your agency, book a demo today!
