Every social media decision, from what to post, which platform to use, how often to publish to what tone to strike, flows from two things: who you're trying to reach and what you're trying to achieve. Without clarity on both, your efforts will be scattered and your results hard to measure.
Your target audience is the specific group of people you want your social media content to reach. Not "everyone." Not "business owners." A defined group with shared characteristics.
Start by looking at your existing clients. What do your best clients have in common? What industry are they in, how big is their company, what role does your main contact hold, and where are they located? These patterns point to your social media audience.
Go deeper than demographics. What challenges do they face? What content do they consume? Which platforms do they use most? When are they active online?
For example, a Belgian IT consultancy targeting CIOs at mid-sized manufacturing firms would focus on LinkedIn, post during weekday mornings, and create content about cybersecurity, digital transformation, and compliance. That's specific enough to guide every content decision.
For more on this, see the chapters on what is a target audience and how to define yours in detail.
What are you trying to achieve? Pick one primary goal. Trying to accomplish everything at once dilutes your effort.
The most common goals for B2B service firms:
A vague goal like "grow our social media" gives you nothing to work toward. Use the SMART framework to make it concrete:
Review your goals monthly. If you're on track, maintain the course. If not, diagnose the gap: is it the content, the frequency, the platform, or the audience targeting?
Your target audience tells you who to talk to. Your goal tells you why. Together, they form the foundation of every social media decision you make.
