How to Grow Your Social Media Organically

When key players at Facebook and other social media platforms decided to restructure the algorithm and News Feed preferences, organic posts suffered a decline in interaction.

This could make businesses feel like it isn’t important, or necessary, to remain active on various social media platforms.

But that couldn’t be further from the truth.

User bases are growing, and customers are interacting with brands. What’s more important is that social media is making an impact on purchasing decisions.

So, what does this tell us?

Consumers Still Rely on Social Media

Brands might feel like the reach of their organic posts isn’t what it once was, but consumers are still relying on these platforms to find information about brands, products and/or services, and as a means to connect with brands.

It also means reaching consumers through an algorithm that, in a sense, is working against businesses.

Marketers and businesses have to make social media work for them in a different way than how it was used in the past.

Which really means revamping organic posts, ramping up the social content, and getting the most out of the space you’re given to leverage the topic.

Make Social Media Work for Brands Organically

The heartbeat of social media is social content.

And that’s the first step to making it work for brand organically.

When your competitors are vying for the same space, how do you give your audience something of interest, that stands out and is captivating — all while fitting the message in the allotted character limits?

As someone who uses a variety of social platforms — Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, and the list goes on — I find that I’m usually frustrated by the content I see after clicking the link being shared by a business.

Surely, I’m not alone when I say that, because of this, I feel reluctant in clicking a link unless I’m familiar with the brand sharing the content, or at least the source of the content being shared.

Click bait and fake news are real — and it causes a headache for anyone scrolling through their newsfeed.

But, if I have a good idea of what I can expect to see, I’m more likely to click on the link and have a positive experience.

So, how do we make this positive experience happen for other users and encourage more interaction for your brand?

Creative Headlines Help

Copying and pasting the post’s title and using that as the social content in the organic post should be a done deal, right?

Wrong.

Not only is that boring, but it doesn’t necessarily position the post in a clever or thought-provoking manner.

A web page’s headline is supposed to be optimized for search. A social media headline should be optimized for social media.

One way to craft a headline optimized for social media is sharing a tidbit from the post — like a quote or a solution to an issue. This gives the consumer a glimpse of what the post has to offer them and will make it more enticing to interact with the post.

Use Effective Imagery

While it seems so obvious, it is essential to understand the impact of good imagery in organic posts.

A user is more likely to remember an image over words since colors and shapes are better at grabbing attention than black and white text alone.

The issue with this is people can be lazy when it comes to selecting an image, or they have a favorite and use it repeatedly.

It’s important to use an image that is eye-catching and will also convey the message you are trying to get across to the readers.

Using something with motion, like a GIF or video, is also a great way to grab someone’s attention and stay top-of-mind when they close the app or leave the platform.

Use the Space You Have Wisely

More isn’t necessarily better, especially when it comes to taking up space.

Just because Facebook and Instagram will allow a few-thousand characters in posts or status updates, doesn’t mean you need to fill the space with that many characters.

Instead, make good use of the space you’ve been given. Break up the text — giving text the space it really needs keeps the readers’ attention and is easier on their eyes.

Incorporating hashtags also makes a great use of the space, especially if you have brand-related hashtags to incorporate in the messaging.

Hashtags can help organic posts become found by users if they are searching that hashtag, like #contentmarketing for example. This can allow users to find an organic post they might not see in their newsfeed.

If the context of your post is compelling, you could gain a new follower, or better yet — a new customer.

We know the answer! So does @SearchMasterGen.

Do you? #contentmarketing https://t.co/KepS3ibLOf

— Elevation Ten Thousand (@Elevation10k) February 18, 2019

And, if it fits with your brand and the message, have some fun with emojis!

Put the Tips to Work

With a lot of recent algorithm and privacy updates, social media might seem like a mountain to tackle. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have value.

While planning your next round of organic posts and updates, keep these tips in mind to keep readers intrigued and encourage them to click the link you are sharing.

It’s worth trying these tips separately from each other to see what works best and gains traction from the audience.

You never know what you will discover while A/B testing different methods with your followers.

For more tips, tricks, and ways to capture your readers’ interest — contact our social experts today.