How to Create a Great Social Media Strategy Plan in 2023

Discover how to make a social media strategy for your business that attracts new followers and drives traffic, leads, and revenue.

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SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY WORKBOOK

Create a comprehensive plan for leveraging social media platforms to achieve your marketing and growth goals with this free workbook.

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Updated: 09/25/23

Published: 09/25/23

Many businesses find creating social media strategies overwhelming. So many channels are available, and each platform constantly adds new features you need to learn and integrate into your marketing plan.

If you don’t have a full-time team of social media experts at your disposal, it’s even harder. But the fact is that your online success depends on having a sensible and straightforward strategy that fits your resources and goals.

Download Now: Free Social Media Strategy Template

By the end of this guide, you'll know how to develop a social media strategy to drive traffic and quell that overwhelming feeling you get whenever you open Instagram or Twitter.

What is a social media strategy?

Why you need a social media strategy, how to create a social media strategy.

A social media strategy is an outline of the content that your business will post, the responsibilities of your social media team, and the social media channels you will use to promote your business. A social media strategy includes social media goals that complement your business' overall digital marketing strategy.

Your social media strategy is your master plan for how you create, post, and engage with your social media content.

It encompasses your social content guidelines, posting cadence, social media marketing campaigns, target audience, and engagement strategy that promote your business and brand.

Many companies use social media to connect with customers, provide support, advertise new products and features, and promote special offers.

Check out The State of Social Media in 2023 : How You Can Build Communities, Drive Sales, and Go Viral, According to 1,000+ Social Media Managers

According to The State of Social Media in 2023 , social media marketers' top three challenges include creating engaging content, creating content that generates leads, and reaching your target audience.

Crafting a social media strategy can help you tackle these challenges and more. Social media strategies equip you to set goals and guardrails, track performance, and tweak your benchmarks over time.

Without a starting point, you can‘t measure what’s working and how to shift your activity to hit your goals.

A social media strategy also helps you set expectations for broader team involvement and get everyone aligned on what they should and shouldn't do on your social networks.

  • Define your target audience.
  • Incorporate ecommerce.
  • Optimize your social channels for search.
  • Focus on a few key channels.
  • Make a plan for customer service.
  • Develop a recipe card to guide you.
  • Measure your results.
  • Adjust your tactics.

Let's unpack how to start building a social media strategy from scratch. (Psst: You can also learn how to do so with the help of this video!) 

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The State of Social Media in 2023

Explore the top trends in social media for brands to know and optimize your social strategy.

  • Short-form video trends.
  • Social media and ecommerce.
  • AI in social media.

You're all set!

Click this link to access this resource at any time.

How to Build a Social Media Strategy From Scratch

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Create a plan for leveraging social media platforms to achieve your marketing and growth goals with this free workbook.

Marketing software that helps you drive revenue, save time and resources, and measure and optimize your investments — all on one easy-to-use platform

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Home » Sample Business Plans » Online Startups

How to Write a Social Media Startup Business Plan [Sample Template]

Are you about starting a social media company? If YES, here is a complete sample social media startup business plan template & feasibility report you can use for FREE . With the level of exposure to the Internet, just any one can start a social media site. Starting a social media business can never be much easier as it is now, since many applications are now available to aid you with setting up a social media business.

This business is no longer capital intensive as it used to be, your only concern should be your advertisement and publicity. A social media business is something you can start as a one-man business and you can strive to grow it comfortably.

The social media industry is very competitive without doubt but most importantly, you can start your own social media business successfully, without competing directly with the big fishes in the industry, you just need to step up your marketing.

The internet remains one of the things that have set the present age apart from the medieval age. The social media is now as vast as the earth itself, and it makes business, life and communication easier, creating a perfect platform for you to make more money. If you’re interested in this business, read as we present to you a well detailed business plan template.

A Sample Social Media Business Plan Template

1. industry overview.

It is very important to explain that the social media came into existence about 10 years ago when chat messengers that gave individuals the opportunity to communicate and share content with each other surfaced on the internet. But now this industry houses Facebook and Twitter under its wings.

This industry has become so popular that individuals and businesses have no choice other than to focus on strategically placing ads on these platforms as advertisement and publicity stunts. The big fishes in this industry are still very young; however, a few stylized facts about these players seem to have emerged in the last few years.

Companies in the Social Media industry all compete to present content in a manner that will generate the highest level of user interest, and also lead increased user engagement. This is because user engagement without doubt is the most valuable revenue generating source.

Also, businesses in this industry operate in a rapidly innovating, emerging field that is subject to significant investment and technological change. The major key of competition in the industry includes the size of a network’s user base, innovative product features and integration with other websites.

The Social Media industry is currently rife with mergers and acquisition. The biggest acquisition to date is that of WhatsApp. Facebook acquired the messaging app for $19 billion in February 2014. Also international players have acquired some companies like the Japanese internet giant; Rakuten acquired Viber for $900 million in 2014. Alibaba acquired an 18% stake in Chinese Twitter-like service Weibo, followed by a 20-25% stake in a popular chat-app by the name of Tango in 2014.It has been estimated that 65% of online adults (50% of all adults) use social media sites in the united states alone.  This shows that the industry is open and willing for focused entrepreneurs.

2. Executive Summary

Bizworld.com is a U.S based standard social media company that focuses on bringing business lovers together to discuss ideas, share knowledge and experiences and help each other solve challenges wouldn’t be such a bad idea. This company did not just come for the social media but also for the good of the economy generally.

We have also secured a standard and well – positioned office facility that will serve as our head office in Downtown, Washington DC. This location is the business district of Washington DC and it’s known for its great traffic and business processes.

Bizworld.com is a business social media company that is very much ready to enter the social media industry, which we all know is vast and highly competitive, but we believe we can comfortably take over the business niche of social media industry.

Bizworld.com will create a very inspiring and comfortable social media platform to corporate organization, entrepreneurs, prospective entrepreneurs, and anyone will to try the business lane. Our goal is to become one of the leading social media companies in the world and to be able to compete without much weakness in this market.

To attract massive attention to our social media site, we had to come up with a unique concept and a niche focus that will differentiate us from others and we believe that our desired niche is large and comprehensive enough. We also plan to make our customers interest out top priority and we also hope to do everything in accordance to values and professional ethics. We also plan to make our website standard, well designed and moderate for our customers to share ideas and innovations.

Bizworld.com is the brain work of Donald Benjamin. Donald Benjamin we believe can guild the Bizworld.com team to its launch and is the lead concept champion. He has an astounding 14 years of high-tech industry experience, specializing in sales and marketing concept development, consumer behaviour, and user interface development.

He has held many leadership positions within the high-tech community and concurrently holds a marketing management position with a leading high-tech services company. Donald Benjamin brings his unique brand of creative talent and multiple years of professional business influences to the Bizworld.com creative and business strategy.

3. Our Products and Services

We at Bizworld.com plan to build an online consumer database of 4 million subscribers within our first 18 months of launch. Our social media will have four main areas of unique offerings:

  • We will be offering a way-point marking through GPS and integrated wireless devices, including emerging PDAs used in the hunting of jobs and business lifestyle.
  • We will concentrate on becoming the place to come for all location to assess information and opportunities related to the business world
  • We also plan to make use of a subscription-based e-mail newsletter/news alert system which will bring our subscriber’s love for business and the economy close to him/her on a daily basis or as the news breaks.
  • We plan to make this service attain the height of the “CNN” for just the business world.
  • We also hope to build Bizworld.com as a consumer brand that will also be built describe and make open the pervasive availability of content and brand e-commerce/e-retailing as it relates to the business world.
  • We will act as the members’ advocate and generate commissions and fees. Affiliates will also be sought in the travel, lodging, and guide and related industries.
  • We will also be offering chatting platforms to our customers to enable them engage in discussions and open talks.
  • We will also create an opportunity for our clients to boost their image in the business world and gain more connects.

4. Our Mission and Vision Statement

  • Our vision at Bizworld.com is to create an online community focused on serving and supporting the well established, easily identifiable market of business Men and women.
  • Our mission at Bizworld.com is to serve the highly brand conscious and affiliation of loyal individuals and organizations whose members live and breathe the business world and the economies of the world by providing an explicit platform of value-added, special interest content, valuable information resources, e-commerce capabilities, and user information sharing opportunities through the use of advanced technologies.

Our Business Structure

The business structure ofBizworld.com is intended to be a flexible version of a normal business structure. We at Bizworld.com believe that a learning and cross-functional workforce is key to our success. The leadership or any staff team community of Bizworld.com must be able to perform related tasks when the needs or technical crises arise. Listed below are the portfolios we wish to start Bizworld.com with;

Internet Commerce Manager

Marketing and Brand Manger

  • Company lawyer

Chief Technology Officer

  • Application and content Developer
  • Technical and infrastructural manager

5. Job Roles and Responsibilities

  • His in charge of Overseeing all other executives and staff within the organization.
  • He is Tasked with board of directors and other executives to determine if company is in accordance with goals and policies.
  • Charged with encouraging business investment.
  • He also promotes economic development within communities.
  • His in charge of directing the organization’s financial goals, objectives, and budgets.
  • Implement the organization’s guidelines on a day-to-day basis.
  • Preside over quality control.
  • In charge of Hiring, training, and terminating employees.
  • In charge of developing and implementing strategies and set the overall direction of a certain area of the company or organization.
  • Provide visionary and strategic leadership for the organization.
  • Collaborate with the board of directors to develop the policies and direction of the organization.
  • He makes sure that the members of the Board of Directors have the information necessary to perform their fiduciary duties and other governance responsibilities.
  • He also Provide adequate and timely information to the Board to enable it to effectively execute its oversight role.
  • Direct staff, including organizational structure, professional development, motivation, performance evaluation, discipline, compensation, personnel policies, and procedures.
  • Charged with establishing governance processes of direction and control to ensure that objectives are achieved.
  • He directs and development a security plan.
  • He protects the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the company’s data and servers.
  • He Identifies and implement technology trends and platforms.
  • He also Communicate the company’s technology strategy to investors, management, staff, partners, customers, and stakeholders.
  • Evaluate and recommend technologies.
  • Select and register company’s domain names.
  • Tasked with Establishing email service.
  • Implement web-based internal communications system.
  • He oversees graphic designer’s efforts to create a company corporate identity and website.
  • Manage vendor relationships.
  • Conduct code reviews and specification conformance testing.
  • Establish quality assurance process.
  • Establish an application deployment process.
  • Monitor web analytics regime to ascertain site traffic.
  • Implement technical requirements for Internet marketing and search engine optimization.
  • Integrate customer service and support with the software engineering process to support resolution of customer issues and improve application usability.

Application and Content Developer

  • Manage web traffic and analyse alterations accordingly to improve the Return on Investment.
  • Project management along with front-end development advertising using Ad words and other tools, implementation and optimization.
  • Validating contents for accuracy and usability using support communications and ensure adherence to goals set by the higher officials.
  • To find out the right place for the placement of contents in the website to develop the business and act as a traffic manager for supplier online marketing operations.
  • In charge of meeting the sales targets of the organization through effective planning and budgeting.
  • In charge of deciding strategies and techniques necessary for achieving the sales targets. He is the one who decides the future course of action for his team members.
  • In charge of mapping potential customers and generate leads for the organization. He should look forward to generating new opportunities for the organization.
  • In charge of brand promotion.
  • Tasked with motivating team members is one of the most important duties of a sales manager.
  • It’s the duty of the sales manager to ensure his team is delivering desired results.
  • In charge of not only selling but also maintaining and improving relationships with the client.
  • In charge of keeping the necessary data and records for future reference.

Technical and Infrastructural manager

  • Responsible for all IT systems within a company, including hardware, software, and security systems.
  • Spend a lot of time meeting with employees from various departments to discuss how to make the company’s data more accessible and secure, and how to make business operations run more smoothly and efficiently.
  • Other duties assigned by the president
  • Develop an Online business strategy in collaboration with product and marketing managers.
  • Work with designers, website developers and content providers, such as copywriters and photographers, to create or improve the site.
  • Work with payment providers to develop payment mechanisms that are secure and that protect customers’ personal details when they pay by debit or credit card.
  • Check site content and systems regularly to ensure that they are working properly
  • Monitor site metrics, such as time for Web pages to load, total numbers of site visitors, and visitors by product or page.
  • Analyse the information and recommend changes to improve performance.
  • Make sure that any stored customer data is secure against threats from cyber criminals
  • Helps to develop or recommend marketing programs to increase sales.
  • Analyse metrics, such as the number of visitors who just browse, rather than place orders.
  • Identify products that took increased revenue following a promotion, or products where sales declined following a price increase.

Company Lawyer

  • Ensures that our business transactions are in compliance with the law.
  • Researches the law implicated by that transaction and advise on any negative effects it might create.
  • Ensures that our legal decisions translate to a strong bottom line.

Security Guard

  • In charge of protecting the agency and its environs
  • Controls traffic and organize parking
  • Give security tips when necessary
  • Patrols around the building on a 24 hours basis
  • Presents security reports weekly

6. SWOT Analysis

Just like the popular sayings ‘the journey of a thousand miles starts with a step’ and ‘nothing good comes easy’, we at Bizworld.com decided not to make mistakes right from the very foundation of our business. We decided and we did employed the services of a well known consultancy firm know for its marketing and business promotion ideas to aid us with our SWOT Analysis.

This consultancy firm during the time of their research were very thorough and straight. They had to make use of our available workforce to really understand how eager and competent they are to the success of Bizworld.com. Properly summarized below is the result of their SWOT Analysis for Bizworld.com;

According to the SWOT Analysis our strengths lies on our zeal, publicity budget and our workforce. They believe we have a team of standard A list team with excellent qualifications and experience in their various niche areas in the social media industry. They believe that our workforce is made up of competent, result driven, eager and we’ll educative individuals.

It was very easy to note in the SWOT Analysis that the social media industry is very competitive. It was also noted that our weakness include the time it might take us to  development an identity and consumer brand acceptance, develop and execute effective marketing communications, Identify and execute ongoing affiliate revenue generation, advertising, and ecommerce revenue stream. We believe all these are issues we can handle properly and very fast.

  • Opportunities

It was also note categorically that the opportunity available in the social media industry is so large that it will remain open even if ten new social media sites are to join the industry every year. It is sincerely true if we consider the number of individuals and corporate organizations with active presence on the internet and the vast numbers of people who visit the internet and social media platforms daily. We have established plans to make use of this opportunity and many more opportunities that may come our way.

The SWOT Analysis conducted for us also pointed out the threats we might be facing in the industry. It pointed out clearly that we may encounter threats like acquiring strategic investment and consistent funding stream, enforcing a tech2and strategic site development and content planning, developing of content/link generation, User functionality and programming development and execution, the vast nature of the industry, and the level of competition in the social media industry.

7. MARKET ANALYSIS

  • Market Trend

There’s no argument that video content is growing rapidly, in popularity and importance. People Now have fast and reliable mobile internet connections, and the flood of written content on the web has left users hungry for something more visually engaging.

In this age, video content is becoming more significant in the social realm did to mobile experiences and constant communication. Also digital assistants like Siri and Cortana have been steadily rising in sophistication and user adoption for the past several years, and now a new kind of digital assistant is emerging — the home unit. We hope to adjust our business to these new trends.

The internet or the social media platforms do not lack information from brands and users, but now that features like Facebook’s Instant Articles are emerging, the social media industry is expecting a new kind of social content develop. People have already started to warm to the idea that videos automatically play in their newsfeeds, and full-fledged articles are available without users ever having to leave a social app. And it has put an increased demand on brands to provide content through social channels first, which as you might imagine, also has implications for traditional on-site SEO.

8. Our Target Market

We are very comfortable that a lot of people are looking to start businesses no matter how small and those in the industry already are striving to connect to other business Men and woman. We are very straight with what we want and we hope to get it in due time.

We have designed strategies that will enable us reach out to various corporate organizations and individual who will benefit exclusively for our services. Outlined below is a list of the people and organizations that we hope to create a social platform for;

  • Banks, Insurance Companies and other related Financial Institutions
  • Blue Chips Companies
  • Corporate Organizations
  • Manufacturers and Distributors
  • Research and Development Companies
  • The Government (Economy, Chambers of Commerce)
  • Start up businesses
  • Prospective entrepreneurs
  • Students and teachers
  • Schools (High Schools, Colleges and Universities)

Our Competitive Advantage

Starting a social media company doesn’t need just your Internet expertise, but your ability to put other peoples need way before yours, create a better place for them to enjoy even if it’s not a hobby of yours, and also to have them ability to convince people that a dog has two legs (advertising).

We at Bizworld.com understand how competitive the social media industry is and we know what to expect, which is why we believe we can be able to take over our niche and provide good and unadulterated services. We are focused and zealous, we know what to expect and how to create more opportunities that will suit our niche market.

Going by our SWOT Analysis, we choose to believe that our competitive advantage lies in our workforce and publicity budget. Bizworld.com is made up of creative, result driven and highly proficient, excellent qualifications and experience workers, who we believe came do anything within their reach to boost our business.

Also another advantage is the kind of website we will be lunching and the business niche we choose, we believe that Bizworld.com will be offering a service that is second to none in the industry.

We will be offering our employees a platform that will give the vibe to flow with Bizworld.com, we hope to make them comfortable enough to want to start and end their careers in Bizworld.com. Bizworld.com is a business that was established to reach the nook and crannies of the world and we can’t achieve that if we don’t have the very best. We are very prepared for what is to come in the industry.

9. SALES AND MARKETING STRATEGY

  • Sources of Income

Bizworld.com is a business we believe will reach all continents of the world and we have plans of using our own funds. Our source of income is focused strictly on the business niche of the industry. We hope to get our income and maximize profits by offering the following services;

  • Specials Deals
  • Subscription fees
  • Commissions from travel, e-sales
  • Advertising banners
  • Advertising focused on special needs of recipients of outbound materials
  • Private-brand Bizworld.com products

10. Sales Forecast

We are a business that is vigilant of the new trends in the industry. At Bizworld.com, a prototype site has been developed and is up and running in a privately hosted environment and prospective customer and partner lists have been developed and several have been contacted for establishing an emerging business relationship. We have also established agreement have been with several vendor partners to offer ecommerce opportunities within the online community

We have also created a business management team has been created, consisting of business and technical professionals, also Focus groups have been established and are currently providing ongoing insight and consumer end-user feedback into the online community development cycle.

Initial market acceptance tests have indicated a warm welcome of the concept for potential. This is to show that we are bent on making Bizworld.com the best. Below is the sales forecast of Bizworld.com within the next three years;

  • First Year-: $560,000
  • Second Year-: $1,000,000
  • Third Year-: $2,400,000

Note : it is worthwhile to note that this sales forecast was done based on what is obtainable in the industry and with the assumption that all our threats will be a stepping stone for us.

  • Marketing Strategy and Sales Strategy

Bizworld.com being a business forged on tryst and hard work will not be leaving any stone unturned to become and remain the best in the industry. We understand how competitive the industry is and we hope to make it our hub and zone.

We hope to employ our sales and marketing team based on their vast experience in the social media industry and they will be trained on a regular basis so as to be well equipped to meet their targets and the overall business goal of Bizworld.com.

We all at Bizworld.com hope to fulfil our business goal which is to take over the Industry and becoming relevant in the world market. We hope to make use of the following strategies to become the king of the business social media industry;

  • We plan to attract and leverage current outdoor industry leaders for content and co-brand association
  • We will leverage branding efforts in marketplace across multiple media and technologies
  • Introduce our social media marketing company by sending introductory letters alongside our brochure to individuals, corporate organizations, religious organizations and key stake holders.
  • Promptness in bidding for social media marketing contracts from the government and other cooperate organizations
  • Advertise our business in relevant business magazines, newspapers, TV stations, and radio station.
  • List our business on yellow pages ads (local directories)
  • Attend relevant international and local expos, seminars, and business fairs et al
  • Create different packages for different category of clients in order to work with their budgets and still deliver excellent design and services
  • Leverage on the internet to promote our business
  • Engage direct marketing approach

Make use of referrals

11. Publicity and Advertising Strategy

We at Bizworld.com have created unique and well budgeted publicity strategies to boost our business. Just we have said many times in this business plan, our publicity budget gives us nothing less than a 70% chance of survival in this industry.

Our publicity and awareness strategies will rely on the power of targeted online messaging tools, strategies, and word-of-mouth references, followed up with directed traditional media promotional strategies, such as outdoor advertising, periodicals, and network and cable sponsorships. Outlined below are the strategies we hope to adopt at Bizworld.com

  • We plan to Place adverts on both print (newspapers and magazines) and electronic media platforms
  • We hope to Sponsor relevant community based events/programs
  • We will make use of the internet and social media platforms like; Instagram, Facebook , twitter, YouTube, Google + et al to promote our services
  • We all also install Bill Boards on strategic locations all around Washington DC
  • We will also make sure we engage in road show from time to time in targeted neighbourhoods
  • Deep will distribute our fliers and handbills in target areas
  • Contact corporate organizations by calling them up and informing them of our business
  • List our web cum graphic design company in local directories/yellow pages
  • Advertise our social media marketing company in our official website and employ strategies that will help us pull traffic to the site.
  • Ensure that all our staff members wear our branded shirts and all our vehicles are well branded with our company logo et al.

12. Our Pricing Strategy

We at Bizworld.com will be keeping our prices for now below the average market rate to attract customers and clients. We also plan to inculcate promos on in our subscription fees for the main time. Bizworld.com we believe will grow to what we dream it to be and we hope to be part of the future of the social media industry.

We at Bizworld.com understand the nook and crannies of the industry, and we believe in what we can do. We hope to provide distinctive services that will shake the social media industry from its roots.

  • Payment Options

Bizworld.com being a business we hope to take over the world, we plan to create payment options that will favour all our customers right from the south of Africa up to the Antarctica. We will be creating online payment options that will be very secured and easy to access. We have partnered with a well known bank in the United States to enable us provide the following services;

  • Payment via cards (credit cards, debit cards, smart cards etc.)
  • Mobile banking
  • Other electronic payment procedures

13. Startup Expenditure (Budget)

In starting Bizworld.com, the price or cost depends explicitly on the approach and size, which we believe will be very large. Finance is indeed in any business venture, funds are needed for renting office space, and buying equipment, advertising et al, and any start-up can either be low or high depending on the goals, vision and aspirations for the business.

We believe we will earn back any cent we spend as start up capital. Listed below are the ways we expect to spend our start up capital;

  • Business incorporating fees in the United States of America will cost – $750.
  • Our price for Liability insurance, permits and license will cost – $10,000
  • Our budget for acquiring an office space or warehouse that will accommodate the number of employees for at least 6 months (Re – Construction of the facility inclusive) will cost – $100,000.
  • Equipping the office (computers, printers, projectors, markers, servers/internet facility, furniture, telephones, filing cabinets, and electronics) will cost – $100,000
  • Amount required to purchase the needed software applications – $3,500
  • Launching an official Website will cost – $4,000
  • Our price need to pay bills and staff members for at least 2 to 3 months – $70,000
  • Additional Expenditure such as Business cards, Signage, Adverts and Promotions will cost – $5,000
  • Our publicity and marketing budget – $2,000,000
  • Miscellaneous – $10,000

From our detailed analysis above, we need $2,303,250 to start Bizworld.com. This business will be a world class business that will reach all the corners of the world.

Generating Funding/Start-up Capital for Bizworld.com

Bizworld.com is the idea and sole business of Donald Benjamin. The business being a huge business won’t be easy for just one man to fund, which is why we hope to attract more funds. These are the areas we intend generating our start – up capital;

  • Raise part of the start – up capital from personal savings and sale of his stocks
  • Raise part of the start – up capital from friends and other extended family members
  • Attract angel investors and venture capitalists
  • Raise a larger chunk of the start up capital from the bank (loan facility).

Note : we are hoping to raise $1million – $1.5 million for the development, launch, and 5-year ongoing expense outlook of the company expenses. Additional funding requirements will potentially be required for consumer brand and related, currently unseen partnership development opportunity investments.

14. Sustainability and Expansion Strategy

Bizworld.com we believe to build is a global business that will surpass the territories of United States; we will expand Bizworld.com to all the ends of the world. Bizworld.com will start its expansion plans by next three years when we must have established a first class corporate identity.

We will also make sure that we constantly engage in continuous capacity building of our workforce; we will not relent in training and re – training of every of our employees. We also plan to create good incentives that will keep them with us and not just only that, but give their best to the business. We have made sure that our workforce will remain the best in the coupon industry.

Our tactical execution activities will continue as follows in support of what is obtainable in the industry. Our website will be launched no later than mid October. Bizworld.com website will have an estimated 75 percent portion of initial “look and feel” issues resolved, 75-90 percent portion of content/links available, 70 percent of interactive functional issues resolved, and 80 percent of revenue-generating affiliate partner programs in activation.

Checklist/Milestone

  • Business Name Availability Check: Completed
  • Business Incorporation: Completed
  • Opening of Corporate Bank Accounts various banks in the United States: Completed
  • Opening Online Payment Platforms: Completed
  • Application and Obtaining Tax Payer’s ID: In Progress
  • Application for business license and permit: Completed
  • Purchase of All form of Insurance for the Business: Completed
  • Conducting feasibility studies: Completed
  • Leasing, renovating and equipping our facility: Completed
  • Generating part of the start – up capital from the founder: Completed
  • Applications for Loan from our Bankers: In Progress
  • writing of business plan: Completed
  • Drafting of Employee’s Handbook: Completed
  • Drafting of Contract Documents: In Progress
  • Design of The Company’s Logo: Completed
  • Graphic Designs and Printing of Packaging Marketing/Promotional Materials: Completed
  • Recruitment of employees: In Progress
  • Purchase of the Needed software applications, furniture, office equipment, electronic appliances and facility facelift: In progress
  • Creating Official Website for the Company: In Progress
  • Creating Awareness for the business (Business PR): In Progress
  • Health and Safety and Fire Safety Arrangement: In Progress
  • Establishing business relationship with banks, financial lending institutions, vendors and key players in the industry: In Progress

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How to Create a Social Media Strategy for Small Businesses

For a small business, having a social media strategy is essential for increasing brand awareness, reaching your target audience, and driving sales.

With a strong social media strategy, you’ll never run out of ideas on what to post — and you’ll soon have an engaged community at your fingertips.

What is a Social Media Strategy for Small Business?

A social media strategy encapsulates everything you want to do and achieve on social media. It details what you’ll post, the platforms you’ll use, and defines measurable goals that will support your specific business needs.

Smart social media strategies for small businesses can increase brand awareness, build your audience, and increase revenue.

However, this growth won’t happen overnight. It requires a consistent and strategic approach.

Take a look at chai cafe Kolkata Chai Co. — they regularly post across multiple platforms and have built a thriving community as a result.

Their social media typically features 3 types of content: recipes, product photography, and videos.

business plan for social networking site

Their recipe posts are informative and inspirational, while their product images are directly promotional. Their video content showcases artists from the Indian community — providing insight into Kolkata Chai Co.’s brand values.

All of this content works together to build brand awareness and drive sales, creating a cohesive social media strategy across platforms.

Ready to create your social media strategy for 2022? Social Media expert Steph Gilbert shares her top tips in this step-by-step video :

How to Create a Social Media Strategy for Small Businesses:

Define Your Social Media Strategy

Identify the Right Social Media Platforms

Define Your Brand Voice

Create and Manage Your Posts

Track and Measure Your Goals

Part #1: Define Your Social Media Strategy — and Set Your Goals

Creating a social media strategy from scratch may seem intimidating, but setting SMART goals keeps the process realistic and achievable.

A SMART goal is:

Apply this method to your social media marketing plan by basing the goals on metrics that are specific to your business.

For example, you might want to track how many people follow your social media account month over month.

If this is your first time creating a social media strategy , it’s a good idea to start with a handful of important goals — so you can really hone in on them.

This way, you’ll be able to track progress over time and use them as a baseline to build upon in the future.

Want to learn how to set goals (and actually achieve them?) Watch Later’s free goal setting workshop which will help you make those social goals a reality!

Part #2: Identify the Right Social Media Platforms for Your Business

Every social media platform has a unique set of pros and cons — which means you can be selective with your approach.

Starting off with platforms that make the most sense for your business will help you save time and avoid becoming overwhelmed by your content calendar.

Not sure which platform is best for your business? Here’s a basic rundown:

As a visual platform, Instagram is the perfect platform for showcasing your products or services in action. It’s also a great place to grow a community who loves your brand.

Plus, Instagram now has a ton of e-commerce features — making it easier than ever to convert your followers into customers.

business plan for social networking site

Instagram is also known for its huge community of social media influencers . Partnering with creators or influencers to create sponsored posts can be a great way to reach relevant audiences and potential new customers.

In addition to sponsored posts, Instagram can also be an awesome platform for finding organic user-generated content (UGC)  about your products or services.

business plan for social networking site

Sharing UGC is a great way to show your products in action, and can act as a valuable third-party recommendation for your brand.

Improve your content workflow with Later ’s user-generated content tools — source, schedule and repost UGC to your feed in minutes!

Facebook, the most widely-used social media site, is an all-purpose platform where you can share photos, company updates and information, videos, and other informative content to build brand awareness and trust.

Much like Instagram, Facebook is jam-packed with e-commerce features — and has some of the most sophisticated targeted advertizing tools in the business.

business plan for social networking site

Facebook also sets itself apart with its advanced suite of community forum features — such as Facebook Groups , Messenger Rooms , and Live Events .

Plus, Facebook’s powerful analytic tools are great for helping you learn more about your followers and keeping you on track with your SMART goals.

Looking to level-up your Facebook strategy? Plan, schedule, and post to Facebook with Later — for free!

Twitter is a platform for short messages and shareable media, making it ideal for company announcements, articles or blog posts, and customer support.

Twitter is great for connecting quickly in real time, which also makes it the top choice for companies with plenty of news updates and resources to share.

For example, beverage brand innocent drinks frequently uses Twitter to communicate with their customers and answer questions:

business plan for social networking site

If you think TikTok is just for teenagers, think again.

TikTok is a video-driven platform full of informative, entertaining, and creative content — and businesses are using the platform to show how their products work, share behind-the-scenes, give tips, and join trending challenges.

Here, Lucume uses the platform to promote a collection of their clay earrings:

TikTok’s younger audience is great for businesses marketing to Gen Z , but the TikTok demographic is shifting — with more millennials joining the mix than ever before.

Plan and schedule your TikTok videos in advance — right from your desktop or phone! Upgrade to one of Later’s paid plans to get started.

Unlike most social platforms, YouTube allows you to share longer form videos, with a huge maximum upload file size of 128GB (or 12 hours!).

This makes it the perfect platform for more in-depth, educational content — such as styling tips, interviews, tutorials, and transformations.

For example, Later uses YouTube to share social media tips, strategies, how-to videos, courses, and conference sessions:

YouTube typically requires more time and energy than other platforms, but it can yield huge results. YouTube is primarily a search engine, which means users who search for and discover your content are more likely to have a strong interest in the topic and a genuine intent to engage.

Ready to get started? Find out everything you need to know about creating a YouTube channel here .

As a visual discovery platform, Pinterest is perfect for reaching new, relevant audiences. Plus, the whole experience is fully clickable, making it easy to turn browsers into customers .

business plan for social networking site

On Pinterest, users “pin” photos that link to resources, product pages, and content across the web. Pins are typically visually appealing, and the links generally direct to blog posts or product pages.

Pinterest is a great platform for driving traffic to your site, and brands can create “boards” full of curated pins — making it easy for your audience to find related pins all at once.

As a Pinterest Partner, Later offers exclusive features to help you grow your business on Pinterest. Start planning and scheduling your Pins with Later now!

LinkedIn is a great platform for building your network, raising brand awareness, and attracting new talent to join your business.

Similar to Twitter, many brands use LinkedIn to share company updates, news releases, media coverage, articles, or blog posts.

Plus, with more than 722 million users worldwide and a ton of new engagement-driving features , it’s a platform to consider creating a strategy for.

Now that you know what each platform offers, choose the ones most relevant to your business. Don’t be afraid to start with only 1 or 2 — it’s better to focus your energy where it will be most effective.

DID YOU KNOW: You can now plan and schedule your content for Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and TikTok with Later — all from one easy-to-use dashboard!

Part #3: Define Your Brand Voice

Your brand voice is like your company’s personality — it’s how you speak to your audience. And it might slightly differ from platform to platform.

Take The Washington Post for example. On TikTok they use comedy to create funny and informative videos. On Twitter , they share the highlights of an article without any fluff:

business plan for social networking site

If you’re struggling to pinpoint your tone, consider your brand’s values and mission. Are you formal and serious, or more relatable and friendly?

One brand doing this well is Pur Home , a line of natural cleaning products with an eco-friendly mission.

They channel their values into their brand’s tone with a friendly voice and sustainability-focused content:

TIP: Consider how would you talk about your business, products, or services to a friend as you refine your brand’s tone of voice!

Part #4: Create and Manage Your Social Media Posts

After you define your goals, choose the platforms you’ll use, and develop your brand voice, it’s time to start creating and posting content.

As a busy small business owner, a helpful way to avoid becoming overwhelmed when creating content is to practice content batching .

It’s a helpful productivity technique where you create multiple captions, photos, and videos during a set period of time.

And when you want to schedule content, using Later’s social media scheduling tool will help you save time and always share content at your best time to post .

With Later, you can upload photos in batches, find amazing UGC, schedule content weeks in advance, and more.

And with features like Best Time to Post and a free AI caption writer — your content calendar will be strategic, consistent, and cohesive.

#5: Track and Measure Your Social Media Goals

Now that you’ve nailed your content strategy, well done! You’ve done the hardest part.

But don’t forget, the key to a successful social media strategy for small business is consistency.

Monitoring your analytics to see how many people you’re reaching and how they’re interacting with your posts is vital to your strategy as they show you what’s working — and what isn’t.

Luckily, Later Analytics makes it easy to track insights you can use to inform your content strategy — whether it’s increasing engagement or growing your audience.

There you have it — a quick how-to guide for creating a social media strategy for small business.

Take the time to develop SMART goals, define your brand voice, and choose platforms that align with what you’re trying to achieve.

And if you create consistent content and analyze your metrics, you’ll be one step closer to creating a successful long-term strategy.

Ready to simplify your social media strategy for small business? With Later , you can plan, schedule, and monitor your posts all in one place!

Martha Kendall

Martha Kendall is a freelance B2B SaaS writer who loves creating strategic blog posts that drive traffic and convert. When she’s not writing, you can find her snuggling with her fluffy cats and reading books. Find her on Instagram – @marthakendallwrites .

Plan, schedule, and automatically publish your social media posts with Later.

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The complete guide to social media for businesses

Written by by Brent Barnhart

Published on  May 25, 2023

Reading time  10 minutes

Hot take: mastering social media is what sets businesses today apart.

Competition is fierce among brands and attention is scarce. Establishing an identity and sense of community via social is key to standing out.

Not to mention attracting valuable new customers.

Done right, a goal-driven social strategy means positive results for your business. Countless brands have been built from the ground up via Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.

Wrangling your social media strategy can be daunting with so many moving pieces. This is especially true if you’re totally new to the space. We get it.

That’s why we put together this post breaking down the basics of social media for business.

Table of contents

Benefits of social media for business

Setting social media goals for your business, follow these 5 social media tips for business.

  • Use social media marketing tools for business

Uncover social analytics and reporting for business

Involve your c-suite and employees to amplify your business, work on a corporate communication plan.

  • Go beyond the basics of social media for business

“Okay, so why is social media important for business?”

Good question! A decade ago, the upsides of social media for business were tougher to quantify.

Thankfully, times have changed and ROI is no longer a question mark. Let’s be crystal clear:

Social media is valuable for businesses of any size or industry. Finding customers on social media has a direct impact on sales and your bottom line.

Building awareness. Nurturing leads and driving sales. Community-building.

The list goes on given that the benefits of social media aren’t one-size-fits-all. That said, here are five upsides that brands can see from a smart social presence.

Like it or not, social media has become a go-to research channel for consumers at large.

Think about your own experience looking up businesses.

Chances are you’ve visited a restaurant’s Facebook to confirm their hours. Maybe you’ve combed a company’s IG content and comments to see if their products live up to the hype. This highlights how social media builds awareness for brands in a way that your website can’t.

Your business’ social presence is a powerful touchpoint with new customers. That’s because social media serves as an authentic reflection of what a company is all about.

Comments and shout-outs from satisfied customers speak volumes about your business. If someone’s first impression of your business is a glowing social review, that’s a huge plus.

example of business using social media to respond to customers on TikTok

Create a meaningful connection with your customers

It’s no exaggeration to say that social media serves as a Swiss Army Knife for customer support .

For reference, many brands use their social presence to…

  • Answer questions from potential customers
  • Handle concerns from existing customers
  • Celebrate and welcome new customers
  • Gather feedback from your target audience

example of business replying to a comment on Instagram

Show off your products (and what makes them compelling)

From testimonials to tutorials and beyond, social media is a prime place to show off products.

As noted in the Sprout Social Index™ , the most popular types of posts teach people how products work.  For example, an IG Reel or TikTok can educate a potential customer in a matter of seconds. Contrast this with static photos and traditional product descriptions.

Graphic showing the types of content consumers like to see from brands they follow on social

Formats such as short-form video empower brands to bring their products to life. Bonus points if you can feature real people and satisfied customers in your content.

Increase your brand’s visibility and reach

Recent demographics show us that people are spending hours per day on social media, not just a few minutes here and there.

This highlights the value of businesses having an established social presence. Many potential customers will see your brand’s Facebook or IG before they see your website.

Look no further than the rise of social search as evidence of this. Trends and research say that young consumers treat social media like a search engine .

example of social search results on TikTok

The more word of mouth your business earns, the easier it is for your audience to find you. This applies to social searchers and potential customers alike.

Gather real-time insights to make data-driven business decisions

Social media marketing for business is about so much more than promotion.

Consider how you can use analytics to research the following in real-time:

  • Audience pain points
  • Competitor messaging and content
  • Sentiment analysis (and how people feel about your brand)
  • The most popular types of products and content among your follow
  • The latest trends in your industry

And that only scratches the surface!

From your audience to competitors, there’s no better place to conduct market research . That’s because social media is a treasure trove of data points that are all out in the open.

The benefits of using social media for business speak for themselves.

That said, achieving them doesn’t happen by accident. That’s why goal-setting is so important.

Keep in mind that social media goals > are unique as they’re totally dependent on your business. Also, you can set multiple goals that actually overlap and influence each other. Goals affect everything from your content strategy to the social platforms you use.

Setting social media goals for business

There’s no “right” way to set goals but the process can be a lot. A few tips to get you started:

  • Start with the big picture before getting granular. Why does your business need a social presence? What resources do you need to make those results a reality?
  • Look at your target audience and customer personas . For example, how are your customers using social media? Is your audience glued to TikTok or Instagram? What types of content do they want to see? Brainstorm how using social media for business can help you reach your audience.
  • Think about your business’ holistic marketing strategy and how social media fits in.
  • Tie your social media goals to actual metrics and KPIs . This is a big one in an era where marketers are under pressure to prove ROI. From engagement to traffic and beyond, there’s plenty to track.

Sample B2B social media goals and KPIs

  • Brand awareness (growth, engagements) and consideration (link clicks, web traffic)
  • Lead generation (marketing qualified leads)
  • Competitor analysis (share of voice) and market share
  • Audience engagement (likes, replies, shares, etc.)
  • Drive customer loyalty (+ CX) and reduce churn
  • Customer service efficiencies (engagement speed and rates)
  • Reputation management
  • Customer satisfaction
  • Positive reviews
  • Customer sentiment online

Sample B2C social media goals and KPIs

  • Find new sales opportunities (conversations to join)
  • Uncover brand expansion opportunities
  • Reputation management (engaging with inbound messages)
  • Increase customer satisfaction
  • Inspire customer loyalty
  • Product launch analysis
  • Competitive analysis

Create a social media strategy for business

Let’s say you have your goals squared away.

Remember: effectively using social media for business means having a plan. Posting at random won’t do you any favors. Without a strategy, your social presence can quickly become a time-sink.

No pressure, right? Mapping your social media marketing strategy doesn’t have to be daunting. To keep your focus and avoid getting overwhelmed, here’s what we suggest you focus on:

  • Ensure social goals solve challenges
  • Extend social marketing efforts throughout your organization
  • Focus on networks that add value
  • Create engaging content
  • Identify business opportunities through social
  • Engage instead of ignore
  • Track, improve and market your effort

If you focus on these points, you’ll already be way ahead of the curve.

There’s no shortage of social media tips out there to help you fine-tune your strategy.

Some best practices related to social media for business are relative. Below are five universal tips that are fair game for companies of all shapes and sizes.

1. Build a human, people-first social presence

This might seem like a no-brainer.

That said, busy businesses tend to get stuck in a “copy-and-paste” approach to social. Comments and social captions should feel like they were written by a real person, not a robot.

Injecting personality into your posts is a low-hanging way to relate to your audience. Beyond that, personalizing your replies to people shows that you’re there to help them. This is an example of how to use social media for business to build connections.

example of a personalized comment from a business account on Instagram

2. Look at your social presence as a resource ( not just a promotional channel)

Don’t make the mistake of treating your social presence as a dumping ground for offers. Building an audience means being genuinely helpful, not salesy.

Many of the best practices across social media treat their accounts as resources. That means:

  • Creating actionable, educational content (think: how-tos, tutorial videos)
  • Answering questions and sharing advice with your audience
  • Sharing company updates and keeping customers in the loop (see below)

Imagine that your social accounts are your first touchpoint with a potential customer. Sharing resources makes a better first impression than screaming “BUY NOW!”

3. Show up consistently

This applies to both publishing content and engaging with customers.

Conventional wisdom says that social media algorithms reward consistency. Sprout’s own research on the best times to post on social media confirms this.  If nothing else, letting your social feeds gather cobwebs isn’t a good look.

Neither is leaving your followers hanging. Making a conscious effort to reply to questions and comments is crucial. This is why you need to keep a close eye on your @tags and social notifications.

example of business using social media to communicate with customers

4. Be prepared to experiment with different types of content

Brands are spoiled for choice when it comes to the types of content they can post.

Below are two examples of brands with diverse social feeds in terms of content.

examples of different styles of content when using social media for business

From short-form videos to Stories and slideshows, you have plenty of options. Different industries and types of brands thrive on different types of content.

That said, don’t make assumptions when it comes to what performs best.

Just because a competitor posts a bunch of memes doesn’t mean you should follow suit. Let your own analytics and engagement guide your content strategy.

5. Don’t treat your social presence like an island

Social media shouldn’t be a siloed channel separate from the rest of your marketing efforts.

From announcements to offers and company initiatives, social can be in the middle of it all. For example, a feature rollout isn’t something a SaaS brand should restrict to its email list. These sorts of updates should be front and center on social, too.

example of product-focused b2b social media on LinkedIn

A more holistic approach to social media marketing for business is ideal. In turn, you maximize your marketing assets elsewhere and see a greater ROI for your efforts.

Use social media marketing tools for businesses

Good news: you’re not expected to do everything totally DIY when building your presence.

There’s no shortage of social media marketing tools out there to help with the heavy lifting. Depending on your needs, you might consider investing in a combo of the following:

  • Scheduling tools that allow you to queue up content across multiple platforms
  • Analytics tools that measure content performance and engagement (see Sprout Social below)
  • Listening and monitoring tools that make it easier to track audience conversations

example of Sprout Social's advanced analytics for using social media for business

Remember: the purpose of these tools should be to make you more productive. A big challenge in building any sort of marketing stack is redundancies. It’s easy to invest in tools that overlap. This results in brands burning through their budgets and needlessly bouncing between platforms.

The more opportunities to consolidate your tools, the better. Working with fewer tools means squeezing the most out of what you have. Also, you save a ton of time onboarding.

The less bouncing between tools, the better. This speaks to the value of an all-in-one social media management platform like Sprout.

With Sprout, brands access a comprehensive suite of social tools and analytics. For example, the platform makes it a cinch to map out your content calendar across platforms. This is a shining example of how to save time and avoid bouncing between tools.

social media scheduling for business from Sprout Social

Sprout’s analytics and dashboards encourage a goal-driven approach to social media for business. Advanced analytics means fewer question marks and a better understanding of your presence. This includes your top-performing content and social channels.

example of Sprout Social's listening dashboard

In short, you have a constant pulse on what’s working, what’s not and what you should do next.

As noted earlier, social media shouldn’t be treated as an island.

This applies to your own team as well. The sooner you’re able to get approval and buy-in from your C-Suite, the better. Brand-building through employee advocacy is another way to use social media for business.

Employee advocacy is the promotion of a brand by its employees on social media.  Instead of solely promoting products, advocates promote a company at large. This means:

  • Sharing behind-the-scenes experiences about work life
  • Celebrating team members and workplace accomplishments
  • Amplify company messages and promotions

Chances are you’ve seen your fair share of employee advocacy in action on LinkedIn.

Again, the crowded nature of social media means anything you can do to stand out is a plus. Advocacy is an opportunity to boost your company’s profile and exposure via social.

One last pointer for anyone on the enterprise level.

The power of social media as a communication channel shouldn’t be taken lightly. Brands have the opportunity to reach massive audiences at a moment’s notice. This applies to customers, industry leaders and competitors alike.

The stakes are high for large companies with significant audiences and stakeholders. That’s why having a corporate communication plan is crucial. In short, you need to establish rules for:

  • Internal communication , including employee engagement and internal marketing
  • External communication , including PR and how you speak to the public
  • Executive communication (ex: how the C-level discusses your company on social media)
  • Crisis communication to deal with controversies and damage control situations

Having all of the above squared away empowers brands to have consistent messaging. Likewise, you can avoid miscommunication and countless public headaches in the process.

Going beyond the basics of social media for business

An active social presence is an expectation, not an exception for companies today.

The tips and best practices above serve as a solid foundation. With the right goals and mentality, social media can have a positive impact on your business.

Building a results-driven social media presence is so much easier with a platform like Sprout.  From content to trend analysis and beyond, Sprout empowers brands to build their presence with confidence. If you haven’t already, test-drive a free trial of Sprout Social to see the full suite in action for yourself!

[Toolkit] Communications Toolkit to Safeguard Your Brand

Find Your Next Social Media Management Tool With This Scorecard

How to ladder up your brand’s social media maturity

3 Social media executives share what it takes to build a long-term career in social

  • Data Report
  • Social Media Strategy

The Social Media Productivity Report

The benefits of influencer marketing (+ what the C-Suite cares about)

How social media network fragmentation will impact your 2024 strategy

How to build a customer-centric B2B social media strategy

  • Now on slide

Build and grow stronger relationships on social

Sprout Social helps you understand and reach your audience, engage your community and measure performance with the only all-in-one social media management platform built for connection.

5 Business Models for Social Media Startups

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1 min. read

Updated October 29, 2023

Are you looking at social media startup opportunities? How are you going to make money?

There’s a good practical list of Five Common Business Models for Social Media Startups by Jun Loayza on Mashable . A good reminder that business models–how you get paid–are part of the game. All five will seem familiar: There’s freemium (give a standard version free, charge for more users or more features), affiliate, subscription, virtual goods (add-ons to free games, like swords and shields and such), and the old standard, advertising.

Facebook, for example, uses advertising to get revenue, and gets relatively little per user. There are a lot of freemium sites, and fewer examples of affiliates and subscriptions.

One of the business plans I reviewed recently had an interesting explanation of why freemium wouldn’t work, and it went subscription only. I worry about that, because there are so many freemium sites.

There’s another common model that this list doesn’t include: Raise investment money, get traffic but no money, raise more money, increasing valuation, get more traffic, raise more money . . . all in the hope that there’s money at the end, when some bigger venture acquires all the stock. Actually, I think we need a tricky word for that business model . . . kite-up? Musical shares? I like that one, because, so often, whoever gets caught with the shares at the end loses.

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See why 1.2 million entrepreneurs have written their business plans with LivePlan

Content Author: Tim Berry

Tim Berry is the founder and chairman of Palo Alto Software , a co-founder of Borland International, and a recognized expert in business planning. He has an MBA from Stanford and degrees with honors from the University of Oregon and the University of Notre Dame. Today, Tim dedicates most of his time to blogging, teaching and evangelizing for business planning.

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Guide: Social Media Marketing for Small Businesses

By Tobi Ojenike , Nov 21, 2023

Social Media for Small Businesses

In today’s fast-paced business scene, having a solid online game is not just cool—it’s pretty much a must, especially for small businesses trying to make it big.

While social media marketing can be expensive for businesses navigating the complexities of online promotion, there are also cost-effective marketing options that are accessible to businesses of various sizes. This way, there is something for everyone.

So, in this guide, I’m going to break down social media marketing for small businesses without all the jargon. Think of it as your easy-to-follow map to navigate the world of social media and give your small business a boost. 

Ready to dive into social media content creation ? Check out our stash of free social media graphic templates tailored for various platforms. They’re here to spark your creativity and give you some cool ideas. Let the inspiration flow!

Click to jump ahead:

What is social media marketing?

Why small businesses need a social media presence, what are the core pillars of social media marketing, how to build an effective social media strategy, what social media platforms are best for my small business, 14 tips for expanding your small business with social media, how to set the right social media goals for your business, social media tools for small businesses.

Social media marketing is a strategy that involves promoting products, services or brands on social media platforms and engaging with the target audience. 

It includes a wide range of activities aimed at creating and sharing content, staying updated with the latest YouTube trends , increasing brand awareness, driving website traffic , generating leads and eventually increasing sales. Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and TikTok are the most popular social media marketing platforms.

Publishing quality content to your social media accounts, running social media adverts, replying to comments and messages and tracking and analyzing social media analytics are all part of social media marketing. 

Think of it this way: when you’re on social media, you’re not just selling your brand or product. You’re making connections, having conversations and building relationships with your customers.

From making new connections to building epic customer relationships, the perks are endless. Let’s have a look:

Visibility : Social media platforms give small businesses a platform to display their products and services to a worldwide audience.

Cost-effective marketing : Traditional advertising methods, such as television commercials or print advertisements, can be too expensive for small firms on a shoestring budget. Social media is a low-cost strategy to reach out to potential customers and compete with larger competitors. 

Customer engagement : Social media allows for direct engagement with customers, which helps to establish loyalty and trust. They can have real-time conversations, answer inquiries and address issues, all of which were previously unavailable in traditional marketing.

Brand building:  Building and sustaining brand visibility is a major challenge for small businesses. With social media, as a small business, you can better establish and strengthen your brand identity, making your company more visible.

Analytics : For market research, social media is a goldmine. As a small business, having access to insights and analytics aids in the refinement of marketing tactics for improved results. This data can then be used to help with product development, content generation and general business initiatives.

Competitive advantage:  With social media, small businesses can respond to market shifts and adapt to changing trends and customer preferences more quickly. A social media presence levels the playing field and assists small businesses in remaining competitive.

Why small businesses need a social media presence

A great social media marketing strategy is built on important pillars that work together to form a solid social media marketing plan. 

Businesses that invest in each of these areas can have a strong and effective online presence, resulting in increased brand awareness, engagement and growth. Let’s take a what are the core pillars that can make or break your social media strategy:

Advertising

All social media posts can be labeled as paid or organic. Organic material is free to post and the breadth of its reach is determined by your follower count and the platform’s algorithm. 

Paid content (or social media advertising) on the other hand enables businesses to pay platforms to promote postings to a larger audience and to target specific audiences. While organic reach is important, paid social media advertising may greatly increase your brand’s visibility.

What are the core pillars of social media marketing

Data is essential in social media marketing. This pillar entails monitoring and analyzing critical performance indicators such as engagement, reach, clicks, conversions and ROI. In order to fine-tune your approach, you must rely on data-driven insights.

Your social media marketing strategy will comprise objectives, target audiences, essential platforms and social-specific content. It determines why, where and what your firm will broadcast, as well as which data you will track.

Publishing is the process of creating and distributing social content to audiences. You’ll decide how frequently and when to post, as well as what publishing and scheduling tools you’ll require to support your approach.

Engagement and community building

It is critical to create and nurture a community around your brand. This pillar entails actively connecting with your target audience, reacting to comments and messages and cultivating connections. Brand loyalty and advocacy can be boosted by a robust online community.

How to build an effective social media strategy?

Creating an effective social media strategy is a multifaceted process that involves thorough planning and execution. But how do you build an effective social media strategy for your small business? Let me walk you through it.

Set your budget and objectives

The first step in developing a social media marketing strategy is to examine your digital marketing budget. 

Determine how much time and money you can devote to social media marketing and what objectives you hope to achieve. 

Set defined and quantifiable goals for your social media campaigns. Clear goals provide direction, whether it’s improving brand exposure, driving website traffic, generating leads or increasing sales.

Determine your target audiences

Conduct audience research to establish the demographics of the most prominent social media networks’ active users. 

Then, for your social media activities, determine your target audience. Knowing who you’re attempting to reach and who is active on each platform will assist you determine which platforms your company should be present on.

Research competitors

A competitive study can also help you identify successful content, brand attributes and publishing patterns. 

Although you don’t want your strategy to be precisely like other companies, competitive research can help you find techniques that work for organizations like yours. 

When it comes time to develop content, you and your creative team can design assets that feel distinctive to your company while drawing inspiration from what you see competitors doing well.

Choose the right platforms

Choose social media sites that correspond to your target demographic and company objectives. Concentrate on where your target audience is most engaged — not all platforms are appropriate for every business.

Your social media marketing strategy could also include a mix of diverse strategies for each social media site. If you’re selling products, consider a platform with in-app shopping functionality, such as Facebook or Instagram. If you want to share links to blog posts or articles, consider using a platform that can extract featured photos from external links, such as Twitter or LinkedIn. 

Content strategy

Create a content plan that includes a variety of content kinds such as text, photographs, videos and infographics. 

Your material should be valuable and engaging to your readers. Your goals, target audience data and competition analysis can be used to determine the important subjects, types of post and posting patterns for each social media platform, as well as the best time of day to post on each.

Also, create a content calendar to keep a consistent posting schedule. Regular posting keeps your audience interested and informed.

Related: How to Grow Your Brand’s Social Media Influence with Infographics and More

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube—the “Big Five” social media platforms—provide a plethora of chances for small businesses to develop an effective social media strategy. Here are some important things to consider for these platforms and more:

Facebook marketing for small businesses

One of the first social media platforms that emerged was Facebook which currently has over 2 billion monthly active users and 1 billion daily active users. If your target consumer is on social media, it’s most likely Facebook. 

Facebook’s audience is extremely diverse, making it suited for a wide range of businesses. It can benefit both business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) organizations. Facebook is adaptable for addressing diverse target demographics because it has users of all ages.

How to maximize Facebook:

  • Create a business page and optimize it with relevant information.
  • Share a mix of engaging content, including posts, images and videos.
  • Use Facebook Ads to target specific demographics.
  • Engage with your audience through comments and messages.
  • Schedule posts for optimal reach and consistency.

LinkedIn marketing for small businesses

LinkedIn is a social networking site where people may connect with other business professionals and network online. If a LinkedIn user follows your firm, they are likely interested in the information and insights you can provide them, as well as business-related updates. 

LinkedIn has a professional audience that is great for connecting and sharing industry-specific content for B2B organizations and individuals. It’s fantastic for job search, career advancement and demonstrating expertise. LinkedIn users are often older and more professional.

How to maximize Linkedin

  • Create an engaging corporate page as well as individual profiles for essential team members.
  • Distribute professional, industry-specific content such as articles and updates.
  • Connect with industry experts, clients and possible partners.
  • Join LinkedIn Groups to participate in discussions and build your network.
  • For B2B advertising initiatives, use LinkedIn Ads.

X (formerly known as Twitter) marketing for small businesses

X undoubtedly the most conversational of all social media platforms, consists of a large network of individuals and brands communicating with one another in a very fast-paced atmosphere. Most company profiles tweet a variety of information, including product promotions, online contests, offers, funny industry-related views, data insights and new releases. 

X has a younger user base, making it ideal for products or services aimed at this generation. It is, yet, ideal for companies that wish to publish real-time updates and join in discussions about current events and trends. X can benefit both consumer and business-oriented businesses (B2B and B2C).

How to maximize X

  • Create a strong presence with a distinct brand look.
  • Tweet on a frequent basis, focusing on hot topics and relevant hashtags.
  • Use Lists to organize and interact with important people.
  • Use Twitter Ads to broaden your reach and reach targeted demographics.
  • Respond to mentions and direct messages as soon as possible.

Instagram marketing for small businesses

Instagram has three types of publishing formats: stories, reels and permanent posts. With these options, you can design your Instagram presence to focus on your business goals and the desires of your audience. 

Because Instagram is linked to Facebook, paid advertisements from your business Instagram account are created immediately within Facebook and do not require the use of a separate platform. 

Instagram’s audience is younger, making it ideal for marketers targeting millennials and Gen Z. Instagram is a popular platform for businesses in the lifestyle, fashion, beauty and creative industries. It is ideal for showcasing items or services with high-quality images.

How to maximize Instagram

  • Create a business account on Instagram to have access to analytics and promotions.
  • Post visually appealing images and stories about your company.
  • To improve discoverability, use relevant hashtags and geo-tags.
  • Collaborate with influencers to broaden your audience.
  • Use Instagram Ads to reach out to certain demographics.

YouTube marketing for small businesses

Creating video content for YouTube can boost your brand’s credibility and attract a lot of engagement. Optimizing your videos for search is an important factor in ensuring that they appear for users searching for your content. 

YouTube’s user base covers all age groups, making it appropriate for a wide range of audiences. It is a fantastic medium for reaching a large and diversified audience if your company can create captivating video content. It’s ideal for instructional videos, educational information and entertainment.

How to maximize YouTube

  • Create a YouTube channel and stick to a regular publishing schedule.
  • Create high-quality video content, such as tutorials, product demonstrations and vlogs.
  • Improve the searchability of video titles, descriptions and tags.
  • Encourage subscribers to remark and provide feedback.
  • To reach a larger audience, use YouTube Ads to promote your videos.

TikTok marketing for small businesses

TikTok has quickly established itself as an effective platform for businesses to communicate with a wide and engaged audience. TikTok marketing may be a game changer for small businesses, giving them a platform to demonstrate their creativity, engage with a younger clientele and increase brand exposure. 

TikTok mostly attracts a younger audience, with a sizable proportion of Gen Z and Millennials. The short-form video format matches to the shorter attention spans of its largely younger audience. Through features like likes, comments, shares and duets, the platform encourages active engagement.

How to maximize TikTok

  • Create visually appealing and innovative videos that reflect the personality of your brand.
  • Take advantage of TikTok trends and difficulties to stay relevant and increase discoverability.
  • Respond to comments and interact with your audience to foster a sense of belonging.
  • Create branded hashtags to encourage engagement and user-generated content .
  • Consider using TikTok ads to reach out to targeted audiences and increase brand awareness.

Related: Hidden Social Media Features to Help Your Small Business Thrive

As a savvy business owner, you recognize that your online presence is a powerful asset. But, the real magic lies in knowing how to leverage platforms like Facebook, Instagram and TikTok to not just exist online but to thrive and expand. 

Look no further, to help you with that, I’ll unravel tips and strategies that go beyond mere existence on social media in this section. Whether you’re a seasoned entrepreneur or just starting a business , these insights will empower you to navigate the digital realm with confidence, turning your social media presence into a catalyst for significant business growth: 

Understand your target audience

Understanding your audience is a vital step for using social media to grow your small business. This way, you can adjust your social media content and techniques to effectively resonate with your audience by acquiring deep insights into their preferences, behaviors and needs.

Focus on branding

Maintain a consistent brand image, from your profile graphics to your content style. Social media branding can boost your company’s visibility as people will share your posts with their followers, thereby increasing your reach and exposure. 

The more visible your brand is online, the more likely it is that consumers will become acquainted with it and eventually make a purchase.

Engage actively

Engage with you social audience by responding to comments and messages as soon as possible to create relationships with customers. 

Also, give life to your posts, captions and comments. It gives your customers a sense of trust and belonging relating to someone like them and not a robot. 

Commit to community management, which entails creating a community with your customers through online interactions.

Focus on quality over quantity

As a small business, prioritize quality over quantity. While it may be tempting to publish a large amount of posts, prioritizing quality ensures that each piece is effective, resonates with your audience and is consistent with the identity of your business. 

Rather than bombarding your audience with information, provide captivating and relevant content that adds value to their lives. High-quality content attracts greater engagement, reach and shares, resulting in a stronger online presence and higher brand visibility.

Plan using a content calendar

One common mistake small businesses make on social media is posting material on the fly. While it may appear easier to spend a little time each day thinking of something to publish, this might actually be more time-consuming (and frustrating) in the long term. 

To avoid this, create a content calendar to ensure consistent posting and to stay organized.

Use visuals

Visual content not only appeals to the eyes, but it also makes selling easier and faster as clients begin to distinguish your brand from competitors. Enhance your posts with eye-catching graphics such as images, infographics and videos.

Use hashtags

Use hashtags to categorize and amplify your content, increasing its discoverability among customers with similar interests. 

Also, make sure your hashtags align with your industry, niche and target audience, elevating both visibility and engagement levels. Leveraging trending or popular hashtags can notably broaden your content’s reach, helping you reach audiences beyond your current follower base.

Run promotions

Hosting a contest or giveaway is an effective strategy. The appeal of freebies and the thrill of competition can create significant engagement, assisting in broadening your reach and attracting new fans. 

Encourage users to share your material, tag friends or use certain hashtags, which will turn your current audience into brand ambassadors.

Do your analytics

Track and evaluate your social media performance to fine-tune your plan. Analytics may help you choose which social media platform is ideal for your company. 

If you notice that one platform is receiving more engagement than another, you may want to consider switching. You don’t have to be everywhere, so focus on the platforms that produce the best results.

Stay informed on trends

To stay relevant, keep up with social media trends and platform updates. You don’t necessarily have to jump on every trend on social media, but finding one that is niche to your brand and will help you gain visibility is important. 

It’s also a way for you to know what people are searching for at that time, which allows you to develop relevant material that will resonate over time.

Consistent posting

Consistency is rewarding. Post on a regular basis to keep your audience engaged and informed. This applies to both content creation and consumer interaction. 

Leaving your social media for too long without a valid reason or not responding to comments on your post is not a pretty sight. Customers want a brand that is timely and one that they can rely on to truly deliver.

Advertise strategically

Strategic advertising is a must-have for small businesses looking to grow through social media. When paid advertising coincides with your aims and budget, use it. 

Also, use social media platforms’ extensive targeting options to narrow down your target demographic. Choose the ad format that best communicates your value proposition, whether it’s through sponsored articles, carousel advertisements or video content.

Create accessible content

Creating accessible social media content is a strategic move that can significantly contribute to expanding your small business. By considering various needs, such as visual or hearing impairments, you make your content more inclusive, attracting diverse customers.

Accessible content improves the overall user experience for everyone. Clear and well-structured content is easier for all users to understand and engage with, leading to increased satisfaction and positive interactions with your brand.

Mobile optimization

Prioritizing mobile optimization is an important step for small businesses looking to grow via social media. Make sure your material is mobile-friendly, as many people use mobile devices to access social media. 

Given the growing nature of mobile device usage, ensure that your content, website links and advertising are mobile-friendly. Mobile-friendly content is highly valued by social media platforms and a user-friendly mobile interface boosts engagement.

Setting the right social media goals is critical for achieving real results for your small business. You should understand that social media objectives are unique because they are entirely based on your company and these goals can also overlap and influence each other. Everything from your content strategy to the social networks you employ is influenced by your goals.

Let’s take a look at how you can effectively set social media goals for your small business.

  • Begin with the broad picture and work your way down. Why does your company require a social presence? What resources are required to make such outcomes a reality?
  • Study your target market and customer personalities. For instance, how do your customers use social media? Is your target audience obsessed with TikTok or Instagram? What kinds of material are they looking for? Consider how using social media for business might assist you in reaching your target audience.
  • Consider your company’s overall marketing plan and how social media fits into it.
  • Connect your social media objectives to actual analytics and KPIs. This is significant in an era when marketers are under pressure to demonstrate ROI. There’s a lot to track, from engagement to traffic and beyond.
  • Review your progress on a regular basis and revise your goals as appropriate. Social media is a fluid medium and your objectives should evolve in response to changes in your business landscape and industry trends.
  • Building relationships is the goal of social media. Consider goals that encourage interaction, conversations and the creation of a sense of community around your business.
  • Compare your objectives to those of your competitors in the industry. Analyzing their social media strategy can provide insight into what is feasible and assist you in setting competitive yet reasonable goals.

Some examples of these goals are:

Increase website traffic

Objective: The goal is to get more people to visit the company’s website.

Example: Increase website clicks from social media by 30%, and monitor click-through rates.

Increase customer loyalty

Objective: Build a community of brand champions and devoted customers.

Example: Launching a reward program and responding quickly to customer inquiries.

Increase social media followers

Objective: Broaden the audience and reach on social media channels.

Example: Run targeted follower acquisition campaigns, or partner with influencers.

Metrics monitoring and analysis

Objective: Continuously assess and optimize social media performance.

Example: Reviewing statistics on a regular basis and adjusting plans based on key performance metrics.

Increase product sales

Objective: Increase sales and revenue through social media channels.

Example: Increase online sales by 15% via social media promotions.

Increase engagement

Objective: Encourage engagement and participation on social media sites as a goal.

Example: Grow likes, comments, and shares by 25%, and hold interactive polls or contests.

Small businesses can utilize the help of tools to streamline their social media presence, monitor performance, find content trends and manage other areas of their digital marketing plan. 

The tools used are however determined by the specific needs and goals of the organization. Let’s take a quick glance at these tools and how they can benefit small businesses.

Purpose: Social media management

Hootsuite acts as a unified center for managing various social media accounts, allowing organizations to plan posts, manage engagement and assess performance using its built-in analytics features.

Purpose: Social media scheduling and analytics

Buffer enables organizations to streamline social media posting with scheduled content, while also giving analytics to analyze post performance and encouraging team participation in managing social media activities. 

Purpose: Design and infographics

Venngage is a user-friendly online tool that allows businesses to create visually appealing infographics, reports and presentations. With its easy-to-use interface and customizable social media templates , Venngage can help businesses effectively communicate complex information and data on various social media platforms.

Sprout Social:

Purpose: Social media marketing and analytics

Sprout Social covers social media management, marketing and analytics, allowing organizations to schedule posts, monitor conversations and receive insights into social media ROI.

BuzzSumo: 

Purpose: Content discovery and analysis

Buzzsumo distinguishes itself by recognizing hot material within a certain market, identifying prominent content providers and providing insights into competition content tactics.

Purpose: Instagram scheduling and analytics

Later, which focuses on Instagram, makes post planning and scheduling easier by giving a visual content calendar and analytics to track post performance on this popular site.

Purpose: Unified customer support

Sprinklr enables businesses to monitor brand mentions, communicate with customers and evaluate customer interactions and sentiment by integrating social media management, customer service and marketing features into a single platform. 

Social media tools for small businesses

Key takeaway

So, wrapping things up – social media is like the secret sauce for small businesses. Everything you need to create an effective social media strategy is in this guide, from creating awesome content to chatting with your audience and digging into the nitty-gritty with analytics.

Think of your online presence as a turbo boost for your business growth. With these insights, you’re not just navigating social media; you’re owning it. It’s like stepping into the digital arena with confidence, ready to rock the small business game.

So, here’s to embracing social media, because it’s not just a trend – it’s your ticket to thriving in today’s business scene. Get out there, make your mark, and let your small business shine in the world of pixels and posts!

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Social Enterprise Business Plan Template

  • Written by Dave Lavinsky

social enterprise business plan template

Table of Contents

Social enterprise business plan.

Over the past 20+ years, we have helped over 500 entrepreneurs and business owners create business plans to start and grow their social enterprise businesses. On this page, we will first give you some background information with regards to the importance of business planning. We will then go through a social enterprise business plan template step-by-step so you can create your plan today.

Download our Ultimate Business Plan Template here >

What Is a Social Enterprise Business Plan?

A business plan provides a snapshot of your social enterprise business as it stands today, and lays out your growth plan for the next five years. It explains your business goals and your strategy for reaching them. It also includes market research to support your plans.

Why You Need a Business Plan for a Social Enteprise

If you’re looking to start a social enterprise business, or grow your existing social enterprise business, you need a business plan. A business plan will help you raise funding, if needed, and plan out the growth of your social enterprise business in order to improve your chances of success. Your social enterprise business plan is a living document that should be updated annually as your company grows and changes.

Sources of Funding for Social Enterprise Businesses

With regards to funding, the main sources of funding for a social enterprise business are personal savings, credit cards, bank loans and angel investors. With regards to bank loans, banks will want to review your business plan and gain confidence that you will be able to repay your loan and interest. To acquire this confidence, the loan officer will not only want to confirm that your financials are reasonable, but they will also want to see a professional plan. Such a plan will give them the confidence that you can successfully and professionally operate a business. Personal savings and bank loans are the most common funding paths for social enterprise businesses.

Finish Your Business Plan Today!

How to write a business plan for a social enterprise.

If you want to start a social enterprise business or expand your current one, you need a business plan. Below are links to each section of your social enterprise business plan template:

Executive Summary

Your executive summary provides an introduction to your business plan, but it is normally the last section you write because it provides a summary of each key section of your plan.

The goal of your Executive Summary is to quickly engage the reader. Explain to them the type of social enterprise business you are operating and the status. For example, are you a startup, do you have a social enterprise business that you would like to grow, or are you operating social enterprise businesses in multiple markets?

Next, provide an overview of each of the subsequent sections of your plan. For example, give a brief overview of the social enterprise industry. Discuss the type of social enterprise business you are operating. Detail your direct competitors. Give an overview of your target customers. Provide a snapshot of your marketing plan. Identify the key members of your team. And offer an overview of your financial plan.  

Company Analysis

In your company analysis, you will detail the type of social enterprise business you are operating.

For example, you might operate one of the following types of social enterprise businesses:

  • Trading social enterprise : this type of social enterprise refers to cooperatives, collectives, and other organizations that are worker or employee-owned. This type of ownership structure allows a higher degree of economic resiliency compared to a traditional organization.
  • Financial social enterprise: this type of social enterprise includes credit unions, cooperative banks, and revolving loan funds, which are all membership-owned. In other words, the money deposited from a member is used to help other members who may need financial assistance.
  • Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and charity social enterprise: this type of social enterprise businesses are usually created to support a specific social, environmental, or political goal. The profits are used to further the social or environmental aims of the organization or to provide salaries for people who provide free services to specific groups of people.

In addition to explaining the type of social enterprise business you will operate, the Company Analysis section of your business plan needs to provide background on the business.

Include answers to question such as:

  • When and why did you start the business?
  • What milestones have you achieved to date? Milestones could include the number of clients served, number of positive reviews, reaching X amount of clients served, etc.
  • Your legal structure. Are you incorporated as an S-Corp? An LLC? A sole proprietorship? Explain your legal structure here.

Industry Analysis

In your industry analysis, you need to provide an overview of the social enterprise industry.

While this may seem unnecessary, it serves multiple purposes.

First, researching the social enterprise industry educates you. It helps you understand the market in which you are operating. 

Secondly, market research can improve your strategy, particularly if your research identifies market trends.

The third reason for market research is to prove to readers that you are an expert in your industry. By conducting the research and presenting it in your plan, you achieve just that.

The following questions should be answered in the industry analysis section of your social enterprise business plan:

  • How big is the social enterprise industry (in dollars)?
  • Is the market declining or increasing?
  • Who are the key competitors in the market?
  • Who are the key suppliers in the market?
  • What trends are affecting the industry?
  • What is the industry’s growth forecast over the next 5 – 10 years?
  • What is the relevant market size? That is, how big is the potential market for your social enterprise business? You can extrapolate such a figure by assessing the size of the market in the entire country and then applying that figure to your local population.

Customer Analysis

The customer analysis section of your social enterprise business plan must detail the customers you serve and/or expect to serve.

The following are examples of customer segments:non-profits, individuals, social causes, etc.

As you can imagine, the customer segment(s) you choose will have a great impact on the type of social enterprise business you operate. Clearly, social causes would respond to different marketing promotions than individuals needing financial assistance, for example.

Try to break out your target customers in terms of their demographic and psychographic profiles. With regards to demographics, include a discussion of the ages, genders, locations and income levels of the customers you seek to serve.

Psychographic profiles explain the wants and needs of your target customers. The more you can understand and define these needs, the better you will do in attracting and retaining your customers.

With Growthink’s Ultimate Business Plan Template you can finish your plan in just 8 hours or less!

Competitive Analysis

Your competitive analysis should identify the indirect and direct competitors your business faces and then focus on the latter.

Direct competitors are other social enterprise companies. 

Indirect competitors are other options that customers have to purchase from that aren’t direct competitors. This includes social enterprise companies such as brand awareness companies, community organizations, government programs, etc.

With regards to direct competition, you want to describe the other social enterprises with which you compete. Most likely, your direct competitors will be social enterprise businesses located very close to your location.

For each such competitor, provide an overview of their businesses and document their strengths and weaknesses. Unless you once worked at your competitors’ businesses, it will be impossible to know everything about them. But you should be able to find out key things about them such as:

  • What clients or causes do they serve?
  • What type of social enterprise company are they?
  • What is their pricing (premium, low, etc.)?
  • What are they good at?
  • What are their weaknesses?

With regards to the last two questions, think about your answers from the customers’ perspective. And don’t be afraid to ask your competitors’ customers what they like most and least about them.

The final part of your competitive analysis section is to document your areas of competitive advantage. For example:

  • Will you provide social enterprise services that your competitors don’t offer?
  • Will your social enterprise business help more people in need?
  • Will you provide better customer service?
  • Will you offer better pricing?

Think about ways you will outperform your competition and document them in this section of your plan.  

Marketing Plan

Traditionally, a marketing plan includes the four P’s: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. For a social enterprise business plan, your marketing plan should include the following:

Product : In the product section, you should reiterate the type of social enterprise company that you documented in your Company Analysis. Then, detail the specific products you will be offering. For example, in addition to social enterprise services, will you provide access to funding, marketing, counseling, and/or brand awareness, and any other services?

Price : Document the prices you will offer and how they compare to your competitors. Essentially in the product and price sub-sections of your marketing plan, you are presenting the services you offer and their prices.

Place : Place refers to the location of your social enterprise company. Document your location and mention how the location will impact your success. For example, is your social enterprise business located near an office complex, a university, an urban setting, or a busy neighborhood, etc. Discuss how your location might be the ideal location for your customers.

Promotions : The final part of your social enterprise marketing plan is the promotions section. Here you will document how you will drive customers to your location(s). The following are some promotional methods you might consider:

  • Website and SEO marketing
  • Community events
  • Commercials
  • Social media marketing
  • Local radio advertising

Operations Plan

While the earlier sections of your business plan explained your goals, your operations plan describes how you will meet them. Your operations plan should have two distinct sections as follows.

Everyday short-term processes include all of the tasks involved in running your social enterprise business, including communicating with clients, marketing, accounting, accounts payable, fundraising, and searching for grant opportunities.

Long-term goals are the milestones you hope to achieve. These could include the dates when you expect to obtain your XXth client, or when you hope to reach $X in revenue. It could also be when you expect to expand your social enterprise business to a new location.  

Management Team

To demonstrate your social enterprise business’ ability to succeed, a strong management team is essential. Highlight your key players’ backgrounds, emphasizing those skills and experiences that prove their ability to grow a company. 

Ideally you and/or your team members have direct experience in managing social enterprises. If so, highlight this experience and expertise. But also highlight any experience that you think will help your business succeed.

If your team is lacking, consider assembling an advisory board. An advisory board would include 2 to 8 individuals who would act like mentors to your business. They would help answer questions and provide strategic guidance. If needed, look for advisory board members with experience in managing a social enterprise business or are connected to a wide network of professional organizations that frequently tend to donate to various causes.  

Financial Plan

Your financial plan should include your 5-year financial statement broken out both monthly or quarterly for the first year and then annually. Your financial statements include your income statement, balance sheet and cash flow statements.

Income Statement : an income statement is more commonly called a Profit and Loss statement or P&L. It shows your revenues and then subtracts your costs to show whether you turned a profit or not.

In developing your income statement, you need to devise assumptions. For example, will you take on one new service at a time or multiple services ? And will sales grow by 2% or 10% per year? As you can imagine, your choice of assumptions will greatly impact the financial forecasts for your business. As much as possible, conduct research to try to root your assumptions in reality.

Balance Sheets : Balance sheets show your assets and liabilities. While balance sheets can include much information, try to simplify them to the key items you need to know about. For instance, if you spend $50,000 on building out your social enterprise business, this will not give you immediate profits. Rather it is an asset that will hopefully help you generate profits for years to come. Likewise, if a bank writes you a check for $50,000, you don’t need to pay it back immediately. Rather, that is a liability you will pay back over time.

Cash Flow Statement : Your cash flow statement will help determine how much money you need to start or grow your business, and make sure you never run out of money. What most entrepreneurs and business owners don’t realize is that you can turn a profit but run out of money and go bankrupt. 

In developing your Income Statement and Balance Sheets be sure to include several of the key costs needed in starting or growing a social enterprise business:

  • Cost of social enterprise services
  • Cost of overhead, marketing, and outreach
  • Payroll or salaries paid to staff
  • Business insurance
  • Taxes and permits
  • Legal expenses

Attach your full financial projections in the appendix of your plan along with any supporting documents that make your plan more compelling. For example, you might include your social enterprise outline of services, types of customer and/or cause you will be targeting, and the areas your social enterprise business will serve.   Summary Putting together a business plan for your social enterprise business is a worthwhile endeavor. If you follow the template above, by the time you are done, you will truly be an expert. You will really understand the social enterprise industry, your competition, and your customers. You will have developed a marketing plan and will really understand what it takes to launch and grow a successful social enterprise business.  

Social Enterprise Business Plan FAQs

What is the easiest way to complete my social enterprise business plan.

Growthink's Ultimate Business Plan Template allows you to quickly and easily complete your Social Enterprise Business Plan.

What is the Goal of a Business Plan's Executive Summary?

The goal of your Executive Summary is to quickly engage the reader. Explain to them the type of social enterprise business you are operating and the status; for example, are you a startup, do you have a social enterprise business that you would like to grow, or are you operating a chain of social enterprise businesses?

  OR, Let Us Develop Your Plan For You Since 1999, Growthink has developed business plans for thousands of companies who have gone on to achieve tremendous success.

Click here to hire someone to write a business plan for you from Growthink’s team.   Other Helpful Business Plan Articles & Templates

Business Plan Template & Guide For Small Businesses

How to Build a Social Media Growth Strategy That Works [2024]

Follow this guide for actionable tactics that will help you reach new levels of social media growth in 2024.

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Table of Contents

Social media growth reached a new high in 2023, with 4.88 billion total active social media user identities, representing 60.6% of the world’s population.

How do brands grow their own social presence to reach that ever-increasing audience base? We’ve got 10 strategic tips (and 3 tools) for optimum social growth in 2024.

Bonus: Get a free social media strategy template   to quickly and easily plan your own strategy. Also use it to track results and present the plan to your boss, teammates, and clients.

What is social media growth?

Social media growth is an umbrella term that includes many different types of social success. How you define social media growth depends on the most important goals and metrics for your particular organization. Some of the most common ways to measure social media growth include:

  • Social media follower growth: How many new followers you gain in a set period of time.
  • Engagement rate: How many people engage with your content vs. how many people see it.
  • Web traffic from social accounts: How many visits to your website are referred from social posts or your social profiles.
  • Conversions referred from social accounts: How many people who come to your website from a social link follow through to make a purchase, sign up for your newsletter, or any other conversion you want to measure.
  • Social commerce sales: How much revenue you bring in from social commerce activities across your social accounts.

business plan for social networking site

Create. Schedule. Publish. Engage. Measure. Win.

10 effective social media growth strategies

1. be active on your target audience’s favorite platforms.

You can create as many (or as few) social accounts as you like. But your audience will only connect with you on the social networks they’re already actively using. You need to put your brand where they can find you easily, rather than expecting them to seek you out.

There are two components to this strategy:

  • Your target audience
  • The most popular social media platforms within that user base

For effective organic social media growth, you need to understand both.

If you don’t already know exactly who your target audience is, this is where you need to start. Fortunately, we’ve got a whole blog post on finding your target market that can point you in the right direction.

Once you understand your target audience, you can get even more detailed by creating audience personas .

Now that you understand who you want to connect with on social, you can figure out where to find them. Our blog post on the demographics of the major social platforms is a good place to start your research. You should also do some testing to confirm any assumptions.

Keep in mind that different segments of your audience may be active on different social media sites. Or, people might follow you on multiple platforms but expect a different relationship on each. That means you need to optimize your content for each platform .

For example, look at how differently the Washington Post approached this news story on Twitter and TikTok:

Plans for a Northern Virginia sports arena that could move the Washington Capitals and Wizards out of D.C. have drawn questions from residents and officials from how it might affect the District’s struggling downtown to how much taxpayers may have to pay. https://t.co/UtINbfcTzH — The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) December 15, 2023
@washingtonpost Monumental Sports & Virginia’s Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) announce deal to move Caps, Wizards to Virginia #NHL #Hockey #WashingtonCapitals #WashingtonCapitals #DC #DistrictOfColumbia #Ovechkin #hockeytalk ♬ original sound – We are a newspaper.

2. Create a consistent posting schedule

Humans are creatures of habit. When you post social content on a consistent schedule, your audience knows what to expect. They understand how often to expect new content, and when to anticipate your posts in their social feeds.

This consistency makes it feel less burdensome for new people who find your content through a search or suggestion to click the follow button. Conversely, it encourages fans to seek out your new content on your profile if the algorithm doesn’t serve it up in their feed.

Just like deciding where to post based on your audience’s preferences, you need to let their social activity guide your plan for when to post too.

Posting when your audience is most likely to be on the platform increases your chances for early engagement, which is a key value signal to virtually all social algorithms .

Hootsuite can show you exactly when your audience is online with customized heatmaps for each platform. You can also find recommended times to post in Hootsuite Analytics based on your specific growth goals.

Hootsuite best times and days to publish heatmap

Try Hootsuite for free

3. Post short video

Short social video – think Reels and TikToks – has become a crucial component of social growth. Creating this type of content is the easiest way to achieve social media follower growth. Why? Because it’s the content that’s most likely to reach people who don’t already follow you.

Instagram specifically says that for Reels, “the majority of what you see is from accounts you don’t follow.” Likewise, Facebook describes Reels as, “content you may be interested in from creators you may not follow.” And TikTok is designed to surface content a user will find interesting, not just content from accounts they follow.

Your short video content needs to align with your overall social strategy and your brand voice. But, it’s a completely different kind of content than you’re creating for feed posts or even Stories.

To get started, check out our guide to making effective short-form videos .

For platform-specific strategies, take a look at :

  • How to use Instagram Reels for business
  • How to use Facebook Reels for social media growth
  • How to create a TikTok marketing strategy

4. Embrace social SEO

We’ve mentioned algorithms a few times already. But when you’re focused on social media follower growth, social search engine optimization may be even more important.

Social SEO is all about optimizing your content using SEO tactics like keyword research, captions, and effective alt text to help the search features built into each social platform understand what your content is about.

That means people who are actively searching for content like yours are more likely to find you

And there’s a bonus: TikTok search results are indexed by search engines, so you can drive new eyeballs to your social content from people who are starting their search outside of social social.

5. Engage with your audience

Remember that social media is not a simple broadcast platform. Your audience wants to see your content, sure. But they also want to interact with you, the brand (or creator) behind the content.

If you want to grow your social media presence, you need to be diligent about responding to comments, tags, messages and mentions. This isn’t optional, folks! Neglected audiences don’t stick around, so leaving your comments and messages unanswered works directly against your efforts for social media growth.

Hootsuite Inbox reply social engagement

Manage all your messages stress-free with easy routing, saved replies, and friendly chatbots. Try Hootsuite’s Inbox today.

6. Get inspired by established accounts in your niche

We talked about audience engagement above, but it’s also important to conduct industry research. In this case, you’re looking for accounts that are already performing well in your space.

They might be competitors. But they might also be potential collaborators. Either way, studying their accounts can give you a good sense of what’s already working in your niche.

Beyond strategy insights, you can also work on social media growth by engaging with popular accounts that already reach your target audience. If they’re not in direct competition with you, try liking and commenting on their posts in a genuine and supportive way. Catching their attention might lead to a return like or follow.

Connections between accounts are a powerful signal for the social media algorithms, so connecting with relevant accounts can help your chances of appearing as a suggested post for non-followers.

Keyword and hashtag searches are a good way to start your research here. And here’s a major timesaver: Search streams in Hootsuite allow you to monitor all your relevant searches across platforms from a single dashboard.

Hootsuite Streams fashion hashtag search on Instagram

7. Work with content creators

This is another important strategy to expand your audience. In this case, you develop a collaboration with relevant content creators to piggyback on their established audience.

When your focus is social media growth, it’s important to choose your creator collaborators carefully. Their audience needs to be a really good match to the audience you are trying to build. After all, a new influx of followers is only helpful to your overall growth strategy if they actually want to stick around.

Again, hashtag and keyword searches are a good starting point. It’s also a good idea to take a look at what other accounts your existing audience follows to look for a good fit. We’ve put together a whole guide on how to work with content creators to take you from there.

8. Maximize your profile and bio

Sure, creating content is the more exciting part of social media. But developing a strong bio and profile are critical to social media growth. Make sure you have these nailed down before you start putting too much effort into other growth strategies.

There are a couple of reasons for this. First up, your profile and bio tell potential new followers who you are, what you’re all about, and why they should follow you.

Second, your profile and bio are full of opportunities to guide people to your account in the first place. Most fields in social media profiles are searchable and may be indexed in regular search engines as well as in social search results.

Google Search results for Christina Newberry

That means a profile optimized for your target keywords can lead people to your social account before they even open that particular social platform.

And, finally, your profile offers chances to direct people to your profile through the connective tissues of social platforms, like hashtags and geotags. Address information helps the algorithms connect your content with people in your local area.

9. Develop a strong brand identity

Have we said enough times already that consistency is key in growing your social media presence? Well, we’ll say it again here, because that applies to your brand identity as much as your posting schedule.

We just talked about how your profile can bring in people from outside of the social platforms. If they scroll down and see consistent content in your grid, it’s much easier for them to understand what you’re all about and why they should care.

It’s also important that your content is easily identifiable when it lands in people’s feeds. It’s easier for followers to spot your posts among all the sponsored and suggested content when you deliver a consistent look and feel that supports your brand identity.

10. Experiment with social ads

While the strategies for organic social media growth covered so far are critical to growing a strong social media presence over time, social ads can be a way to get your content in front of a new audience quickly — and boost your growth rate.

Most social platforms allow you to choose growth-oriented goals for your social ads. Look for ads goals like awareness, engagement, and consideration to drive growth with your social ad campaign.

Planning a social ads campaign may seem daunting, but it’s easy to get started. The simplest method is to put some budget behind organic posts that are already performing well for your desired growth goals.

Within Hootsuite, you can set automatic boost triggers to convert your highest-performing posts into social ads without any additional intervention.

Engagement triggers option to automatically boost posts that meet minimum requirements

Top 3 social media growth tools for 2024

1. hootsuite.

Hootsuite dashboard page impressions and reach for different social platforms

We’ve already mentioned Hootsuite several times in this post, and for good reason. It’s got plenty of built-in social media growth tools that should be in every social marketer’s toolbox.

First up, Hootsuite has built-in AI tools that generate social captions, come up with content ideas for your blog or podcast, and suggest the most relevant hashtags to get you noticed. OwlyWriter AI can also rework high-performing posts so you have a never-ending stream of growth-inducing content based off of strategies that have already been proven to work for your brand.

On the publishing side, Hootsuite serves your social media growth strategy by allowing you to build out an integrated multi-platform campaign that reaches followers on every platform at the ideal times for maximum engagement. You can create your content in batches so your themes and messaging are aligned and in tune with your brand voice.

Once your content goes live, Hootsuite helps you hack your social growth by revealing exactly what works and what doesn’t. You’ll also get insights into how your content stacks up against industry benchmarks and top competitors, so you can set realistic growth goals and look for opportunities to improve.

HubSpot edit new email with company logo

Source: HubSpot

HubSpot is a CRM platform that’s specifically designed to help your business grow by bringing in more customers. By integrating Hubspot with Hootsuite , you can use information from your CRM database to help grow your social presence while providing better social customer service.

3. SproutSocial

Sprout Social profile performance and graph of post engagement

Source: SproutSocial

SproutSocial is a social media management platform that can assist with social media growth. It includes automation tools and social analytics features that help you refine your social media growth strategy.

SproutSocial has an average per-user seat cost of $332 and offers 26 integrations. Take a look at how SproutSocial compares to Hootsuite .

Save time managing your social media presence with Hootsuite. Publish and schedule posts, find relevant conversations, engage your audience, measure results, and more — all from one simple dashboard. Try it free today.

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Do it better with Hootsuite , the all-in-one social media tool. Stay on top of things, grow, and beat the competition.

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Christina Newberry is an award-winning writer and editor whose greatest passions include food, travel, urban gardening, and the Oxford comma—not necessarily in that order.

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Sample Social Network Business Plan

Social networking site business plan pdf sample.

Social networking sites are places or platforms where people anywhere could meet, connect with old and new friends, and date. It is also a place where entrepreneurs could advertise and market their products and services.

Some of the leading social networking sites include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.

If you are already set to write a business plan for your social networking website, then you will find this simple social network business plan very useful in guiding you write a good business plan for your business.

SEE: SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANY BUSINESS PLAN

Here is a sample business plan for starting a social media network business.

BUSINESS NAME: Singles Mingle, LLC.

Executive Summary

Our Products and Services

Vision Statement

Mission Statement

Business Structure

  • Market Analysis

Sales and Marketing Strategy

  • Financial Plan

Sales Forecast

Singles Mingle, LLC is a social network website which will be based in the United States of America, but will be open to users from various countries around the world. We have been able to secure a very good facility in a good location in New York, United states. Singles Mingle, LLC will be very concerned with providing a number of products and services to satisfy its users.

As part of the preparation for launching the website, the owner has been able to raise a total of $200,000 towards the startup budget of $300,000 required for launching the business. The other part will be secured from the owner’s bank as soft loan.

Singles Mingle, LLC is a social network website which has been launched with the aim of making profits and particularly connecting singles. We are aware of the top social network websites in the United States and around the globe, and we are very set to favourably compete with them and take our place. The following are our products and services offering:

  • Casual social networks
  • Dating sites for single people
  • Specialty services
  • Blogging social networks
  • Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
  • Entertainment services

We have one vision in the industry which is very simple. Our vision is to build and nurture a standard social network website which will be very focused in being among the leading social network websites in the whole world, not just in the United States of America.

Our mission in the industry is to launch a website for single people where they will be able to meet, connect and date.  We want to make sure our users are very happy with the services which we have to offer.

And lastly, we want to be able to favourably compete with other top social network websites in the world.

Singles Mingle, LLC is a social network site which will not take with levity anything that will help in achieving the business vision. As stated earlier, our business vision is to be among the leading social network sites in the world.

We will not be able to accomplish this vision if we do not do the needful, especially as it concerns our business structure. This is why we will take very seriously the recruitment process of our business. We have resolved to only hire qualified, honest, and hardworking individuals to fill up the following positions in our business:

  • Chief Executive Officer
  • Human Resources and Admin Manager
  • Creative Director
  • Sales and Marketing Executives
  • Client Service Executive
  • Online Traffic Generator / Content Creator
  • Web designer

Market Analysis Market Trends

It is no longer news that social network sites has over the years, been experiencing an exponential increase in the number of users throughout the world.  Facebook alone has more than 1 billion worldwide users. This indicates that social networking is the new trend.

Target Market

Having done our research carefully, we have found the following to make up our target market:

  • Single males and females
  • Financial institutions such as banks, and insurance companies.
  • Corporate organizations
  • Blue Chips companies
  • Research and Development Companies
  • Real Estate Owners , Developers, and contractors
  • Celebrities and public figures
  • Entrepreneurs and Startups
  • Religious Organizations

We have done our thorough research on the market and the industry, and what we found out is that there is a very stiff competition in the industry. Bearing this in mind, we have been able to source for sales and marketing experts who have helped us to devise ways on how to take hold of the market:

  • We will begin by making sure we introduce our business by sending introductory emails and sms to as many email addresses and phone numbers we could get.
  • We will create adverts for our social networking website on several business magazines, radio and TV stations, etc.
  • We will always attend seminars, events, conferences, so as to promote our social network website to prospective customers.
  • We will also make good use of the internet to promote our social network website.

Financial Plan Source of Startup Budget

$300,000 is the amount which we have found out to be the budget for starting up our social network website business. It will be a medium-scale yet standard social network website launched in the United States. The website will be owned and run by Jamie Wong.

Jamie Wong has been able to secure a total of $200,000 from his savings and investments towards the startup budget. The other part, $100,000, will be obtained by sourcing for a soft loan from the owner’s bank.

This is our sales projection for the first three years after we start up our social network website. We have been able to arrive at this sales projection based on the data we were able to get regarding the industry. This sales projection has not paid any attention to any economic downturn which could occur in the industry, in the future.

First Fiscal Year                   $250,000 Second Fiscal Year               $550,000 Third Fiscal Year                  $800,000

This business plan sample is for a social network website business. ‘Singles Mingle, LLC’ is the name of the business. The website will be operating in the United States of America, but it will be available to users from all parts of the world.

Related posts:

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The Ultimate Guide to Create Your Own Social Network in 2024

Want to create your own social network but not sure where to start? We got you covered with actionable steps!

By The Mighty Team

February 14, 2024

23 min read

IN THIS ARTICLE

Whether you’re looking for an innovative way to expand your business or have an interesting idea and want to share it with others, you might be ready to create your own social network.

Having your own social network isn’t solely reserved for the Mark Zuckerbergs of the world. Creators like you build social networks all the time. So the question isn’t whether you should build your own social network, it’s “how do I build my own social network?”

Take Elizabeth DiAlto’s story . She wanted to reclaim and redefine what womanhood meant to her and ended up creating a space for women to self-embody love, healing, wholeness, and liberation — to accept and appreciate their bodies. She saw a need to build a community to help women explore and implement self-embodiment and wanted to see them get closer to their goals.

She tested out a few options for creating a social network for her community, “The Institute for EMBODIED Living,” until she found success with Mighty Networks. She now has a thriving community of over 200 members where everyone can connect and chat.

With a monthly membership, members get a ton of content, including monthly community calls, two mini-courses, and additional classes (like a healing meditation). By helping women heal, Elizabeth hopes it will have a domino effect — that there will be a collective healing and liberation beyond her community.

Still asking yourself “but how do I create my own social network that will be successful and active like Elizabeth’s?” Read on to learn how!

If you want more support in building your online community, come join OUR Mighty Community for free and meet other new and established community owners! We’d love to meet you. Join for free!

What is a social network?

A social network is an online space where people with similar interests, passions, and goals come together to connect, learn, share, and grow. People can connect with friends, families, and colleagues, and they can also connect with people they don’t know.

When we think of social networks our minds go to popular social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook , and LinkedIn. These platforms are public, and for creators, not very customizable. With social network software , the control is back in your hands. You can decide how your network functions, set the rules, and create your own guidelines.

Start Your Free Trial

Why create your own social network?

Mighty Networks - Graphics - Discovery Course

There are plenty of reasons to create your own social network. But typically, it boils down to the following reasons.

Get the benefit of community

Humans are social creatures and that means we’re wired for communities. We all crave inclusion, fitting in, and being a part of something bigger than ourselves. Building a network means you’re bringing people together to meet other passionate people who share a common interest or goal, and that’s extremely rewarding.

A community is about bringing people together to explore, overcome, or understand a shared goal, interest, or idea. Take, for instance, group coaching : members can go through a transformation with their peers, encourage each other and share their ideas. Ultimately, they develop real connections and friendships, not surface level or shallow bonds. On top of that, you get to witness your members realize their full potential, how cool is that?!

Stop fighting algorithms

When you use traditional social media sites, you’re at their mercy. Even if you create a Facebook Group for, let’s say, your coaching business and have 200 members who join it, there will be a lack of engagement in your group because you’re constantly in an uphill battle with Facebook’s algorithm. Even though your members get notified about your Facebook Group, it’s buried amongst all their other Facebook notifications. Not only that, but Facebook basically chooses what to show them (essentially they’ll only see the highlights).

So, instead of fighting an algorithm to reach your members and keep them engaged, why not create a space where members log on because they want to see specific news from your community?

Focused attention

How many times have you logged into a traditional social media site like Facebook or Instagram for a SPECIFIC reason only to get derailed by your friend’s most recent vacation pictures to Hawaii, or funny dog videos, and totally forget the reason you logged on in the first place? The goal of these social media sites is to keep you on them for as long as possible (which is how they get their money — with ad revenue) and they do a good job of it.

That’s why it’s so beneficial to create your own social networking site. This will be a place where your members can go when they have the energy and bandwidth to interact with specific content about knowledge you’re sharing, and they’ll actually feel good about how they utilized their time.

You have the opportunity to help your members feel focused and rejuvenated rather than scattered and depleted, which is one of the most common problems with typical social networks.

Traditional social media platforms monetize your members’ news feeds by bombarding them with a ton of ads. They don’t genuinely care about the members using their site…they care about their bottom line. Not only that but it gets really hard trying to monetize your community using these traditional platforms. Facebook Groups is a good example — you can charge a group membership fee, but you need at least 10,000 followers! For the average creator, most of the monetization features are way out of reach.

When you make your own social network website monetizing becomes a lot easier, regardless of how many members you have. When you use a platform like Mighty Networks, you have a ton of options to monetize your community .

Here’s what you can charge using Mighty Networks:

  • Membership fee (recurring or one-time)

When you have various monetization options it also gives your members more possibilities with how they interact with your content. Now that’s priceless!

Sure, you can grow huge communities on a traditional social network site, but these platforms don’t actually grow with you. The community you have now will be the same community you build with 10x more members. It might be easy for members to join, but it gets harder for you to build genuine connections with new members and manage the community as a whole.

When you build a social network and choose the right platform, you’ll be able to easily manage your community, regardless of its size. There are many paths you can take to do this, like growing your audience with subgroups dedicated to specific interests. Say, for instance, you have a group of career coaches. You could create subgroups for resume writing, interview preparation, or networking. All of these might be areas that coaches want to learn about, but by creating subgroups you can help coaches narrow in on their speciality and meet them where they’re at.

The right platform will also give you more in-depth data about what’s working in your community. This will help you understand how your community is growing and keep track of everything along the way (like new members, so you can properly introduce them).

How to create your own social network in 10 steps

Now that we’ve gone over the why, let's go over how to build a social network website from scratch!

1. Find your niche

Big purpose.

In order to create a social network you need to figure out your community’s Big Purpose. Your Big Purpose is the motivation for your community — something that can only be achieved by bringing together these exact individuals to your community. It’s figuring out what you will master together and what will be the tangible results your members can achieve by being part of the community. Narrowing in on your Big Purpose will bring clarity to your members as well — why they’re there in the first place and what they’re working towards.

To help you narrow down your Big Purpose, use this template we created:

Big Purpose- New Image

When the steps are clear for why and what your members are there to accomplish, it makes attracting the right members to your social network that much easier.

Ideal member

After you’ve honed in on your Big Purpose, you’ll then need to define your Ideal Member . Your Ideal Member is the person who needs your community the most RIGHT NOW. This will be someone who is going to be enthusiastic and eager to join your community social network. Some factors to consider when determining your Ideal Member: age, life stage, how they would benefit specifically from your social network, challenges they’re facing, and what they’re struggling to accomplish on their own.

When you’re clear on your Ideal Member, it’ll be much easier to make your own social network. You can attract the right people, at the right time (who will be motivated by the journey you’re creating), and it’ll make for an engaged community.

2. Choose a platform

This is one of the most important steps in the process — choosing a platform to build your own social network on.

When there are so many social network software options out there, it’s hard to know what features to look for. At the bare minimum, you’ll want your social network creation software to have powerful customization options, a myriad of ways to deliver content , and intuitive community-building tools.

Since everyone is on their phones, the platform you choose should also offer a great mobile app experience.

The secret to a thriving social network replacement is culture. You need cultural software that will let you build your own Spaces that fit your audience.

With an all-in-one community platform like Mighty Networks you can do exactly that! Here are some other features in which Mighty Networks can help you level-up your social network:

  • AI-powered community name generator Mighty Co-Host™
  • Customizable Spaces
  • Discussion boards, polls, Q&As
  • Integrated events and live streaming
  • Member and community analytics
  • Direct messaging and subgroups
  • Online courses

On top of that, you can completely customize all of these features under your brand, available on web, iOS, and Android with Mighty Pro - white label community software .

Think about how you want your members to interact with each other, the content, and you. Also consider whether the platform you choose will be able to grow as your community grows — you don’t want to be limited with how your community evolves because of the platform you chose.

Try Our Community Name Generator

Our AI engine is here to help you create a community name that feels like magic. Just share a few words about who your community is for and we’ll get to work.

Examples: coaching clients, meditation novices, vegan chefs, dog lovers, aspiring entrepreneurs, etc.

Get Suggestions

The names generated by Mighty Co-Host™ are examples only and may be used by other businesses or subject to third-party rights. For more information, check our Terms .

3. Set it up

As you’re setting up your social network, it’s important to decide how you’re welcoming new members into the fold. After all, you want your members to feel comfortable. When a new member joins your community, you want to give them the low down of how your community works (e.g. have a welcome section and explain how they can navigate the social network, as well as important guidelines they should know).

On top of that, you want to get to know your members and your members want to get to know one another. Make sure to give them a friendly welcome and ask your members to introduce themselves with an initial post, by including details like their pronouns, a fun fact about themselves, and what brings them joy. This gets members excited to open up in a safe setting, makes them feel like they’re VIP, and sets them on the path to making deeper connections.

If you want to keep your community engaged , chances are you’ll find various formats to connect with them, such as virtual events or live videos for your courses. Regardless of how you choose to engage with them, you’ll want to test out your gear before you go live.

Most people don’t have access to or the means for professional video equipment. Luckily, most modern smartphones have a perfectly good quality camera that will work for what you need, and high-quality webcams are much more affordable these days.

You can have a great camera but if you don’t have great lighting your video quality will be terrible. A simple trick is to set yourself up in front of natural lighting (when light is on your face there won’t be any weird shadows on you). Voilà, you’ll be ready for lights, camera, action in no time!

Finally, ensure you have a clean, neutral background. Your members don’t want to be distracted by your background, they want to be focused on you and the quality content you’re providing.

Sound is actually more important than video. Think back to podcasts you’ve listened to—if the hosts don’t have clear audio, you probably stopped listening. Also, when someone’s bandwidth is limited, video players and video conferencing software will prioritize audio over video. Even when your video suffers, deliver crisp audio to your members.

Make sure you’re close to your screen or recording device, that you’re in a quiet space, and that you’re using the proper equipment.

You don’t need anything fancy, but investing in some quality headphones and a standard standalone mic can do the trick. Just make sure that if you’re using an external mic that it’s picking up what you’re putting down (i.e. your laptop is using the external mic and not the built-in one).

Whatever equipment you’re using, just make sure you’re comfortable and familiar with it. That way, if something does go wrong during a livestream, you can easily troubleshoot. If you’re not a tech-savvy person, consider recruiting a friend or a trusted member of the community to be on standby and help you with troubleshooting.

5. Choose the ground rules

Since the community you’re building isn’t the “wild west” of the internet (as in anything goes), you need to set some ground rules. An important part of managing a social network is having concrete community guidelines and expectations for how members should behave and conduct themselves.

This doesn’t mean that you’re censoring members, but when you have clear rules, it will help keep conversations from getting out of hand. That way, the community will remain positive and constructive, and everyone will be focused on the mission of the community — the Big Purpose. You want to create a safe space — one where members can open up and be vulnerable without being attacked or judged by other members.

Your role as the creator is also being a community moderator — observing the conversations that are happening and flagging anything that goes against the community guidelines. As your community grows, you can choose members to be moderators. Not only will they take some of the pressure off you to constantly monitor your social network, but these moderators will feel good that you’ve entrusted them with this role and will feel more invested in your community.

6. Invite members

Now that you have a foundation for your social network, it’s time to invite your Ideal Members to it. Remember that not everyone is going to be a perfect fit for your community and that’s perfectly ok! You don’t want everyone joining; you want members who are excited about what you’re creating and essentially “get it.” You want people who see the community you’re building, with its Big Purpose, and think, “This is exactly what I need in my life! I can’t wait to join and share my ideas!”

Start with people you know — extend an invite to family and friends, gauge their interest and let them decide if they’re a good fit for what you’ve created. Word of mouth is a powerful way to naturally gain more members. Plus, you don’t need 100 members off the bat, all you need are 10 super motivated people to get things rolling. As they say, the rest is history.

7. Promote it

Once you create your social network, here’s how to market it:

Use traditional social networks

Since there are a ton of people using traditional social networks, might as well use them to bring them to yours! If you have any sort of social media presence, use it to your advantage. You don’t need 100,000 followers either; work with what you have. Before fully launching your social network, you can do a countdown and some promotion leading up to the release. Build some hype around it, and people will be curious.

Email members

A free and easy way to promote your social network is to email. You don’t need fancy marketing tools — if you have an email list of any kind, use it. You’ve already built a connection with people on your email list and they look forward to hearing from you anyway, so promote your community to them.

You could even provide them with some tricks and tips. Let’s say your social network is centered around how to build the best photography business. You could send an email about five tips on how best to photograph a landscape, then at the bottom include a call-to-action (CTA) promoting your social network, “Click here to join my new community and learn how to create a kickass photography business.” Chances are not everyone on that list will be interested — only a small percentage will want to sign up for your community, but that’s totally normal. Let’s say you have 100 people on your list and 10 are willing to join your community. As far as email marketing goes, a 10% conversion rate is excellent!

Host a webinar

When you promote your social network, you want to use different tactics and a tried and true way is by hosting a webinar. A webinar that is well done will position you as a confident leader, someone who is knowledgeable around that topic and give people a taste of what it would be like to join your community.

Make sure that, like your other promotional material, you leave people wanting more. Don’t give all your knowledge away; just give attendees something that piques their interest and encourages them to join your community. You also want to give them actionable advice in the webinar, not something completely abstract that they can’t grasp.

To really stand out, try a live webinar (when they’re pre-recorded it shows) — that way you can answer questions at the end in real time.

8. Build community

When you create a social network, you don’t want to build just any community; you want to build a thriving community . One way to do this is to curate smaller groups, because at the end of the day, not all your members are the same.

As you really get to know your members, you can group similar people based on their interests, and this will help them to create stronger connections. Smaller groups also give your members a chance to network with one another, giving them new opportunities outside of the community.

Another way to create a thriving community is with regular virtual events. A virtual event doesn’t have to be anything grandiose, a simple happy hour or even an online virtual escape room can build connections.

mighty networks - Graphics - Modern Creator - Chat light

It’s difficult to foster connections when you’re not meeting up in real life. That’s why video hangouts can be so helpful — everyone is in the comfort of their own home where they can see one another on screen and build meaningful relationships.

You could also experiment with doing guest interviews (with an expert), lectures, and a mastermind group .

Everyone is behind a screen all day, so it can be exhausting to interact solely with text-based discussions. That’s why virtual events are great — your members feel invested in you, your brand, and the community.

9. Price your social network

Ok, now let's get into how you will actually make money off this thing. Maybe it will be good extra income on top of your full-time job, or maybe it will actually replace that job.

We can’t give you a set price for YOUR social network. However, here are some things to consider when pricing your social network:

Charge enough

First, it’s important that you are charging something. You’ve put your blood, sweat, and tears into this social network and you deserve to be paid for it. People value what they’re paying for . If this is your first time creating a community, there’s a tendency to undersell yourself. DON’T! It’s normal to do this, but that’s why we recommend that you charge enough…that it hurts a bit.

mc-paid-membership-mobile

We’re not saying to overcharge your members; we’re saying that the price should sting you a bit (just above your comfort zone). Think about the things you’ve invested in and how much you were willing to pay for it. Maybe it was a really interesting course, or a top of the line mattress, or even comfortable shoes (which you’ve now had for six years).

Whatever it was, you knew you’d get a lot of value from it so you were willing to pay the price.

Now think about the value you’re offering with a social network — a transformation and bringing together like-minded people. Don’t undersell yourself. Charge a reasonable price and people will value it. This will also weed out anyone who isn’t fully committed. You don’t want these people anyway, you want people who are willing to put in the work and show up.

Don’t outprice your audience or underprice your competitors

This is where you keep your Ideal Members in mind. Be careful not to outprice what your Ideal Member can actually afford. If you’re targeting job seekers, maybe you charge $20/month for your social network instead of $200/month. If your Ideal Members are executive directors, $200/month might make sense, but for job seekers who may be in-between jobs, that wouldn’t make sense. It’s a hard balance to strike (you want to charge enough that you’re earning a decent amount, but not too much that no one joins), but eventually you’ll find a sweet spot.

It’s important to do some market research and see what your competitors are charging to inform your decision. Just don’t get the idea that you should charge the least in order to gain the most members. Sometimes people get a thrill from the best bargain, but that doesn’t always equate to how much they value that purchase. Usually people believe that paying more means they’re getting higher quality. These are the people you want.

10. Learn and grow

When you do something for the first time, like creating your own social network, there’s a lot of learning involved. Since you’re the creator, it’s hard to know how your members are feeling — is the content resonating with them? Are they engaged? Is it meeting their expectations? Instead of guessing how they feel, why not ask them? A simple, “Are you enjoying yourself? Is there anything you think I can improve?” will go a long way.

Building a thriving community is about having a safe space for your members to be themselves while also feeling comfortable enough to give you feedback. Getting feedback from your members is a great sign because it means they’re engaged and they want to continue to stay invested in the community.

You could even turn it into an “office hours” session, where you host a meeting to discuss what members would like to see more of and what changes they’d like to see. This gives everyone a chance to voice their concerns and feel like their ideas matter.

Of course the important thing is that you take what’s being said into consideration. After all, your members are your greatest asset. Hear what your members are saying and adapt. Make changes, that’s the best way to grow.

3 social network creation software options

Mighty networks.

Best all-in-one

If you’re wondering how to make your own social network, look no further than Mighty Networks! Mighty Networks is an all-in-one community platform that brings together your community, online courses , and content all in one place. Mighty Networks is a wonderful place to build your social network — where your members can create and master something interesting together.

With a Mighty Network you can create engaging content (e.g. videos, images, audio clips, polls, and surveys), discuss important topics, and there are a ton of options for monetization. For example, you could charge a membership fee to join your community or you could offer to make it free but sell online courses for members to purchase. You can also add paid subgroups.

Mighty Networks - Graphics - Body Soul Livestream Paired Light

There are so many ways to create member engagement, like hosting livestreams (adding a level of spontaneity), direct and group messaging between community and subgroup members, and there’s even an “activity feed” where members can keep track of all the incredible content.

Mighty Networks doesn’t limit your customization options either — it allows you to add your logo, brand colors, and customize your community to your liking. Not only that, but your members can access your content and community from anywhere, since Mighty Networks is accessible across the web and apps, available on Android and iOS.

And to get you started Mighty has created Mighty Co-Host™, an AI-powered community name generator. Taking your chosen Big Purpose and community name, it will generate a visual identity, tagline, landing page, invite message, welcome post, and more. Mighty Co-Host™ can transform an idea–or even just a few words–into business suggestions that your members will love.

If you want a branded app, you can upgrade to Mighty Pro.

Best premium option + branded apps

Mighty Pro - Phone1

Mighty Pro is the best premium social network maker. It’s a white-label community platform that’s a leveled-up version of Mighty Networks, giving you even more features for managing your community, organizing your members into groups and subgroups, and tons of monetization options. Best of all, you get your own branded app in the Apple app store and Google Play store!

Mighty Pro lets you establish all facets of your community under your own branding, look, and feel. This is for creators who want to take their social network to new heights.

Schedule a call to find out more!

Best free option

If you’re wondering how to create a social network for free, Discord might be the answer. Discord provides a primarily text-based communication solution for members to interact with one another. This platform allows creators to section topics into “channels” to organize all of the conversations their members are having. The platform was originally built for gamers, but it has since hosted communities of all kinds. With Discord, you’re building a community “hangout” space for your members.

Creators choose this platform because it’s free, popular, easy to set up and navigate, has apps for every platform, and even has live chat and event options.

The downsides to this platform include: no options to monetize (e.g. courses, paid subgroups), limited event functionality, almost no options for customization, limited messaging functions, and limited moderation functions, which makes it difficult to create a safe space for your community.

Conclusion — Come build with us!

Mighty Networks - Graphics - Live streaming

There’s never been a better time to build your own social network for your community. It’s a great way to expand your business and to stand out from the sea of other businesses by giving your members a unique experience.

You don’t need experience in building your own social network either. All you need is to find your Big Purpose, be clear on your Ideal Member, and choose a platform that will support you along the way.

When you build a Mighty Network, you’ll have a platform that grows with you by helping you create a thriving community. You also get world-class community-building tools and features, lots of options to monetize, and an app available for every device.

Ready to start building your community?

business plan for social networking site

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ProfitableVenture

Social Networking Business Plan [Sample Template]

By: Author Tony Martins Ajaero

Home » Business Plans » Online Startups

Are you about starting a social networking website? If YES, here is a complete sample social networking business plan template & feasibility report you can use for FREE . Okay, so we have considered all the requirements for starting a social networking business.

We also took it further by analyzing and drafting a sample social networking website marketing plan template backed up by actionable guerrilla marketing ideas for social networking businesses. So let’s proceed to the business planning section.

Why Start a Social Networking Business?

In recent time, there is hardly any upwardly mobile 21 st century adult and organizations that are not into online social networking; as a matter of fact, it is the major platforms through which relationships are created and nurtured.

Social networking has proven overtime to be the most suitable and convenient platform for making new friends, dating and also relating with old friends and acquaintance so a lot of information changes hand via the various social networking platform available in the world wide web.

Although there are several social networking websites that are open to all and sundry, but that does not mean that if you start yours, you won’t get people to patronize your social networking website.

So if you are a website designer or a programmer or someone who have interest in internet technology, then you should consider starting your own social networking website. It is important to categorically state that starting a social networking website can be tasking and at the same time profitable especially if your site is user – friendly and loads of people register to be member of your social networking site.

Aside from technical skills, business sense, tenacity, finance, good marketing skills and time, you would need a good business plan to be able to successfully launch your own social networking website. A good and workable business plan is a roadmap that will guide you towards achieving your business goal, aim and objectives. Below is a workable social networking website business plan template that will help you craft your own without much stress;

A Sample Social Networking Website Business Plan Template

1. industry overview.

A social networking website is a forum where people from all works of life meet to network and make new friends and date; it is also a forum where entrepreneurs market their products and services. Players in this industry are involved in building and managing social networking website and also marketing advertising slots to individuals and corporate organizations.

It is a known fact that the Social Networking Websites industry is dominated by Facebook, Instagram, Google Plus, LinkedIn and Twitter et al. Social networking websites companies operate in a swiftly innovating, emerging field that is subject to significant investment and technological change.

Some factors that gives edge in this industry is your ability to grow the users – members that register and make use of your social networking website, innovative product features and easy integration with other websites. Leaders in this industry also face competition from newly funded startups and new products from existing internet giants like, Yahoo, Google and Microsoft

The Social Networking Websites Industry is indeed a very large industry and pretty much thriving in all parts of the world especially in countries such as United States of America, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, India, Nigeria and China et al.

Statistics has it that in the united states of America alone, there are about 5,607 licensed and registered social networking website companies responsible for employing about 66,623 employees and the industry rakes in a whooping sum of $11billion annually with an annual growth rate projected at 25.4 percent. It is important to state that the establishments with lion shares of the available market in this industry are Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and Google+.

Report published by IBISWORLD shows that casual social networking sites (SNS) are expected to account for 54.2 percent of social network users. The report also pointed that popular SNS include Facebook, MySpace, Microsoft So.cl, Yahoo Pulse and Google Plus enable their users to post personal information, including pictures, videos and text.

In addition, users are able to link up with their friends and family to send and receive messages in several formats that allow for different levels of privacy. The report also stated that while casual SNS only account for a little over half of users, they generate the majority of revenue for the industry. Facebook has paved the way for all casual SNS to maximize profits in the industry.

Over and above, social networking websites has become an important tool for networking, dating, making friends, keeping touch with old friends and promoting ones businesses as it relates to products and services all over the world, not only to sell to customers, but also to engage them. So if you have all it takes to launch your own social networking website, then by all means go ahead because it is indeed a profitable venture if you are able to grow your user – base (membership base).

2. Executive Summary

Singles Connect™, LLC (www.singlesconnect.com) is a U.S based and world class social networking website that will be open to singles from all over the globe. We have been able to secure a standard and well – positioned office facility in a central business district in Cape May – New Jersey.

We are a social networking website company that is set to compete in the highly competitive social networking websites industry not only in the United States market, but also in the global market because our clientele base will not be restricted to just singles in the United States but throughout the world.

Singles Connect™, LLC will offer robust social networking platform for singles to connect and interact. In the bid to generate revenue for the business, we will offer services such as search engine optimization (SEO), banner advertising, video advertising, rich media advertising, sponsorship advertising, classifieds/directories, lead generation, mobile messaging/email, digital display advertising, mobile advertising, social media management and other related consulting and advisory services.

Our business goal is to become one of the leading social networking websites in the United States of America. We want to grow the business to favorably compete with leaders in the industry such as Facebook, twitter and LinkedIn.

Our workers are going to be selected from a pool of talented and highly creative website designers and developers experts in and around New Jersey and also from any part of the world as the business grows. We will make sure that we take all the members of our workforce through the required trainings that will position them to meet the expectation of the company and to compete with leading social networking website companies in the United States and throughout the globe.

At Singles Connect™, LLC, our client’s (registered members) best interest will always come first, and everything we do will be guided by our values and professional ethics. We will ensure that we hold ourselves accountable to the highest standards by meeting our client’s needs precisely and completely. We will cultivate a working environment that provides a human, sustainable approach to earning a living, and living in our world, for our partners, employees and for our clients.

Singles Connect™, LLC is founded by Chan Mahogany and his friend and business partner for many years Solomon McKenzie. They both graduated from Illinois Institute of Technology with BSc in Computer Science and Programming and they have a combine experience that revolves around social networking, software developing, web programming, web designing, graphic designing, corporate branding and advertising and business management et al.

3. Our Products and Services

Singles Connect™, LLC is established with the aim of maximizing profits in the Social Networking Websites industry. We want to compete favorably with the leading social networking websites in the United States of America and the world which is why we have but in place a competent team that will ensure that we meet and even surpass our users’ expectations.

As regards generating revenue for the business, we will work hard to ensure that Singles Connect™, LLC do not just work for clients in the United States of America, but also for clients in other parts of the world. Our products and services are listed below;

  • Casual social networks
  • Dating site for singles
  • Blogging social networks
  • Specialty services
  • Entertainment services
  • Search engine optimization (SEO), banner advertising, video advertising, rich media advertising, sponsorship advertising, lead generation, mobile messaging/email, digital display advertising, mobile advertising, social media management and other related consulting and advisory services

4. Our Mission and Vision Statement

  • Our vision is to establish a standard and world class social networking website whose platform and brand will not only be accepted in the United States of America, but also in other parts of the world.
  • Our mission is to create social networking website for singles; a website that will give eligible singles the platform to network, connect and date. We want to build a social network website that can favorably compete with other leading brands in the social networking websites industry.

Our Business Structure

Singles Connect™, LLC, is a social networking website that intends to grow big in order to compete favorably with leading social networking websites in the industry both in the United States and on a global stage. We are aware of the importance of building a solid business structure that can support the picture of the kind of world class business we want to own. This is why we are committed to only hire the best hands within our area of operations.

At Singles Connect™, LLC, we will ensure that we hire people that are qualified, hardworking, creative, result driven, customer centric and are ready to work to help us build a prosperous business that will benefit all the stake holders (the owners, workforce, and customers).

As a matter of fact, profit-sharing arrangement will be made available to all our senior management staff and it will be based on their performance for a period of five years or more as agreed by the board of trustees of the company. In view of the above, we have decided to hire qualified and competent hands to occupy the following positions;

  • Chief Executive Officer
  • Creative Director
  • Human Resources and Admin Manager
  • Sales and Marketing Executive
  • Web Designer cum Graphic Artist
  • Content Creator/Online Traffic Generator

Client Service Executive

5. Job Roles and Responsibilities

Chief Executive Officer – CEO:

  • Increases management’s effectiveness by recruiting, selecting, orienting, training, coaching, counseling, and disciplining managers; communicating values, strategies, and objectives; assigning accountabilities; planning, monitoring, and appraising job results; developing incentives; developing a climate for offering information and opinions; providing educational opportunities.
  • Responsible for providing direction for the business
  • Creates, communicates, and implements the organization’s vision, mission, and overall direction – i.e. leading the development and implementation of the overall organization’s strategy.
  • Responsible for signing checks and documents on behalf of the company
  • Evaluates the success of the organization

Creative Director:

  • Serves as project manager of the organization; works directly with employees
  • Responsible for designing concepts and winning business proposals for the organization
  • In charge of copy writing and laying out chronological advertisement plans
  • Develops strategic plan by studying technological and financial opportunities; presenting assumptions; recommending objectives.
  • Accomplishes subsidiary objectives by establishing plans, budgets, and results measurements; allocating resources; reviewing progress; making mid-course corrections.
  • Coordinates efforts by establishing procurement, production, marketing, field, and technical services policies and practices; coordinating actions with corporate staff.
  • Builds company image by collaborating with customers, government, community organizations, and employees; enforcing ethical business practices.
  • Maintains quality service by establishing and enforcing organization standards.
  • Maintains professional and technical knowledge by attending educational workshops; reviewing professional publications; establishing personal networks; benchmarking state-of-the-art practices; participating in professional societies.
  • Makes certain that operations and marketing department perform efficiently, coordinate employee efforts, and facilitate communications between management and employees
  • Ensures that the organization work in line with international best practices.

Admin and HR Manager

  • Responsible for overseeing the smooth running of HR and administrative tasks for the organization
  • Designs job descriptions with KPI to drive performance management for clients
  • Regularly hold meetings with key stakeholders to review the effectiveness of HR Policies, Procedures and Processes
  • Maintains office supplies by checking stocks; placing and expediting orders; evaluating new products.
  • Ensures operation of equipment by completing preventive maintenance requirements; calling for repairs.
  • Defining job positions for recruitment and managing interviewing process
  • Carries out staff induction for new team members
  • Responsible for training, evaluation and assessment of employees
  • Responsible for arranging travel, meetings and appointments
  • Updates job knowledge by participating in educational opportunities; reading professional publications; maintaining personal networks; participating in professional organizations.
  • Oversee the smooth running of the daily office activities.

Sales and Marketing Manager

  • Manages external research and coordinate all the internal sources of information to retain the organizations’ best customers and attract new ones
  • Models demographic information and analyze the volumes of transactional data generated by customer
  • Identifies development opportunities; follows up on development leads and contacts; participates in the structuring and financing of projects; assures the completion of development projects.
  • Writes winning proposal documents, negotiate fees and rates in line with organizations’ policy
  • Responsible for handling business research, market surveys and feasibility studies for clients
  • Responsible for supervising implementation, advocate for the customer’s needs, and communicate with clients
  • Develops, executes and evaluates new plans for expanding increase sales
  • Creates new markets cum businesses for the organization
  • Empower and motivates the sales team to meet and surpass agreed targets

Accountant/Cashier:

  • Responsible for preparing financial reports, budgets, and financial statements for the organization
  • Provides managements with financial analyses, development budgets, and accounting reports; analyzes financial feasibility for the most complex proposed projects; conducts market research to forecast trends and business conditions.
  • Responsible for financial forecasting and risks analysis.
  • Performs cash management, general ledger accounting, and financial reporting for one or more properties.
  • Responsible for developing and managing financial systems and policies
  • Responsible for administering payrolls
  • Ensures compliance with taxation legislation
  • Handles all financial transactions for Singles Connect™, LLC
  • Serves as internal auditor for Singles Connect™, LLC.

Web Designer/Developer cum Graphic Designers

  • Responsible for building and managing the website
  • Responsible for Optimizing Website Functionality for owners of existing websites
  • Responsible for Search Engine Optimization Services and Code Writing Services
  • Responsible for developing concepts, graphics and layouts for product illustrations, company logos, and websites
  • Handles blogging social networks
  • Handles specialty services
  • Researches and advices the organization on style, genre and other trendy info as it relates to social media marketing.

Content Creator/Traffic Generator

  • Responsible for creating content/buzz words that will help attract traffics
  • Responsible for Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
  • Responsible for engaging internet users to get help statistics and leads
  • Liaises and works effectively with other staff members to generate sales for our clients
  • Welcomes clients and visitors by greeting them in person or on the telephone; answering or directing inquiries.
  • Ensures that all contacts with clients (e-mail, walk-In center, SMS or phone) provides the client with a personalized customer service experience of the highest level
  • Through interaction with clients on the phone, uses every opportunity to build client’s interest in the company’s products and services
  • Manages administrative duties assigned by the HR manager in an effective and timely manner
  • Consistently stays abreast of any new information on the organizations’ products, promotional campaigns etc. to ensure accurate and helpful information is supplied to potential clients when they make enquiries
  • Receives parcels/documents for the company
  • Distributes mails in the organization
  • Handles any other duties as assigned by the human resources and admin manager.

6. SWOT Analysis

Singles Connect™, LLC engaged the services of a core professional in the area of business consulting and structuring to assist our organization in building a well – structured social networking website business that can favorably compete in the highly competitive social networking websites industry in the United States and the world at large.

Part of what the team of business consultant did was to work with the management of our organization in conducting a SWOT analysis for Singles Connect™, LLC. Here is a summary from the result of the SWOT analysis that was conducted on behalf of Singles Connect™, LLC

Our core strength lies in the power of our team; our workforce. We have a team of creative, result driven and highly proficient social media expert, a team with excellent qualifications and experience various niche areas in the social networking websites industry and other internet related industry. Aside from the synergy that exists in our carefully selected social media experts and back office staff, our services will be measurable, result driven and guided by best practices in the industry.

As a new social media networking website, it might take some time for our site to attract the numbers of users / members we hope to attract, break into the market and gain acceptance especially from top profile clients in the already saturated and highly competitive social networking websites industry; that is perhaps our major weakness. Another weakness is that we may not have the required cash to pump into promoting our business especially via main stream media (TV, Radio and Newspapers et al) the way we would want to.

  • Opportunities:

No doubt, the opportunities available in the social networking websites industry is massive considering the number of individuals and corporate organizations with active presence on the internet and of course the pretty large numbers of people who visit the internet / social media platforms on a daily basis and own mobile phones / smart phones and other related gadgets. As a standard and world class social networking website, we are ready to take advantage of any opportunity that is available in the industry.

Just like any other business, one of the major threats that we are likely going to face is economic downturn. It is a fact that economic downturn affects purchasing / spending power – people might find it difficult spend time on the internet, advertise their products or pay for our membership premium services. Another threat that may likely confront us is the ever increasing social networking websites that are springing up on a daily basis.

7. MARKET ANALYSIS

  • Market Trends

Social networking websites has been experience surge of users all over the world, as matter if fact, Facebook is said to have about 1 billion users / members from all over the world. This goes to show that social media networking websites is really trending all over the world.

The growing trend which makes it easier for people to spend more time on the internet especially on social media networking sites is a major boost in the revenue generated amongst players on the World Wide Web. It is not common to find players in this industry generating an increasing amount of advertising revenue per user by developing targeted advertising platforms and tools to measure the effectiveness of advertising and marketing.

This has indeed changed the ways that organizations approach to interact with customers, as a substantial percentage of consumer interactions and profiling are now being carried out over online and social media platforms with much higher visibility.

In as much as social media networking websites is dependent on technology which is ever-evolving and fast-changing; the same features should be expected from them for developments and strategies. This portion is an attempt to qualify or segregate the notable highlights existing and being used as of press time.

Another important factor worthy of mentioning in this industry is that the target market keep expanding, people and organizations are now seeing the need for them to become members of leading social networking sites and also to engage the services of social networking sites either in branding or packaging their products and services or in helping them directly sell their products and services to their targeted market.

Lastly, social networking websites companies operate in a swiftly innovating, emerging field that is subject to significant investment and technological change. Some factors that gives edge in this industry is your ability to grow the users – members that register and make use of your social networking website, innovative product features (language interpreter) and easy integration with other websites. Leaders in this industry also face competition from newly funded startups and new products from existing internet giants like, Yahoo, Google and Microsoft.

8. Our Target Market

Before launching our social networking site, we are certain that there is a wide range of both corporate and individual clients who cannot successfully run their businesses without the services and support of a standard and functional website with loads of visitors, followers and members; a website that can help them reach out to their target market.

In view of that, we have created strategies that will enable us reach out to various corporate organizations, non – profits, government agencies and individual who we know can’t afford to do without our services. We have conducted our market research and survey and we will ensure that we meet and surpass the expectations of our clients.

Aside from singles who are our major target, below is a list of the people and organizations that we have specifically market our services (advertise their products and services on our platforms) to;

  • (Singles for dating et al)
  • Banks, Insurance Companies and other related Financial Institutions
  • Blue Chips Companies
  • Corporate Organizations
  • Manufacturers and Distributors
  • Real Estate Owners, Developers, and Contractors
  • Research and Development Companies
  • The Government (Public Sector)
  • Schools (High Schools, Colleges and Universities)
  • Celebrities, Politicians, Public Figures and Public Speakers
  • Sport Organizations
  • Religious Organizations
  • Political Parties
  • Television Stations
  • Printing Press (Publishing Houses) and Authors
  • Branding and Advertising agencies
  • Aspiring celebrities
  • Entrepreneurs and Start – Ups

Our Competitive Advantage

Surviving in the business world as a social networking site requires more than, ability to get people to register in your forum, your expertise, knowing how to conduct your business but also how to network with key people that matters; decision makers that can decide who will get a contract or a business deal.

We are quite aware that to be highly competitive in the social networking websites industry means that you are not only expected to be able to create a platform for singles to connect, deliver consistent and excellent services, but you must be result driven and able to meet set targets. No one would want to continue to hire your services (advertise on your platform).If you don’t always meet up with the target sales the organization intends to generate when they hired you.

Our competitive advantage lies in the power of our team; our workforce. We have a team of creative, result driven and highly proficient social media expert, a team with excellent qualifications and experience various niche areas in the social networking websites industry and other internet related industry. Aside from the synergy that exists in our carefully selected social media experts and back office staff, our services will be measurable, result driven and guided by best practices in the industry.

Lastly, all our employees will be well taken care of, and their welfare package will be among the best within our category (startups social networking websites in the United States) in the industry. It will enable them to be more than willing to build the business with us and help deliver our set goals and achieve all our business aims and objectives.

9. SALES AND MARKETING STRATEGY

  • Sources of Income

Singles Connect™, LLC is established with the aim of maximizing profits in the social networking websites industry and we are going to go all the way to ensure that we do all it takes to meet and surpass the expectations of all our clients. Singles Connect™, LLC will generate income by offering the following services;

  • Casual social networks (Payment for premium services)
  • Dating site for singles (Payment for premium services)

10. Sales Forecast

One thing is certain, there would always be corporate organizations, government agencies, non – profits and individuals who would want to advertise their products and services on social networking sites with massive members and their individuals who would want to pay for premium services in a social networking sites.

We are well positioned to take on the available market in social networking websites industry and we are quite optimistic that we will meet our set target of generating enough income / profits from the first six month of operations and grow our social networking website to enviable heights.

We have been able to critically examine the social networking space and we have analyzed our chances in the industry and we have been able to come up with the following sales forecast. The sales projection are based on information gathered on the field and some assumptions that are peculiar to similar startups in Cape May – New Jersey.

Below is the sales projection for Singles Connect™, LLC, it is based on the location of our business and of course the wide range of our services and target market;

  • First Fiscal Year-: $200,000
  • Second Fiscal Year-: $500,000
  • Third Fiscal Year-: $750,000

N.B : This projection is done based on what is obtainable in the industry and with the assumption that there won’t be any major economic meltdown and there won’t be any major competitor offering same premium services as we do within same location. Please note that the above projection might be lower and at the same time it might be higher.

  • Marketing Strategy and Sales Strategy

We are mindful of the fact that there are stiffer competitions in the social media networking websites industry; hence we have been able to hire some of the best marketing experts to handle our sales and marketing.

Our sales and marketing team will be recruited based on their vast experience in the social media networking websites industry and they will be trained on a regular basis so as to be well equipped to meet their targets and the overall business goal of Singles Connect™, LLC.

Our corporate goal is to grow Singles Connect™, LLC to become one of the leading social media networking sites for singles/dating in the United States of America which is why we have mapped out strategy that will help us take advantage of the available market and grow to become a major force to reckon with not only in the United States of America but also in other parts of the world.

Singles Connect™, LLC is set to make use of the following marketing and sales strategies to attract clients;

  • Introduce our social networking websites by sending introductory e – mails to as much email addresses we can get and also send sms to as much people we can reach
  • Advertise our website (singlesconnect.com) in relevant business magazines, newspapers, TV stations, and radio station.
  • List our website (singlesconnect.com) on yellow pages ads (local directories)
  • Attend relevant singles conference, events, international and local expos, seminars, and business fairs et al to market our website
  • Create different packages for different category of clients in order to work with their budgets and still deliver excellent publicity services (business)
  • Leverage on the internet to promote our business
  • Engage direct marketing approach
  • Encourage word of mouth marketing from loyal and satisfied clients (users / members) of our website.

11. Publicity and Advertising Strategy

We have been able to work with our in house brand and publicity consultants to help us map out publicity and advertising strategies that will help us walk our way into the heart of our target market (singles and corporate organizations).

We are set to become the number one choice for both corporate clients and individual clients in the whole of the United States and beyond which is why we have made provisions for effective publicity and advertisement of our social networking website. Below are the platforms we intend to leverage on to promote and advertise Singles Connect™, LLC;

  • Place adverts on both print (newspapers and magazines) and electronic media platforms
  • Sponsor relevant community based events/programs
  • Leverage on the internet and social media platforms like; Instagram, Facebook , twitter, YouTube, Google + et al to promote our website
  • Install our Bill Boards on strategic locations all around Cape May – New Jersey.
  • Engage in road show from time to time in targeted neighborhoods
  • Distribute our fliers and handbills in target areas
  • Contact corporate organizations, non – profits and government agencies by calling them up and informing them of Singles Connect™, LLC and the services we offer
  • List our website in local directories / yellow pages
  • Advertise our services in our website and employ strategies that will help us pull traffic to the site.
  • Ensure that all our staff members wear our branded shirts and all our vehicles are well branded with our company logo et al.

12. Our Pricing Strategy

At Singles Connect™, LLC we will keep the prices of our services below the average market rate for all of our customers by keeping our overhead low and by collecting payment in advance from corporate organizations who would want to advertise and promote their products and services on our website. In addition, we will also offer special discounted rates to all our customers at regular intervals.

We are aware that there are some one – off jobs or government publicity and campaign contracts which are always lucrative, we will ensure that we abide by the pricing model that is expected from contractors or organizations that bid for such contracts.

  • Payment Options

The payment policy adopted by Singles Connect™, LLC is all inclusive because we are quite aware that different customers prefer different payment options as it suits them but at the same time, we will ensure that we abide by the financial rules and regulation of the United States of America.

Here are the payment options that Singles Connect™, LLC will make available to her clients;

  • Payment via bank transfer
  • Payment with cash
  • Payment via online bank transfer
  • Payment via mobile money
  • Payment via Point of Sales Machines (POS Machines)
  • Payment via check
  • Payment via bank draft

In view of the above, we have chosen banking platforms that will enable our client make payment for farm produces purchase without any stress on their part. Our bank account numbers will be made available on our website and promotional materials to clients who may want to deposit cash or make online transfer for our services.

13. Startup Expenditure (Budget)

In setting up any business, the amount or cost will depend on the approach and scale you want to undertake. If you intend to go big by renting a place, then you would need a good amount of capital as you would need to ensure that your employees are well taken care of, and that your facility is conducive enough for workers to be creative and productive.

This means that the start-up can either be low or high depending on your goals, vision and aspirations for your business.

The materials and equipment that will be used are nearly the same cost everywhere, and any difference in prices would be minimal and can be overlooked. As for the detailed cost analysis for starting a social media networking website; it might differ in other countries due to the value of their money.

However, this is what it would cost us to setup Singles Connect™, LLC in the United of America;

  • Business incorporating fees in the United States of America will cost – $750.
  • The budget for Liability insurance, permits and license will cost – $3,500
  • Acquiring an office space that will accommodate the number of employees for at least 6 months (Re – Construction of the facility inclusive) will cost – $150,000.
  • Equipping the office (computers, printers, projectors, markers, servers / internet facility, furniture, telephones, filing cabinets, and electronics) will cost – $30,000
  • Amount required to purchase the needed software applications – $3,500
  • Launching an official Website will cost – $500
  • Amount need to pay bills and staff members for at least 2 to 3 months – $70,000
  • Additional Expenditure such as Business cards, Signage, Adverts and Promotions will cost – $5,000
  • Miscellaneous – $5000

Going by the report from the market research and feasibility studies conducted, we will need about two hundred and fifty thousand ( 250,000 ) U.S. dollars to successfully set – up a medium scale but standard social media networking website in the United States of America.

Generating Funds / Startup Capital for Singles Connect™, LLC

Singles Connect™, LLC is a business that will be owned, financed and managed by Chan Mahogany and his friend and business partner for many years Solomon McKenzie. They are the sole financial of the business which is why they decided to restrict the sourcing of the start – up capital for the business to just three major sources.

These are the areas we intend generating our start – up capital;

  • Generate part of the start – up capital from personal savings and sale of his stocks
  • Generate part of the start – up capital from friends and other extended family members
  • Generate a larger chunk of the startup capital from the bank (loan facility).

N.B: We have been able to generate about $100,000 (Personal savings $85,000 and soft loan from family members $15,000) and we are at the final stages of obtaining a loan facility of $150,000 from our bank. All the papers and document has been duly signed and submitted, the loan has been approved and any moment from now our account will be credited.

14. Sustainability and Expansion Strategy

The future of a business lies in the numbers of loyal customers that they have the capacity and competence of the employees, their investment strategy and the business structure. If all of these factors are missing from a business (company), then it won’t be too long before the business close shop.

One of our major goals of starting Singles Connect™, LLC is to build a business that will survive off its own cash flow without the need for injecting finance from external sources once the business is officially running. We know that one of the ways of gaining approval and winning customers over is to offer our premium services and other related adverting and promotion services a little bit cheaper than what is obtainable in the market and we are well prepared to survive on lower profit margin for a while.

Singles Connect™, LLC will make sure that the right foundation, structures and processes are put in place to ensure that our staff welfare are well taken of. Our company’s corporate culture is designed to drive our business to greater heights and training and re – training of our workforce is at the top burner of our business strategy.

As a matter of fact, profit-sharing arrangement will be made available to all our management staff and it will be based on their performance for a period of ten years or more as determined by the board of the organization. We know that if that is put in place, we will be able to successfully hire and retain the best hands we can get in the industry; they will be more committed to help us build the business of our dreams.

Check List / Milestone

  • Business Name Availability Check: Completed
  • Business Incorporation: Completed
  • Opening of Corporate Bank Accounts various banks in the United States: Completed
  • Opening Online Payment Platforms: Completed
  • Application and Obtaining Tax Payer’s ID: In Progress
  • Securing a standard office facility in a good location: Completed
  • Application for business license and permit: Completed
  • Purchase of All form of Insurance for the Business: Completed
  • Conducting Feasibility Studies: Completed
  • Generating part of the start – up capital from the founders: Completed
  • writing of business plan: Completed
  • Drafting of Employee’s Handbook: Completed
  • Drafting of Contract Documents: In Progress
  • Design of Logo for the business: Completed
  • Secure trademark for our products: In Progress
  • Graphic Designs and Printing of Packaging Marketing / Promotional Materials: Completed
  • Recruitment of employees: In Progress
  • Purchase of the needed server, furniture, office equipment, software applications, electronic appliances and facility facelift: In progress
  • Creating standard and user friendly social networking website: In Progress
  • Creating awareness for the business: In Progress
  • Health and Safety and Fire Safety Arrangement: In Progress
  • Establishing business relationship with vendors and key players (web host) in various industries: In Progress

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business plan for social networking site

It should be noted that there is no special software required to use these templates. All business plans come in Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel format. Each business plan features:

  • Excecutive Summary
  • Company and Financing Summary
  • Products and Services Overview
  • Strategic Analysis with current research!
  • Marketing Plan
  • Personnel Plan
  • 3 Year Advanced Financial Plan
  • Expanded Financial Plan with Monthly Financials
  • Loan Amortization and ROI Tools
  • FREE PowerPoint Presentation for Banks, Investors, or Grant Companies!

1.0 Executive Summary

The purpose of this business plan is to raise $175,000 for the development of an social networking based website that acts as a profile and communication forum. This business plan will also showcase the expected financials and operations over the next three years. The Social Networking Website, Inc. (“the Company”) is a New York based corporation that will sell advertising space while providing a community forum through its online platform (www.mysite.com) to users. The Company was founded in 2009 by John Doe.

1.1 Products and Services

Users that enroll on the website’s online directory will be provided with a forum that they can use to connect to other enrolled members. Each user will have a profile their showcases personal information and insight into their daily lives and friends. A social networking website has become a business phenomenon in the last five years. The Social Networking Website will use a high impact marketing campaign that will drive a tremendous amount of traffic to the website. These marketing strategies will be outlined in the fifth section of the business plan. The third section of the business plan will further describe the services offered by the Social Networking Website.

1.2 The Financing

Mr. Doe is seeking to raise $175,000 from as a bank loan. The interest rate and loan agreement are to be further discussed during negotiation. This business plan assumes that the business will receive a 10 year loan with a 9% fixed interest rate.

1.3 Mission Statement

The Social Networking Website’s mission is to provide a forum for the general public to connect from its online platform, www.mysite.com.

1.4 Mangement Team

The Company was founded by John Doe. Mr. Doe has more than 10 years of experience in the online and Internet industry. Through his expertise, he will be able to bring the operations of the business to profitability within its first year of operations.

1.5 Sales Forecasts

Mr. Doe expects a strong rate of growth at the start of operations. Below are the expected financials over the next three years.

1.6 Expansion Plan

The Founder expects that the business will aggressively expand during the first three years of operation. Mr. Doe intends to implement marketing campaigns that will effectively target individuals within the Company’s demographic.

2.0 Company and Financing Summary

2.1 Registered Name and Corporate Structure

Social Networking Website, Inc. The Company is registered as a corporation in the State of New York.

2.2 Required Funds

At this time, the Social Networking Website requires $175,000 of debt funds. Below is a breakdown of how these funds will be used:

2.3 Investor Equity

Mr. Doe is not seeking an investment from a third party at this time.

2.4 Management Equity

John Doe owns 100% of the Social Networking Website, Inc.

2.5 Exit Strategy

The Management has planned for three possible exit strategies. The first strategy would be to sell the Company to a larger entity at a significant premium. Since, the social networking and online advertising content industries maintains a very low risk profile once the business is established; the Management feels that the Company could be sold for ten to fifteen times earnings. The second exit scenario would entail selling a portion of the Company via an initial public offering (or “IPO”). After a detailed analysis, it was found that the Company could sell for twenty to thirty times earnings on the open market depending on the business’s annual growth rate and strength of earnings. However, taking a company public involves significant legal red tape. Social Networking Website, Inc. would be bound by the significant legal framework of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in addition to the legal requirements set forth in form S1 of the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company would also have to comply with the Securities Act of 1933 and the Exchange Act of 1934.

3.0 Products and Services

Below is a description of the benefits (to both users and advertisers) offered by the Social Networking Website.

3.1 Benefits of the Social Networking Website

Below is a brief summary of benefits offered to the end user of the Social Networking Website: Included in paid version of business plan.

3.2 Affiliate Programs

In addition to the advertising revenues generated from advertising, the business may also develop affiliate marketing programs that will allow the business to generate additional income from the sale of products from associate vendor’s websites. The typical commission for providing a referral sale is 10%, and this could become a substantial revenue center for the business once the Company’s enrollment begins to expand substantially.

4.0 Strategic and Market Analysis

4.1 Economic Outlook

The business of providing free Internet content with the ability to generate revenue from advertising sales and affiliated product sales is a complicated business that has many operating facets. Typically, online media content is immune from general changes in the economy, as the content is provided for free, and if people continue to go to the website, the business will consistently be able to sell advertising space. As such, much of the following market analysis is geared towards the entry plan of the business and the expansion of its customer base.

4.2 Industry Analysis

The advertising industry is one of America’s largest service providers in the economy. There are over 13,000 firms providing advertising and marketing services to clients. The industry generates over $160 billion dollars of revenue for the U.S. Economy. Additionally, over 200,000 people are employed throughout the industry with an average annual payroll of $75 billion dollars. One of the most interesting aspects of the advertising industry is the ability to develop simultaneous traditional and experimental forms of advertising. The advent of the Internet has allowed businesses to communicate effectively with a number of advertising businesses that provide specialized advertising activities. Many sites are now developing around the concept of providing entertainment content in order to generate revenues. Many major internet portal sites have reached market valuations exceeding $100 billion, and revenues reaching into the tens of billions of dollars.

4.3 Customer Profile

In this section of the analysis, you should describe the type of customer you are seeking to acquire. These traits include income size, type of business/occupation; how far away from your business is to your customer, and what the customer is looking for. In this section, you can also put demographic information about your target market including population size, income demographics, level of education, etc.

4.4 Competitive Analysis

With internet technology quickly becoming a saleable commodity, a number of websites have developed within the market that provide identical or substantially similar services to that of the Social Networking website. The current market trend among these websites is to allow users to upload their own content such as music or proprietary videos. As time progresses, Management will continually update the web portal and integrate new technology which will allow users more functionality for their online experience. EXPANDED IN PAID VERSION OF BUSINESS PLAN

5.0 Marketing Plan

The Social Networking Website intends to maintain an extensive marketing campaign that will ensure maximum visibility for the business in its targeted market. Below is an overview of the marketing strategies and objectives of the Social Networking Website.

5.1 Marketing Objectives

• Develop an expansive online presence through the use of pay per click marketing and search engine optimization.

• Develop promotional giveaways that will draw users to the website via viral marketing methods.

• Establish relationships with advertisers that are targeting a computer savvy younger demographic.

5.2 Marketing Strategies

Mr. Doe intends to use a high impact marketing campaign that will generate a substantial amount of traffic to www.mysite.com. These strategies include the use of search engine optimization and pay per click marketing. Additionally, conventions, technology and advertising trade shows, online advertising activities, sales development and viral marketing campaigns will follow carefully orchestrated strategies by marketing personnel in conjunction with marketing experts. Timely coverage of the Social Networking Website will be further directed through ongoing press relations, news releases and feature stories targeted at key Internet content communities and other media outlets. The Company’s web development firm will place large amounts of linking text on the Company’s website. For instance, when a person does a Google search for social networking websites, the Company will appear on the first page of the search. This strategy is technically complicated, and the Company will use a search engine optimization firm to develop the Company’s visibility on a non-paid basis. Management expects that a SEO firm will place large amounts of linking data and text specific keywords into the business’s website, which will allow the Company to appear more frequently among search engines. A majority of web portal and search engine companies use very complicated algorithms to determine a website’s relevance in relation to a specific keyword. SEO firms place text and tags on the website to increase the rank of a specific website.

5.3 Pricing

In this section, describe the pricing of your services and products. You should provide as much information as possible about your pricing as possible in this section. However, if you have hundreds of items, condense your product list categorically. This section of the business plan should not span more than 1 page.

6.0 Organizational Plan and Personnel Summary

6.1 Corporate Organization

6.2 Organizational Budget

6.3 Management Biographies

In this section of the business plan, you should write a two to four paragraph biography about your work experience, your education, and your skill set. For each owner or key employee, you should provide a brief biography in this section.

7.0 Financial Plan

7.1 Underlying Assumptions

• The Social Networking Website will have an annual revenue growth rate of 45% per year.

• The Owner will acquire $175,000 of debt funds to develop the business.

• The loan will have a 10 year term with a 9% interest rate.

7.2 Sensitivity Analysis

In the event of a severe economic decline, the demand for specialty online based advertising may decrease significantly, which may cause the revenue generated by the business to level off or decline. However, Google AdSense and internal online advertising programs have proven to be a very popular advertising method for many businesses, and only in a steep economic decline does Management foresee a decline in top line revenues.

7.3 Source of Funds

7.4 General Assumptions

7.5 Profit and Loss Statements 

7.6 Cash Flow Analysis

7.7 Balance Sheet

7.8 General Assumptions

7.9 Business Ratios

Expanded Profit and Loss Statements

Expanded Cash Flow Analysis

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Social Networking Sites for Business

What are the benefits of using social networking sites for business.

Social networking sites offer numerous benefits for businesses. They provide a platform for businesses to engage with their customers, build brand awareness, and promote their products or services. They also allow businesses to reach a larger audience, as they can connect with people from all over the world. Additionally, social networking sites can be a valuable tool for market research, as businesses can gather insights about their customers’ preferences and behaviors.

How can I choose the right social networking site for my business?

Choosing the right social networking site for your business depends on your specific needs and goals. Consider the demographics of your target audience, the nature of your products or services, and the type of content you plan to share. For example, if your target audience is professionals, LinkedIn might be the best choice. If you plan to share visually appealing content, Instagram or Pinterest might be more suitable.

How can I effectively use social networking sites for marketing?

To effectively use social networking sites for marketing, it’s important to create engaging content that resonates with your audience. This could include informative blog posts, eye-catching images, or compelling videos. It’s also crucial to interact with your audience by responding to comments and messages, and by participating in relevant discussions. Additionally, consider using paid advertising options to reach a larger audience.

Are there any risks associated with using social networking sites for business?

While social networking sites offer numerous benefits, there are also potential risks. These include negative customer feedback, privacy concerns, and the possibility of damaging your brand’s reputation if inappropriate content is shared. It’s important to have a social media policy in place to mitigate these risks.

Can I use multiple social networking sites for my business?

Yes, using multiple social networking sites can help you reach a wider audience and cater to different customer preferences. However, it’s important to ensure that you can effectively manage all of your accounts. Using a social media management tool can help you schedule posts, monitor engagement, and track performance across multiple platforms.

How can I measure the success of my social media efforts?

There are several metrics you can track to measure the success of your social media efforts. These include the number of followers or likes, the level of engagement (such as comments, shares, and retweets), and the amount of traffic driven to your website. Many social networking sites provide analytics tools that can help you track these metrics.

What is the role of social networking sites in SEO?

Social networking sites can play a significant role in SEO. They can help increase your website’s visibility by driving traffic to your site. They can also improve your site’s ranking in search engine results by generating backlinks. Additionally, social media profiles often rank in search engine results, providing an additional way for people to find your business.

How can I protect my business’s reputation on social networking sites?

To protect your business’s reputation on social networking sites, it’s important to monitor your online presence regularly. Respond to negative feedback in a professional manner and take steps to resolve any issues. Also, ensure that all content shared is appropriate and aligns with your brand’s values.

Can social networking sites help with customer service?

Yes, social networking sites can be an effective tool for customer service. They provide a platform for customers to ask questions, voice concerns, and provide feedback. Businesses can respond in real time, providing quick and efficient customer service.

How can I increase my followers on social networking sites?

To increase your followers on social networking sites, consistently post engaging content, interact with your audience, and promote your social media profiles through other marketing channels. You can also consider using paid advertising options to reach a larger audience.

  • My Services

How to Write a Business Plan for a Social Networking Website

  • by Laura Berry

I just answered How do you write a business plan for a social networking website? on Quora . 

Disclosure: I own Palo Alto Software, which publishes LivePlan , web app for business planning. 

business plan for social networking site

The fact that it’s social media doesn’t really change what a business plan needs to cover in order to optimize management, build in accountability, and run the business:

  • Review schedule: set a day of the month (for example, third Thursday) to review plan vs. actual.
  • Key assumptions: you have to list them so that when the assumptions change (and they will) you’ll know what to expect to change in the plan. Review the assumptions in every monthly review meeting.
  • Strategy: focus. Focus on the target users, their needs, their wants; and the offering, the site, the interface, the key benefits. This doesn’t take a lot of words. Pictures are sometimes better.
  • Milestones: what’s supposed to happen when. Who is responsible. How much does it cost, and how much does it bring in.
  • The basic numbers: what really matters is the cash flow but you can’t project cash flow without projected sales, costs, expenses, profits, and balance sheet.

If you’re talking about a business plan that will be the source document for seeking outside investment, which means it’s the source for the pitch and summary and so forth, then you need to make sure you also cover the following additional points:

  • Management team: background, experience, expertise, responsibilities.
  • Defensibility
  • Scalability
  • Monetization (or not)
  • Potential growth
  • Possibility/likelihood of future exits 

Everything I’ve written here applies to a social media venture but, for the record, also applies to a butcher, baker, and candlestick maker.

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The combination of Business management, business goals and a good customers relationship is the key for any business to succeed. Like I say getting a new customers is hard work, but keeping it is even harder. Business is like marriage. Best of luck, God bless PS There is a plan for everything

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  5. 10+ Social Media Marketing Business Plan Templates

    business plan for social networking site

  6. 10+ Social Media Marketing Business Plan Templates

    business plan for social networking site

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  1. Social Networking

  2. The Social Network Behind the Scenes #BTS #JesseEisenberg #AndrewGarfield #JustinTimberlake

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  4. BUSINESS PLAN PRESENTATION //Business plan presentation discussion //How to make business plan

  5. BUSINESS PLAN PRESENTATION || Business plan presentation discussion || How to make business plan

  6. Business Networking Tip

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  1. How to Create a Great Social Media Strategy Plan in 2023

    Your social media strategy is your master plan for how you create, post, and engage with your social media content. It encompasses your social content guidelines, posting cadence, social media marketing campaigns, target audience, and engagement strategy that promote your business and brand.

  2. How to Create a Social Media Marketing Strategy [Template]

    Step 1. Choose goals that align to business objectives Step 2. Learn everything you can about your audience Step 3. Get to know your competition Step 4. Do a social media audit Step 5. Set up accounts and improve profiles Step 6. Find inspiration Step 7. Create a social media content calendar Step 8. Create compelling content Step 9.

  3. How to Build Your Social Media Marketing Strategy

    Goal example 1: Increase brand awareness Brand awareness means getting your name out there. Some 68% of consumers say the primary reason they follow a brand on social media is to stay informed about new products or services, according to The Sprout Social Index™.

  4. Social Media Marketing In 2024: The Ultimate Guide

    $149.99/ per month (Includes Social & Reputation) Free Option No Supported Platforms Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Yelp!, YouTube, LinkedIn, Google Business Reviews, WhatsApp, Amazon Review

  5. Social Media Startup Business Plan [Sample Template for 2022]

    2. Executive Summary Bizworld.com is a U.S based standard social media company that focuses on bringing business lovers together to discuss ideas, share knowledge and experiences and help each other solve challenges wouldn't be such a bad idea. This company did not just come for the social media but also for the good of the economy generally.

  6. Social Media Marketing Business Plan Template

    Written by Dave Lavinsky Table of Contents Table of Contents Social Media Marketing Business Plan Over the past 20+ years, we have helped over 1,000 entrepreneurs and business owners create business plans to start and grow their social media marketing businesses.

  7. How to Create a Social Media Plan: The Complete Guide + Templates

    Follow these simple yet effective steps to create a social media plan for your business. 1. Do a Social Media Audit. The first step in creating a social media plan is to do a social media audit of your existing channels. This will give you an idea about what's working, what isn't and how to improve the things that are falling flat.

  8. How to Create a Social Media Marketing Plan From Scratch

    If you need a social media marketing plan, start here. Step 1: Determine which social media sites you will use. Social media is as homogenous from network to network as soda pop is from brand to brand. Sure, it's all social media, but Instagram and Twitter might as well be Mountain Dew and Pepsi. Each network is unique, with its own best ...

  9. How to Create a Social Media Strategy for Small Business

    Part #1: Define Your Social Media Strategy — and Set Your Goals. Creating a social media strategy from scratch may seem intimidating, but setting SMART goals keeps the process realistic and achievable. A SMART goal is: Specific. Measurable. Achievable. Relevant. Timely.

  10. The complete guide to social media for businesses

    Follow these 5 social media tips for business. Use social media marketing tools for business. Uncover social analytics and reporting for business. Involve your C-Suite and employees to amplify your business. Work on a corporate communication plan. Go beyond the basics of social media for business.

  11. 5 Business Models for Social Media Startups

    There's a good practical list of Five Common Business Models for Social Media Startups by Jun Loayza on Mashable. A good reminder that business models-how you get paid-are part of the game.

  12. Guide: Social Media Marketing for Small Businesses

    How to set the right social media goals for your business Social media tools for small businesses What is social media marketing? Social media marketing is a strategy that involves promoting products, services or brands on social media platforms and engaging with the target audience.

  13. Social Enterprise Business Plan Template [Updated 2024]

    Your social enterprise business plan is a living document that should be updated annually as your company grows and changes. Sources of Funding for Social Enterprise Businesses With regards to funding, the main sources of funding for a social enterprise business are personal savings, credit cards, bank loans and angel investors.

  14. How to Build a Social Media Growth Strategy That Works [2024]

    10 effective social media growth strategies 1. Be active on your target audience's favorite platforms You can create as many (or as few) social accounts as you like. But your audience will only connect with you on the social networks they're already actively using.

  15. 2024 Digital Marketing Strategy Guide

    A digital marketing strategy is a plan that gets a product or brand in front of potential customers. ... websites or social media. As a strategy, the campaign takes specific tactics and implements ...

  16. Sample Social Network Business Plan

    By Olaoluwa October 10, 2023 SOCIAL NETWORKING SITE BUSINESS PLAN PDF SAMPLE Social networking sites are places or platforms where people anywhere could meet, connect with old and new friends, and date. It is also a place where entrepreneurs could advertise and market their products and services.

  17. 6 Best Social Media Platforms for Businesses in 2024

    A social media agency can help you with this challenge, and help you make the most of this social media site for businesses. Explore Instagram vs. Pinterest. 4. Pinterest. Number of monthly users: 450+ million. Demographics: Women, ages 18-64. Pinterest is a place to share (or "pin") different visual content so that other people can see it.

  18. The Ultimate Guide to Creating a Social Network

    5. Choose the ground rules. Since the community you're building isn't the "wild west" of the internet (as in anything goes), you need to set some ground rules. An important part of managing a social network is having concrete community guidelines and expectations for how members should behave and conduct themselves.

  19. Social Networking Business Plan [Sample Template]

    1. Industry Overview A social networking website is a forum where people from all works of life meet to network and make new friends and date; it is also a forum where entrepreneurs market their products and services.

  20. Top 11 Social Media Platforms for Business in 2024

    July 1, 2022 ~ Last updated: January 25, 2024 So you've decided to make the leap and invest in social media platforms for business - good choice! Social media is one of the cheapest forms of marketing available. The ROI it's providing to the business world is growing more and more every day. So it's about time that you tap into it!

  21. Free Social Networking Website Business Plan

    The purpose of this business plan is to raise $175,000 for the development of an social networking based website that acts as a profile and communication forum. This business plan will also showcase the expected financials and operations over the next three years.

  22. The 6 Best Social Media Platforms For Your Business in 2022

    Platform #2: Instagram. Instagram is another platform that feels like it's non-negotiable. Maybe it's because it's owned by Facebook, or maybe it's because it also has another 1 billion users. To determine if Instagram will be one of the best social media platforms for your business, let's look at the demographics.

  23. 20 Social Networking Sites for Business Professionals

    Consider the demographics of your target audience, the nature of your products or services, and the type of content you plan to share. For example, if your target audience is professionals ...

  24. How to Write a Business Plan for a Social Networking Website

    Review schedule: set a day of the month (for example, third Thursday) to review plan vs. actual. Key assumptions: you have to list them so that when the assumptions change (and they will) you'll know what to expect to change in the plan. Review the assumptions in every monthly review meeting. Strategy: focus.

  25. SOCIAL MEDIA MAGIC: BEST PRACTICES

    This FREE series is for small business owners who want to boost their online presence and grow their business using social media. Every session, we dive into the essentials and advanced techniques, providing practical tips and hands-on skills that you can use immediately! Session 1: Social Media 101 for Small Business OwnersDiscover the essentials of identifying your target market, selecting ...

  26. SEC clears Trump's social media deal worth as much as $10 billion

    The valuation is about half that of Elon Musk's much more popular social media company X and follows two years of setbacks in the Trump company's quest to complete a stock market listing.

  27. New York City sues social media platforms over youth mental ...

    New York City is suing a handful of social media networks, alleging their platforms' designs exploit young users' mental health and cost the city $100 million in related health programs and ...

  28. Social media blueprint: a broker's guide to engaging HR professionals

    In today's digital-first world, the power of social media in the realm of B2B marketing is undeniable. Consider this: 75% of B2B buyers now use social media to research potential vendors, making ...

  29. Outside the US, teens' social media experiences are more tightly

    In the US, it's very hard to sue social media platforms because of a 28-year-old federal law called "Section 230," which holds that tech companies cannot be held liable for the content that ...