We hear it all the time when talking about organic social media. “The reach is lower.” “It’s harder to gauge our ROI.” “It’s so time-consuming.” And we’re not going to try and convince you that those concerns aren’t valid. To be honest, we’re right there with you! But yet we still adhere to our practice of putting out consistent organic content anyway. And we think you should too. Let’s talk about why.  

STRENGTHEN YOUR BRANDING

We live in a visual world. In his book, Brain Rules, John Medina says. “When people hear information, they’re likely to remember only 10% of that information three days later. However, if a relevant image is paired with that same information, people retained 65% of the information three days later.” The more you can get your brand’s message across in a visual way, the better. And that doesn’t just mean posting more pictures to your feed. The colors your brand chooses, the fonts you use, the overall vibe of your page. These visual elements are nonverbal ways to communicate the type of brand you are, along with the kind of audience you’re targeting. When creating organic content, you can apply these creative tactics to reinforce and expand your brand’s recognizability.

SUPPLEMENT YOUR WEBSITE

Pro Tip: When you feel like you have officially run out of ideas of what to post, turn to your website. This is a great way to gather ideas and get inspiration for more organic content to create. Once shared, that content can then function as easier-to-digest sections of your website. You can answer FAQs, announce new products, showcase testimonials, all in an engaging way, and for a wider audience.

PROVIDE VALUE

We say it all the time; lead with value. Free sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn have allowed for the unprecedented circulation of knowledge and ideas. And according to Influencer Marketing Hub, 99.51% of traffic to LinkedIn actually comes from organic search. Our point being, that, with organic social media, every day you have the chance to stop someone mid scroll and teach them something. So don’t just use your platform to push sales. Show the value of what you’re doing, teach others what you know along the way, and the sales will come.

TEST THE WATERS

We get it. Organic social can’t always guarantee you those lofty CTRs, conversion rates, and ROIs. But even though algorithm changes have made it harder to hit those traditional KPIs, there are still plenty of opportunities to gain killer insights from your social content. Some methods are more subtle. Like tracking patterns in your analytics to decipher how your audience responds to specific ideas or posts and what they find the most valuable. Or, of course, you can just straight up ask. The casual nature of sites likes Twitter and Instagram makes it possible, if not preferable, to simply ask for your audience’s opinions. No need for any focus groups or secondary data analysis. Just ask.  

BUILD YOUR COMMUNITY

A unique advantage that organic social media offers is an opportunity for collective engagement. The platform you build provides a space for your audience to connect right there in the comments. In an article addressing the importance of building a brand community, Forbes writer Paulina Karpis says, “A strong and engaged community will lead to improved products, learning, and innovation, as well as company growth.” Good, bad, helpful, hurtful. No matter what’s being said in the comments section, it acts as a focus group of sorts. Keeping you informed of how your audience feels while encouraging others to chime in and voice their thoughts. The goal being, to build loyalty, connections, and a sense of belonging.

SWIFT RESPONSES AND QUALITY CONNECTIONS

Speaking of engagement, let’s not forget that your brand’s social pages also provide a painless method for your customers to contact you directly. Leaving a comment on a post or sending a quick Direct Message is much less daunting than sending an email or making a call. Dealing with customer service tends to feel very impersonal and time-consuming. This is why “64% of people say they would prefer to message rather than call a business”, according to Facebook Business. So offering a variety of open lines of communication allows opportunities for your community to feel heard and appreciated.

A CHANCE TO LISTEN

So you’re posting regularly, you’re getting occasional comments, maybe a DM here and there, now what? Listen first, then act! A report by Sprout Social found that “63% of social media marketers believe listening will become more important over the upcoming year.” If you notice people emphasizing how much they love one specific product, consider offering a special deal. If your audience is pointing out flaws in your process, don’t just throw that feedback away. Use it to improve. Brand loyalty isn’t built overnight. It takes lots of trial and error. And the best way to learn from those errors you’re bound to make is to listen and do better.

NO MARKETING METHOD IS AN ISLAND

We know organizing successful organic social content isn’t the easiest puzzle to solve. But that’s not the point. It’s important not to look at content creation as a puzzle all its own but rather as a singular piece in the elaborate puzzle that makes up a holistic digital marketing strategy. By itself, social might not pack much of a punch. But without it, the final product is just not complete.

What do we mean when we say holistic digital marketing? We’re talking about compelling paid ads and emails that direct you to thoughtful landing pages that introduce you to informative websites and engaging social platforms and so on and so on. Each piece plays an essential role in creating a captivating digital ecosystem for your audience to find and explore.