---
trigger: model_decision
description: "Build a social media strategy for a brand, product, or creator. Use when asked to create a social media strategy, define a social content strategy, plan content pillars, set social KPIs, or build a posting framework. Produces a complete strategy with audience definition, platform selection, content pillars, posting cadence, KPIs, and a 4-week starter calendar."
---

# Social Media Strategy Skill

This skill produces a complete social media strategy covering audience definition, platform rationale, content pillars, posting cadence, tone of voice guidelines, measurement framework, and a 4-week starter content calendar. Output is ready for a marketing team, founder, or agency to execute immediately.

## Required Inputs

Ask the user for these if not provided:
- **Brand / product / creator name**
- **What you're promoting** — product, service, personal brand, community, or event
- **Target audience** — who are you trying to reach? (job title, age, interests, platforms they use)
- **Business goal** — what does social need to achieve? (brand awareness / lead generation / community building / sales / recruitment)
- **Current social presence** — which platforms are you on? What's working, what isn't?
- **Competitors or aspirational accounts** — who does social well in your space?
- **Resources** — how many people and how much time per week can you dedicate to social?

## Output Structure

---

# Social Media Strategy: [Brand / Product / Creator]

**Goal:** [Primary business goal]
**Audience:** [1-sentence description of primary audience]
**Timeframe:** [e.g. Q3 2026 — 3-month strategy]
**Owner:** [Marketing lead / founder / social team]
**Date:** [Date]

---

## 1. Audience Profile

**Primary audience:**

| Dimension | Detail |
|---|---|
| **Who they are** | [Job title, age range, life stage, geography] |
| **What they care about** | [Professional or personal priorities, pain points] |
| **Where they spend time online** | [Platforms, communities, influencers they follow] |
| **What they consume** | [Content formats they engage with — video, threads, newsletters, podcasts] |
| **What would make them follow you** | [The specific value proposition of your social presence] |

**Secondary audience:** [Any secondary segment — e.g. job seekers if you're a brand, investors if you're a startup]

---

## 2. Platform Strategy

Not every platform is right for every brand. Justify each platform choice:

| Platform | Audience fit | Content format | Priority | Why (or why not) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| **LinkedIn** | [B2B / professional] | [Text posts, carousels, articles] | [Primary / Secondary / Skip] | [e.g. Primary platform for B2B SaaS — where buyers and influencers are] |
| **X / Twitter** | [Tech, media, founders] | [Short text, threads, replies] | [...] | [...] |
| **Instagram** | [Consumer, visual brands, creators] | [Reels, Stories, carousels] | [...] | [...] |
| **TikTok** | [B2C, Gen Z, consumer] | [Short-form video] | [...] | [...] |
| **YouTube** | [All audiences — discovery + long-form] | [Long-form video, Shorts] | [...] | [...] |
| **Threads** | [Text-first, creator, early adopter] | [Short text, conversations] | [...] | [...] |

**Lead platform:** [One platform to invest most heavily in — where your audience is most active and where you have the best chance to stand out]

**Supporting platforms:** [1–2 secondary platforms where you'll repurpose or adapt content]

---

## 3. Content Pillars

Define 3–5 content themes that anchor your social presence. Each pillar must serve the audience, not just the brand.

### Pillar 1: [Name — e.g. "Behind the build"]

**What it is:** [1-sentence description]
**Why the audience cares:** [What value does this deliver to them?]
**Content examples:**
- [e.g. Engineering decisions we made and why]
- [e.g. Week-in-the-life of the founding team]
- [e.g. What we shipped this week and what we learned]

**Format mix:** [Carousel / video / thread / short-form text]
**Posting cadence:** [X times per week]

---

### Pillar 2: [Name — e.g. "Practical education"]

**What it is:** [...]
**Why the audience cares:** [...]
**Content examples:**
- [...]
- [...]

**Format mix:** [...]
**Posting cadence:** [...]

---

### Pillar 3: [Name — e.g. "Social proof and community"]

**What it is:** [Customer stories, testimonials, user-generated content, community spotlights]
**Why the audience cares:** [Validation from peers carries more weight than brand claims]
**Content examples:**
- [Customer outcome stories — 1 metric + 1 quote format]
- [Repost community member wins]
- [Case study carousels]

**Format mix:** [...]
**Posting cadence:** [...]

---

### Pillar 4: [Name — e.g. "Point of view"]

**What it is:** [Opinions on industry trends, hot takes, commentary on news in your space]
**Why the audience cares:** [People follow accounts that say something, not just share information]
**Content examples:**
- [Contrarian takes on common advice]
- [Reaction to industry news — what it means for your audience]
- [Founder's personal perspective on a topic]

**Format mix:** [...]
**Posting cadence:** [...]

---

## 4. Tone of Voice

Define how your brand sounds on social — before you write a single post:

| Dimension | [Your brand] sounds like... | [Your brand] does NOT sound like... |
|---|---|---|
| **Formality** | [e.g. Conversational, plain English] | [Corporate speak, jargon] |
| **Energy** | [e.g. Curious, enthusiastic] | [Aggressive, hypey] |
| **Personality** | [e.g. Smart friend who happens to be an expert] | [Faceless institution] |
| **Humour** | [e.g. Dry wit, occasional] | [Try-hard memes, sarcasm] |
| **Self-promotion** | [e.g. Earns the right to mention the product] | [Every post is an ad] |

**Reference accounts that nail the tone you're aiming for:** [Name 2–3 accounts — and why]

---

## 5. Posting Cadence & Workflow

| Platform | Posts per week | Best days | Best times | Format split |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [LinkedIn] | [3–5] | [Tue–Thu] | [07:30–09:00 or 12:00–13:00] | [60% educational, 30% POV, 10% product] |
| [X / Twitter] | [5–7] | [Any] | [Morning and lunchtime] | [50% replies/engagement, 30% original, 20% reposts] |
| [Instagram] | [3–4] | [Mon, Wed, Fri] | [18:00–20:00] | [50% Reels, 30% carousels, 20% Stories] |

**Content production workflow:**

| Day | Activity | Owner | Time required |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Plan the week's content — review pillars, select topics | [Social manager] | 30 min |
| Tuesday | Write long-form posts for LinkedIn and threads | [Writer / founder] | 60 min |
| Wednesday | Design carousels or graphics | [Designer / Canva] | 45 min |
| Thursday | Schedule the week's content in [Buffer / Hootsuite / Later] | [Social manager] | 20 min |
| Daily | Engage with comments, reply to mentions, interact with community | [Social manager] | 15 min |

---

## 6. Growth Tactics

Beyond posting, how will you grow your following and reach?

| Tactic | Description | Platform | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| **Engage before you post** | Spend 15 min commenting on posts from target accounts before posting your own | All | Daily |
| **Collaboration posts** | Co-create content with a complementary brand or creator | LinkedIn / IG | Monthly |
| **Community participation** | Answer questions in relevant groups, subreddits, or Discord servers | LinkedIn / Reddit / Discord | Weekly |
| **Tag relevant accounts** | When mentioning companies, tools, or people — tag them (earns reshares) | All | As relevant |
| **Cross-promote** | Mention your social in newsletters, emails, events, and podcast appearances | All | Ongoing |
| **Use trending formats early** | When a new format (e.g. LinkedIn carousels, IG Reels) emerges, adopt early | Platform-specific | When relevant |

---

## 7. Measurement Framework

**Primary KPIs (tied to business goal):**

| KPI | Platform | Current baseline | Target (90 days) | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Follower growth rate] | [LinkedIn] | [X%/month] | [≥ Y%/month] | [Audience reach] |
| [Engagement rate] | [LinkedIn] | [X%] | [≥ Y%] | [Content resonance] |
| [Link clicks / traffic from social] | [All] | [X visits/month] | [≥ Y visits/month] | [Direct business impact] |
| [Inbound leads attributed to social] | [LinkedIn] | [X/month] | [≥ Y/month] | [Revenue impact] |

**Secondary metrics (health indicators):**
- Reach per post
- Saves and shares (not just likes)
- Comment sentiment and quality
- DMs initiated from content

**Reporting cadence:** [Weekly check on engagement / Monthly review of follower and traffic / Quarterly strategy review]

---

## 8. 4-Week Starter Content Calendar

A concrete first month of content — ready to adapt and post:

| Week | Day | Platform | Pillar | Format | Topic idea |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mon | LinkedIn | Education | Carousel | [e.g. "5 things we wished we knew before building [X]"] |
| 1 | Wed | LinkedIn | Behind the build | Text post | [e.g. "We almost gave up in month 3. Here's what changed."] |
| 1 | Fri | Instagram | Social proof | Reel | [e.g. Customer story — problem → solution → result] |
| 2 | Tue | LinkedIn | POV | Thread | [e.g. "Hot take: [common advice in your space] is wrong. Here's why."] |
| 2 | Thu | X/Twitter | Education | Thread | [e.g. "The [X] framework we use every week — and how you can steal it"] |
| 2 | Sat | Instagram | Behind the build | Story | [e.g. "Week 2 update — what we shipped and one thing that didn't go to plan"] |
| 3 | Mon | LinkedIn | Education | Carousel | [e.g. "How to [achieve outcome] in [timeframe] — step by step"] |
| 3 | Wed | LinkedIn | Community | Text post | [e.g. Reshare a customer win with commentary] |
| 3 | Fri | Instagram | POV | Reel | [e.g. "[Industry myth] — why we disagree and what we do instead"] |
| 4 | Tue | LinkedIn | Behind the build | Video | [e.g. Founder talking to camera — "One thing I learned building [X] this month"] |
| 4 | Thu | X/Twitter | POV | Thread | [e.g. "[Trend in your space] — here's what's actually happening"] |
| 4 | Sat | All | Milestone | Text + image | [e.g. "[X followers / X users / X months] — thank you + what's next"] |

---

## Quality Checks

- [ ] Every content pillar delivers value to the audience — not just the brand
- [ ] Platform selection is justified by where the target audience actually spends time
- [ ] Tone of voice examples are specific enough to use as a writing guide
- [ ] KPIs are tied to the business goal, not just vanity metrics (likes, followers in isolation)
- [ ] Posting cadence is realistic for the available resources — sustainable beats ambitious
- [ ] The 4-week calendar has specific topic ideas, not just "write an educational post"

## Example Trigger Phrases

- "Build a social media strategy for [brand/product]"
- "Create a LinkedIn content strategy for our B2B SaaS"
- "Help me define content pillars and posting cadence for our startup"
- "Design a 90-day social media plan for [company]"
- "What should our social media strategy be for a product launch?"

## Anti-Patterns

- [ ] Do not recommend every platform — justify each choice with where the target audience actually spends time
- [ ] Do not define content pillars that serve only the brand — each pillar must deliver specific value to the audience or it will not earn attention
- [ ] Do not set a posting cadence that exceeds the team's realistic capacity — an unsustainable strategy fails faster than a modest one
- [ ] Do not use vanity metrics (likes, followers in isolation) as primary KPIs — tie KPIs to the stated business goal
- [ ] Do not skip the tone of voice section — without it, multiple contributors produce inconsistent content that erodes brand identity
