How to Level Up Your Brand’s Social Media Maturity

What is Social Media Maturity?

A company’s social media maturity is defined by the sophistication of its social media processes, policies, and technology. Understanding where your business falls on the social media maturity spectrum can uncover opportunities for improvement in key areas such as strategy, workflows, and investments.

Reaching a higher level of social maturity requires identifying and resolving challenges, investing in necessary infrastructure and tools, and educating stakeholders on how to leverage social in their roles.

Why Does Social Media Maturity Matter?

Social media moves faster than any other marketing channel. A trend can spark important conversations and provide unparalleled insights into consumer sentiment in just a few hours. An organization’s social media maturity determines its ability to act on these conversations with purpose and agility.

Preparedness can translate into measurable growth. According to a recent survey, 85% of executives say it’s clear how social media impacts their bottom line, and 79% of marketers have increased their use of social data. Businesses that see the value in a thriving social presence are making the investments needed to level up.

The Elements of Social Media Maturity

Picture your organization’s social media presence as a garden. Transforming your garden from a small plot to a thriving oasis takes habit, consistency, and competency in the following areas:

Investment

Just like a garden requires tools and supplies, a robust social media strategy requires investments in time and resources. Here are some key areas to consider:

• Team Growth: As social media continues to evolve, so do the roles within it. Building agile teams to support the unique aspects of your brand is crucial.
• Leadership: Leaders need to understand and champion the social media strategy. Their involvement sets the tone for a social-first organization.
• Budget: Social media budgets should come from multiple departments since social media strategies benefit the entire organization.
• Software: A centralized social media management tool can streamline workflows and provide valuable insights.
• Collaboration: Social media insights can inform broader business strategies. Investing in cross-functional collaboration ensures these benefits are realized.
• Education: Training stakeholders beyond marketing to understand social data applications can strengthen their functions.

Process

Effective processes help teams maximize their time. For social media teams, this means creating workflows that scale publishing, engagement, and reporting. Smart, AI-driven technology can optimize these processes, allowing more time for impactful projects.

Strategy

Think of your social media strategy as the layout and timing of your garden. A strategic social presence is informed by business objectives and reinforced by data. Planning frameworks should be proactive and integrated throughout the organization, helping tie efforts to impact and providing insights on future trends and challenges.

The Stages of Social Media Maturity

There are three primary stages of social maturity: emerging, evolving, and mastering. Understanding which stage best describes your company helps determine the next steps for advancement.

Emerging

In the emerging stage, social media efforts are often siloed and lack a holistic strategy. Companies at this level may struggle with organizing and executing social strategies and demonstrating ROI.

Moving from Emerging to Evolving

To advance to the evolving stage, companies should:

• Appoint a primary stakeholder to oversee social efforts.
• Establish clear business objectives related to social.
• Create company social media policies.
• Educate all departments on the social strategy.
• Train teams on using social platforms aligned with business objectives.
• Benchmark social metrics against industry standards.
• Consider adopting a centralized social media management platform.

Evolving

At the evolving stage, companies have synchronized their social strategy across departments and focus on scalability and optimization. This stage involves targeted social campaigns, community management, and applying social insights throughout the company.

Moving from Evolving to Mastering

To advance to the mastering stage, businesses should:

• Focus on social intelligence and track online trends.
• Use social data to inform larger marketing initiatives.
• Cultivate relationships with influencers and content creators.
• Encourage consumer advocacy through user-generated content.
• Invest in tools to measure social’s impact on KPIs.
• Empower experienced social users to share knowledge.
• Elevate brand awareness through employee advocacy programs.
• Integrate social processes with existing systems.
• Boost social media workflows with automated features.

Mastering

In the mastering stage, social media is integrated at every level of the company, playing a primary role in various functions. Companies at this level are recognized for their sophisticated social strategy.

Maintaining Mastery

Mastering social media requires ongoing commitment and innovation. Businesses must:

• Prioritize social innovation and employee contributions.
• Stay updated on emerging social technologies and channels.
• Leverage social business intelligence strategically.
• Capture and analyze advanced metrics.
• Take calculated risks on new social media use cases.
• Utilize social media management tools fully.
• Make continued education and training a priority.
• Anticipate changes in social usage to stay ahead.

Where Does Your Brand’s Social Media Maturity Fall?

Use this model to diagnose your team’s social media marketing maturity and outline a path forward. Building these competencies takes time, so focus on a few pressing goals and work through the list methodically. The longer you work at it, the more manageable it becomes.