Organic social marketing has a place in brand building. Accounts may be backing off from this tool because they fear it’s too difficult to be noticed. Experts suggest that revising the use of the tool can improve outcomes.

The State of Organic Social

Over half of surveyed marketers remain committed to organic social media. Marketers can quickly place content, especially if they are managing organic social themselves.

Up to 65% of businesses use organic social for premarketing research. They check out consumer comments and turn them into product improvement and change ideas.

When a post attracts sufficient attention on social media, 84% of businesses take another step. They consider whether or not the content can be expanded to other media channels to generate more impressions and engagement.

The Limits of Social Media Success

But success is not as easy as it used to be.  For one thing, assigning individuals to organic social media management is expensive. That fact drives 42% of marketers to limit spending. They can’t prove the return on their investment.

Caution is another factor that drives businesses to restrict immediate posting by marketing staffers. Some CEOs want to vet content to be sure it contains the right tone. They may want content to be free of political statements or positions.

While interest in content development for social is increasing among marketers, “only 47% are in a social first mindset.”

Most businesses see value in upper and mid-​funnel goals when it comes to social. But only 48% believe organic social effort helps them achieve lower funnel goals. And that is often how accounts measure their return on investment.

Then there’s the question of fragmented audiences. Consumers have more media formats and social media platforms available to them than ever before. Social Status data points out that organic reach through Facebook is 1.37%. Actual engagement amounts to 0.2%.

These data points underscore how difficult it can be for smaller businesses to expand reach with free social media and SEO.

What to Post

Are your accounts struggling to decide what to post? If so, they aren’t alone. To streamline their process, some marketers post regularly because it’s part of an agreed-​upon schedule. That practice doesn’t always make sense.

Keep in mind that 46% of consumers expect to see original content. In addition, consumers want to see what the brand’s product is all about and how it relates to a current trend.

Organic social marketing also gives brands the opportunity to engage in social listening. Advise your accounts to learn what consumers are saying about them in real time. This knowledge can help guide the kind of posting that should be done.

Organic social has always been a great way for brands to show they are committed to customer service. Speedy responses to an issue a client raises proves the marketer is paying attention. Brands' fans see the company is committed to doing the right thing.

The Year Ahead

“25% of marketers are planning on increasing their organic social budget. The biggest reason is that organic social is a great way for people to learn about your brand… even if it doesn’t result in “direct conversions,” reports Neil Patel.

17% plan to maintain their spending level. Many of these marketers feel resigned to spending on organic social marketing. They fear that not being on the socials will make them invisible to the audience they are trying to reach. They hold this opinion despite acknowledging that the social platforms give them the ability to communicate with their customers.

A significant 58% of surveyed marketers plan to cut their organic social efforts. Decreased reach is the primary reason for the pullback. In some cases, businesses are also pulling back on paid social advertising. For example, over 25% will decrease paid advertising on Facebook, and 26% will do the same on LinkedIn.

However, only 6% of businesses will reduce X spending while 55% will increase it. Due to a changing political climate and affordability of X, more marketers are shifting paid social to that social channel.

Researchers uncovered another reason that marketers may reduce their paid ads on social media. They’re using influencers and reporting that this avenue is more cost effective with an improved ROI.

Using Organic Social Marketing

To understand how your accounts are faring across their social platforms, check out the Digital Audit tool from AudienceSCAN. With that tool, you’ll see how many likes they have, in addition to the number of followers and posts. Even better, you’ll learn how well the specific social platform matches up against the interests of the target audience.

Despite concern about the measurability of organic social marketing, the format provides benefits. Advise your clients to be mindful of the type of content they post. They may have success using the format as a listening and customer service tool.

Photo by Lisa Fotios on Pexels.