social media strategyPizza and social media strategies aren’t so dissimilar. One is covered in cheesy goodness and makes you happy, and one is composed of (sometimes) cheesy content and makes everyone happy. But in order to succeed at creating both, you need to strategize a little. I’ll try to stretch this metaphor as wide as possible in order to explain this concept. Bon apétit!

1. Start With the Delicious Crust

For a business and a crust, you need to develop a plan that will hold all of your many toppings. This basically means that you should choose many different social media platforms as your base, even before you’ve decided what exactly to promote. For some businesses, it would behoove them to move past the basic “flour” Facebook and “whole wheat” Twitter. Why not build a social media campaign that includes thrilling “corn” Pinterest? Or even add some crazy “soy” Tumblr?

Choosing many different platforms, even if it’s a stretch, may drive traffic to your website and campaigns in surprising ways. Set up your social media pages and consider using a multi-publishing service like HubSpot to prepare for that delicious pay-off. Use online resources like this chart to help you decide which social media channel to pick.

2. Sprinkle on that Delightful Cheese

Social media campaigns that work well are enjoyable and fun, like a really stretchy bit of hot cheese on a pizza. Their point is to amuse customers and get them involved, not to make them feel like they have to pick off toppings. Inbound marketing makes cheesy marketing enjoyable. Bad puns, a good deal of humor, and a grain of salt are all to be included. Sprinkle your promotions and campaigns with the yumminess of mozzarella, and you shall surely have a winner.

3. Use Sardines Sparingly

Now that you have a cheesy pizza, it’s time to consider your toppings. Let’s make this metaphor even more confusing by comparing specific promotions in your campaign to sardines. Don’t blast your customers with the salty taste of “10% OFF” landing pages; use this sparingly, and refocus your energy on the “cheese” of good content.

4. Your Customers Are Like a Little League Team After Practice

When done correctly, nothing stands between you and your customers. They are already using social media as part of their daily routine, and they love pizza. If your content works, they will swarm your pizza cart—your site. Make sure that your campaign is geared to the right kind of customer. Know your audience and create content accordingly. Who is buying? How much pizza will they eat? Do they like pepperoni or are they a large group of vegetarians?

5. Keep It Fresh

Nothing is grodier than lukewarm pizza. Be sure to make all of the content in your campaigns relevant to current issues and concerns. And keep things fresh by updating your social media channels frequently. You should be posting several times a day during business hours or peak hours of use on the different platforms. Otherwise people will just throw your pizza away like it’s a piece of gunk on a shoe. Check out an infographic like this to see just how much content is being produced from each social media outlet. (Hint: The answer is A LOT.)

6. Time to Scarf!

Just as there are all kinds of pizzas to enjoy, so too are there many ways to go about social media. Make sure that your strategy is fun and a little kooky, and you’ll drive traffic to your site easily. People love pizza! And they also love marketing that is engaging, not dull, and a little cheesy.

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