Organic growth is the activity that you can do on social media without using paid advertising.
In our view, this is a great opportunity for many businesses to stand out from the crowd.
That's why we have developed 'The Formula for Organic Growth on Social Media', which equips you to do what many people dream of. Namely, building a valuable social media presence.
Why are you on social media?
There are many reasons why companies/brands want to increase their presence and influence on social media. It could be:
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... to increase the bottom line (Marketing)
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... to position themselves stronger against the competition (Branding)
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... to spread the word about causes that are close to their values (causes)
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... with a destination in mind that the company wants to reach and sees social media as a vessel to achieve it (vision)
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... to attract new talent (staff)
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... or a combination of all of the above
However you answer the question "why are you on social media?", it should be reflected in your actions and priorities.
Let's take an example and make it clear why this question is important:
If you want to market your products through social media, for example, you need to be critical about things like:
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Your knowledge of your target audience
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Your knowledge of your product's USPs(unique selling point)
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Your knowledge of your chosen platforms and their formats
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Your knowledge of trends within and outside your niche
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Your knowledge of creative content
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Your knowledge of capturing and retaining attention
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Your ability to keep an open mind and constantly seek to learn more about the above
While the answer to the question may have a simple, superficial answer (such as "to market our products"), it should go much deeper if you want to grow on social media.
Ask yourself what it will take to achieve what you want. And bebe critical.
Without clear and well-defined goals, you will never measure any kind of growth.
If you're unsure about what "growth" in social media is or how to use the formula, read our clarifying section here.
If not, let's jump into the formula and its variables.
The formula
Here it is (ta-da)!
The formula was created to provide clarity and overview for us at Mighty Monday and our customers. With the formula, we can more easily break down our efforts to help our customers have a real and meaningful impact on their social media.
Hopefully, it can do the same for you.
In the coming sections, we will try to give you as much knowledge as possible. Knowledge that has helped us in our work time and time again. Some of it is very concrete and some might be a bit more 'abstract'.
It's not that we want to keep our "cards close to our chest", but some things just can't be explained in a short article on a topic like organic growth on social media.
1. creativity
The first variable in the formula is 'Creativity'. And for good reason.
At Mighty Monday, we see creativity as the most telling factor - a company's ability to differentiate itself from the competition.
"On social media, we trade in one currency, and that's attention."
However, creativity is a multi-faceted concept. But when we talk about it in the context of organic social media growth, we think you should focus on these 3 things in particular:
1. Uniqueness: On social media, we trade in one currency: attention.
So ask yourself, how do I stand out and how can I create awareness through my content?
2. Brand story: Brand stories are a big part of what makes us want to follow brands on social media.
So ask yourself, what causes do I represent through my brand and how do I creatively convey them with content?
3. Flow: Once you've found the answer to your uniqueness and brand cause(s), you need to put your creativity to work. Of course, this can be done in a myriad of ways, from brainstorms and similar creative sessions to more concrete concept development and possibly storyboarding - and finally, actual production.
This is where Flow can be a good concept to know. A concept that was first used in psychology, but has since gained a lot of traction in creative practices.
Flow is defined as "A state where you forget everything else but what you are doing". Extremely useful when you're trying to be creative.
Without going into too much detail about flow, you can do these 4 things to get into a Flow state:
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Set clear goals for your production
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Remove distractions
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Make it challenging (not too hard, not too easy)
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Make something you enjoy or that inspires you
How you work with your creativity and turn it into content (or other forms of communication) is one of the deciding factors for what we call your Social Impact in the formula.
Takeaways
- Your creativity is your best chance to stand out from the competition
- On social media, we trade in one currency and that's attention
- Find out what makes you unique and what you stand for. This will not only help you when creating content, but also help others decide if you have something to offer them
- Spend time figuring out how to create the best environment for your own creativity and that of others
Frequency
As crucial as creativity can be, it can be worth very little if you can't recreate it over and over again.
"Social media is, in its essence, the building of virtual relationships."
This is where 'Frequency' comes in.When it comes to organic growth on social media, we prefer to divide the concept of frequency into 3 categories:
1. Quality vs Quantity: The first thing you should try to balance is the ratio between the quality and quantity of content you can produce.
Ideally, you want to put as much of yourself as a brand and your creativity into every piece of content - as long as it doesn't hinder you from publishing continuously. That way, your community can count on when they'll hear from you again.
2. Consistency: Social media is, at its core, about building virtual relationships. And just like our real-life relationships, they need to be nurtured to grow stronger.
The best way to do this is by being frequent and present with those you build a relationship with.
3. Timing: Lastly, it's not enough to only communicate consistently with those you want to build a relationship with.
It also requires that you speak to them at the right time.
The right timing makes a huge difference in how your content is received and interacted with. This is amplified if it's shared in the right (temporal) context.
Takeaways
- Creativity is your opportunity to stand out, but isn't worth much if you can't maintain a certain frequency.
- Find the balance between quality and quantity and know when it's "good enough" or you'll lose your community.
- Timing and context can make or break how your content is received.
Platform
Choosing the right platform to convey your message may seem like a simple decision. But it's actually something we're frequently asked about at Mighty Monday.
And with good reason. Because when choosing a platform, you should think of it as an investment.
We can't be equally present everywhere.So choosing the right platform(s) is definitely worth looking into.
First and foremost, it's all about insight. Ask yourself:
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What is the premise of the platform?
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How is it different from others?
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Where is my target audience?
When you can answer it (both qualitatively and quantitatively), we recommend one of these two strategies:
1. Be everywhere at once
2. Master one platform and move on to the next
The two strategies both have advantages and disadvantages.But which strategy is right for you is determined by the two preceding variables in the formula Creativity and Frequency.
Whether you choose to go with one of the two strategies above or a third, you have now reached the testing phase.
Test, test, test...
And then, evaluate.
In this phase, it's important that you keep your cool and don't let things like engagement and follower numbers get in the way. You're there to learn about the platform.
In other words, how it can help you achieve your overall goal.
Takeaways
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The choice of platform is not irrelevant. Find the one(s) that best meets what you want to achieve and where your target audience is located.
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Understand the platform's premises before you start creating content.
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Choose a platform strategy so you can work systematically instead of sporadically.
Format
Once you've said platform, you can't avoid talking about formats.
The word "format" is used interchangeably, but for Mighty Monday it can be divided into 2 categories:
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Technical format: Theaspect ratio ofyour content e.g. 16:9 (horizontal) or 1:1 (square)
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Creative format: A structure/recipe for a piece of content
Most people are familiar with the technical format, as it has become part of the jargon in the marketing department. It's relevant when we talk about where and how content should live.
However, the creative format is far less common, which in Mighty Monday's eyes is a shame as it can be the key to unlocking your organic growth on social media.
There are many ways to "build" a creative format, but no matter how you do it, it's an effective way to ensure 3 things:
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Your strategy is "baked" into your creatives
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You know the structure of what works for you
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And you can recreate it over and over again
To understand the creative format, it can be broken down into the following segments:
- Hook: Grab the recipient's attention
- Topic: Tell your recipient what your message is about
- Relevance: Tell the recipient why it's relevant
- Info: Provide key information so the recipient can decide if it's for them
- CTA: Tell the recipient where they can learn/see/hear more
The above are building blocks that can be used over and over again to create new content. They can easily be tweaked and revised to perform even better next time.
Takeaways
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Distinguish between technical and creative formats
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Creative formats can help you weave your strategy into your content
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Creative formats can help you understand what makes good content for you
Value
The first thing we always mention about value on social media is this:People follow people.
We follow other people (and brands) for their stories, perspectives and advice.
People can be brands. And brands are often made up of people.
But it can be hard to be 'human' as a brand.
"People follow people"
Therefore, it's good to remember that there are 3 main ways inwhich we can bring value to others through our social media content:
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We can entertain
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We can inspire
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We can inform
How you and your brand can best do this, we can't tell you in this article.
But we can tell you that the path to figuring it out can start in one of two places:
You: Who are you? What do you believe in? What can you offer others? What opportunities do you have?
For them: Who are they? What challenges them? What do they want?
It's about finding the sweet spot where you and your expertise intersect with your target audience's interests and desires.
Wherever the value comes from, never stop asking: How does my content create value for someone other than myself?
Takeaways
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There are 3 ways we can create value: 1) Entertainment, 2) Inspiration and 3) Information.
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Find out what value you can bring by taking a closer look at yourself and/or your target audience.
Community
The last and sixth variable in the formula is community. And here it's important to point out that community is not equal to follower count (!)
With that said, let's dive into what the term actually means in the context of organic growth on social media.
At Mighty Monday, community is defined as a commonality of purpose and understanding, with regular contact.
"Community does not equal follower count (!)"
We've mentioned before that attention is the 'currency' of social media. If that's the case, community is 'power' pure and simple.
And this is where Peter Parker's uncle, Ben, says it best: "With great power, comes great responsibility."
Those who choose to follow you... really follow you... (not just the ones who hit the follow button) ...is an expression of a group's loyalty to you, your brand and your values.
They've woven you and your content into their everyday lives - and made you part of their identity.
No matter how you slice it, the community you can gather around you and your brand is the multiplying factor for your organic growth.
The community happens in your comment section and DM, but also outside of social media and your own 'universe'.
So, if you want to build a world-class community on social media, we recommend that you are:
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Present
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Human
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Authentic
If you can be those three things for your audience, you'll grow - along with the community you'll undeniably build 🌱
Takeaways
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Community does not equal follower numbers
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Attention is the 'currency' of social media
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Community is power - and with power comes responsibility.
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Build your community by being:
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Present
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Human
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Authentic
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3. Conclusion: What is social media "growth" and what should you use the formula for?
The short answer to that question is... exactly what you define it to be.
That said, we at Mighty Monday believe there are a number of general categories you can work with and define your organic growth under - and that's actually how the idea for the formula started.
At Mighty Monday, we work with a number of companies who all have a message they want to communicate through social media.
And because Mighty Monday is strategic by nature, we have an immense need to systematize things.
Especially when it comes to "organic communication", as historically it has always had a hard time making a case for itself against "paid communication".
Perhaps comparable to the classic "branding vs. marketing" battle.
But as most people know... Just because we don't have a way to measure something doesn't mean that 1) it doesn't exist and 2) we can't define our own way of measuring it.
The formula for organic growth consists of six variables that together make up a formula that you define.
While you may not remember much from your high school math class (or do you????), you may remember a little about equations.
If you don't know your variables, but you know the factorial of the equation they make up, then you can calculate backwards - as long as you remember to do the same on both sides of the equal sign.
This means that if you want to have a high social impact, you need to put the necessary time and resources into the areas that are most likely to give you the result you're looking for.
So, to answer the last part of the question in the headline, use the formula as a guide and a map to help you define what "growth" is for you.
Once you've found it, it's "just" a matter of following your formula and tweaking it along the way to account for the ever-changing market that is "human attention".