How to Create a Social Media Strategy For a Client in 7 Steps

Creating a social media strategy for a client is essential for agencies looking to deliver measurable success and prove their value.

Unlike crafting a strategy for your own business, working with clients requires deeper discovery, understanding their specific goals, and aligning your approach to their unique brand voice and audience.

In this guide, we'll explore the questions you must ask, the key components of an actionable strategy, and how to present it effectively.

Whether you’re working with a new client or an existing one, this step-by-step approach will help you create a tailored social media strategy that builds trust, delivers results, and sets your agency apart.

Table of Contents

• Step 1: Gather information - What to ask your client
• Step 2: Conduct an audit and research
• Step 3: Develop the strategy
• Step 4: Presenting the strategy to your client
• Step 5: Tailoring strategies for new vs. existing clients
• Step 6: Reporting and proving ROI
• Step 7: Incorporating 2025 trends for client success
• How can Sendible help you stand out

 

Step 1: Gather information – What to ask your client

Before writing an effective social media strategy, you must gather as much information as possible. Start with a discovery session to understand the client’s business, goals, and expectations. Here are the key questions to ask:

Client goals

1. What are your short-term and long-term goals for social media?
   • Are you focused on brand awareness, engagement, lead generation, or sales?
2. How do you measure success?
   • What KPIs (e.g., follower growth, engagement rate, click-throughs) are most important to you?

Target Audience

1. Who is your ideal customer or audience?
   • What are their demographics, interests, and social media habits?
2. Do you already have audience personas or data we can review?
   • If not, would you like us to help develop these personas?

Content Preferences

1. What types of content resonate most with your audience?
   • Videos, images, carousels, blogs, or live streams?
2. What platforms are most important to your business? Why?

Competitors and Differentiation

1. Who are your top competitors on social media?
   • What do you admire about their strategy, and what gaps can we leverage?
2. What makes your business different?
   • What is your unique selling point (USP), and how do you want to communicate it?

Current Performance

1. What social media strategies have you used in the past?
   • What worked well, and what didn’t meet expectations?
2. Do you have any existing analytics or reports we can review?

Step 2: Conduct an audit and research

Once you have answers to these questions, conduct a full social media audit to assess where the client currently stands. This involves:

• Platform analysis: Review their profiles for branding consistency, activity, and audience engagement.
• Content review: Identify which posts have performed well and why.
• Competitor benchmarking: Analyse competitors’ social presence to identify opportunities and trends.
• Audience insights: Use tools like Facebook Insights, Instagram Analytics, and Google Analytics to understand audience behaviour.

At this stage, you’re laying the groundwork for a data-driven strategy tailored to the client’s strengths and opportunities.

If you need help, you can always download our free templates for Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn audits from our Resources.

Step 3: Develop the strategy

Now that you have the necessary information, it’s time to create a comprehensive social media strategy. Here are the key components to include:

1. Goals and objectives

Outline the goals clearly, ensuring they align with the client’s broader business objectives. Make them SMART:

• Specific: “Increase Instagram follower count by 10% in three months.”
• Measurable: Use KPIs like engagement rate, reach, or conversion rate.
• Achievable: Ensure goals are realistic based on the client’s current performance.
• Relevant: Goals should solve the client’s core challenges.
• Time-bound: Attach a timeline for achieving these goals.

2. Target audience

Detail the client’s ideal audience, including:

• Demographics (age, gender, location).
• Interests and online behaviours.
• Platforms where they are most active.
• Pain points and how your client’s product/service solves them.

3. Platform selection

Choose the platforms where the client’s target audience is most active and where their goals can be achieved. For example:

• Instagram: For highly visual brands looking to engage millennials.
• LinkedIn: For B2B clients focused on thought leadership.
• TikTok: For reaching younger demographics with short-form videos.

4. Content plan

Outline what types of social media content will be created and shared, such as:

• Educational: Tutorials, FAQs, and how-to videos.
• Promotional: Product launches, offers, and CTAs for services.
• Engaging: Polls, quizzes, and user-generated content (UGC).
• Interactive: Live sessions, Q&As, or AR experiences.

5. Content calendar

Create a high-level content calendar that outlines the following:

• Posting frequency for each platform.
• Key campaign dates (e.g., product launches, holidays).
• Suggested captions, hashtags, and visuals.

Step 4: Presenting the strategy to your client

Keep your strategy clear, actionable, and visually engaging when presenting it. Follow these tips:

1. Use a structured deck: Use tools like Canva or Google Slides to create a polished presentation.
2. Highlight ROI potential: Focus on how the strategy aligns with their goals and what results they can expect.
3. Showcase your research: Include findings from the audit, audience insights, and competitor analysis.
4. Include examples: Share mockups or sample posts to give clients a clear idea of what to expect.
5. Focus on collaboration: Emphasize that the strategy is flexible and can evolve based on their feedback and data insights.

Step 5: Tailoring strategies for new vs. existing clients

New Clients

Working with new clients requires building trust and understanding their brand from the ground up. This phase is about gathering insights, identifying opportunities, and proving the value of your agency’s approach.

• Focus on discovery: Dive deep into the client’s business goals, target audience, and unique challenges. Conduct stakeholder interviews to uncover their expectations and uncover hidden opportunities.
• Thorough audit: Analyse their current social media presence (if any) and identify key gaps. Look at content performance, audience growth, branding consistency, and competitor activity.
• Start small: Propose smaller, testable campaigns to validate your approach and showcase early wins. Examples include:
  • A two-week engagement-focused Instagram campaign using polls, Q&As, and carousels.
  • A short video series on TikTok to build brand awareness with trending hashtags.
• Set clear expectations: Be transparent about timelines, deliverables, and benchmarks. New clients will value seeing steady progress before investing further.

Existing Clients

With existing clients, your focus shifts to optimising and innovating based on past successes and performance data. Here’s how you can refine strategies:

• Leverage Analytics: Use insights from previous campaigns to determine what has worked well and where improvements are needed. Highlight trends in audience behavior, engagement, and conversions.
• Introduce emerging trends: Keep your clients ahead of the curve by recommending innovations like:
  • AI tools for personalisation: Automate content optimization and tailor messaging to audience segments.
  • Social commerce: Integrate product tagging on Instagram and Facebook to drive sales directly.
  • Interactive content: Add polls, AR filters, and quizzes to boost engagement.
• Expand to new platforms or formats: Explore untapped opportunities:
  • If the client has succeeded on Instagram, test TikTok for short-form video content.
  • Introduce LinkedIn thought leadership if the client is in a professional industry.
• Set bigger goals: Build on past achievements by setting ambitious but achievable KPIs. For example:
  • Increase Instagram engagement by 20% based on proven content types.
  • Grow social commerce revenue by 15% through shoppable posts.
• Ongoing collaboration: Keep your client involved in strategy reviews. Present quarterly reports with actionable insights and ensure the strategy aligns with their evolving business goals.

Step 6: Reporting and proving ROI

Regular reporting is critical for demonstrating your agency’s value. Use the following methods:

1. Automated reports: Use Sendible to generate clear, visually appealing reports that track key KPIs.
2. Highlight wins: Focus on tangible results (e.g., increased engagement, leads generated).
3. Monthly reviews: Schedule reviews to discuss progress, align on goals, and plan next steps.

Step 7: Incorporating 2025 trends for client success

To stay ahead, integrate 2025 social media trends into your strategy:

1. AI for personalisation: Use AI tools to automate content creation, optimise posting times, and personalise messaging for different audience segments.
2. Short-form videos: Prioritise platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts for client campaigns.
3. Social commerce: Highlight shoppable posts and integrate product catalogues on Instagram and Facebook.
4. Interactive content: Boost engagement with polls, quizzes, and AR filters.
5. Sustainability messaging: Showcase how your client’s brand contributes to social and environmental causes.

How can Sendible help you stand out

Creating a social media strategy for a client requires thorough research, clear communication, and a structured presentation. Agencies can craft strategies that deliver results and build long-term relationships by asking the right questions, understanding your client’s goals, and focusing on measurable outcomes.

Incorporating the latest trends, tools like Sendible, and proven best practices will ensure your strategies are effective and future-proof. Whether pitching to a new client or optimising for an existing one, this guide equips your agency with everything needed to succeed.