Your organic presence on social media channels is important not only for achieving your business goals, but also for reaching your audience naturally (and for free!)
A strong presence on social media can boost your brand awareness, loyalty, engagement and traffic, however a lot of businesses struggle to make it work for them. If you are having trouble with growing your organic social media presence, read on for our top 7 tips for getting back to basics.
1. Pick the right social channels for you
The most important thing to do when first looking at growing your organic social media is to decide the right channels for you. There are a few different ways to do this:
- Consider which social platforms best represent your industry and target audience. By taking the time to understand user behaviours, you will be able to develop a strategy which focuses on reaching your audience at the right time, in the right place. For example, whereas LinkedIn is suited to B2B connections and business content, Instagram will be better suited to a younger audience and visual creatives.
- Find out which social media platforms your competitors are using, and use this information to compare your results and social presence with theirs. You can do this by conducting a quick search across different channels, or can use social listening tools to discover more in-depth details about their following.
- Audit your existing social media channels to assess which are the best performing. Consider whether your existing channels are connecting with the right people, and whether you are reaching enough people.
There are so many social platforms that it is easy to feel overwhelmed with where to start. We would recommend starting small and taking the time to gradually grow your presence based on your audience and their online behaviours.
2. Complete your profiles
Ensuring that your social media profiles are complete not only makes you look more professional, it makes you easier to find organically!
Make sure you completely fill out all “about” sections and bios with any relevant information for your business. Feel free to make this space creative (if suitable for the platform!), and ensure that you keep this information up to date.
3. Consistency is key
Consistency is key for making your business easily recognisable across all of your social platforms. This is essential for building your brand image organically.
When setting up or reviewing your profiles, ensure that all of the following are as consistent as possible:
- URL or handle
- Creative style and brand voice
- Logo (we recommend using this for your profile picture)
- Profile or banner images
- Hashtags
You can then promote your social channels through links on your website, landing pages and email communications.
4. Follow the crowd!
Once your social media profiles have been optimised for your audience and the platform, it is time to get following! Follow your competitors, industry leaders and key influencers relevant to your brand. Not only will this position you in your market, it will keep you up to date with any competitor promotions or wider industry news.
5. Post often and engage with your audience
If you already have social media profiles set up, take the time to analyse past performance and understand what type of content and messaging resonates with your audience. If you don’t yet have social media profiles set up, you have a great opportunity to start testing new content and discover more about your customers. Continually review your social performance to work out what works best for your business.
When you begin to notice increased engagement, do not underestimate how important it is that you monitor your mentions and notifications, and respond to these audience touch points. This engagement with your audience demonstrates how much you value your customers, and your commitment to customer service.
6. Analyse your performance
Measuring your organic audience growth, and monitoring uplifts and decreases in reach or impressions, are great indicators of how your audience is interacting with your business in the long-term.
A/B testing different styles, creatives, messaging and campaigns should be a big part of this, and if you do notice that you see an uplift at certain times of year or around different promotions, consider how you can incorporate this into your overall strategy.
7. Devise a content calendar
As with any digital channel, having a strategy boosts your performance and makes your life much easier. Once you have set clear goals and metrics for your organic channels, devise a realistic content calendar which aligns with your overall strategy.
By knowing your audience and focusing on quality, you can create a content calendar which is consistent and engaging. This helps you to grow your organic presence in a gradual yet stable way, and may lead you to capitalise on trends or channels which you have never explored before!
If you have questions or would like help with growing your social media, get in touch today.
