Social media is no longer the same as it once was at its onset — sorry, Tom. Long gone are the days when social media was used simply for connecting with friends and updating your “top 8.” Not only have the platforms advanced in design and functionality, today’s users leverage social media in an entirely new way. From making online purchases to vetting companies and brands, social media communication is forever changed. Now more than ever, it’s essential for marketers to leverage the power of organic social media marketing to:

• Maximize brand visibility
• Garner best-fit leads
• Engage buyers

It’s important to note that today’s B2B buyers are not only interacting with your website and sales reps, they’re mainly engaging with your social media platforms and content. According to Mckinsey & Co., 70% of B2B decision-makers prefer to make purchasing decisions online or through digital self-service means. Therefore, it’s time to strengthen your organic social media marketing strategy to attract visitors and convert them into high-quality leads. To help you get started, we’ve put together a list of organic social media marketing dos and don’ts.

Do: Analyze and Track Metrics to Measure Post Engagement

In a similar fashion to email marketing best practices, you want to ensure your content reaches your audience at the right time. Before getting into the analytics, consider your buyer persona(s). What do they do for a living? When are they most likely to be on social media? How do they like the content displayed? For instance, if your buyer persona has a typical 9-5, it might be best to post content early in the morning, mid-day during their lunch break, or in the evening around 5 pm. 

To get even more granular, it’s important to measure engagement analytics over time. Most social media platforms provide you with data that illustrates how your followers engage with your content. Leverage this data to understand the habits of your target audience. Are they more active on Mondays? Do your posts garner more engagement when you share a video? These insights will help you make data-driven decisions about: 

• What types of content resonates most with your audience
• The time of day and week you should post to encourage the most engagement
• Which tone and style of posts your followers prefer

Don’t: Use Every Existing Social Media Platform

Marketers want to maximize their brand outreach. We totally get it. But often, marketers will waste time and effort on social media platforms that don’t garner any leads or even engagement. Again, it all boils down to your buyer personas. Where does your target audience like to receive information? 

Consider this example. Say you’re a marketer for an IT organization and your main buyer persona is a software developer. Research proves that the top two social media platforms developers use are Reddit (17%) and YouTube (16.4%). Instagram and LinkedIn are at the bottom of the totem pole with only 7.4% and 5.3% of developers spending their time on each respectively. 

It’s critical to organic social media marketing success to pinpoint where your target audiences are spending their time. So before you try to leverage every social media platform (and waste valuable time and resources in the process), be sure to do your research to determine which platforms will enable you to reach your preferred audience. 

Do: Keep Your Brand Consistent Across All of Your Social Media Marketing

One of the key takeaways you need to remember from this article is that your audience isn’t viewing your content in a bubble. They’re seeing your social media posts, receiving your emails, and navigating through your website. It’s essential that every platform has consistent brand messaging and design. The last thing you want to do is provide your audience with mixed messages that can lead to:

• Negative customer experiences
• Increased confusion about your product or service offerings 

Keeping all social media channels cohesive ensures brand consistency. According to LocaliQ, brand consistency boosts revenue by 23% by establishing credibility and trust with buyers. Building trust is vital, especially when 81% of buyers report that they would only purchase from a company if they trusted the company and its products. 

Don’t: Ignore Comments, DMs, and Other Interactions

A primary goal of any marketer is to increase buyer engagement across all marketing channels. But when it comes to organic social media marketing, it’s important to also engage with your audience by responding to comments and direct messages. It’s called social media for a reason — if you want to increase social media engagement, you need to interact with your audience.

Ultimately, you want to respond to all comments, whether positive or negative. Responding to negative comments in a positive and helpful manner will show your appreciation for customer feedback and will illustrate to potential buyers that your company is quick to resolve issues. 

Think about it like this. When people (customers or leads) comment on a post on your company’s LinkedIn or send a private message, they’re opening the door to have a conversation with you. Now, you automatically have an opportunity to speak with a potential buyer and lead them to the sales team or to upsell a current customer on a new product by making a meaningful recommendation. 

Do: Create a Social Media Schedule to Plan Your Posts and Align Them to Your Overall Marketing Strategy

Creating a social media marketing schedule on a regular basis that works best for you is crucial to staying on track with posting at a consistent clip. Plus, this is a great way to align your social media marketing strategy with your overall marketing strategy. For instance, if there’s a new product launching in two months, you can create social posts ahead of time to announce the launch at the appropriate moment. 

Having a calendar full of upcoming social posts ensures your social media marketing doesn’t skip a beat, while also allowing you to share one-off timely posts like a flash sale or 24-hour discount on your newest product. To keep track of these posts, we recommend using a digital spreadsheet like Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets. Another option is to leverage social media software like Hootsuite, Buffer, or Social HP to automate your social posting.