Why social media without a strategy is like icing a cake before you've baked it.
Social media without a strategy is a bit like icing a cake before you've baked it. You can spend hours making it look beautiful, but without solid foundations it's probably going to collapse – and no one wants to eat it.
The same applies to social media. You can spend time creating beautiful graphics, filming and editing reels, writing captions and posting every day. But if you don't know what you want your audience to think, feel or do after seeing your content – or, most importantly, why they should care – you're unlikely to achieve the results you're hoping for.
Organisations often think:
"We need to do more on social media."
With reasons including:
"Our engagement is low."
"We're not posting enough."
"We need to be on TikTok."
When the main reason should be:
"We're not clear what story we're trying to tell."
That's usually the real problem.
Social media isn't your strategy
Posting on social media isn't a strategy – it's one of the ways your strategy comes to life.
It's relatively quick, it's free, and it's easy to jump straight into tactics like:
Posting more often
Being on every social media platform
Growing your followers
Creating more video content
Jumping on the latest trends
There's nothing wrong with any of these things. But before you think about how you're communicating, spend some time thinking about what you're communicating.
What do you want people to understand about your organisation?
What impression do you want them to leave with?
And why should they care?
You don't need a 50-page brand strategy to answer those questions.
But you do need a clear understanding of who you are, what you stand for and the story you're trying to tell.
Without that, your content risks disappearing into a social media landfill – another post that looks nice but doesn't leave a lasting impression.
Think of every post as evidence
Before you create any content, identify three to five key messages about your organisation.
For example:
We've been part of our community for over 100 years.
We're a warm and welcoming space.
We're passionate about widening participation.
Our team are knowledgeable, approachable and genuinely care about what they do.
Your social posts don't need to repeat these messages word for word.
Instead, every post should act as evidence that they're true.
Show, don't tell
One of the oldest principles in storytelling is simple:
Show people what you want them to believe, rather than telling them.
If one of your key messages is that you've been part of your community for over 100 years, don't simply write "We've been serving our community for over 100 years." Show it through your content.
You could share archive photographs alongside the present dayl, tell the story of how your organisation has evolved or interview someone who's been involved for decades. Give people something tangible that brings your history to life.
If you want audiences to see your team as friendly and knowledgeable, don't just tell them they are.
Show them through a short, unscripted video talking about a favourite object, an exhibition they're excited about or a behind-the-scenes moment that reveals their personality and passion.
If widening participation is one of your values, don't simply say everyone is welcome.
Show first-time visitors enjoying your space. Share stories from community partners. Celebrate the people who make your organisation what it is.
People are far more likely to believe what they can see than what they're told. The best communications don't tell people what to think, they give people the evidence to reach that conclusion themselves.
Before you post, think about your audience
One of the simplest questions you can ask is:
Who is this actually for?
Not every post needs to speak to everyone. A family looking for something to do this weekend needs different information from a potential funder, someone visiting your organisation for the first time may need reassurance that they'll feel welcome, or a loyal supporter may be looking for a deeper story about your work.
The more clearly you understand who you're talking to, the easier it becomes to create content they'll actually engage with.
Your tone of voice matters too
Imagine your organisation was a person.
How would they sound?
Maybe they're:
Down to earth
Compassionate
Curious
Well-informed
Proudly local
Warm and welcoming
Whatever your personality is, the important thing is consistency. Whether someone reads your website, opens your newsletter, picks up a leaflet or sees an Instagram Reel, they should come away with the same impression of your organisation.
A consistent tone of voice builds familiarity, and familiarity builds trust.
Before you hit publish...
Ask yourself:
Who are we trying to reach?
What do we know about them?
Is this content genuinely relevant to them?
What do we want them to think, feel or do after seeing it?
Does the customer journey make sense if they click through?
What makes this content different from everything else they're scrolling past?
Sometimes the answers might lead you to change the platform you're using altogether.
For example, if you're trying to engage younger audiences, an in-feed Facebook post is unlikely to be the most effective approach. The platform should support your strategy—not determine it.
A quick word about AI
AI can be a brilliant place to start. We've all experienced staring at a blank screen wondering how on earth to begin writing a post and AI can help generate ideas, suggest structures or help you overcome that initial hurdle.
But it shouldn't replace your own voice.
It doesn't know your organisation, your audiences or the stories that make your work unique. Use AI to help you think—not to do your thinking for you.
Finally, test, learn and adapt
One of the biggest advantages of digital communications is that you don't have to guess what's working, you just need to pay attention to your analytics.
If people are only watching the first ten seconds of a one-minute Reel, experiment with making it shorter. If Stories consistently outperform in-feed posts, ask yourself why. If certain topics always spark conversation, create more of them.
Social media platforms are constantly evolving, and your approach should too. The important thing isn't finding the perfect formula. It's being curious enough to keep learning.
So, before your next post goes live...
Ask yourself:
Who are we trying to reach?
What do we want them to think, feel or do?
What does this post tell people about our organisation?
Are we showing people what makes us different, or simply telling them?
Why should anyone care?
Because social media isn't your strategy. It's simply one of the ways your audience experiences it.
And, just like a cake, the icing might be the first thing people notice, but it's the sponge underneath that determines whether anyone comes back for more.
