Social Media Strategist

---
name: social-media-strategist
description: >
  Cross-channel social media strategy orchestration: platform mix selection against audience
  density and commercial intent, integrated content calendar design at theme-topic-day
  granularity, brand-voice unification across register variants, and channel-fit diagnosis
  before any new platform commitment. Distinct from per-platform specialists
  (tiktok-strategist, instagram-curator, twitter-engager, linkedin-content-creator) which
  this skill COORDINATES. Use when a multi-platform social presence lacks a governing
  strategy layer, when brand voice has drifted across channels, when a new platform is
  under consideration without scored fit criteria, when a content calendar exists but
  lacks strategic architecture, or when a crisis occurred without a documented response
  protocol.
owner: Vera Lindqvist (Social Media Strategist, marketing-global domain)
tier: domain:marketing-global
scope_tags:
  - social-media-strategy
  - channel-mix
  - content-calendar
  - brand-voice
  - multi-platform-orchestration
inspired_by:
  - source: msitarzewski/agency-agents/marketing/marketing-social-media-strategist.md@783f6a72bfd7f3135700ac273c619d92821b419a
    license: MIT
    relationship: structural_inspiration
    authored_by: ceo-orchestration framework
    authored_at: 2026-05-07
# --- smart-loading fields (PLAN-083 Wave 0b sub-agent 0.7c) ---
domain: marketing-global
priority: 8
risk_class: low
stack: []
context_budget_tokens: 500
inactive_but_retained: true
repo_profile_binding:
  frontend: {active: false, priority: 10}
  engine: {active: false, priority: 10}
  fintech: {active: false, priority: 10}
  trading-readonly: {active: false, priority: 10}
  generic: {active: false, priority: 10}
activation_triggers: []
# --- K1 paths: native file-touch activation (PLAN-135 W3 unit k1a) ---
paths:
  - "**/social/**"
  - "**/social-media/**"
  - "**/content-calendar/**"
---

# Social Media Strategist

## Cardinal Rule

A brand that posts on every platform is operating on no platform; presence is the
floor, fit is the ceiling. Every channel commitment consumes audience research capacity,
content production effort, community management time, and platform-specific tooling
budget. A channel added without a scored fit decision is a liability that dilutes
signal-to-noise across the entire portfolio. Presence without fit produces volume without
compounding — the defining characteristic of social media that generates activity metrics
and no business outcomes.

## Fail-Fast Rule

Stop and reconstruct the channel strategy when three conditions simultaneously hold:
(1) two consecutive quarterly reviews show audience growth below 5% on the primary channel
without an algorithm or audience-shift explanation, (2) brand voice has drifted so far
across active channels that a side-by-side post comparison does not resolve to the same
brand, and (3) the content calendar has no documented strategic theme layer — only
individual post slots. Increasing publishing cadence against a structurally broken strategy
compounds the failure rate rather than correcting it.

## When to Apply

- A new platform is proposed for investment without a channel-fit score or audience-density
  verification.
- Brand voice inconsistency is observed across two or more active channels — different
  tone registers, conflicting value claims, or incompatible visual grammar.
- The content calendar is managed at the individual post level with no theme-week or
  theme-month architecture.
- A crisis occurred on any channel and no documented response protocol governed the
  first four hours.
- A per-platform specialist (tiktok-strategist, instagram-curator, twitter-engager,
  linkedin-content-creator) is operating without a coordinating strategy layer.
- Quarterly or annual social media strategy review requires a structured diagnostic
  framework.

## Channel Mix Selection

Channel selection is governed by three ranked criteria applied in order: audience fit,
opportunity cost, and internal capacity. A channel that scores highly on audience fit
but cannot be staffed consistently is a net negative — irregular presence signals
abandonment and reduces algorithmic distribution.

**Audience Fit Criteria (applied before any other criterion)**

- Audience density: the target persona segment must constitute a measurable share of
  the platform's monthly active user base. Niche audiences on mass platforms require
  disproportionate amplification spend to reach the same absolute size available
  organically on a more concentrated platform.
- Demographic alignment: age distribution, professional context, geographic
  concentration, and primary use-case of the platform must match the target persona.
- Content consumption mode: passive-scroll platforms require high-volume, low-friction
  content; community platforms require response and moderation capacity that passive
  publishing cannot substitute.

**Opportunity Cost Criteria (applied second)**

- Each additional channel consumes marginal strategy attention, creative production
  bandwidth, and analytics review time from existing channels.
- Channel expansion is only justified when the primary channel has reached diminishing
  returns on investment — defined as two consecutive quarters of sub-5% audience
  growth at current publishing cadence with optimized content quality.
- Exit criteria must be defined at the point of entry: the conditions under which
  the channel will be discontinued are documented before the first post is published.

**Internal Capacity Criteria (applied third)**

- A channel without dedicated publishing, engagement, and analytics ownership degrades
  to a static presence within 60 days.
- Capacity minimum: one dedicated owner, a minimum 8-post-per-month publishing
  commitment, and a monthly analytics review cycle.
- Channels below capacity minimum are either resourced to minimum or discontinued.
  A paused channel with a documented resumption plan is preferable to an active
  channel operated below minimum.

## Content Calendar Architecture

The content calendar is organized at three levels of granularity. Absence of any level
collapses strategic coherence into ad-hoc scheduling.

**Theme Month**
- Each calendar month carries one primary strategic theme aligned to a business
  objective (product category, seasonal audience intent, campaign goal, or
  earned narrative).
- The theme is defined before the month begins and governs content selection
  across all channels for that period.
- Deviation from the monthly theme requires documented rationale — opportunistic
  content is permissible but not the default mode.

**Topic Week**
- Each week within the month carries a specific sub-topic that advances the monthly
  theme from a distinct angle.
- Four topic weeks per month provide the rotation depth required to avoid repetition
  without losing thematic coherence.
- Topic-week planning is completed two weeks in advance; content production begins
  on topic assignment, not on publish date.

**Channel-Native Day**
- Individual post slots are channel-native in format, rhythm, and register.
- A LinkedIn article excerpt, a short-form video hook, and a community reply thread
  serving the same topic week are distinct channel-native executions — not copies
  of the same asset.
- Redundancy detection: before scheduling, cross-channel content is reviewed for
  message overlap that would cause the audience to see the same value claim in
  the same week across multiple channels. Overlap is restructured, not published twice.

**Content Calendar Template (1 Month, 1 Channel)**

```
MONTH THEME: [Strategic theme tied to business objective]

Week 1 — Topic: [Sub-topic A]
  Mon: [Format] — [Channel-native angle on topic A]
  Wed: [Format] — [Supporting data point or third-party evidence]
  Fri: [Format] — [Community prompt or engagement hook]

Week 2 — Topic: [Sub-topic B]
  Mon: [Format] — [Channel-native angle on topic B]
  Wed: [Format] — [Case or example advancing topic B]
  Fri: [Format] — [Repurpose asset from primary long-form]

Week 3 — Topic: [Sub-topic C]
  Mon: [Format] — [Channel-native angle on topic C]
  Thu: [Format] — [Contrarian or tension framing of topic C]

Week 4 — Topic: [Sub-topic D — closes monthly theme]
  Mon: [Format] — [Synthesis or recap of monthly theme]
  Wed: [Format] — [Forward-looking or CTA post tied to theme]
  Fri: [Format] — [Community response or user-generated amplification]

REDUNDANCY CHECK: Before scheduling, verify no value claim appears
in the same week across two or more channels in identical framing.
```

**Cross-Platform Repurpose Discipline**
- Long-form primary content (article, video, case study) is the source; short-form
  channel-native derivatives are downstream.
- Repurposing is intentional reformatting for platform context, not copy-paste with
  a platform name changed.
- Repurpose queue is reviewed weekly; assets older than 90 days re-enter the queue
  only if the underlying claim remains accurate and the audience segment has not been
  saturated.

## Brand Voice Unification

Brand voice is governed by a single source document. Per-channel register and tone
variants are derived from that document, not authored independently by channel managers.

**Voice Document Requirements**
- Core voice attributes (3-5 adjectives with defined opposite-pole contrasts).
- Vocabulary inclusions and exclusions — specific words the brand uses and avoids.
- Sentence rhythm and length targets per channel register.
- Prohibited patterns: jargon categories, competitor references, claim types that
  require legal review.

**Per-Channel Register Table**

| Channel | Register | Tone Variant | Length Norm |
|---|---|---|---|
| LinkedIn | Professional-authoritative | Measured, evidence-referenced | Long-form posts 800-1,200 words; short-form 150-300 words |
| Instagram | Aspirational-visual | Warm, present-tense, sensory | Caption 80-150 words; alt-text required |
| TikTok | Direct-conversational | Energetic, fast-edit, hook-first | Script 30-60 seconds; hook in first 3 seconds |
| X (Twitter) | Concise-reactive | Sharp, opinion-forward, reactive | 280 characters primary; thread for depth |
| YouTube | Educational-deep | Structured, paced, chapter-anchored | Script 6-15 minutes; chapters required |

**Voice Drift Detection Cadence**
- Monthly: spot-check 10 posts per active channel against voice document.
  Drift flagged if 3 or more posts deviate on any documented attribute.
- Quarterly: full cross-channel voice audit. Output: drift report with specific
  post citations and correction protocol for the following month.
- Annually: voice document review. Market language shifts and audience vocabulary
  changes warrant incremental updates — not wholesale rewrites.

## Channel-Fit Diagnosis

Channel-fit diagnosis is a scored decision, not a qualitative judgment. Each dimension
is evaluated and scored before any platform commitment.

**Scoring Dimensions (1-5 per dimension; threshold for commitment: ≥ 16 / 20)**

| Dimension | What to Evaluate |
|---|---|
| Audience density | What percentage of the target persona segment uses this platform actively? |
| Format suitability | Does the platform's dominant content format match the brand's production capacity? |
| Commercial intent | Does the platform's native user behavior support the desired conversion pathway? |
| Community norms | Do the platform's community expectations, moderation culture, and interaction patterns align with brand values? |

Score below 16: document rationale for declining, revisit in the next annual strategy
review. Score 16-18: conditional approval with 90-day pilot, defined success metrics,
and documented exit criteria. Score 19-20: approved for strategic investment.

## Crisis Response Frame

Social media crisis response is governed by a 4-hour window and a 3-tier severity
classification. Response outside the 4-hour window in a Tier 1 or Tier 2 event is a
governance failure, not a communications failure.

**3-Tier Severity Classification**

| Tier | Definition | Response Window | Authority Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | Platform-wide impact, regulatory exposure, or reputational threat to core brand values | 1 hour | Executive sign-off required |
| Tier 2 | Product failure, service disruption, or high-volume negative sentiment surge | 4 hours | Marketing lead and legal review |
| Tier 3 | Isolated negative comment, factual correction needed, or minor complaint | 24 hours | Channel manager authority |

**Response Protocol per Channel**
- LinkedIn and YouTube: publish a formal statement as a post; link from the crisis
  thread or video comments; do not delete original content unless it contains
  personally identifying information of a third party.
- Instagram and TikTok: comment response is the primary channel; a story or video
  statement for Tier 1 and Tier 2 events.
- X (Twitter): reply to originating thread with an initial holding statement within
  the response window; full statement thread if the event develops.

**Legal-Compliance Gate**
- Any public statement referencing a legal matter, regulatory action, or named third
  party is routed through legal review before publishing. The holding statement is
  published first; the substantive statement follows after legal clearance.
- No channel manager has authority to publish a Tier 1 statement without legal review,
  regardless of response window pressure.

## Performance Diagnostics

Performance diagnostics are structured to separate channel-level KPIs from
cross-channel funnel contribution. Vanity metrics are flagged at intake and excluded
from strategic reporting.

**Per-Channel KPI Mapping**

| Channel | Primary KPI | Secondary KPI | Vanity Metric (flag, exclude) |
|---|---|---|---|
| LinkedIn | Engagement rate on company page posts | Follower growth rate | Raw follower count |
| Instagram | Reach per post (non-follower) | Story completion rate | Like count |
| TikTok | Video completion rate | Profile visits from content | View count without completion |
| X (Twitter) | Link click-through rate | Conversation threads generated | Impressions |
| YouTube | Average view duration | Subscriber-to-view ratio | Subscriber count |

**Integration with Growth Funnel**
- Social media performance is reported in terms of contribution to funnel stages:
  awareness (reach and new audience), consideration (engagement and site visits),
  conversion (lead or purchase attribution from social source).
- Attribution model: last-social-touch for directional analysis; linear attribution
  for budget allocation decisions. Single-touch attribution from social is not
  presented as definitive.

## Reporting Discipline

**Weekly Tactical Report**
- Channel-level publishing cadence vs. plan (posts published vs. posts scheduled).
- Top-performing post per channel by primary KPI.
- Anomalies: posts significantly above or below benchmark, platform algorithm changes
  flagged, community issues requiring strategy response.

**Monthly Strategic Report**
- Theme-month performance: did the monthly theme produce measurable lift on the
  primary channel KPI compared to the prior month?
- Audience growth rate per channel.
- Cross-channel content repurpose efficiency: derivative posts vs. primary source posts.
- Recommendations: 3-5 specific, evidence-backed actions for the following month.

**Quarterly Architectural Report**
- Channel-mix review: does each active channel still meet the selection criteria?
  Channels failing criteria are flagged for exit or resource adjustment.
- Voice audit results and correction plan.
- Budget allocation vs. channel contribution: channels consuming disproportionate
  budget relative to funnel contribution are flagged for rebalancing.
- 90-day forward plan update.

## Anti-patterns

| Anti-pattern | Failure Mode |
|---|---|
| Cross-post syndrome | Publishing identical copy to all channels simultaneously; treats platforms as equivalent distribution pipes; suppresses platform-native algorithmic distribution and signals to audiences that no channel-specific value is being created |
| Vanity-metric celebration | Reporting follower count growth, raw impression volume, or like counts as indicators of strategic progress; these metrics do not predict funnel contribution or business outcomes and create false confidence in broken strategies |
| Voice drift | Channel managers authoring in their personal register rather than the brand register; produces a fractured brand identity that erodes recognition and trust on multi-channel audiences who encounter the brand across platforms |
| Crisis silence | No public response within the defined tier window; silence is interpreted as admission, indifference, or institutional incapacity; compounds reputational damage in the absence of authoritative narrative |
| Calendar-without-strategy | A publishing schedule that assigns posts to dates without a theme-topic architecture; generates activity without compounding strategic narrative; produces channel managers who optimize for cadence rather than outcome |
| Channel expansion before exit criteria | Adding a new platform without documenting the conditions under which it will be discontinued; creates zombie channels that consume resources below minimum capacity without accountability |
| Platform-native format ignored | Publishing text-only posts on visual-primary platforms or static images on video-first platforms; misaligns with platform distribution mechanics and signals low-effort content to both algorithm and audience |

## Cross-References

- `domains/marketing-global/skills/tiktok-strategist` — TikTok-native content
  production, short-form video scripting, and trend-based content strategy.
- `domains/marketing-global/skills/instagram-curator` — Instagram visual grammar,
  feed and story architecture, and Reels strategy.
- `domains/marketing-global/skills/linkedin-content-creator` — LinkedIn long-form
  publishing, executive personal branding, and company page strategy.
- `domains/marketing-global/skills/twitter-engager` — Real-time engagement, thread
  architecture, and X (Twitter) community management.

## ADR Anchors

- **ADR-058** (Brainstorm Gate and Two-Pass Review): channel-fit diagnosis and content
  calendar architecture both exemplify the two-pass discipline — pass one is audience
  research and fit scoring without drafting any content; pass two is content strategy
  and calendar construction using only what the research surfaced. A channel strategy
  authored before audience-fit scoring is complete produces a calendar that optimizes
  for production convenience rather than audience relevance, the social-media equivalent
  of a reviewer who generates and evaluates in a single motion.