Growing Your Brand Organically
With social media platforms opting for the “pay to play” approach and prioritizing advertising, organic reach is at an all-time low. As social media platforms continue to get monetized, it is getting increasingly difficult for brands to run expensive “always-on” advertising campaigns.
To improve your organic reach, it is vital to understand how each social platform’s algorithm functions. Every platform has a different algorithm that determines how your content reaches your audience’s news feed. Some platforms favour content that sparks discussions, while others rely on users interests and behaviours. Another factor that plays into improving your organic reach is users who engage with your content regularly are more likely to see your content on their news feed or timeline.
This brings us to community management. Social media users favour brands or organizations that actively engage with their followers. Ensure you’re responding to ALL the comments and mentions you receive; this increases your chances of better feed ranking. Additionally, it improves trust and brand loyalty among your audience.
Sharing user-generated content improves your chances of increasing your organic reach. According to a recent report by Stackla, consumers find user-generated content to be 9.8x more impactful than influencers’ content about the brand.
Quality over quantity is another factor that can help boost organic reach. Social media users often switch off if a brand is continuously bombarding them with messages. Brands need to create content that encourages their audience to interact rather than post multiple times per day.
And finally, people love prizes. Competitions are a great way to boost brand awareness in the short term, especially when you ask your followers to tag their friends, use a hashtag, etc.
These are some tried and tested methods to improve organic reach and brand awareness. However, it is imperative to understand your audience before you start developing your content strategy. Consumer expectations have evolved, and they expect brands to be authentic. When your audience knows they support an authentic and honest brand, it triggers a positive feeling about their choices. And who doesn’t want to feel good?