Organic social media is nowadays overlooked- many consumers and marketers are jaded by the decreasing engagement and performance rates of their content in each platform. But this is normal… as 3rd world countries evolve into 1st world countries, the accessibility to simple technology and social media is increasing. With more users posting content, this means that you will be competing with more people to get your content seen.

Total Number of Social Media Unique Users Over the Years, 2010-2021

This, in turn, has caused many marketers to shy away from saturated platforms. I have had people approach me, asking for a friendly evaluation of their social accounts. Sometimes, I will say, “You’re at 2.1% engagement rate”. Their immediate reaction is, “What? That’s terrible! Can you help me?”.

What the people relating to the example above don’t realize, is that they are sitting at 0.7% above the industry’s engagement benchmark (of accounts that have not violated the respective platforms’ terms and conditions), suggesting that their content performance is well above average. However, they are quick to judge their account because not too long ago, the industry’s engagement rates were higher.

To successfully run a social media page in the biggest platforms, you have to invest capital without a question. However, your organic social media performance and efforts set the tone for your paid social performance. To succeed with paid social, you must be already doing many things right with your organic efforts. Luckily, I have decided to outline some of the most effective and tested knowledge that I have acquired over the years. Some stemmed from ICUC (for example) that manages Starbucks’ social media and drops knowledge on social media here and there; others originated from word-of-mouth from the industry’s best; even some came from the Social Pros Podcast (my absolute favorite).

1. Volume is Everything

Many believe that posting too much content can dilute the engagement of each piece, and therefore creating an unfavorable image for the brand.

I disagree, and so does Gary Vee.

According to this official industry engagement report, the average amount of times that people post on Instagram is 0.70 a day, and 0.97 a day on Facebook.

Why are these metrics important? They demonstrate that with more than 0.70 or 0.97 posts a day (ideally, 3) you will have a higher chance of building a meaningful relationship with your audience. Would you rather have 1 post gain 100 likes over one day, or would you rather have 3 posts gain 60 likes each, over a period of a day? I like 180 better than 100.

If your posts start receiving less engagement over time, however, don’t blame it on the volume. Blame it on the quality of content you are putting out, and how it may have decreased due to the fact that you are now not just presenting a highlight reel- you are presenting everything.

Remember that the majority of people look at the content piece itself first, not who is posting the content. If you are posting 5 pieces a day that are the absolute best in value, some people will love you even more without knowing it.

This brings us to our next point. How do you post great and consistent content?

2. The Gary Vee Model

The Gary Vee model is one that we personally use here at Viera Communications. The model incorporates a concept called “Content Repurposing”, where one piece of pillar content can be broken down into 64 or more pieces of micro-content.

Pillar content usually is an hour-long video of a speech; it could also be a news video; personal vlog; and many other forms of long or medium length content.

You can then post the pieces of pillar content on a platform like Facebook or YouTube, and evaluate your audience’s response. With smaller accounts, the rate of engagement is usually a good indication of what piece of content you should pick for batching. With larger accounts, you may be able to see how people respond to certain snippets/clips in the pillar content and use those for micro-content.

Once you have the winning piece of pillar content, you can create:

• Instagram quotes
• Instagram clips
• Instagram plain photos
• Tweets (things that were said)
• LinkedIn Articles
• LinkedIn Memes
• Facebook Micro-Clips
• TikTok clips
• Email marketing scripts
• Tumblr quotes
• Tumblr GIFs
• Text message marketing scripts
• And many others…

To see how to create each one of the above and make them native to their respective platforms, click here.

3. Source Viral Content From the Web

Posting consistent content can be difficult only if you are sourcing original pieces. However, all content is on the web to be shared! You can download pieces of content from every social platform. Some of it, luckily, has already gone viral, which means that it will improve your account’s reputation with the algorithms once you repost.

But, how do you find viral content from the web?

• Instagram- Find an account that has 500k+ followers that is your niche. Then, take a look at the content in groups of 12 pieces, and notice the average engagement for all pieces. You will then notice that 1 or 2 out of the 15 pieces will have engagement that is unusually high for the account’s norm. This is what you will download with this Chrome Extension.

• Search for videos on Google Video, or YouTube directly and see what the top-performing video is for the keywords you entered. Download the YouTube video you want by pasting the URL here (allows for HD quality download).

• Do the same as the point above, but on Facebook with this Chrome Extension.
• Download Tumblr viral content the same way as the Instagram way (by analyzing engagement), except this time you won’t need an extension. You can simply download by right-clicking on the piece and then clicking on “Save ____ as…”

4. Improve Content Performance With Native Marketing Initiatives

Let’s talk about some research straight from Facebook HQ about the differences between Facebook and Instagram.

In a recent study called ‘A Tale of Two Feeds’, marketing science researchers at Facebook HQ explored how various groups of people relate to Facebook and Instagram, and explained what their research revealed about how people perceive and use these two social platforms on a weekly basis.

Our team often gets asked ‘Do I have to use Facebook AND Instagram?’, or ‘What is the difference between Facebook and Instagram?’ Hopefully, this will be an example that will help you clarify how you voice the same piece of pillar content on each platform.

Many people identify as ‘Facebook’ people or ‘Instagram’ people and in our point of view, Facebook dominates in terms of lead generation, but Instagram comes a close second particularly for tribe building and ‘selling the dream’ which a lot of businesses need to do as part of their strategy. The FB HQ research found that the two feeds have a lot in common such as the key appeal to make a connection, people visit both platforms at similar times of day, and people share content at a similar rate. However, people have a different mindset on each platform.

In particular, they found that people are more likely to use FB to interact with close family and friends, whereas people use Instagram to share images with a broad range of people and connect with businesses.

Discovery on Facebook is about exposure to new ideas whereas discovery on Instagram is more about being inspired. Fun on Facebook is more about humour, and fun on Instagram is more about encountering the unexpected.

People who were surveyed, more often agreed that Instagram surprises and delights them than Facebook. On the other hand, they were more likely to say that Facebook makes them laugh. Facebook empowers people, Instagram invites people to explore.

We absolutely see Instagram as a place of positivity and inspiration, whereas FB is more about clear lead generation, the distribution of specific information, learning, and opinions.

But what about the other platforms? Here is how your content’s voice should differ on each platform:

• Facebook- voice your post as if you are talking to your family at a dinner table – about humor or debate.
• Instagram- voice your post as if you are talking to a positive and famous motivator.
• Twitter- voice your post as if you are texting a journalist.
• LinkedIn- voice your post as if you are talking to a CEO.
• TikTok- voice your post as if you are FaceTiming your little niece.
• Tumblr- voice your post as if you are talking to a dreamy and laid-back hipster.

In other words, WHAT you post about, is the same. HOW you talk about it, is different.

5. Meaningful Relationships

This is step that most people fail to execute. They are so occupied attempting to get their numbers up and using their account as a conduit for their self-esteem, that they tend to forget that social media is rather an extension of a life that existed even before Facebook or MySpace were invented.

A great tip for growing your social media is to replace your business card with your social media profile. Yes, instead of giving out your card, ask for their username and tell them you will send a quick follow up private message. In some cases, including a freebie such as a short email list or other valuable assets that will strengthen your connection with that individual much more, causing them to engage with many of your posts. You can also endorse their skills if you choose to connect on LinkedIn. As you post more content, you now have a loyal follower and low-key brand ambassador.

Once they engage with your content, their followers/friends will see your content too.

Conclusion

To successfully run a social media page in the biggest platforms, you have to invest capital without a question. However, your organic social media performance and efforts set the tone for your paid social performance. To succeed with paid social, you must be already doing many things right with your organic efforts.

If you are in need of assistance with your social media channels, do not hesitate to book a strategy call with us by clicking here.