Organic marketing
Organic marketing, often contrasted with paid advertising, refers to marketing efforts that use non-paid sources to reach customers. In the context of social media, organic marketing involves using a brand's social media presence to connect with its audience without paid promotion. Here are a few techniques for organic social media marketing:
Content Creation: This is a fundamental aspect of organic marketing. The content should be engaging, valuable, and relevant to the target audience. It could be in the form of blog posts, infographics, videos, webinars, etc. Visual content often performs particularly well on social media.
Regular Posting: Consistency is key in organic social media marketing. Regularly posting high-quality content will keep your audience engaged and help maintain your brand's presence in their minds.
User-Generated Content: This involves encouraging your audience to create and share content related to your brand. It could be through contests, hashtags, or simply by asking your followers to share their experiences with your product or service.
Engagement: Interacting with your followers is crucial. Respond to comments, messages, and reviews, whether they're positive or negative. This can show your audience that you value their input and help build a community around your brand.
SEO for Social Media: Use relevant keywords in your posts and profile to make it easier for people to find your brand when they're searching for content related to your industry.
Collaborations and Partnerships: Collaborating with influencers or other relevant businesses can expose your brand to a wider audience. For instance, you could do a guest post on another company's blog, or a popular influencer could review your product.
Hashtags: Use relevant and popular hashtags in your posts to increase their visibility. However, avoid using too many hashtags in a single post, as it can look spammy, keep in mind that the relevance of hashtags in circulating content had greatly reduced in favour of content algorithms.
Live Videos: Live video sessions such as Q&As, product demonstrations, or behind-the-scenes looks can be a great way to engage your audience and provide value.
Stories and Highlights: Platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn allow you to post "stories" or temporary posts. These are great for short, engaging content that doesn't necessarily fit into your main feed.
Educational Content: Providing educational content such as tutorials, tips, and resources can position your brand as an expert in your field, building trust with your audience.
Showcasing Company Culture: Sharing pictures and stories from behind the scenes at your company can help humanize your brand and build a deeper connection with your audience.
Most important of all is knowing your audience is a key factor in any marketing strategy, and it applies strongly to organic social media marketing as well. So take the time to understand your audience - who they are, what they're interested in, what type of content they engage with, and what social media platforms they use.
Conduct audience research to gather this information, and consider creating audience personas to help guide your content creation. Use social media analytics tools to gather data on your audience's demographics, their behaviour on your page, and the types of content that receive the most engagement. Surveys can also be used to get direct feedback from your audience about what they want to see. Tailoring your content to meet your audience's needs and interests will increase engagement and build stronger relationships with your followers. It can also help you attract new followers from your target market. Be sure also to monitor and adapt to changes in your audience's preferences over time.
In addition to the content they want to see, it's crucial to consider when they will most likely see it. Determining the most effective times to post can also be a key factor in maximizing reach and engagement. This also requires knowing your audience, as different demographic groups may be most active on social media at different times.
Remember, the goal of organic social media marketing is not just to get your content in front of as many people as possible but to build genuine relationships and loyalty with your audience. It requires creativity, consistency, and understanding your audience's needs and interests.
