With social media algorithms constantly changing and platforms rapidly moving in a pay-to-play direction, it may feel like organic social media no longer serves a purpose.
With so much content constantly being shared and brands with huge budgets stealing the spotlight, it may feel like getting people to see your content is impossible and dare we say, not worth the effort.
Yes, it’s easy to throw money behind your content to increase vanity metrics, but organic social media still holds a ton of value.
Here at B Squared Media we love paid social (and so do our clients!) but our roots are in organic social, and 7 years of content curation and reports later, we continue to see the impact it has.
Learn more about what goes into organic social algorithms and all the reasons organic social is alive and thriving.
Before we get started, it’s important to know your algorithms.
If you’re posting organic content on social media, no matter how many Facebook friends or Twitter followers you have, the algorithm works behind the scenes to rank and prioritize posts it thinks people will want to see.
Although Twitter has brought its chronological timeline option back, the algorithm is still in play in the Top Tweets feed. Here’s how the algorithms rank content:
- Timeliness – How long ago the content was published
- Engagement – How your audience historically likes, comments and shares with your posts
- Relevancy – How relevant your posts are to your audience
More than 500 million tweets are sent out a day. If your content needs to be timely, engaging, and relevant in order to be seen, why is organic social media worth it?
It Complements Other Marketing Channels
Marketing your brand or product is all about telling a story.
How many times have you seen a Facebook or Instagram ad, liked what you saw, and decided to check out the brand’s page? OK. Now how many times were you disappointed by what you saw when you got there? This has happened to me on multiple occasions.
If you see an ad and decide to visit the brand’s page, you expect to see more relevant content. Anything less feels disappointing.
Research shows that 81% of consumers research a business online, including their social media profiles, before buying. If possible clients or customers are finding their way to your social pages, you want to make a good impression when they get there.
Authenticity
As Top Rank Blog explains, “The importance of authenticity cannot be overstated. Social media gives brands the opportunity to show their target audience who they are, not just what they sell.”
In the era of fake news, social media users are hyper-aware of what feels real and what does not. They know when they see an ad that someone is trying to sell them something. If you mix things us with non-paid content, it’s the perfect opportunity to provide a genuine look into what defines your organization.
It’s Cost Effective
To state the obvious, organic social media is totally free. Even though it takes time and energy to create social media content, it’s still extremely cost-effective.
When it comes to creating and sharing content there are plenty of best practices, many of which cost money, but there are free alternatives for everything.
Don’t want to hire an expensive graphic designer? No problem. Canva will be your best friend.
Want beautiful photos? There are a number of free stock image sites to choose from. Want to use a third party publishing platform to schedule content in bulk? Many platforms, like Buffer, offer free versions with less bells and whistles than the paid versions.
Creativity
Organic social media updates are the perfect place for exploring your brand’s voice and creativity. Before investing your budget into an ad campaign, use your non-paid channels to build a solid foundation.
While there is a lot of helpful information that can come from ad testing, there’s also plenty you can learn from your organic approach, it just may take more time.
Most importantly, you’ll need to be creative to drive engagement with organic social media. The Native explains that it’s better to post fewer updates that are higher quality. “Make it brilliant. Don’t just add to the noise, make such good content that your profiles are the conversation starters.”
SEO
According to Gill Solutions,
“When ranking pages, Google pulls all information related to a brand name to determine domain authority. One of the first results, when a name is searched, is the social media pages associated with the name. A social footprint heavily contributes to a website’s credibility and boosts its position on a SERP.”
Customer Care
Did you know 63% of consumers expect companies to provide customer service via social media? Proper customer care is so important to the success of your brand. It increases customer retention and ultimately your bottom line.
No matter what algorithm changes may come, it’s important your brand maintain at least a minimal presence. If someone goes to your page for help but sees you haven’t posted a recent update, they may assume the page is abandoned or question the relevancy of your business.
Final Thoughts
Organic social media may not instantly increase your vanity metrics, but it’s an important place to have a presence.
From customer care and authenticity to experimenting with your brand’s creative voice, all businesses should aim to create and maintain an organic social media presence.
Is organic social media still a staple of your digital marketing strategy? Let us know in the comments section below!
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