All You Need To Know About Organic Social For 2022

Businesses all over the world now allocate the majority of their marketing budget to social media platforms. And this makes sense. With over 3.6 billion people currently using social media, companies can instantly reach an enormous population with their online posts. 

But how many people online are truly seeing what you post? Social media platforms are constantly revising their algorithms, changing the online playing field every day. Often organic posts will reach only a tiny percentage of your page followers. This number can be boosted by paying for your post to be delivered to more people.

Is this pay-to-play strategy now the only way to reach customers online? Or can your business build and engage with a following through organic posts? Here’s what you need to know for 2022. 

Organic Reach

Simply put, the word ‘organic’ is used to define social posts that are not paid for. Therefore, your organic reach is defined by the audience you reach for free, without throwing money on any posts. This could be anyone who saw your post on their news feed, viewed your profile or in any other way browsed your account’s content.

Organic content is great for obvious reasons: It’s free. But as usual, you often get what you pay for. Nearly a decade ago, organic reach was large and brand pages enjoyed free engagement with customers online. That quickly changed. Now, organic reach is pitifully small. 

Businesses are now asking: Is it worth it to build content without paying to ‘boost’ it to audiences? Is there a way to return to the days where you could reach over half of your followers by a simple, unpaid post? To answer these questions, we must first compare the differences in the social platforms that exist.

Platform Variances

Not all social platforms are created equal. The reach your organic posts have across platforms will vary. A study by Ignite Social Media compared the organic reach for Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram. Facebook sits at the lowest point; an average of 2.2% organic reach. This means only 2.2% of your followers will see your post. LinkedIn is a little higher, with an estimated 5.3% organic reach. Instagram had the highest engagement with an average of 9.4% organic reach.

It appears engagement is easier within platforms that are more interactive. Pictures and videos are better than text. This would explain why platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter lack engagement. In light of this, experts recommend investing time to create content on more interactive platforms such as Instagram, Youtube and TikTok. And to spend less time creating organic content on lower performing sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

Organic Strategies for 2022

If your organic reach potential is so low, why post organically at all? Should all posts be ‘boosted’ or developed as paid advertisements? Which social media platforms should you focus on? Despite the low reach of organic posts, they are still a valuable part of your brand’s online presence. 

Your organic posts create awareness about your brand. They communicate who you are, the value you bring and create opportunities for engagement. How can you optimize your organic reach? Developing a content strategy is key, but first make sure you are customizing your content for the platform you are using. From videos to photos, blogs to short copy — every site is different.

Remember, for many consumers a brand’s social media page operates as their website. So while a single post may only reach a certain number of followers, every post is a building block that communicates and draws people to your brand over time. When building your content strategy for organic posts, focus on providing value, building visually appealing content, connecting with people, and including a call to action.

The Rise of Social Influence

The rules within the world of social media change daily. It can be hard to keep up with the shifting terms and algorithms. Businesses can no longer create a marketing strategy that lasts for years. A dual focus is necessary. Brands must keep one eye on the updates from social platforms, and one eye on their content strategy. Updating and changing with the platforms.

Organic reach is small, and paid advertising is often necessary. But organic posts are still important as a long-term strategy for representing your company and managing your brand image. As we enter 2022, creating both an organic and paid content strategy is imperative for brands with a social media presence.