⚫️🟡 9-Step Social Media Growth Plan

Today, I want to talk about the nine-step process we used to grow a struggling SAAS platform from 561 to 60,000 REAL followers in 12 months without a dollar in ad spend.

Here’s the exact process we used(that any brand can copy):

1. Stopped talking about the brand

Brands love to talk about themself. That’s a problem. So, we shifted the message from “look how great we are” to making customer-centric content. This meant positioning the brand as a helpful guide, not the hero of the story. The customer is the hero.

2. Interviewed customers to see why they bought

Interviewing current and past customers is the easiest (and most truthful) way to find out a company’s value proposition and shortcomings. Once we had these, we could (i) lean into the strengths and (ii) address issues head-on.

3. Mined upcoming conferences + Google trends for ideas

Next, we mined all of the upcoming industry events for the calendar year to see if there were any trends in topics. Conferences give you a great snapshot into what your industry will be talking about in 6-12 months time. From there we cross-referenced the topics with Google Trends to see if we could find any spiking interests the brand could create content about.

4. Implemented a social system

Most brands have an SMM, and a scheduling tool but no system. We implemented our Social System 1.0 to ensure the brand was creating consistently. Comment below saying “system” if you want me to send it to you. If you’re without an SMM, we put together the SMM hiring guide for you.

5. Defined content pillars

Content pillars give everyone on the team a clear picture of what the brand will/will not talk about. For this client, we implemented four clear pillars.

6. Aligned all visual assets

If your brand is all over the place with its visual identity, it’s time to reign it in. Creating professional guidelines for your brand can actually empower your design team (not hold them back).

7. Analyzed numbers KPIs weekly

Waiting to analyze social performance every quarter is too long. Instead, implement a weekly review. This lets you spot trends quickly.

8. Took calculated moonshots

Every brand should take a calculated moonshot on social media every ~90 days. This can be anything from interviewing a thought leader to publicity stunts.

9. Reported wins + losses to the CMO monthly

Knowledge is power, especially for CMOs. Equipping the CMO with the information they can give the other executives empowers them and extends your creative runway.

I can’t guarantee success on social media, but I know if you follow this framework, you’ll give your brand a fighting chance.

P.S. If you want to connect on social media, where I share tips throughout the week, follow me on X (Twitter) or Linkedin.