Social media research is an integral part of building a strong social media strategy. It forms the building blocks of your social media campaign and is an incredibly helpful guide to get everyone on the same page in a short amount of time. With that being said, if this is your first time working on a social media strategy, it may seem daunting going into it. These tips will help ease your fears and break down the process.

1. 1. Know Your Book

The first step should be to know your book inside and out. This includes the genre, themes, target audience, and everything in between. In order to move on to the next step, you are going to need to know who you are trying to reach and why it’s important to reach them. Having a marketing plan is a great tool to help fill in the blanks in your knowledge. Collaboration is key in publishing.

1. 1. Find Your Muse

It’s really important that you take your time finding your muse. You want to find a recent book that has a similar target audience as your book in order to gain inspiration and to see how they utilize their social media accounts. It also helps if the two books share some overlapping themes as well.

1. 1. Visualize

Now that you have found a book and are inspired, it’s a great idea to create a visual using examples and short bullet points. This can either serve as a reminder for what you want to accomplish, or you can use it as a way to share your ideas with team members before you start finalizing the details. I recommend creating a Google Slide presentation to throw everything together. Remember to grab some screenshots and explain what you found inspiring and why. This is also great in case you have to present your ideas to project teams and associates.

1. 1. Write it Out

The final step is to write everything out. This is where you are going to have example posts, hashtags, and goals that you want to accomplish. It’s important to keep in mind your resources such as budget and man power when you are creating this. Some key points you should always include are target audience, platform focus, accounts you’re going to interact with, relevant tags, and any innovative ideas. But don’t focus solely on what you’ve seen. The book (or books) you have been looking at were merely inspiration—it’s important that your book has a unique presence.

This is a simple guide for those who are just starting out in social media, so take it as a starting point. The best resources are at your fingertips, so utilize them in any way that they inspire you; don’t feel like you have to follow someone else’s guide or rules. Social media is a fast-moving and overwhelming aspect of any industry, so remember to have fun with it.