Grow your audience by providing value
Posting on social media is a two-prong approach. Organic content is one part, paid content is the other. Organic is "free" content, posted to your social media pages without paying for advertising. Paid is paid. Sometimes, though, it can be tricky balancing the two. It can seem enticing to throw money into an ad auction to instantly see results. However, investing into paid media and ignoring organic can bring followers to your page, but have their interactions stagnate after their conversion or have them leave entirely because there is no incentive to stay.
Organic content is important. If you're trying to build a strong brand, I would argue it is the most important part of social media strategy. Creating content that your audience resonates with is key to keeping your audience asking for more and perceiving your business as more than just a business. In this blog, I'm hoping to help you master organic content and give your audience more to enjoy.
First, you have to understand what your audience is looking for in a social media post in the first place. If you're an established business, this is easier considering you already understand your target market. However, if you are just getting started, it is extremely important to understand who you are making content for. If you're a fashion boutique, your audience is most likely looking for posts of your clothes or live sales to tune into. If you're a B2B SaaS firm, your audience is looking for industry insights, uses for your software, or actionable advice from an expert in the industry.
It's important to understand who your audience is and what they are generally into. However, sometimes it isn't that easy. In the case of a fashion boutique, you're going to have to set yourself apart from the competition by providing a different identity than others in your field. This is where your content comes in. It's important to create high-quality and engaging content that your audience resonates with. Your specific blend of what makes your brand unique may not be obvious at first, but with some time posting and some experimentation, it will come when the metrics show you what your audience resonates with.
I've posted about this on LinkedIn before and I feel like this is a good case study for adapting your content to your audience. I began making short-form content when I began marketing myself on social media. I didn't entirely know how I would translate digital marketing to TikTok and YouTube shorts; these platforms are dominated by Gen Z and what I'm explaining isn't what they're looking for on an entertainment app. However, I decided that I would begin presenting the news in the tech, social media, and gaming industries. Almost as soon as I changed my strategy from digital marketing tips to news, my metrics skyrocketed. Now I am consistently hitting tens of thousands of views on my short-form content.
Organic social is hard to hit big numbers, though, and you shouldn't be chasing those metrics. They'll come naturally if you're keeping consistent on creating quality content for your audience. If you continue to provide value by giving advice, answering their questions or problems, or simply entertaining or educating them on things that you and your business are experts in, the high metrics will come naturally. Remain authentic and true to what makes your business unique and continue to create high-quality and engaging content, and you've mastered organic social.
Don't forget to give back, though. Comment to your audience underneath your posts when they interact with you, even if you don't say a whole lot. When you respond to your audience on social media, it reciprocates that you're giving back to them what they've given to you through purchases or simply by following your brand. You can also interact with others in your industry by browsing keywords and interacting with other industry experts to grow your brand.
And that's it. This is a loose framework to success on social media. Your personal success will look different than someone else's, so it's hard to give exact tips on how to grow since every business has a different identity and story. Identify what your audience wants, provide them something unique and true to yourself and your brand, stay consistent, and give back to your audience and peers in your industry.
