This is where plans and hopes are summarized. Over a defined time period. Start small, think big, and keep it concise and measurable.
Time to get to know the industry if it an entirely new one, your competitors, what strategies they have adopted, and their audience. Learn from what they have nailed or failed.
Go on to define your audience and try and get to know the real people behind them. The new customers you wish to attract, the current ones and what has changed about them, the past ones and how to win them back.
All that research will pay off here. Keep an eye on the clock though because that imaginary spectacular piece of content will be of no use if it isn't completed on time.
How can you narrow down the zillion things that can be done to targeted expressions of creativity that best convey your brand's identity consistently and uniquely.
Here's where you check against the big picture and dive into the details. For example if it is a brand open to humour then this is a good point to asses if the final creative has what it takes to tickle the audience.
Now let's get it to the world out there. Where possible use a dedicated publishing tool. It makes this complicated world easier to handle.
Time to get cold and analytical.
Setting up social analytics is where you start and what you go back to for data points long after the campaign ends. Having measurable metrics allows for objective closures and continued learning.
In addition, tracking during the campaign means you can intervene as soon as you find things are not going as expected.
Crucial outputs of this step are engagement data, going granular with engagement metrics for specific posts, and assessing performance of paid campaigns versus organic content.
There's never a done and dusted campaign, everything is crucial data to understand what worked and what didn't.