The 6-Step Organic Social Media Strategy for Small Businesses
Sue Davison
July 18, 2024
Organic social media marketing offers unparalleled opportunities for increasing brand visibility, customer engagement and lead generation. But making the most of these opportunities requires a solid strategy and the means of executing it. This can be a tall task for small business owners and solopreneurs who find themselves juggling social media management and the day-to-day running of the business.
This article simplifies the process of planning and managing your brand's social media. While we can't teach you how to be a social media strategist in 1500 words, we can break down the core elements of an effective social media strategy into six easy-to-follow steps.
But, before we delve into the 'how' of developing a successful social media strategy, let's first understand the 'why' of social media marketing and its business benefits.
The benefits of organic social media for business
Social media offers marketing benefits to businesses of all sizes and types.
Benefits of Organic Social Media
1. Increases brand awareness
Social platforms allow you to reach and engage with a large and diverse audience, increasing your potential customer base. Collaborating with influencers, industry leaders, and other companies gives additional brand exposure.
2. Direct engagement with customers
You can directly interact with customers to receive instant feedback and address queries. Regular and personalised customer interactions can build a loyal customer base.
3. Cost-effective marketing
Organic social media marketing is generally more affordable than alternative marketing and advertising methods. When coupled with targeted social ads, organic posts can yield significant returns without a hefty investment.
4. Increases website traffic and SEO
Social media posts can drive significant traffic to your website. Having active social media profiles can also improve your search engine rankings, giving you higher brand exposure in organic search engine results pages.
5. Market insights and competitor analysis
Social media analytics provide valuable data on customer preferences and behaviour, and you can monitor competitors' activities and strategies to stay competitive.
6. Content distribution and promotion
Social media is an effective platform for distributing various types of content, including blogs, videos, and infographics. High-quality, engaging content can go viral, exponentially increasing its reach and significantly raising brand exposure.
7. Lead generation and conversion
You can use social media to guide potential customers through the sales funnel with tailored content and interactions. Some platforms are also equipped with shopping features for direct sales.
8. Customer support and service
Most social networks have a chat feature, which can be great for managing your brand's reputation and providing a positive customer experience. Real-time customer support lets you promptly address customer complaints and feedback, positioning your brand as responsive and customer-centred.
9. Builds brand authority and trust
Sharing industry insights and expertise can establish your business as a thought leader while showcasing positive reviews and customer stories builds trust and credibility. Participating in social media groups and forums can foster a sense of community and engagement.
10. Flexibility and adaptability
Social campaigns are highly flexible and can be adjusted in real-time based on performance metrics. You can also quickly respond to current trends and incorporate them into your marketing strategies.
Why do small businesses struggle with their social media performance?
We meet a lot of startup business owners who either need help figuring out where to start with their social media or have become frustrated with the time and energy they are spending on it without seeing a significant return. When we analyse their social channels, we usually find that one or more of the following issues are at play:
The profile isn't optimised for search
The content is poorly targetted
Posting frequency is inconsistent
No/weak calls to action
Traffic is not being driven to the company website
Brand messaging is inconsistent.
When we ask business owners why they think they are experiencing these issues, they generally give one or more of the following reasons:
Not enough time to dedicate to social media
Not enough knowledge of social media
Don't know what content to post or topics to cover.
How to create a high-performing organic social media strategy
The following 6-step plan will help you build an organic social media strategy that will bring a high return on your investment.
STEP 1. Understand your target audience
A successful social media strategy begins with an in-depth understanding of your target audience. Your audience's needs and preferences should guide every social media marketing decision, from the type of content you create to the platforms you choose.
Demographics and psychographics
Start by analysing both demographic and psychographic data. Demographics include age, gender, location, and income level, while psychographics cover interests, values, and lifestyle choices. Data tools such as Google Analytics and Meta Audience Insights can provide valuable information about your audience.
Customer personas (buyer personas)
A customer persona, also known as a buyer persona or marketing persona, is a detailed, semi-fictional representation of a business's ideal customer. It is based on market research and real-world data about existing customers, including information about:
Customer demographics
Behaviour patterns
Motivations
Goals
Challenges.
Creating detailed customer personas will help you better understand your customers and tailor your products, services, and marketing efforts to meet their needs.
STEP 2. Set SMART goals and measure performance
Your social media marketing efforts should contribute to meeting clearly defined goals that support your overall business direction. Goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART).
Key performance indicators (KPIs)
Identify KPIs that align with your goals. Common KPIs include engagement rates (likes, comments), reach (number of people who see your posts), conversion rates (leads or sales generated), and click-through rates (CTR).
STEP 3. Choose your platform(s)
Not all social media platforms are created equal; each has unique features and user demographics.
Facebook is ideal for reaching a broad audience.
Instagram is great for visual storytelling.
Twitter is perfect for real-time updates.
LinkedIn is best for B2B marketing.
Pinterest is excellent for niche markets like DIY or fashion.
Choose the platforms where your target audience is most active. It's better to excel on one or two platforms than spread yourself too thin across many.
STEP 4. Create purposeful and consistent content
Always use your buyer personas to guide content creation. Every post should be tailored to a persona and the platform on which you are engaging.
Content mix
The type of content you produce will significantly impact how well you engage with your audience. Diversify the types of content you share.
Text posts with an image – share updates or tips.
Images – use high-quality visuals to capture attention.
Videos – engage users with tutorials or behind-the-scenes footage.
Infographics – simplify complex information into digestible visuals.
User-generated content – encourage followers to share their experiences with your brand and thank them for doing so.
Calls to action
Every piece of social media content should have a single strong call to action, such as 'click the link for more information' or 'like and share to be entered into the prize draw'.
Content length and posting frequency
Keep abreast of each platform's rules and trends regarding content length and posting frequency. Platform algorithms reward content that adheres to its preferences. But it's not just about the algorithms. Pay attention to how your audience responds to different content lengths and posting frequencies. Use this information to adjust your strategy.
The Ideal Social Media Content Length & Posting Frequency in 2024
Branding
Be consistent in your branding and messaging, not just across your social platforms but across all of your marketing channels.
Plan and schedule content
Use a social media management tool to help you plan and schedule posts in advance. This ensures consistent posting and allows you to align your content with important dates or events relevant to your industry. Popular tools include Hootsuite, Social Sprout, Loomly and Sendible.
STEP 5. Engage with your community
A successful social media strategy involves more than just posting content; it requires active participation in conversations. Engagement is crucial for building relationships with your audience.
Respond to comments
Always respond promptly to comments on your posts. Proactive and timely engagement shows that you value user interaction and fosters a sense of community around your brand.
Host live sessions
Live sessions, such as Q&As or product demos, offer real-time human interaction opportunities, significantly boosting engagement and building rapport and trust.
Run polls and surveys
Use polls and surveys to gather feedback from your audience and gain valuable insights into their preferences. Always thank your audiences for their participation and share the results of your poll or survey.
STEP 6. Analyse and optimise
No strategy is complete without regular analysis and optimisation based on performance data.
Monitoring tools
Utilise tools like Google Analytics, Hootsuite Insights, or Sprout Social to track performance metrics against your KPIs.
A/B testing
Experiment with different types of content or posting times through A/B testing. Analyse which variations perform better and adjust accordingly.
Regular reviews
Conduct monthly reviews of your social media performance data. Identify what's working well and what needs improvement so that you can continually refine your strategy.
Conclusion
Organic social media marketing can achieve remarkable results for your small business, provided you begin with a solid strategy and implement it effectively.
Remember to:
Develop a deep understanding of your target audience.
Set SMART objectives and KPIs that align with your business direction.
Choose your platforms wisely.
Craft a mix of content that appeals directly to your buyer personas' needs and preferences.
Pay attention to your content length and posting frequency, ensuring that both align with your target audience's preferences and platform algorithms.
Post consistently – use a social media management tool to plan and schedule content.
Develop audience trust and rapport by engaging with your community through activities such as responding to comments, hosting live sessions, and running polls and surveys.
Monitor your performance, analyse data and conduct regular reviews to help you optimise and refine your strategy.
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Struggling to find the time to manage your social media effectively?
We can help. Our budget-led, no commitment social media management packages are designed for small businesses like yours. Drop us a message or call us on 0844 656 0016.
