10 Effective Organic Social Media Strategies

These days, social media is feeling increasingly like a pay-to-play landscape. Brands that want to surge ahead of their competitors are convinced to spend thousands on expensive (though admittedly effective) paid campaigns.

The nature of social media for business may make it seem like organic posts are pointless. But when leveraged strategically, organic efforts can help grow brand loyalty, foster engagement, and complement paid campaigns—without additional spending.

Discover the ten proven organic social media strategies that help brands stay visible, relevant, and community-driven.

All the “How To Social Media” guides make a lot of noise about posting once per day (or more) as a way to appease the algorithm and stay in users’ feeds.

And there is some logic to frequent posting. The more a brand posts, the more likely they are to go viral and reach new users.

More important than post frequency, though, is the intention behind each post. Every photo and video on the content calendar should ladder up to a clear objective, whether that be awareness, engagement, or traffic. That way, no post is made in vain, and profile visitors will understand the brand ASAP.

So, yes, businesses should post often. But they should also post intelligently.

A one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t cut it on social media. As convenient as it would be to publish the same content on every platform, each site has a specific audience and format.

Successful businesses customize their content for each platform, altering their tone and posting style to match user behavior and preferences. For instance:

Of course, there’s more to an organic social media strategy than posting well-crafted content. Brands should remember to see social media as what it’s always been: a tool for connecting with people.

To foster more genuine connections, social media managers should regularly:

Not only does increased engagement boost algorithmic reach, but it also improves community perception. When users see businesses as active participants with something interesting and authentic to say, they view them more favorably.

And a favorable view leads to purchasing.

Social media managers know it: Creating original content day after day is a struggle. If only someone were doing it already…

Enter user-generated content (UGC). From product reviews to memes, social media users constantly publish content that references or recommends brands.

By leveraging user-generated content, businesses enjoy a win-win scenario. UGC reduces content production costs while simultaneously increasing reach. Best of all, UGC builds trust—because consumers are more likely to trust their fellow Facebook users than a brand they don’t know.

Some UGC comes naturally, especially for larger brands. For growing businesses, UGC may need to be encouraged. Tactics for soliciting content for customers include:

It’s important to note here that brands should always ask permission before reposting user-generated content. Asking covers legal bases and showcases community goodwill.

Humans have always been hard-wired for stories. They tell them, seek them, and find comfort in them.

Savvy brands can take advantage of this natural affection for narrative by engaging in storytelling within their social content. When businesses tell their stories, they become more relatable and memorable to consumers. In other words, storytelling is humanizing.

Businesses can tell their unique stories through posts like:

From Instagram to LinkedIn, social media platforms offer businesses countless ways to influence and inspire customers. The trick is to use them.

It starts with the copy. All businesses should publish strong, on-brand bios that succinctly explain the brand to newcomers—ideally with targeted keywords that improve SEO value. Meanwhile, an alluring “link in bio” can turn profile visits into action.

Each profile’s visual branding should be equally comprehensive and coordinated. Depending on the platform, businesses should implement:

When to post is almost as crucial as what to post. Publishing content at the wrong time can cause it to underperform, wasting all the effort that went into creating it.

Generally speaking, the best times to post are weekdays between 8 AM and 2 PM.

However, the actual best time for any given brand to post is when their followers are online. When users see and interact with a post soon after it’s made, its reach is more likely to extend to others.

Businesses can use each platform’s built-in analytics tools to better understand audience behavior. Instagram, TikTok, et al. provide a detailed breakdown of when followers are typically online, pointing toward the perfect time to post.

Because posting on time isn’t always possible (morning meetings, anyone?), many social media managers use scheduling tools. Industry-standard post-scheduling services include:

“The Algorithm” is a fickle, ever-changing thing, and pleasing it is every brand’s number one goal. While no one knows quite how each social platform’s algorithm works, one near-constant consideration is that shares and saves are rewarded.

When users save content for later or send it to a friend, that action tells The Algorithm that the content is valuable. So, it pushes the post to more users.

Brands can leverage this system by favoring formats that drive organic distribution. Translation: Businesses should strive to publish informative, entertaining, or inspirational posts.

Some of the most interacted-with content includes:

To improve the odds of user sharing, businesses can utilize calls to action (CTAs) to encourage algorithm-inducing behavior. CTAs like “save this post” or “tag a friend” can be surprisingly effective, especially when paired with incentives.

As mentioned, each social media platform has a dedicated suite of analytics tools to help businesses understand their organic social performance. Whether it’s Meta Business Suite, TikTok Business Center, or even a third-party tool, these dashboards paint a picture of what’s working—and what’s flopping.

To succeed, brands must use these tools to identify the winning-est strategies and recreate them. If a user-generated meme got more likes and comments than any other post in the last three months, it may be time to post another.

Thorough, regular content audits help businesses determine which content to double down on.

However, even with cold, hard data, brands should continue to experiment. Posting only one type of content for likes can cause followers to lose interest over time.

Finally, brands can take a page from the paid social media book and partner with influencers.

Collaborating with micro-influencers and loyal fans can be an effective way to expose new users to the brand. While unpaid partnerships are rare, many content creators are willing to partner up in exchange for free products.

In general, influencer marketing is a phenomenal way to acquire customers, as creators already have a community that trusts them. And an organic approach to influencer partnerships is possible—it may just require some creativity.

It’s not unusual for brands to grow massively with minimal paid social content. With the right strategies—namely, consistency and an emphasis on relationship-building—businesses can increase their social media following and drive conversions without spending a dime.

The first step is to experiment. Try a few strategies, then track their long-term performance to see what works.

Or, you can team up with a partner who already knows what works. At Power Digital, we put our expertise to the test every day, helping brands expand their reach and grow their bottom line.

To find out more, drop us a line today.

Indeed. FAQ: How Often Should Businesses Post on Social Media? https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/how-often-to-post-on-social-media

Forbes. Human Beings Are Wired For Story: Here’s Why. https://www.forbes.com/sites/brandstorytelling/2023/10/26/human-beings-are-wired-for-story-heres-why/

American Marketing Association. The Best Times to Post on Social Media in 2022. https://www.ama.org/marketing-news/the-best-times-to-post-on-social-media/