Growing Organically: Social Media Strategies
As a small business owner, one of the main goals of social media marketing is to grow organically. Organic growth is not always easy; however, it is the best growth for long-term engagement. What are you doing to share meaningful content with your followers today? What’s working well?
A quick assessment is always a good place to start. Look over your post engagement and see what works versus what doesn’t. Your content is shareable. (If it’s not, fix that right away.) Are people sharing it? If they’re not sharing it, then it’s not resonating enough for people to do so. Additionally, on some platforms, some people simply don’t share as much as on others. Let’s look at ideas you can use to grow organically on social media.
1. Determine your purpose on social media. Do you love sharing socially? Do you enjoy producing content regardless of whether others use it or like it? What’s your why?
These are all important questions to answer as you assess your social media strategy. Knowing your motive and reason for posting is as important as the content you’re posting. Your passion for your business, brand or platform will resonate through your content to your followers. People are hungry for content that is relevant, relational and beneficial.
Action step: take 10 minutes to revisit your mission statement or purpose statement. If you don’t have one, write one now. What’s your purpose in sharing content on social media? What’s the mission of your business?
2. Consider the platforms and use them wisely. Not every platform is relevant to your business or brand. Spreading too thin to every platform is only going to cause burnout as you try to fit information into every slot. There are certain brands and businesses that fit naturally on specific platforms. Figure out which ones you love using and make the most sense strategically. Focus on those. Let the rest go for now.
Action step: Narrow your focus to the most applicable platforms. Pick 2 platforms to focus on purposefully. Spend time on your profile information on both platforms to establish consistency on both. All information should be accurate and identical. Complete your profile in detail.
Spend time learning about Facebook here.
Spend time learning about Instagram here.
3. Create content that is visual, interesting, and brief. Pictures and videos are the preferred content types on Facebook and Instagram. Short-form video drives engagement on Instagram, but Facebook is not far behind. These videos can be used on both platforms so that you’re not creating twice.
Think of information that you find beneficial and share that with your followers. The reason you share on social media to begin with is that you have knowledge that others need and want. Create content to share that knowledge in a fun, engaging way that represents you and your business. Additionally, you don’t have to be anyone else in your content. The best plan is to be yourself and produce content that reveals your heart for your clients and followers. You’re there to help. They need to know that.
Why should content be brief? Brief is relative to the information you’re sharing, but essentially, most people cannot spend long periods of time on informative videos. Your content can be a brief introduction to a topic that provides helpful information without being long-winded and redundant. It can also provide a glimpse into deeper content you can offer behind a paywall or on another platform.
Action step: Plan content for 1-2 weeks. Use a combination of posts, including pictures, carousels, and reels. Push yourself out of your comfort zone while being true to your brand and mission.
Why do we share tips and tricks on being successful on social media? We share because it’s what we do and love. We help small businesses grow their following using social media through organic growth, sponsored posts and web development. We help small businesses do what they love by educating on social media and marketing best practices. We would love to work with you as you grow your business. Our assessment is free and we provide instant strategies for growth along with a plan to meet your needs. Click the button today and let’s get started.