March 30, 2022

What’s Involved in an Intensive Strategy Session?

Social media strategy guides how, where, and why you spend your resources online. Having a smart, well-developed strategy is key to ensuring your online presence is effective and optimized, to make the best use of your budget in terms of time, energy, and money. But developing your strategy can be a challenge, especially if you’re focused on running your business or managing other aspects of your brand.

Simply put, an Intensive Strategy Session from McLernon & Co.  is the best place to get started if you’re looking for guidance for how to best spend your time, energy, and money online.

In this two-hour deep dive, you’ll connect with a McLernon & Co. strategist to analyze your brand and accounts, brainstorm ideas, and make a clear, actionable plan for your social media marketing. 

After the session, you’ll receive a document recapping all key takeaways and next steps we covered together, so you have clear direction and action steps to take your approach to social media to the next level!

An Intensive Strategy Session could be helpful for you and your brand if:

  • You know social media is an important part of your marketing strategy, but you’re not sure how to optimize it.

  • You need some guidance prioritizing where to spend your time on social media.

  • You’d like help understanding specific platform(s).

  • You’re launching a new product, service, event, or line of business, and want to brainstorm some ideas to give it a lift on social media.

  • You want someone to audit your social media presence, so you can optimize your channels.

  • You could use some fresh energy and inspiration in your approach to social media.

Our topics of discussion are different for every business, because we make sure our session covers what you need. But some things we often discuss in these sessions with clients include:

Developing social media strategies, skills, and tactics.

Whether you’re a social media novice or a TikTok addict, we can help you understand how to use the various social media tools and platforms in the most effective way for your business. From logistical 101s (how to create and publish an Instagram Story) to strategic guidance (creating content aligned with current trends), we can help you understand how to effectively use your social media presence and skills to connect with your audience.

Evaluating branding and messaging.

Does your current brand and messaging appeal to your target audience? Do you have a clear understanding of your brand’s messaging and relevant content topics? Does your brand have a dialed voice, style, and tone that unifies your content across channels? Strong branding makes for strong social content, and we can help you identify how to present your brand online.

Integrating social media with comprehensive digital marketing efforts.

Social media shouldn’t operate in a silo! In an Intensive Strategy Session, we can review your other digital marketing efforts (blog and content strategy, email marketing, etc.) and determine how to best integrate those efforts into your social media strategy so your message is cohesive across channels, and to ensure you’re getting the most out of every piece of content you create.

Identifying your business goals and translating them to measurable social goals.

If your brand sells consumer packaged goods, your top business goal is likely product sales. If you’re hosting a big event, your top business goal is probably event registrations. Although social media can be highly effective at supporting these goals, it’s important to consider how you’re nurturing your audience through the customer journey. Translating these goals to social media, and setting relevant social media goals and corresponding KPIs, is key to connecting with your audience on their conversion journey.

Understanding your audience, and what platforms and content strategies will best reach them.

Do you have a clear understanding of who your audience is, and if so, where they spend their time online? Are the platforms you’re currently using the most effective to reach these audiences? We can help you analyze who your audience is, and where to connect with them effectively online, so you’re using platforms that make the most sense for your brand and not wasting your time elsewhere.

Evaluating your customer journey.

Does your audience receive messages in an order that makes sense, and encourages them to continue through their journey with your brand? Or are you alienating them with confusing messages? Do they know how to engage, learn more, and convert? Are you guiding them through their journey, or expecting them to figure it out themselves? As a business owner or marketing manager, you’re an expert on your brand, and it can be easy to lose track of how much you know, vs. how much you communicate to your audience. With an external analysis of your consumer journey, we can help you identify ways to strengthen your connection with your audience, and effectively nurture them through their journey.

Still not convinced? Don’t just take our word for it:

"I’m somebody with a strong inclination to learn things myself, so I have a tendency to be pretty skeptical of consultants and coaches. But, I realized that I needed to engage some outside help on marketing in order to really make sure I was prioritizing business development. I knew immediately from my intro call with Amanda that she knows her sh*t.

She was thoughtful in considering what platforms and strategies were right for my business and took into account my bandwidth for engaging in different social media channels before she made personal, specific strategy recommendations for my business.

I thought I had a good handle on social media because let’s be real, I spend more than my fair share of time scrolling. Plus, I’ve studied content marketing in the past and went into work with McLernon and Co. with confidence in my content game. But working with Amanda totally fundamentally changed my perspective on how to use social media.

Amanda helped me understand the best way to build authentic connections with potential clients who I know (or would like to know) in real life. Her guidance helped me find a way to joyfully and sincerely connect with others — people who I truly want to talk to!

I’m not really spending more time on social media than I was before we met, but I went from having zero leads directly through Instagram for the six months prior to meeting Amanda to having four strong Instagram leads the week after we met. And the very best part is that I’m just doing it by getting out there, being myself, and meeting people who I enjoy on and offline. Amanda’s coaching was critical for me in figuring out how to effectively present my services on social media, and I’ll be forever grateful!"

-Allie Moore, Creatives Learn Law

Bottom line:
Social media can feel intimidating, but our strategists here at McLernon & Co. are here to help you navigate the digital world!

If you’d like some strategy help, learn more and sign up for an Intensive Strategy Session.