Quick Guide to Organic Social Media

The social media channels that can be leveraged by marketers today have billions of active users, so it’s easy to see why every company needs an effective organic social media strategy—meaning one where you grow your following naturally as opposed to through paid ads.

But with so many options to choose from, it can be a little overwhelming trying to determine how best to reach your target audience and engage with them. Read on to get some clarity on organic social and how to capitalize on it.

Why Should Businesses Use Social Media?

According to Pew Research, seven-in-ten Americans use social media to connect with one another and with businesses. In other words, there is surely a large audience interested in your product or service—no matter what product or service you offer.

Social media can help your organization:

Build brand awareness and educate your audience
Create and strengthen relationships, including using “social proof” (i.e., showing that other people follow you on social media) and demonstrating your expertise
Get feedback from people that engage with you on social media and use it to improve your product, service, or customer experience
Amplify your other marketing efforts like blogging, YouTube videos, webinars, digital ads, and other campaigns, and increase traffic to your website

Where Should You Post?

The key to creating an effective social media presence is to do your research first and then choose the channel(s) where your efforts will have the most impact. Too often, companies feel they have to dominate all channels to be successful, when, in fact, a high-quality presence on select channels can be better for their brand.

YouTube and Facebook are the most widely used social platforms, and their user base is most broadly representative of the population as a whole, so you should at least consider them. As you do, here is a quick overview of some of the top social media platforms:

Facebook

As noted above, one of the most popular social media channels
Used by many businesses as the “center” of their social media marketing
Preferred by users for gathering general information about a business including its product/service offerings, hours of operation, and company updates
In general, used by companies in the business-to-consumer (B2C) space to educate their audience

Instagram

Predominantly visual
Has one of the highest engagement rates
A great platform for showcasing ecommerce products

Twitter

Used to generate discussion and engage with a community
Helps businesses nurture relationships
A good choice for publishing thought-provoking content, polls and question-based posts designed to get retweets and responses

LinkedIn

Used by professionals to connect and network with other professionals
Ideal for business-to-business (B2B) companies
Helps businesses establish themselves as authorities in their area of expertise
In general, used by B2B companies to educate their audience

When Should You Post?

One of the great things about social media as a marketing tool is that there is so much data you can use to craft your strategy. For instance, there is extensive information on when an audience is most likely to view and engage with social posts.

As one example, Sprout Social gathered data from its 20,000+ customers to determine the best times to post. Here’s what they say about global engagement.