COMMUNITY & ORGANIC SOCIAL MEDIA
We all know Facebook, along with many other social media platforms, serves as a great avenue for advertisers to promote their products for low costs while providing a good return on their investment. That being said, social media was designed to be… social. Before social ads were even a thought, these platforms were serving as an online space where folks could digitally come together and connect with one another. However, in a world of influencers and the “girl next door” posting her picturesque fantasy of a lifestyle on Instagram, the idea of social media in both a personal and professional setting has been completely flipped on its head.
With over 293,000 statuses updated every minute and 4 petabytes worth of content published to Facebook alone per day, getting your content to show up on your follower’s newsfeeds has become quite the task.
“Every minute, there are 510,000 comments posted and 293,000 statuses updated” - Bernard Marr.
*in case you were wondering - a single petabyte is a million gigabytes
BUILDING A COMMUNITY
Zuck and his team at Meta are trying to bring the “social” back to social media - and so is the team here at North of Eight. We truly believe that the power in social media comes from building authentic relationships with your followers while working to form a sense of community – whether that be your local community or an online community of like-minded individuals that are just as invested in the same industry as you are. Organic social isn’t meant to be a bulletin board for all of your sales. Save that for your paid digital marketing strategy. It is meant to spark conversation and craft unique, engaging, sharable content that was designed with your ideal audience in mind.
POST FROM THE HEART
We have always said that the best social comes from within. When it comes to small businesses in an area like the Northwoods of Wisconsin, people are coming to your business page to see how YOU and your business are doing. They might be checking for occasional sales (especially on the eComm side of things), but nine times out of ten, they want to check out what is new with your business. Although it may be mysterious, the Facebook algorithm does a pretty good job of determining what users want to see in their Feeds. With the number of posts going out every minute, you have to stand out if you are hoping to get some engagement on your page. So, the more authentic you are – the better your chances.
START (OR JOIN) A FACEBOOK GROUP
A great way to expand your network and build relationships with your online community is by starting a Facebook Group. For example, you could use groups for your “VIP” customers that want in on early releases for new products or maybe you’ve created a group that serves as a place for similar industries to share common interests, struggles and wins.
LIVE OUT YOUR SOCIAL - IN PERSON!
Maybe you had a killer idea for social media that was designed to bring your local community together. Don’t stop there! Don’t be afraid to run with that idea and take it to the streets. Our friends at Burnett Plumbing recently launched their new website, and with their new website came a batch of new headlines.
“Great Neighbors. Exceptional Plumbers.”
In order to live out what they claim to be, the team at Burnett Plumbing has decided to use their social as a platform to highlight incredible community members that fall under the category of “Great Neighbors.” Why? Because they want to bridge the gap between their local and online communities – and we think that is pretty awesome.
However you choose to use your organic social, keep in mind that at the end of the day, your goal should be to better connect with your audience. While sales will always be necessary (think 80% relationship building and 20% selling), you’ll grow lifelong customers by creating an authentic brand and a community of supporters.