In an age where social media algorithms continually change and paid advertising clamors for every business’ budget, organic social media growth can feel like an elusive butterfly.
However, for small businesses and social media managers, the organic growth of social media is both sustainable and essential for developing a loyal community of followers ready to engage and advocate for your brand.
Here are ten advanced strategies to help you craft an engaged and growing online community.
From leveraging the latest platform features to weaving storytelling through every post, these tactics are the keystones that can pave your path to social media success.
1. Understand Your Audience on a Deeper Level
The first step to growing your social media following organically is knowing your audience better than you know your favorite ice cream flavor.
Use every available social listening tool to eavesdrop on their conversations.
Social media platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter, offer built-in audience insights that can tell you the demographics, behaviors, and preferences of your audience.
It’s not just about knowing the age and gender of your followers, but uncovering what motivates them, their pain points, and how your business can fit into their lives.
Psychographics Over Demographics: Look beyond basic demographics and focus on psychographics – attitudes, aspirations, and other psychological criteria.
Tools like surveys and customer persona models can help you to gain insights into these.
Behavioral Patterns: Notice the patterns in how your followers engage with your content.
What gets them talking, liking, or sharing?
Understand these behaviors to tailor your future content efforts.
Feedback Loops: Turn the comments section into a focus group.
Use this real-time feedback to pivot your content strategy and respond directly to the needs of your audience.
2. Consistent Brand Voice and Visuals
Your brand’s voice and visuals are its personality on social media.
Consistency is key.
Your audience should be able to recognize your content without even needing to see your logo.
Craft Your Tone: Whether it’s playful, professional, or passionate, the tone you use should reflect your audience’s preference and align with your brand image.
Visual Language: This includes colors, types of imagery, and any design elements that set your brand apart.
Tools like brand boards can help you lay out these visual guidelines.
On-point Copywriting: Make sure your captions align with your brand voice and the context of the platform.
For instance, LinkedIn posts might require a different level of formality compared to a tweet.
3. Tell a Story, Don’t Sell a Product
People don’t flock to social media to be marketed to, they’re there for stories.
Good stories can sell products and services.
The ‘Show, Don’t Tell’ rule applies here. Use your social media channels to showcase how your offerings solve problems and enhance lives.
User-Generated Content: Share stories of your most satisfied customers.
User-generated content acts like social proof and resonates deeply with an audience.
Behind-the-Scenes: Take your followers behind the curtain of your business.
Show them the hard work that goes into the products or the faces that make the service happen.
This builds a sense of community and trust.
Brand Narrative: Craft a consistent narrative about your brand that can be woven into all your marketing materials – from website to Instagram Stories.
This narrative is the glue that holds together a brand image.
4. Jump on Viral Trends (Sparingly)
Trend-jacking is an art.
It’s about aligning your content with a viral meme, challenge, or trending topic without seeming opportunistic.
When done well, this can significantly increase your visibility and follower count.
Relevance Check: Make sure the trend aligns with your brand values and won’t cause backlash.
Early Bird: Be one of the first to jump on a trend.
Early adopters reap the most benefits in terms of visibility.
Originality: Find a way to put a unique spin that’s authentically you on the viral trend.
This originality draws in followers who appreciate your brand’s creativity.
5. Leverage Video Content
Video on social media gets more engagement than any other type of content.
If you’re not already incorporating video, it’s time to start.
Not only do videos perform better in terms of algorithm reach, but they also have a higher shareability, helping you reach new audiences.
Live is Lively: Live videos are a great way to directly engage with your audience.
You can host Q&A sessions, product launches, or demos, creating an interactive experience.
Educational Videos: If your business can provide valuable information in a visual format, go for it.
How-to videos, tutorials, and explainer videos can garner significant attention.
Storytelling through Video: Use video to tell a compelling story.
It can be the story of your brand, customer testimonials, or stories that resonate with your audience’s interests.
6. Engage with Your Community Proactively and Authentically
If someone took the time to comment or engage with your content, the least you can do is acknowledge them.
This can be as simple as a ‘thank you’ or as involved as a follow-up question.
Quick Responses: Don’t leave your community hanging. Answer questions and respond to comments in a timely manner.
Meaningful Interactions: The more you engage with your community, the more likely they are to engage with you.
Share their content, ask for their opinions, and make them feel like part of your brand’s inner circle.
Social Media Takeovers: Hand over your social media for a day to a customer, influencer, or employee.
It can be a fun way to mix up content and engage your community from a different perspective.
7. Partner with Like-Minded Influencers
Influencer partnerships can expose your brand to a wider audience that may not be aware of your product or service.
But be strategic about it—look for influencers who share your brand values and have an audience that overlaps with your target demographic.
Micro-Influencers Matter: You don’t always need to aim for the stars.
Many micro-influencers have a deeply engaged following that listens closely to their recommendations.
Authentic Content: Required partnerships should lead to natural content.
An inauthentic video or post will be transparent to the audience.
Long-term Relationships: Instead of one-off shoutouts, aim for long-term collaborations.
These can lead to a stronger and more genuine partnership.
8. Optimize Your Posting Schedule
It’s not just about what you post, but when.
Every social media platform has different peak usage times.
Your goal is to post when your audience is most likely to see and engage with your content.
Platform Insights: Utilize the built-in analytics provided by the platforms to find out when your followers are most active.
A/B Testing: Try different posting times and measure the engagement on each to find the sweet spot for your audience.
Consistency is Key: Once you discover the optimal posting times, make sure you stick to a consistent schedule.
9. Create Shareable Content
Encourage your audience to share your content by creating posts that speak to them and offer some kind of value.
Infographics and Data Visualizations: If you can present information in an attractive and easy-to-understand format, people will be more likely to share.
Interactive Content: Polls, quizzes, and memes are engaging and shareable.
They also provide valuable audience insights.
Calls To Action (CTA): Sometimes, all it takes is asking.
Encouraging your followers to tag someone who needs to see your post or to share your content if they agree can amplify your reach.
10. Monitor and Adapt to Algorithm Changes
The only constant about social media algorithms is that they’re constantly changing.
What worked six months ago might not be as effective today.
Stay on top of the latest updates from the platforms and adapt your strategy accordingly.
On-Going Education: Dedicate time each week to stay updated on changes.
Follow social media experts and blogs for insights.
Data-Driven Decision Making: Use your own analytics data to inform your strategy.
Identify trends and adjust your content plan accordingly.
Agility: Be prepared to pivot quickly.
If a particular type of content stops getting the reach it used to, try something new.
Incorporating these strategies into your social media management can lead to sustainable and meaningful growth.
Remember, organic growth is about fostering genuine connections with your audience, not about the numbers.
Engage, value-add, and be flexible.
Your social media community will grow into a powerful advocate for your brand.